Week 7 has now come to completion, and it is hard to believe that I am in my final weeks with these children I have come to know so well and love so deeply! We actually started talking today about which children we wanted to adopt, and at the end of the day I think each of us had 6 children “called” as ours! Week 7 was a crazy one, but as I reflect on it, I also realize how great it was for so many reasons. Bear with me now as I reflect and expand on my journey through week 7!
The children had so much energy last week, and well, ours is dwindling quite fast, so it was a matchup that was doomed for child victory. However, we had the upper hand with 16 volunteers from Grace Community helping us with the kids! Praise the Lord for these amazing kids and adults that took a week out of their busy schedules to not only help us as teachers, but to also invest in the lives of our kids. They were such a great help and it allowed us to take a little breather, have a bit more control, and most importantly for every kid to get A LOT of 1 on 1 time that is rare in these kids’ lives. Because we had extra hands and feet, I was able to invest and get to know each of my kids much better as well, breaking my heart again and again for these amazing kids of Indianapolis!
(Since I cannot tell you the exact names of my children, I will be making up names for each of my kids as I continue this post and share direct stories from week 7.)
One of my boys has been struggling with his writing all summer. As I have looked over his journal writings, I wonder if he has some sort of dyslexia. His letters are barely legible, his words are mismatched, and it is just not at the level of a 10-year -old boy. I decided that since we had a work group in, I would send him with one of the adults (who is a former teacher). When they returned to the classroom, it was like night and day from the writings he had previously done. The helper remarked that she did not help him with any spelling or writing, and that he had done it all on his own. I was so proud of him and gave him a HUGE hug. I was literally forcing back tears flooding my eyes. This happened both Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday’s writing prompt was to write one affirming sentence about each student in our class. When my boy returned with his writing, it was not only beautiful in appearance and structure, but his final affirmation was about himself saying, “Taylor is a great writer.” Not only had he improved and made me proud, he found pride in his own work and saw his own potential – a life lesson many inner-city kids struggle to learn.
One of the days I had my children write for their journal prompt a letter to God. I told them they could ask any questions or tell God whatever they wanted. Usually my children complain about writing but my kids took to it like a duck to water! One boy wrote asking God lots of questions about what it was like to create everything and how he does it all. One of my girls touched my heart to its core. She wrote a letter to God telling him how amazing he was “God you are beautiful, smart, kind, and loving.” She went on to ask God to help her mom stop smoking because she didn’t want her mom to die. Later in the week we were able to have a one-on-one chat and she opened up to me about her fears with her mother’s smoking. I was able to not only affirm her individually, but God gave me the opportunity to encourage her to tell her mom about her feelings – knowing that God gives you the strength to say and do the things that scare you! Oh she is a beautiful girl!
I have a boy in my class who is a GREAT kid, but continually makes poor decisions. As soon as you tell him he is doing a great job and try to affirm him, he does something to self-destruct and be the “bad kid”. It has been a frustrating this summer to know how to love on him, discipline, and affirm him all at the same time. I knew he needed a strong male role model in his life, but I obviously cannot supply that need. In our group of volunteers, we had a 34-year-old adult leader (who happens to have 2 small boys). He took my boy under his wing, and it made all the difference! It was amazing to see what a strong male model, especially a Christian man, made in this 10-year-old’s life! He opened up to the adult about wanting to be more than what he sees around him. This boy only sees the future in front of him to be a drug dealer, in a gang, or be in prison. He shared that he wants more – He wants to go to college. He wants more. Wow, it brings me to tears to simply write those words. His desire for more goes beyond wanting a future education, he is seeking and searching about who God is and what this whole “Christian” thing means. I was able to share Jesus with him. The entire time I sat talking with him, he had his arms wrapped around me and just hugged me. All he is looking for is the love that won’t let go. I cannot be that for him forever, but for now, I will show him that there is one that will be that for him.
As part of our summer program, we have to evaluate each of our kids on a spiritual scale. At the beginning of the summer, we guessed where each of our kids fell because we didn’t know them personally. Now that we are at the end and re-evaluating, I had the special privilege of pulling each of my kids out to talk one-on-one about where they fell. I asked questions like “what does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus?”, “do you have one?”, and “What do you do in this relationship – what does that mean?”. This was a time to share Jesus with my kids, affirm them, and let them know that I am always there for them and praying for them. During these interactions, my kids really opened up. One girl shared about her family struggles and her fear that her parents might get a divorce. Another 8-year-old boy opened up to another intern about his struggle with missing his father who is in prison. Each of my kids showed their heart to me in small ways during week 7, and I am blessed beyond words to be there for them! I have seen such growth in my children from the beginning of the summer til now. I know that what happens in their lives goes beyond my time here. It goes beyond what I am doing and it is all about what God is doing.
Please be praying for rest, strength, patience, and open hearts to love on our kids.
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