This week we are working at the Bible
College here in Xia Xia. Most of the students are from Northern
Mozambique, move here with their own families to attend class,
develop their language skills and become missionaries who can change the world.
Each morning we are at the bottom of our hill at 7:15am for pickup. We arrive at the Bible
College around 7:30 to start our day.
The last two days I have simply walked down the hill from the main
classroom towards the children’s area. I
have loved my two days.
The children are beyond precious! I have taken a special liking to Artur-a
beautiful boy about three, with big eyes and a melt-your-heart smile.
Yesterday I made his acquaintance: after playing for a while I went to sit with
one of the younger girls. Artur climbed
up on my lap/legs. The little girl’s shirt had a whole that made her belly
prime for tickling J As we played
I noticed her big outtie belly-button; that led to belly button
exploration. We saw Nadia’s, did Arturl
have one too? What about me? Seeing everyone’s different belly buttons was
fascinating and fun to these children…and became a nuisance for some of my
teammates as the kids tried to lift t-shirts to find belly buttons. Some of my
teammates aren’t as keen on the lesson as I was; however, the kids LOVED it,
especially the tickling and giggling!
Since it is a Bible
College, we are allowed to do a
short Bible lesson with the children.
These kids are between the ages of 2 and 7, they don’t have diapers,
desks, computers, game boys, ipods, TV, or personal toys. What they do have are loving parents and a
supportive community. The community
includes the College students, the Mozambican staff as well as the missionary
staff, and all visitors…this is us! I
have sort of taken on/been designated the kiddy lesson teacher. Yesterday we read and repeated a verse about
Daniel and the Lions’ Den, then did a coloring page. Today we did the same with David and Goliath. It has been wonderful: the kids listen to the
verse, they repeat in chorus, they take the one crayon that is given to them
and color contently. Measured by
American standards these children are dirty, without, poor, un-chaperoned,
etc. Yet, I can tell you, they have
love.
I have had the blessing of helping with morning snack. Though it is normal to receive only one meal a day, these
children share their snack of bread and tea. It is truly a
special treat. After I volunteered to
help Albertina one random day the first week of ministry, she has come to
accept and rely on my help during snack time.
I go up with her to the kitchen to retrieve a sack of rolls and fill the
kettle with steaming tea. As we start
toward the kids’ area the children run to us in anticipation of the treat!
These pictures are from our tea time*:
I know with an honest heart I can say, “I am loved.” Passing out butter rolls, filling up cups with tea and seeing the smiles on the kids faces makes my heart burst with joy! On the very first day I went around to each child and shook their hands, greeting each one with a big, “Bon Dia!”
*taken by Ben Wilcoxson
