An Easter Tradition

Every year for as long as I can remember, my mom and I have decorated Easter eggs.  We have used everything from regular grocery store Easter egg dying packets to melted crayons, glitter glue, and sequins.

This American tradition is something very dear to my heart.  Today, I was blessed to take this tradition one step farther and share it with kids who have never dyed eggs before.

It all started with 90 eggs and 2 HUGE pots.

Then, in the shade of two cocoa trees, we talked to the kids about Easter.  I explained that eggs - from which new chicks are born - remind us of the resurrection of Christ and the new life we have in Him.

Next, we showed the kids (5-10 kids at a time) how to color the eggs with white crayons, then dunk them in dyed water.

It was a huge hit.

They enjoyed the process...........

........and the yummy finished product!

Peaceful Chaos

Most of my day is cloaked in chaos.  From the moment the first bell rings at 8:00 am, it seems I am constantly surrounded by little ones who are completely and utterly dependent on me.  No matter how much I teach them to be independent and self-directed learners, it seems there is always someone who needs my attention, my help, or my company.

My morning passes in a whirlwind of chaos.  I'm kneeling on rough straw mats to help Alexandre pick out a book, I'm dodging buckets of dripping rainwater to get Etienne a new pencil, I'm leaning over the table to show Synthia how to glue her craft, I'm shouting over the noise of the school, the rain, and the crying preschoolers next door.

Some days, I can hardly wait for 1:00 to arrive so I can send the kids home, close the door, lock it tight, and just BREATHE for the first time all day.

But without fail, every time I close that door and lock it tight, not five minutes goes by before I hear an inevitable knock-knock-knock break through my thoughts.  I open the door, and there's Louis, wanting to look at books.  And pretty soon Melissa shows up wondering if she can listen to music.  And Carly wants a sticker.  And Etienne forgot his handkerchief.  And Isabelle's math book is torn -  can I tape it?  And Christella needs a chair, Stephanie needs a spoon, Adelson needs a pencil - can I lend him one?

Pretty soon, the high schoolers are home from school and Joan wants to borrow a book - have I translated anything new recently?  And Elsie needs help studying for an English test, Samuel forgot his book at home (can he return it tomorrow?) and Fabiola wants to chat.

Wait a minute - isn't this supposed to be my chance to REST?  What happened to my break - you know, the one that's supposed to be about PEACE and QUIET?

But it's those moments - the moments that I read with Louis, or listen to music with Melissa, or tape up Isabelle's math book, or do English with Elsie, or chat with Fabiola - that I find a different kind of peace.

This peace isn't a lack of chaos.  It isn't a break from the noise.  It isn't a respite from the business.  This peace is loud - it's full of smiles and singing and laughter.  It's the peace of knowing that nowhere else in the world could be better than where I am right now, nothing else on the planet could be better than what I'm doing right now, and no one else on this earth could make me happier than the snotty-nosed, sticky-fingered, sweaty-faced little ones that occupy so much of my life.

It's the peace of being where God wants me, serving Him and loving others.

No, it's never quiet.  But it's beautiful.  And somehow it's peaceful.

*      *      *

I will listen to what God the Lord says; He promises peace to His people, His faithful servants...
Psalm 85:8

Celebrating 100 Years with 100 Smiles

9:00 AM Saturday morning.

I looked up at the vast Haitian sky that spanned above me.  Although the sun was beginning to peek through the gloom, gray clouds cast ominous darkness all around.

Many Haitians believe that rain makes people sick, so we knew if it started raining, no one would come to the events we had planned for the day.  It was imperative to our day of ministry that the heavens hold back the water until we were done.

With fingers crossed, we climbed onto the Kids Alive bus.  I was among a handful of adult chaperons who were taking our 30 high schoolers to Phaeton, a community with great need.

At Kids Alive, our children are on the receiving end of a lot of gifts and donations.  To celebrate 100 years of ministry for Kids Alive International (and 14 years of ministry for Kids Alive Haiti), we decided it was the perfect opportunity for our kids to give to others in need.  So we packed our school bus with 100 bags – each bag filled with toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap and shampoo, rice and spaghetti, pencils and notebooks – to donate to children living in abject poverty.

I smiled as I took my seat on the bus, watching the high schoolers file in.  Breakfast in one hand, hair brushes and last-minute makeup in the other.  Teenagers, I thought.

I had never been to Phaeton, so I didn’t know what to expect from the bus ride.  I certainly didn’t know to expect 2 hours of traveling through everything from city traffic to seemingly-endless Caribbean wilderness.

When we got to Phaeton, I was in for another unexpected twist: nobody knew we were coming.  We all filed out into an empty school yard where we were told that we would have to go into the community to invite children to the event.  Splitting into groups, we went out in search of children and families in need.

We had no trouble finding them.

Although I got to interact with the children and families, my goal was to step back and let our high schoolers do the work.  It was a beautiful thing to watch some of our girls hand out tickets as they invited people to come to our event.

 

When everyone finally showed up, there were well over 250 people present.

We joined together in prayer and singing, then Robenson shared the Gospel.

Finally, it was time to shower those sweet kiddos with blessing bags.  Forming a line from the bus to the school, our high schoolers passed 100 bags, one by one, into the hands of children in need.

What a blessing it was to share this experience with our high schoolers, who have both been in need and been blessed with donations.  It was so beautiful to see them have the opportunity to be on the giving side of it.