"Look Shamiya is flying next to us! She's so fast she's going to beat us to Wisconsin!" Nashaunti shouted in the van packed with little girls and camping supplies. When we arrived to Wisconsin the girls gasped at the site of a star filled sky and they shared stories with eachother about how Shamiya was up there looking down at them.
Shamiya seems to join us everywhere we go, her name is spelled out in beads of the children's necklaces at club, she's "buckled up" next to the little ones when I drive them home, she's missed on our trips to the zoo...she's brought up in conversation constantly.
I wrestle with how to handle these situations and the hard conversations I have to have almost daily, but then I am reminded that these are small children who are trying to make peace with death. They are clinging to their dear friend, trying to hold onto her a little longer because she was ripped away too soon and too tragically.
When I had to make the very difficult decision to not cut my time in Guatemala short to make it for Shamiya's funeral, I made a promise to myself that I would be in it for the long haul with my kids. I wanted to be there immediately and hold my little girls but I knew that what God was asking me to do went so much deeper and longer, He was asking me to walk with them through the pain because the pain does not end with the funeral. So this is what I have been doing since I have arrived home. My girls were the first ones I went to see as soon as I landed in the U.S. and much of my time since has been with them. I have had the blessing and honor to walk alongside them in the past couple of months.
My brother and I were talking recently about how difficult it is to keep track of the news as daily we are reminded of the horrors the kids are living in but we agreed that we are so incredibly honored to be able to work with these children and families and see the beauty. So many hear about the crime and violence but very few have had the blessing of knowing that in those gang filled, blood stained streets are the gems of the city. I can honestly say that the kids I work with out in West Garfield are some of the most incredible children I have ever met and my life has forever changed because of them.
God is doing great things in West Garfield and I am so excited to be a part of it. Our kids club is growing quickly and it is so exciting to get to meet so many new families. The highlight of my week each week is walking to the kids school and being swarmed by my little posse. Children run to greet me and give me big hugs and tell me about their days. I am lavished with gifts of drawings and necklaces regularly. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with my love for these kids that my heart feels like it may just burst.
I am so blown away by the kids eagerness to help. One week I was short for help and asked the older kids to be leaders, they were so excited to help even if that meant cleaning up after the little kids. This is a trait I have seen so much in these kids. Kameron, one of my newer boys arrives at church before me each week and sits and waits for me until I come and immediately upon my arrival he asks what he can do to get sunday school ready and he always offers to walk with me to pick up kids so that I am safe. These children are incredible. Just recently I have had some great conversations with some of the kids about being followers of Jesus and one girl, only 11 years old told me that she wanted to be a follower of Jesus because she saw the results of people living for themselves and others having to pay the price. With the pain these children have endured they have gained profound wisdom for their ages.
I am so excited about all we have in store for us in the upcoming months and cannot wait to see what God does in and through these kids. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
Samantha
