Children and Joy

 

Many of you who read this have been here to visit and have met the children.  We are blessed to see the progress and growth over a long period of time.  And what a blessing it is.   I will give some updates.

 

When Mary came at 9yo she had never been to school.  She was first put in with the youngest children.  Soon she was with the children her own age.  (That is how we are continuing to place children.)  Now she is one of our most outstanding students, reading, and enjoying school.

 

Paul, Prudence, and Precious came less than a month ago.  Paul has been one of the leaders in building the wire cars.  He had learned how to do that from an older brother he said.  Prudence always has a smile and loves receiving affirmation.  And in this short time, Precious is excelling at her school work.

 

Roman came as an angry and belligerent little boy.  He had been told terrible things about us.  Now he is extremely sensitive, caring, helpful, and sweet. 

 

Adam was one of the first boys who came.  For so long he only really played by himself.  Even though his brother Moses is here also, he was very much a loner.  He also seemed to have a more difficult time learning English.  Now he is one of the first to raise his hand when there is a question asked at school, and he even gets some of the answers right!  He plays with other children as well.  Adam continues to love wheels and anything mechanical.  He had pure joy last week as we had a very kind mechanic working on the tractor.  This mechanic was heard to say, as he put his arm around Adam, "We are fixing the tractor."

 

Sharon S. was talking to me last week about when school would close for the end of the first term.  I said it would be Wednesday.  She said, "No, Thursday."  We went back and forth a little bit.  Then I said to her, "Do you like school?"  She said, "Yes" with a big smile.  She didn't want school to end.

 

It is also a great joy to see the way that the teachers love the children and interact in such affirming and caring ways.  If anyone doubts the power of love and encouragement on the lives of children (and probably adults too), they should come and spend time with us here.  The results are all around us.