School Days

It is hard to believe that Summer Vacation will be coming to an end so soon. Each of my grandchildren have a different out look on this event. Each are finding that they have one thing in common: they all want to be able to read and be with their friends.

I think about my days in Belize, when I had the opportunity to teach four beautiful K'ekchi-Mayan girls to read. It was a gift from God to spend time with them. I got to learn their personalities and some things about their culture as well.

After about six months, I realized that a bit of Texas had rubbed off on them too. Every morning, we started with prayer and singing. Then I would get them to jump up and down with me so we could get our silliness out before we began.

We would do our ABC's using scripture verses for each letter. Repetition was our friend in learning. Sometimes, we would sing it and sometimes we would march around the room. Then I would have a snack of "sweet tortillas"(pancakes) and Kool-aid.

Afterwards, we would write our alphabet, phonetics and we have geography. We would look at the map of Belize and talk about the different cultures of the country. Then lunch time which last from 11:30 until 2:00p.m. At that time, they took a small nap and spent time with their parents.

In the afternoon, I would read to them from books about missionaries. animals and our friends "Dick and Jane". They would draw pictures of how they saw what I read to them. We also did basic math.

During rainy season, I took note that they would not come because they would get wet. So needless to say, I purchased some umbrellas for them and I would walk to their homes to get them every morning. On the way to school, we would quack like ducks and sing. We giggled and splashed a lot too.

I began calling them "Honey", "Dear Heart", "Lambie" and "Lovie". I became so proud of them for their eagerness to learn.

When school came to an end because they were moving back into their village, I felt so sad because they had taken my heart in those two years we had together. One day, their grandfather came to me and told me that his granddaughters had made him proud in their village because they could recited their alphabet using the word of God. He had a question for me too!

That question was:"What is a "Lambie" and a "Lovie"?" When I explained to him that they were names of love, he began to cry.

I asked him what was wrong. He replied with a smile,"My granddaughters have called me those names"

Today, one of the girls is a teacher in one of the district schools. She won scholarships to attend high school and the teaching college. She has been recognized by her district for her teaching ability.

She told a friend that she remembers how she learned to read in our class room. The main thing she remembered was that she was loved and encouraged that she could do anything!

God gave me an opportunity to get to know these wonderful girls and show them the love of Christ. God gave me the blessing of knowing that my time there bore lasting fruit. Fruit that not only grows in Belize;but in the heart of this Texas granny