But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." -Matthew 19:14
Almost every Friday, I go to a local elementary school and spend time with a wonderful teacher and her class. The children give me countless hugs and although my purpose for being there is to help the children learn how to read, they teach me more. The children are African Americans and Latinos, all from varied backgrounds and places.
Each child tells me things he or she thinks is important for me to know. Sometimes what they tell me breaks my heart. For example, this morning a precious little girl was crying. While giving her hugs, I asked her what was wrong. She said that today was the school's award ceremony and her Dad lied to her and didn't come. She said he always lies to her and doesn't show up when he says he will. This broke my heart into pieces, and I just held her and let her cry because a child shouldn't know this type of pain. From the Latino children, I hear stories of separated families and how the children don't understand why they are not together as a family. One child being left in Honduras, while the rest of the family is here in North Carolina. There's nothing I can say, so I just listen and give hugs.
But there are many, many joys in the time I spend with these precious children. For example, I have one little girl who doesn't speak much English because she just came here with her family from Mexico. Every week, I see that she is learning English words and becoming more confident in speaking out loud. We speak a little in Spanish together, but I really spend my time with her reading out loud and going over colors, the alphabet, animals, and shapes. She is learning so quickly and I feel blessed to be a part of her story that's just beginning here in the United States.
Every week, I bring treats for the kiddos because they get so excited to see that I've brought them a little surprise. Today, I brought decorated Christmas cookies that I made last night and the Christmas book, "Pippin the Christmas Pig." All the children sat and quietly looked at the pictures in wonder while I read them the real Christmas story. This was one of the highlights of my year.
When I look into the eyes and sweet faces of these beautiful children, I see such innocence that makes me want to protect them from pain that they will face in life. It makes me want to adopt all of them, so that they have a good, safe home to grow-up in. It makes me want to volunteer with children the rest of my life because children need someone to love them and listen to them.
My challenge for you is to find a classroom full of children who need you, along with a teacher who could use a partner to help her teach children the most important life skill, the ability to read. You can contact any school in your county and ask if you can volunteer your time teaching elementary children how to read. They will be thrilled to have you as a formal volunteer.
But don't let Christmas pass you by without finding a school, finding a classroom, and connecting with children who need your love and attention. You won't regret it because it's a life-changing experience. Receiving countless hugs, and children almost fighting over who can hold your hand or sit next to you in the lunchroom, is just a small part of being an appreciated volunteer. And I am convinced that I am the one who is more blessed by spending time with such precious children that I adore; so, I hope you will know how this feels very soon when you begin volunteering too.
No comments:
Post a Comment