It might sound like we are on a safari, but I’m still here in the Dominican Republic! Last week my team lead kids camp for the local children here. Every day we would have anywhere from 10-20 kids two times a day. Due to school schedules, the younger kids would come in the morning and the older kids in the afternoon. In the morning, we divided the children up in 3 teams: Monos, Liones, and Elefantes. Meet my team, team Monos!!
We thought the first morning was going to be chaos trying to get organized, but the kids were amazing! It went much better than expected. We were riding a high into the afternoon session, which quickly was shot down. The older kids were rowdy and loud, making it hard on my team to teach them anything. It honestly left us frustrated at the end of the first day.
Throughout the week, we were able to learn more about the kids. They live in the middle school culture that tells them to not have feelings. If they start to talk about something deep, the rest of the time they will probably be laughing about everything to cover up and hide their emotions. Don’t get me wrong. Some of the kids were engaged in the afternoon, but it was much harder to keep everyone focused.
By learning more about the kids through interactions and our hosts telling us a bit of their home lives, the grace in my heart grew more and more. You start to look not at their outward front, but what they are trying to deal with on the inside.
One boy especially grew on me; we’ll call him Miguel. Towards the beginning of the week, he laughed through everything. He talked out during the lessons and made fun of kids. It was hard to get him to pay attention.
Through our host, we learned that Miguel’s mom is dying of cancer and his dad is never around. How do you process that as a 10 year old?? How do you process that ever?
My teammate, Kimberly (KP), was able to speak truth into his life since she can relate to certain parts of his story. Even though he might not have shown it on the outside, I have to believe that the Lord worked through that conversation. Miguel has such leadership potential if he were to tap into it. He is also smart. When we would quiz them on the lessons from the week, he knew them all dead on. Pray that he grows up into a man of God. Pray he uses his potential for the Lord, leading others towards Christ.
Stories are so important. It helps us know people deeper. It helps us see what makes them the way they are. It allows us to extend deeper grace and love towards them. Take time to listen to what people have to say about themselves. People just want to be known. Don’t you?
I am still $700 short of my next fundraising goal that ends February 28th! I need about $3500 to be fully funded! If you are able to, please donate to help me stay on the race!
