Meet the kids!

 

As promised this week I am going to share with everyone a bit about my actual work here, my daily routine, and the smiling faces I am blessed with every day.
The Center & The Work      The kids are at school in the mornings and the family I am staying with spends the morning doing all sorts of things (cleaning, cooking, shopping, running errands). With that my duties usually involve helping prepare food for the children in the afternoon. We eat, everyone together as a family, and after lunch my host mom, my host sister, my host father, and I all pack up for The Center!
   We take two Trufies (best described as a Bolivian Taxi) to The Center and when we arrive we are immediately surrounded by little children hugging and smiling at us saying "Hola Profe". There are six different classrooms ranging from 1st-5th grade. I am in one of the two 2nd grade classrooms with another American missionary, Katie. While Katie teaches and works through the class' homework as a group I am sent a different child that needs individual attention, one at a time. As they take turns coming to me I work with everyone on something they need help on specifically. Most of them slowly sound out the pages of the now very familiar books and go through flashcards of multiplication. If they get their homework done and are behaving well they are often rewarded with recess time outside to run around and play. Always so happy and joyful!
   But my favorite time of the day with the children is "snack time" when they all quiet down in their seats, eat their treat, and listen as Katie reads them Bible stories. So encouraging to see their little hands shoot up when questions are asked and their eyes become so attentive as they learn of "Jesus Cristo" and His life on earth. They really get it! It surprised me to see how much they soak in those stories and those words!


((A big shot of the center, classrooms on either side and a big playing area in the middle!))



     I love getting to know the different kids and slowly their different stories. The language is hard to completely connect with them but little by little we're becoming closer. The Center and the families and people who put time into it are so hard working! There is little reward for them but there is a huge gain for the children! Some of the kids are repeating grades for their 2nd or 3rd time. Many do not have help at home because not even their parents can read to give them assistants.
   As I talked to some of the little girls in my class they told me, as they joined arms around each other and hugged, that they all live together. I asked if they were sisters, makes sense right? No, I soon learned that they live together during the school sessions because most of them live too far in the mountains to attend school and must "bunk" with others in order to go to school. We are talking 7 year old kids living away from home just for an education that they are struggling to maintain! And with that information I realized how important the work here really is.

The kids

As the weeks go on I will probably spend a whole blog focusing on a different child but today here's little introduction!




Little Norma This little gal is as smiley and mischievous as they get. She is usually trying to tell jokes or pull jokes on me but they don't quite make sense in translation to me so I try to laugh and act as if she really got me. When she gets started laughing there's really no stopping her. She will giggle in her seat without anyone knowing for the longest tine until we notice her paper is still blank and she is far behind the others on the current activity.. She has a hard time staying focused on her work because she is usually pulling pranks and laughing with other kids in the class.

JhoselineThis young lady is a firecracker! Whether it's retaliating for the boys pulling on her long ponytail or just plain rough housing she is always running around with the boys chasing them from here to there. She has the warmest little hug behind her "tough girl" attitude. When she smiles you can see that there is so much love behind her eyes of hurt. Watching her intently count her fingers to find the answer to a multiplication or stutter through a tough word in a book she always tries her hardest when working with me!

Nicole, Jovana, y NatalieThese girls are inseparable! All three are very hardworking on their studies. When they open their books they show a true desire to learn and become better. When we open The Bible they pay perfect attention! They rarely get called out and if they do it's usually because they are reading ahead to a different story in The Bible they share or trying to help each other out on a question they don't know. Other than their over-achievement the girls are quiet and hard working. Though they struggle through their homework every day they do it joyfully, no complaints, day after day.

HernanHe is as quiet and sweet as it gets. In the two weeks I've been here he has never made a scene but usually minds his own business, hangs out in his own world, and flashes a smile & eyes ready to work when asked. Quietly standing beside me as we play, sneaking a hug in, or trying to help the other kids with their work he is a breath of fresh air to all he is present with.

 

 

 

This is Cristian!

He is always goofing around, screaming and making a loud commotion in class. I usually catch him dancing and singing happily as he moves his way around the classroom, snooping on every one's work. When he sees me walk into class he usually yells out "PROFE SHELVY" (They call all the teachers 'Profe' for professor and they all have a hard time pronouncing Shelby). He is wild and active, not wanting to focus much on his homework but the minute we sit down he straightens up and does his work very diligently. I missed a day at the center because of an appointment in the city and when I returned the next day I got quite a lot of Spanish words thrown at me in a loud voice. Too fast for me to understand what he was saying, another teacher told me he was saying, WHERE WERE YOU YESTERDAY? DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME? And every time I left the room that day he would yell DON'T FORGET ME AGAIN!

And this is Jose Felix!!!This little boy has already won me over. I look forward to our time together every day yet dread it all at the same time. He is a bundle of all kinds of emotions and surprises. When I walk into class he hardly looks up but still yells "SHELVY". From across the classroom he glares at me with an evil little look but within seconds is fighting a grin which just causes his infectious giggle to burst through as he quickly turns away. He reminds me a lot of myself; not sure how to show his emotions so it just comes out as mix of all kinds of vibes! And for that, I can't help but love him!
He has a hard time separating his words when he writes. A sentence of 9 words quickly is written as 2 words of mumble jumble. When we work together we both get frustrated but the minute it's play time he is back to being the biggest sweetheart, leaning his head on my shoulder or tickling me and running away. Often times playing with my hair or staring at my strange, blue eyes he refers to me as Gringa. The challenge and joy of being around Jose Felix has been a huge blessing to me!

  All of these faces are what I wake up thinking about. I lay in bed wondering how their night was, how school is treating them today, and what kind of experiences I'm going to have with them in the coming afternoon! They are a true example of joy and love! No matter their situation, each and every one shows extreme love to me. It encourages me to show that love to everyone I am meeting. 
PLEASE PRAY.... for them! Pray for their lives, their home lives, their education, and most importantly their tender hearts. Pray that the stories we are sharing with them would stay in their hearts and minds throughout their lives. That true salvation would be brought to them and their families.