Since I have been here I have had many experiences with the kids. One i was interested by was when I was sitting down to eat after Church. I had my food and I had a soda (which is called a soft drink). I was sitting next to a little boy. 3 or 4 year old Maori short black hair with blue jeans and a button down blue shirt, he was quiet as I sat down next to him. I took a drink of my soda and sat it down and then heard, like a whisper, "Can I try?"
I responded hesitantly, "Suuuuurrrrreee" and gave him my drink. He sipped the bottle and gave it back to me. I was OK. Well its time to continue with my meal. Then suddenly a little hand flies through the air connected to an arm then a shoulder then the upper half of the boy. He leaped towards the drink for the taste of the soda must have been like ambrosia from the Greek gods. He grabbed the soda bottle and hugged it as if it were a treasure he just found. His lips began to change colors to the flavored soda and soon by the novice of his ability in understanding to sip had left his mind he would put the whole mouth of the bottle in his and tipped back. The soda seemed like it was sprinkling on a cool spring day watching a shower from the porch while enjoying the nice breezes. The soda rained down on the boy and changed the blue shirt to a wet dark blue. He pulled the bottle away from himself and looked down at the shirt and back to me as I had did it to him. I smiled, laughing on the inside. But his mind now knew the taste of ambrosia on his lips and soon the bottle continued to be at his lips until it was empty. I wanted more and I had no more to give. He decided to sit by his buddies and left my acquaintance for a better environment.
My 365M buddy Jenna got me a soda, the boy saw a new soda in my hand and charged over running underneath the table and looking up at me with his hands reached out. I held my index finger up and told him hold on as I drink the soda under. Jenna told me the boy's eyes widened and his mouth jawed open in disbelief of the soda disappearing. He turned and ran back to his food as if the last few seconds did not happen... I love children.
Yesterday I was working on my term paper and kids came in with their mothers for a ladies bible study. They kids were bored and lego's sat next to them. I said, "Play with the Lego's, you can make anything with them".
The kids were in disbelief telling they can not make anything out of Lego's. I replied back to them, "where is your imagination?" I stopped my paperwork and got down on the floor and started to show them and suddenly they were enjoying themselves. They loved playing with Lego's and building a house. I was called out from kid's play to help chainsaw. There I met a young man a sophomore in high school and we talked while gathered the wood. Video games was the relational point in the conversation. I worked with him chainsawing until we had no more (2 hours). They kids would come out to watch and were excited to see such a machine....I love children.
I have been doing children ministries since 2000 from rural, to suburban, to urban environments and I learned how to teach is different for understanding their life. The three ways of teaching children, visible, engaging, and hearing. The lesson maybe the same but the way one teaches it is always different to the life they are living......I love children. (I have hundreds of stories from the kids I have learned from)
Someday i may have children of my own with the hope of being a great father to them.
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