Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Not My Horsie, My Friend


--by pinkie, posted Sep 6, 2007

I just got back from a week in Guatemala with a completely youth-run group called Minga of about 30 high-schoolers who are trying to end the global sex trade in children. We (13 of us) took the trip to see first hand some of what is going on and to gain perspective.

On Wednesday, we played a game of soccer against a group of 7 and 8 year old boys from a shelter for children living in the Guatemala City slums. They were so happy to see us and I don't think I've ever seen smiles so wide as theirs were before!

At the end they all clambered onto our backs for piggy backs down the long hill. When I bent over and offered a ride to one of the little boys, his face just lit up with surprise and excitement and he laughed and grinned the whole way down.

Later, my friend Luke told us about what his little boy had said to him.   He said, "You are not my horsie. You are my friend."  After the whole day with them, that really hit me hard.

I really became a different person because of this trip and I will never forget these boys and their smiles.  Sometimes those who have practically nothing can teach us how to smile.

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Readers Comments

wolfhawk46 wrote: What a heart warming albeit sad story. I have been working in guatemala for almost 6 years now with a group that i helped start after our first trip. We (a very small group of people) started it because of the need we saw when we visited following hurricane stan and because of the spirit of the people there. It is hard to comprehend the hunger and lack of clean water and especially heart breaking when you see and think about the innocent children.



Your story touched me deeply in it's simplicity and warmth. Reaching out in small ways that make a huge difference is what it is all about. Thank you for sharing
laughingheart wrote: We take so much for granted these days. Sometimes it makes me so sad. All we need to do is look around the world. Little means a lot to someone. Even if it just a smile.
koolmom64 wrote: Thanks for sharing~
Our two oldest kids have done similar work. One in Mexico and the other in Honduaras. Their experiences, as yours have reminded us how important it is to reach out to our fellow humankind. Regardless of how uncomfortable it might be, we are all here to help one another. Anything less is simply selfish!!!
JuneBug wrote: THAT WAS SUCH A TOUCHING STORY! We take so much for granted!
Sairekha wrote: Thats an awesome post thanks for sharing it.
lovebug wrote: My oldest son when to Guatamala, on a mission trip, he came back so excited. I could only pray I could be so excited about viewing poverty. Sadly to say I do not enjoy seeing poverty in foreign lands, we have enough of our own

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