Heart of my Heart: November 2012

As time has passed since my last written blog, I've been thinking a lot about the things that I said without words.. I've been thinking about the message I was sending in between the lines.

And I realized that that message was wrong. It was horribly wrong and I didn't even realize I was sending it.

Though I spoke raw uncensored truth, I also spoke falsehood without words.
And I want to rectify and apologize for that lie with the following statement:

I'm not the only one who cares.

How could I be? To say such a thing would be putting myself on a pedestal- a place where no human belongs. To say such a thing is like saying that God did not arrive here until He brought me here. And the truth is... God has always been here. God has always been moving and working here. And I want to list a few of the ways I have seen him working and moving here outside of myself.

I see God's presence in the the braided hair of the little girls when they get on the bus. Any parent or guardian who takes the time to braid a little girl's hair definitely cares. I say this from my own experience as a little girl who would fidget and complain when my mom brushed and braided my hair. But she did it as gently as she could. She did it carefully so that she wouldn't hurt me. And she wanted me to look nice when I went to school. She did it because she loved me.

I see God's presence in the food that the children eat at school. Not every school has a food program-- food plays a vital role in education. Any teacher will tell you this. No person can learn when their basic needs aren't being met. Jesus knew this and He created 5,000 meals out of a meal meant for 1. The food program ensures nourishment throughout the week regardless of what home-life is like, and the school teachers and the principal work really hard to get grants to pay for things like food. And God has revealed his Love by providing food through the grant-givers.

In addition to this, the school also applies for grants for wood. Winters here are extreme. The school would have to close down if there was no wood because no wood means no heat. And this is probably only seen in small areas of the Western world, but using wood alone for heat requires A LOT of work. For months, all you hear all day long is the sound of chainsaws cutting wood. It takes a lot to heat up a building and the fact that the school applied for, received, and were given wood for heating is absolutely incredible. It is nothing short of God's handiwork. The Principal cares. The people who gave the wood care. The teachers care.

Speaking of winter, there's also the issue of warmth outside of school. So the principal, the teachers, and Zhana have been working together to get duvets (comforters) and winter supplies for the families of the students. In fact, distribution of these supplies is to take place rather soon! And we're thankful for those who have provided warmth in so many forms.

And I'm going to be honest once again. Though I absolutely from the depths of my heart, love and cherish each child, I do not and can not deny their dreadful behaviors. In the classic "fight or flight" conflict decision, the kids almost always choose to fight. It's as if it is in their blood. And they fight with everyone: peers, friends, siblings, teachers, persons of authority. I think of a time when I had a college practicum at an inner-city school. A lot of the same issues can be found here, and it is a challenge. It takes an incredible amount of motivation to try to help these children to unlearn these bad behaviors and learn peaceful ones- positive ones. Though the motivation varies from person to person, I have seen in many of the people working with these kids- in many of the teachers and certainly in the principal that the motivation is compassion. The motivation is the idea of a different future- a different path for each child to take. And they work so hard to show them a different path and to give them the tools they need to survive on this path. These teachers have been building relationships with the families of the students for a long long long time. They don't have a certain day with certain hours of parent-teacher conferences where parents sign up for a time and come in to the school to meet with their child's teachers like in the States. No, they actually get in their cars and drive into the villages or to wherever the families live and they meet with the parents in their own homes or in a place that is easily accessible for the parents because they care about the students and their families, and they really work hard on building relationships with families because, as any teacher would say, a parent or guardian is a child's first teacher. Your family is your first teacher. Any good teacher knows that having a strong relationship with the parents of their students is vital to the successful education of any child. And any great teacher will work hard to build a strong relationship with the parents of their students even if it means making home-visits or providing food, or clothing or warmth, or whatever to these families.
I am not the only one who cares.
And THANK GOD for that.
I thank God for these people who care- who have been caring for so long.
I thank God for teachers who have not and will not give up.
I thank God for parents who won't let their children leave the house without a jacket.
I thank God for mothers who braid their daughters' hair.
I thank God for Principals who understand that children can't learn when they're cold or hungry.
I thank God for people who are generous with what they have been given and provide for those who are in need of whatever that may be.
I thank God for male figures who teach young boys how to be responsible young men.
I thank God for schools that work hard to be a safe place for children.
And I thank God for His constant presence- for His constant motivation moving within this school and His Love falling upon this community- upon His children.
I thank you Dear God, that I am not the only one who cares.

Heart of my Heart

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

I'm not the only one who cares.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

For my Mother and Sister: