Lesson Learned #1- "Profe" Anna Grace

So, kids can be mean to each other in any culture or language.  The fact of this doesn’t surprise me, but I had to deal with it firsthand this morning.  It has been rainy and cloudy here in Cusco, which during the winter season, translates to really cold weather.  We “extranjeros” tend to not dress our children very warmly- or at least compared to the bundled ones here.  I wanted to keep Anna Grace warm for school today, so I opted for a turtleneck and sweater.  She gave me a “look” and said she really didn’t want to wear the turtleneck.  I eventually got out of her that the last time she wore that shirt, a little classmate told her that only babies wear shirts like that. 

What?!?!?

Inside I was fuming- I was thinking how am I going to approach that little girl to say, “You don’t have a clue about fashion.”  And why did it happen to Anna Grace- my sweet, sensitive child that wouldn’t think of saying something like that… why not Eliza- who would probably reply with something real smart like “Your mom’s a baby,” kick the girl in the shin, and not give it another thought.

I looked in Anna Grace’s eyes and told her that if anyone says something like that to her, that she should correct them with “No, it’s cute!”  That she needs to stand up for herself because God has made her beautiful inside and out, he loves her and thinks she’s very special.  (Not sure about the teaching here- yes, we turn the cheek, but we also don't want our children to become doormats.  I want her to understand that she has intrinsic value because she has been made in the image of God.)

After breakfast, I was still bothered by the entire thing, so I mentioned that this little girl wasn’t being a good friend.  With all sincerity, Anna Grace looked at me and said, “Yes, she is, Mom.”  “What?” I asked, “How can that be?  She said unkind things to you.”  She replied, “Yes, Mom, but Jesus can change her heart.”  Whoa. Talk about lessons learned from our children.

Sometimes it is hard to love the people here- at times they are unkind to us or try to take advantage of us, other times, we are just really different (one is not right or wrong, but just black & white different).  But Jesus came to tear down these walls and open our eyes to our limited view of how we love others.  People change- not by their own volition, but by the grace of God.  Jesus can go straight to the root of our issues- to our heart- and change it.  He’s doing it in my life, the life of my sweet daughter Anna Grace, and in the lives of the people we’ve come here to love.

So thankful for the lesson learned this morning- thank you "profe" Anna Grace.

What a week!

We are back into the swing of things at school! Lots of studying, lots of Spanish and lots of "aha" moments. By "aha" moments, I mean finally understanding the structure; therefore, the true meaning of something I've heard a million times here. "Aha" could also be those humbling moments of realizing that you have been so wrong in the way you've been trying to communicate a certain thought or idea.

For example: I've been using "por otra mano" for months now- directly translated to "for other hand" for expressing "on the other hand." Wrong! The correct phrasing is "por otro lado" or "por otra parte" (translated "for other side" or "for other part"). The more I have learned of Spanish, the more I have realized how little I actually know! This realization can be a little overwhelming at times, but also sweet, as I have learned to place my trust and significance in God and his provisions (even in learning a new language).

Besides having a full week in classes, we also had a great mid-week visit from some dear friends from Augusta. Thank you Aaron and Anna for spending some of your vacation with us! We all had such a great time with you, so much so, that Friday morning little Eliza asked me, "Where are my friends?"

Anna Grace story:
The other morning Caleb had a stinky surprise for me, and Anna Grace came in the room to help me out, but.... she started gagging from the smell and buried her nose in a blanket. I proceeded to ask her if she will be able to change her baby's diaper when she is mommy. She responded "Do you think you could come help me with the stinky ones?" with such sincerity that I had to answer "Of course I will!"

We also had an earthquake yesterday afternoon in San Jose. We often have small tremors (sometimes you don't even notice them), but this was our 2nd "real" earthquake since arriving in August. Quite exciting, a little bit scary, and thankfully only a 6.0; therefore, no damage, only lots of shaking and a few things falling off the top of our refrigerator.

Finally, I wanted to share a great photo of Caleb, though I must admit I am a bit jealous- if only I could sleep in any position, too!