I watch the sun go down from the balcony of the eleventh story. The city is still swarming, crowded and loud. Around us, 150,000 people are going about their lives, most of them only worrying about survival. We are a foreign family of four. I feel small.

As we shop, I hold a can of beans in the middle of an aisle and listen to people speak loudly and animatedly. We have been studying and studying, yet this language still feels so out of reach. We will never be able to speak like that. I feel helpless.

We go for a walk, and in less than five minutes, a little girl in dirty clothes asks us for money. Next, a loud lady invites us on a boat, a street vendor tries to sell us corn on the cob, and an old lady tries to sell us fruit. Finally, a radio-controlled car appears right at our son’s feet, operated by a child who probably expects our son to throw a tantrum forcing us to buy one too. We are never going to be able to help them all earn a living. We feel overwhelmed and inadequate.

While walking down the street with our children, an old lady plays ukulele near the park and draws my attention. She has become a daily sight in our neighborhood. Her clothes are old, dusty and the same every day. Her face is wrinkled and tired, her voice is hoarse and terribly out of tune, and she repeatedly plays the same notes. There is an unmistakable sadness surrounding her. For many reasons, we usually do not hand money to people on the streets. But now, I feel a sudden urge to stop. I place a few coins in our son’s hand, and we turn around. He timidly approaches the lady, trying to drop the coins in the little cup, when he scatters them all on the pavement. As he bends down, picking up the coins, their eyes meet—a sad, lonely old lady and a blue-eyed, shy little boy—allowing me to witness a large smile upon her face. It was an ear-to-ear smile, revealing many missing teeth, on a face that I had never before seen smile. She was suddenly radiating.

Then it occurs to me: we may feel small, helpless, overwhelmed or inadequate, but we can always be a blessing to someone. And in our Heavenly Father’s eyes, no one is too insignificant to be worthy of blessing.

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