my moments and my days

Take my moments and my days…Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

MOMENT. The other day I was feeling a little overwhelmed at the care center so I decided to do one of my favorite things…Go home with the kids and visit their houses.

I’ve blogged about Ruby and I know I shouldn’t have favorites, but let me just tell you….I can’t get enough of this girl! I love her so much. I asked her if I could go home with her and she was smiling ear to ear.

After class, she grabbed my hand and led me… walking through the narrow street…jumping over puddles…dodging a barbed wire fence…greeting lots of other kids along the way…to get home.

And what a lovely visit that was. I found out more about her family as I sat and visited with her and her sisters, their mom, 2 aunts, cousins, and a new baby. Ruby really wanted me to hold the baby. After holding the cute baby, the baby’s mom suddenly grabbed the child and said, “Oh honey I better take the baby. He doesn’t have a diaper on and you know what could happen!”

MOMENT. The youngest kids we have are kindergarten and first graders. This year’s first grade class is a great group, full of energy, a desire to learn, and love. The other day, I was sitting on the stairs watching recess and one first grade girl ran up to give me hugs and kisses. Before I knew it, I had 7 or 8 little ones all over me, swarming me with love.  I literally could not even stand up! Love these little girls so much.

MOMENT. Miranda is a sweet girl with a HUGE personality! She never fails to make me laugh anytime I see her. Breakfast the other day was a hot chocolate type of drink with a piece of bread for each child. Sometimes, we play praise music in the cafeteria while the kids eat. Right after prayer, I happened to see Miranda grab her piece of bread and turn it into an air guitar as she stood up and ROCKED OUT to the music.

MOMENT. Yinglina is a little first grader who kinda reminds me of a little grandma. She has a grandmother like personality- taking care of others, acting really grown up…I think she is so funny. When I first met her she told me to call her Yolanda. So I was calling her Yolanda anytime I would look for her and her friends told me that there’s no one by that name. When I found her and asked her about it, she told me that her real name is Yinglina but her mother called her Yolanda. Her mother died a few years ago.  She has a special place in my heart.

Today she was pretty melancholy and had a bellyache all morning. At lunch she didn’t want to eat, but I walked her to the cafeteria and she took my hand and had me sit next to her. We squished into the lunch table where there really shouldn’t have been room for two more, but there we were- all squished and happy as could be to eat our rice and beans together. After getting a full stomach, her bellyache went away and her smiles came back.

MOMENT. Back to Ruby and her family….on another visit, I was hanging out with Ruby and her siblings Geraldito and Celia, her cousin Elito, and lots of friends. They had a little sing-off and I’m glad I got some of it on video (you can find it on my facebook!) After the sing off, we were sitting outside their house talking about fruit and trees. I told them that someday I would love to have a mango tree. All of a sudden, two of them ran off. After a few minutes they handed me a small plant- the beginnings of a mango tree! Then they all jumped in and gave me lots of instructions for how to care for it ;) Then they offered to give me an avocado tree and a few others- I told them I better just start with the mango tree! Too cute!

MOMENT. Sometimes kids come to the nurse’s office without knowing what hurts or what they are sick with. I think some of them come up with an ailment as they are walking to the office or right as I ask them what is wrong. When it was Miranda’s turn she explained to me that her heart hurt. I asked her to show me where her heart is and she pointed right to her neck J So cute. I told her that the treatment for a heart that hurts is always a big hug! She wasn’t buying it, but a little boy named Bezlo standing next to her took me up on the offer and came running into my arms! I think his heart felt better after that!

MOMENT. The afternoon third grade class has had some major discipline issues these last few weeks. It makes me a little hesitant to pull them out of class for sponsorship! One afternoon I had two students with me, Yessica and Reily. They were sitting very calmly doing their project and Yessica turned to me and said, “Please sing to me”. I love to sing- but hardly ever in front of people- I told her and Reily, “Me da verguenza” (I get embarrassed). Reily looked at me and said, “Don’t be embarrassed- it’s just us- please sing”. Well how can you say no to that? So there we were, just the three of us in the big empty cafeteria and I sang to them. Anytime my mom sang to me as a young girl, I instantly felt comforted. I think it was the same for these two as they wouldn’t let me only sing one or even two. My thoughts returned to this passage from Zephaniah “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing”