Because of you, smiles are breaking through in the hardest moments

By Toby Abts

One of the things I miss most about my years as a missionary in West Africa is the smiles.

For me, smiles are a sort of currency. The more I see them, the richer my heart becomes. And as I think back on our time in Nigeria, it’s the smiles I remember most and will carry with me forever.

But one story in particular still comes back to me often. It happened during a ReachOut event at a camp for internally displaced persons.

Thanks to the support of faithful friends, our team was able to spend the day serving displaced families in every way we could. Some provided food and supplies. Others played soccer with the older kids. Volunteers cooked meals, braided hair, played music, sang songs, and entertained the children. 

I somehow became a 6’3” jungle gym for the smallest kids there, and probably the whitest one they’d ever seen! But mothers greatly appreciated it because it gave them a chance to breathe, clean up, and feel cared for themselves. And everywhere you looked, there were smiles.

Those smiles didn’t come because life was easy. Many of these families had lost homes, loved ones, and entire communities to violence. But because of your generosity, for one day, they felt seen, loved, and remembered.

What impacted me most was that the people of God crossed tribal and denominational lines to serve. In camps often divided by background or affiliation, people experienced the love of Jesus as one community.

That day, the compassion of generous friends like you brought joy, dignity, and hope to hundreds of people. And those smiles are still in my wallet today.