Little Firecracker!

 Jhoseline finished second grade at the end of November, after two weeks of reinforcement (summer school). She is not an unusually special student in the classroom. She fights through reading children's books and memorizing her times tables. She is easily frustrated by her school work. She often times finds chasing after the boys with a grin on her face and a determination in her eyes as the easiest excuse to leave her school desk. She finds it simple to get an attitude and raise her voice. Whether she is arguing about something or trying to be first to answer a question she holds the answer to, this young lady is beaming with energy.

But behind her eyes you can see the struggle, the hurt, and the hardness...

A familiar & common question here is to ask when one's birthday is. In the many birth dates I've heard spouted off in Spanish, I specifically remembered Jhoseline's. When the day came and I reached The Center around 2:30 p.m. I was greeted by a warm hug from Jhoseline and she was greeted by a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! That afternoon, trying to make her feel as special as possible, I asked her if she had gotten any gifts for her birthday. She responded, no. Shooting myself for asking such a spoiled, American mind-setted question I quickly asked instead if she had done anything special that day. She responded, no. Racking my brain for something that would get her talking and not add salt to a wound, I asked what she had eaten, anything special. She responded...no, I haven't eaten today.
A mixture of embarrassment, humility, and shame came over me.
How many birthdays had I celebrated without gifts? Without a special activity?...Without food? None.
The little things like this not only make me put into perspective these kids' lives but also give me so much more of a love and passion for them. They make me realize the worth in material possesions. That life goes on without them and that to truly make a change in one's life we must be talking about a spiritual hope and refuge.

A teacher, who's room I work in, once asked her a question dealing with the word Mom. Jhoseline responded by telling her that she doesn't have a mom. She told her that her mom said she didn't love her anymore and had walked out on her & her father. Upon hearing that story I realized how crucial the approximate 4 hours these kids spend with people who truly care about them each day, really is. I saw that even when she is distracted, even when she is mouthing off, even when she is arguing that the love I show her in the little time we have together might be some of the only love she recieves that day. The only love she recieves..

Regardless of the pain and stories behind the eyes of this little girl she continues to bring entertainment and sunshine into our class daily.
Jhoseline is a firecracker. She is full of sassy attitude, mischief, laughter, joking, tenderness, and love.

Please PrayPray that Jhoseline would find the love of Christ surpassing any other kind of love she will or will not experience in her life. Pray that as she grows into a young woman she would draw close to God & nothing else of this world. Pray for her education, her daily living, and her heart!