Theres a saying that says that Gods love will overcast the language barriers? well its hecka hard not being able to speak Spanish. My 10 word vocabulary is not cutting it. It is hard at Camp Hope because all the teachers and staff try to tell me what to do and how to help the kids and when I don’t understand or respond it is hard because we want to be able to communicate and understand but i cant. It is hard when im in the bathroom with a kid and someone asks me to go get gloves and i come back with toilet paper. Or when someone says something to me and I’m so lost so i just say si and go along with it and then brings me into a classroom with 3 kids and closes the door on me and I’m stuck in a room with these adults with disabilities and confused out of my mind. Only until the teacher comes back 5 minutes later to thanking me and then swishes me out of the room…. so confused! Or when the kids are learning their colours and all i can think of is french and trying to convert it over to Spanish and having everyone laughing as the kids know more than me.
Putting aside not understanding anything that anyone has been saying, I’ve also had some pretty incredible moments. I’ve learned that no matter what language, music is therapeutic and a melody can calm a distressed child no matter what language or song. One morning i was told to sing to this older guy in the camp and how he will listen better and trust you if you sing to him and that any song will do. However, i had a brain fart and the only song i could remember was jingle bells and i just kept feeling like i was at home with my mom singing carols. Another thing that ive come to use a lot is my smile, as this what brings joy to someones day. If i cant tell them that im thankful maybe i can show it. This one girl Annabel i was assigned to one afternoon to walk around with and take her on the stairs, the only thing i said to her was encouragements. At the top of a set of stairs i would smile and say perfecto and be so amazed that she just did that, that she would get so happy and smile for the first time all day. Later on i was just passing a ball around with her and doing little things around the property and she was so joyful for such a small activity. The Lord another day showed me how a even a child who cant even walk on his own still can have so much joy. This little guy named Anderson wanted to go onto the swing but he cant stand on his own so we put him on his belly and for a solid 10 minutes was turning him self around and then un twirling and was laughing so hard. It melted my heart to see such joy from something that we take for granted being able to a small task of swinging. At the end of the day the language is a big part but showing love and caring for everyone, staff or student, is what really impacts them and will have a lasting result in my heart.
The over all biggest thing the Lord has taught me is that a small thing done with great love makes the whole difference.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
