How did it come so quickly? There were things I wanted to say,
things I wanted to do with the kids but time seemed to be running away from me
no matter how hard I tried to grasp it there just wasn't enough time in the
days leading up to graduation.
But graduation day came nonetheless, woke up early knowing there
was a lot to get done before the kids arrived at 8 for breakfast and the
ceremony started at 10:30. We all dressed up for the occasion and my family had
sent me a new dress that was perfect for dancing with the kids. Claire, my
closest friend here in Haiti braided my hair into a beautiful bun, slipped on
some shoes (I normally run around barefoot but since it was a special occasion
I wore sandals) and headed downstairs to see where a helping hand was needed.
Shelley had put together little gift bags for each of the children
and so Claire, Mikayla and I punched holes in the tops and threaded string
through to tie into bows. James, my fellow intern and best friend for the past
5 months, began putting up a tarp to shade the parents while they watched the
preschools perform with the help of Haitian James and the boys: Jeff, Patrick
and Emmanuel. Once the bags were done the children started arriving for
breakfast! They were SO adorable! They were all dressed in their best clothes,
which for some meant tuled, frilly dresses or a skirt and nice shirt. The boys
all wore nice pants and shirts and one of the oldest boys even had a white
buttoned up shirt! As I came to breakfast to greet them they began shouting
"Hope! Hope! Ou bel!" (You're beautiful) they all ran the sheer
fabric through their fingers smiling and admiring and I did the same telling
them how beautiful each one looked, commenting on each little thing as I knew
it meant a lot to them.
After breakfast and assembly Shelley and I placed duct tape to
mark each of the children's spots and began leading the classes one at a time
in and placing them in "their spot." One of the teachers little two
year olds was "trying" to be helpful. I scooped him and bounced him
on my hip as I helped direct and place children as well as greet the children
that were arriving late. We ran through their program one time, there wasn't
enough time to go through the dances but the kids knew their dances and I knew
they'd perform better if they didn't run through it. Sounds weird I know but go
with me on this. The little rehearsal went really well and the children went
back inside for a snack, some water and storytime while their parents arrived.
I don't have a whole lot of interaction with the parents during
Preschool. There are a couple parents that I know but only a handful so it was
fun to see all the parents, also dressed in their best, arriving and looking
just as excited as the kids.
At last it was time to begin!
The classes were lined up youngest to oldest with the oldest in
the back. Estacey one of our wonderful teachers led them in singing This is the
Day in both english and kreyol. The 2's then recited their Bible verse:
Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents
in the Lord, for this is right." in Kreyol, French and English. They'd
been struggling with it the past week but at graduation the majority said it
and then they all yelled "Right!" at the end, it was adorable! To
finish their little part in the program we did a little dance called Cat and
Mouse that the children absolutely love! I'd chosen 4 of the little 2's to be
Cats.
In this dance, that my dance teacher in KS
choreographed a long time ago, the cat in the dance is asleep in the middle of
the dance floor, the rest of the dancers are mice that want to play with the
cat and they tiptoe and dance quietly around the cat until it’s time to wake
the cat up. They tap the cat three times and then ask the cat to play with
them. The first time the cat is grumpy and tells them no and they run away
crying (kids favorite part) but the mice try again and the second time the cat
says yes! They hold hands and walk around in a circle and then after they’ve
“played all day” they’re all tired, so they stretch and then lay down like the
cat and go to sleep.
All the 2’s participated and danced, the cat’s
stayed asleep and talked loud and I couldn’t have been happier or prouder of
them!
Once the 2’s that had parents at graduation were
given a gift and sent to sit with their parents while the others sat in a group
and waited patiently for their parents to arrive.
Next came the 3’s & 4’s! They recited John
11:40 in Kreyol, French and English. I’d led their group the previous day
during PE and had them practice their verse, I knew part of it in Kreyol and
French and so I started it for them and much to my amazement they knew all of
it by themselves! This group has so much energy and usually are just crazy so
it was very encouraging to see how much they’d grown through out the year as
they stood in a straight line and recited their Bible verse perfectly and then
sang their song, “Into My Heart” in both French and English with the hand
motions that Estacey had taught them!
Their dance was high energy, lots of jumping in
place, step claps, going fast and then slow and spinning and freezing in a
position to end. They all had the biggest smiles on their faces as they ran out
to their spots and you could see the pride shining off their faces as they did
the dance they’ve memorized and worked hard to learn. I’m probably going to say
this with every class, but, it’s the truth. SUPER PROUD OF THEM!
The oldest class was last; they recited John
3:16, hearing their voices I prayed and hoped that each one of them truly
understood what this verse mean’s and that they would come to accept God’s gift
very soon. Their song was “Rejoice”, throughout the previous week we would hear
the girls start singing their song as they rode on trikes or colored pictures,
their sweet little voices would be lifted up to Jesus, led by the oldest girl
Hosperlinda and her sister and you couldn’t help but smile and sing along.
Watching them singing this and how excited a handful of them were it was like
God was showing me his disciples for Haiti, I have no doubt that God has huge
plans for each and everyone of these kids and it’s my prayer that they all come
to know Christ at an early age and impact Haiti for Christ.
Time to dance!
I’d split the boys and the girls up as there is a
greater number of girls than boys. The boys went first dancing a partner dance
to “Speak Life” by: TobyMac. Two of the boys had been having a “rough” week, I
think they were just anxious for school to be over and therefore could not
stand still for a second or obey for longer then a minute. As I placed them in
their spots I took their faces in my hands and said “Do a good job for me, ok?
You’re smart, funny, strong, good boys and you can do this well for your
parents, right?” sheepish grins spread over their faces as they nodded and then
it was time! All the boys did the dance perfectly with huge smiles on their
faces! And when I had them jump over the river near the end of the dance all
the parents were cheering for them, which just blessed me and the kids in ways
only God knows.
My girls were last. They’d worked so hard and
picked up things so fast that I choreographed their own dance to 10,000 Reasons
by: Rend Collective, which everyone in Haiti knows and loves! I gave the girls
hand motions but I think it was more for my benefit, to keep my hands busy and
not cry rather then for the girls. They did such a beautiful job. I will write
more about it later, my heart is so full and God’s working in some pretty
awesome ways.
Everyone cheered and clapped for the kids and then Byron, with the
help of James translating, talked to the parents about Maranatha’s mission and
Bryon and Shelley’s hearts for the children of Haiti. After a prayer we handed
out Kool-Aid, hotdogs and cookies. It was fun to see the parents interacting
with their kids and just everyone smiling and enjoying the day. I tried not to
think about the kids leaving and not coming to school on Monday. The red Kool-Aid
dyed their lips so they all looked like they were wearing lipstick and we were
all cracking up, which kept the tears at bay.
Several of the kids came running up to me, thanking me and wanting
a picture with me and I with them. These kids are all so precious and dear to
me, their stories break my heart but their smiles and strength give me energy
and remind me of the hope we have in Jesus and that we walk by faith not by
sight or circumstance. I’ve been so blessed to serve and love on each and every
one of the 80 kids that attended Maranatha’s Preschool; God is doing awesome
things here in Haiti and I’m so honored to play a small role in it.
Continued prayer for these children and for English Camp as it’s
coming up next week!!! Hopefully I’ll be able to slip in some stories and
updates in the crazy days ahead
See my photography page on facebook for photos of gradutaion: H.e.rphotography94
LUV this.
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