I am an English Teacher…WHAT? It has been so cool to see the kids singing “This Little Light of Mine” on their own. It has been so cool to see the kids sitting in class figuring out how to pronounce numbers beyond 20- one of our classes can count into the hundreds! It is such a fun feeling when that little boy with the big and adorable bug eyes runs up to you and yells “Teacher! Teacher!” It is so cool when the kids run up to play with you during recess as a friend- and then they give you respect as their teacher during class. Shouldn’t that be how we view our relationship with God? Give Him respect as a teacher and a father & also just play with Him and have fun – enjoying His presence!
The rain came pouring down this afternoon! It was so beautiful! The school has a small irrigation system – as needed in Guatemala – & for about a half an hour was gushing with fresh water. We saw about 6 or 7 boys having the time of their lives as the turned their trash into little boats as they raced down the little stream. I remember when I was little and I raced my stick with my brother-never in my life would I have been happy sending my trash down the river. For these boys to have a some water to send their old juice cartons down was so fun.
I think if I had to describe the kids at school… I would say they are the toughest kids with the most tender hearts. That is a hard balance. They hold the ability to get up after a hard fall on pavement, not get offended when a ball from the other soccer game hits them in the head, or when the are just running- in the small space they have to run- and hit another kid. In a strange way, they also offer space be loved. Their eyes literally light up when you wave to them & oh man do they love the Hokey Pocky!
As elegant as that sounds some times – just some times – teaching can be really really hard. It takes a lot of energy to communicate when you cant speak their language. I sometimes can feel just emotionally exhausted. Every morning we pray for attentiveness for the kids and patients for us …
My recent theme that Jesus has been showing me is the word “everything” . In everything I do let it honer You, God. Everything that I literally think, say & do. Even when I am tired- impatient- when the kids are not attentive- I pray that God’s joy just overflows from my cup to theirs.
