Sunday, November 06, 2011
Dear Praying Friends,
I apologize
for the lateness of this prayer update. We have had a very full weekend.
Thank
you all for your many emails of encouragement! I am glad that you read the
newsletter and that it is a blessing to you. God’s work is refreshing to hear. I
am sorry that I do not reply to them very fast. I am extremely busy, but I am extremely
grateful for the notes!
The Friday afternoon before the
kids come, we always have a meeting to “introduce” us to the kids. It helps us
deal with them and their issues more specifically if we know where they are
coming from. This week, the kids were coming from very difficult backgrounds. One
girl’s mom had committed suicide the week before. Two kid’s dads were in
prison. One girl’s mom was depressed. One
boy’s dad abuses him. Several students were from single parent homes, and a few
had been rejected by their parents. Our hearts went out to them, and we knew
they would need more love this week.
When they arrived on Monday,
they seemed to sense the love here at CEI. Usually, kids will not really warm
up to the teachers until Tuesday afternoon, but these students played with us
and gave us hugs right away. It is a joy to see that they found this a “safe”
place.
We find that most students can
read and write English, but do not understand or speak it well, so it was a
surprise to find that these students were exactly the opposite. They could
barely read and write, but if we vocalized the sentence, then they knew. Simple English like “how are you?” and colors
and numbers were okay, but they really struggled with “where are you from?” “where
do you want to go?”. Although they were
a talkative group, they were not terribly naughty. All in all, we really
enjoyed this week.
God showed me something this
week. It struck me that though I personally cannot reach every child, between
all our team, we are able to reach every child that comes. These teachers
really pursue these children. Not all of them are easy to love. They do not all
seek attention. We must “chase” after them, reach out to them, “force” them to
respond through love. It is quite a picture of Christ’s love.
One girl in particular who came
this week had a very distant attitude. She was attentive in class and obedient
to the teachers, but she always seemed off in her own world. Though she carried
herself well, like an adult almost, she never seemed to relax. I felt for her.
These children need time to be children. So, I decided I would pursue her. When
I saw her off by herself, I would go be with her, even if we didn’t talk. I
rubbed her back. I complimented her hair or her clothes (things she can
understand). I gave her hugs, even if
she felt like a stick.
After a while, I began to wonder
if it was working, if she would ever relax.
Then, Thursday night, we go in
to sing the children a good night song. This little girl gets a huge glow on
her face. “TEACHER BOB!” She reached out
with her hand to give me a high five, and hung on for dear life. I was so glad
when their Chinese teacher gave permission for them to give us hugs.
God’s love truly makes a
difference. So many of these children change in just one week. What a blessing
it is to be on the front lines. To watch God work. To love and be loved. To
share these stories of God’s power and grace with you all. Ah! It is amazing.
Thank you Lord!
Thank you all for the prayers!
We really feel them here on the field. It is such a spiritual battle. Satan
does all he can to break up the work that is going on here. Your prayers
release God’s power to work here. Thank you for being faithful!
Happy in the Service of the King,
Barbara J. Sutton
PS: Sorry about the lack of pictures. I will try to remedy that later. I can't seem to find them right now. : /
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