The kids on our team have done a great job of integrating into the school over the past few days. When we arrived on Tuesday during recess, they were instant playground celebrities. Each of our kids was surrounded by groups of children all wanting to hold their hands and lead them around the playground. The energy was a bit frenetic, but they seemed to handle all the attention surprisingly well. Yesterday and today they had a chance to participate in class time and were also invited to join the students in the cafeteria for "porridge", the morning snack which is something like fermented cream of wheat. They politely took a sip, but declined to finish.
At lunch each day those of us at the school have regrouped with the rest of the team at the main BOH building. Today we had a small moment of panic when we were heading to lunch and we couldn't find Amelia. (Grandparents who are reading this, be assured she is FINE, and this took place on the campus of Beacon of Hope which is a gated and guarded location.) In any case, she wasn't with us, she wasn't on the playground among the BOH children. Trying to remain calm, I started asking if anyone had seen Amelia. Yes! Someone had! The head of school, Teacher Elizabeth, said that she had seen her going off to lunch with one of the classes. "She was at the front of the line leading the class," she said. I hightailed it down there, expecting Amelia too be on the verge of tears, but when I walked into the lunchroom, I found her sitting at a table, chatting with her new friends--her cheerful six year-old face smiling among a sea of beautiful Kenyan ones. And she had cleaned her plate! Afterward Teacher Elizabeth joked that we owe her some school fees if Amelia is going to be enrolled. ;)
Needless to say I am taking more than a few lessons from this experience:
(1) Parental communication about our children's whereabouts needs improvement. ;)
(2) The Lord loves my kids even more than I do, and their safety ultimately rests with Him, not with me.
(3) He delights to use these little ones--both Kenyan and American--to display His glory.
Sending love to everyone back home! Keep those prayers coming!
-Wesley
That's our Amelia. Ambassador to the world. Kind of reminds me of the story of Jesus in the temple. Glad to have missed the panic,Wesley thanks for the grandparent note. Praying for you all.
ReplyDeleteSo good to see you posting! Amelia: she is a leader, a rascal and a sweetie pie.. Sorry you had a bad moment. We love this blog so be sure to post frequently. Your visit sounds wonderful and we keep you all in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteWes, From Trish: Dg and I are reading about all her family's discoveries with awe with pride and with hope for the precious people with whom they are endeavoring to share the grace of God's love and from whom they already seem to have received grace and goodness ! We send love with daily heartbeats and thanks to God for their safety and learning... Mom would be thrilled to see this young family act on their understanding of Christ's mission so clearly and so nearly
ReplyDeleteHow awesome----Wesley. I am honored to know your sweet kids. It is a blessing I cherish from CHCB. The kids that I get to hang out with as they grow up. Thanks for sharing them with us. We are praying for all of you.
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