Ellen Hicks and I decided to do the Bible lessons for this Mission Trip on Ephesians 6:10-17 - The Full Armor of God. For months we prayed and researched material appropriate for the Fray Casiano children. We did encounter a few obstacles, especially with the "Sandals of Peace", but God kept reaffirming us about our lesson theme.
Today we concluded a week of infused, contagious enthusiasm from children (and adults) that we might think don’t have much. In reality, they have it all. These people get it. It is not about what you don’t have, it’s about being content with the blessings the Lord bestows upon us. It’s all about the love.
If I have to pinpoint the highlight of the week, there are two. Last year "Chombo", a rebellious boy, drew some inappropriate signs on my T-shirt when I passed it to be signed by the children. This year I asked him if he realized that what he did was wrong. He answered yes and I told him I thought he owed me an apology, which he didn’t do. Chombo came to all lessons, twice a day, tried to participate and did all the crafts. I kept showing him that I loved him and didn’t bring up the T-shirt issue again. By Thursday all the children had "The Full Armor of God", including Chombo. When I asked him to sign this year’s T-shirt he was surprised. I could hardly hold back the tears as I read it: "forgive me, Alfredo". He no longer goes by his nickname. Again, it’s all about the love.
My second highlight was also a true blessing. On Monday morning I challenged the older children to try to memorize the daily Scripture from our Bible lessons. I had brought a special gift for the winners; one for a boy and one for a girl. Yesterday afternoon Rodrigo didn’t have any competition. He recited Ephesians 6:10-17 with few errors. It was difficult with the girls. Both Rosangela and Kimberly did an outstanding job. But there could only be one winner. They said that winning didn’t matter, that the important thing is that they were memorizing Scripture. Never mind who won; it’s all about the love.
Today, after the farewell our brothers and sisters from Fray Casiano had for us, I was trying to make a clean escape to the bus as I could no longer hold the tears. Rosangela (yes, she won) intercepted me, hugged me and crying said that no one had ever challenged her to read, memorize and enjoy Scripture the way I had. She promised to maintain her sharpened "Sword of the Spirit" with daily Bible reading. She promised to stay close to the Lord.
Glory be to God
Sonia Carbonell
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