Never Say Never

We have lots of sayings in English: "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," "Don't judge a book by it's cover," and "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." (P.S. The last one doesn't work, I tried and yet she continued living in my house-- hi mom!)

Well, I think God has a favorite: "Never say never."

I've recently begun to notice a pattern in my life. Every time I swear that I'll NEVER do something, I eventually end up doing it. For example, when I went on the Mali Music Mission trip through Ward last year and said that I did not, under any circumstances, want to teach a music class, the first day of class they introduced me as the Clarinet teacher. Or, if you'd have told me last year that I'd eat cow hoof, I'd have sworn that that would NEVER happen. Well, you all know how that went...

Then, when I was picking science classes for my freshman year of high school and said that I hated rocks in all shapes and forms and would NEVER study geophysical science again. Well, folks, guess what my fourth grade science class is studying--- yup, rocks. I'm teaching geophysical science. Haha, God, very funny.

Plus, I took chemistry my sophomore year and hated it so much that I abandoned any thought of pursuing medicine because I never wanted to see another chemistry book again. Well, 6th grade science class is studying---CHEMISTRY. Seriously, God?

And last but not least, I promised myself that if I ever taught, I would NEVER teach middle-school kids. They're crazy, I said, I can't handle them. Yes, all the girls in my classes are 8-14 years old, and guess what-- I love working with them.

Moral of the story, God's bigger than me. Never say never.

"Rockabye Baby"

Last weekend, I was asked to be the Tia in the Gold House for the weekend. Although Tia is the word for "aunt," she is the "mother" of the household. She cooks, makes sure chores done, takes care of all the kids in her house, and basically does everything a mom would (break up fights, calm tears, read stories, play, fall asleep exhausted...)

I always adore my opportunities to serve as a Tia because they provide me with 72 hours to get to know the girls better in a particular house. Though, my favorite time came at bedtime...

After spending all day with 8 girls, doing chores, cooking meals, trying to explain why tattling is bad, ignoring the whining (sometimes a communication barrier can be a blessing), and playing games, I was ready for bed.

Everyone brushed their teeth, changed into pajamas, and crawled into bed. Then, I went around to each one and sat with them awhile, talking about their day, praying with them and finally kissing them good night and telling them how much I loved them. The girls on the top bunks were shocked and broke out giggling when I climbed up on top with them to chat for a little while.

The effect was amazing.
Girls that had been cold to me all day suddenly turned all smiles. The little ones felt like someone was taking the chance to listen to them for a while, instead of just tell them what to do. And, Jackeline, a girl who needs lots of positive reinforcement, heard me tell her I loved her, even though we'd had a discussion about the quality of her chores earlier. They gave me HUGE hugs and said "Te Quiero" (I love you) a hundred times.

The next morning and all throughout the day, the girls reminded me of my promise to read them a story that night. Attitudes toward me softened and there was a general atmosphere of love and peace in the house.

That night, when I brought out the book of stories they all went running to their rooms. While I was in reading with the younger girls, the older girls, ages 10-12, came in to make sure that I was coming to their room next.

Later, I heard one of the girls say to Tia Patty, "When I was at home, my parents never tucked me in. They just said 1-2-3, to bed! But when you talk and pray with me at night, I feel loved."

Most often, love is felt in tiny, every day things, rather than in giant gestures.
I believe that God will use our efforts, however small or insignificant they may be, to enrich the lives of others. Maybe my mission here is to read bedtime stories to girls at night, and if that be true, may I never run out of stories to tell.

This is Ridiculous

Dear Lord, I love her. You sure know how to make them.

Just wanted to introduce you all to Belen. This is her typical, "This is Ridiculous" face.

P.S. Lord, her teacher's gonna need a lot of paitence too. Thanks.

Day by Day

WOOPS! I looked at the last date on my blogs...and needless to say, it's been quite a while since the last update!

Most of the girls' school vacation has been spent outside, playing on the trampoline, on the play set, and playing soccer. You'd think after 9 years on a soccer team, I'd be able to aim a ball...not so. (Not to mention that I'm playing against Latinos, who are born with cleats on their feet)

Besides all the fun and games, Kimberly and I took the opportunity to teach English classes to the staff. When we first tried out the idea in a Monday morning meeting to see who would be interested, immediately all hands shot up. So, the next Monday we began the first of bi-weekly English lessons for the Oasis staff.
The classes have turned out to be one of my favorite times of the week. The joy and energy that our students bring to the class is electrifying. It's thrilling to see them energized about learning and putting such effort into it. They are so excited to practice "Pass me the..." at the dinner table, or "Good morning" when I see them in the morning. Although I doubt any of them will reach fluency before I leave, they've provided me with a wonderful 2 hours per week of realizing how blessed I am to have learned English as my first language. (Consider the word "Up": light up, get up, throw up, stay up, turn up, pick up, shut up, etc.)

In reality, the time off from school has been a wonderfully blessing in that I find myself unburdened by classes to prepare/teach and with plenty of free time to spend with the girls. This has allowed me to create relationships with the girls. The girls of the Blue House, for example, are all 15 years old and above and go walking through the surrounding towns every morning at 6 am. I've been accompanying them, not only for the exercise and the chance to get out of The Oasis for a while, but also for the hour and 1/2 that it provides me for interrupted conversation with the girls.
In general, the girls in the Blue House are hardest to reach, mainly due to the fact that they're teenagers. Let's face it, as a teenager myself, we're hard to talk to when we don't want to open up. Yet, as the summer passes, I've seen cracks and breaks in their shells where I've been chipping away piece by piece. Day by day, piece by piece. I have to remember, God does not change me in a day. I learn with each experience. Similarly, with each demonstration of love, discipline (which are one in the same, but they generally don't grasp that), and concern for them and what's going on in their lives, I have faith that God will do amazing works in the lives of these girls. He is molding them into women after His own heart. There's nothing I can do for them on my own, just let myself be used by God in the ways He has planned.