A-B-C (easy as 1-2-3??)

For the past two weeks now, Luke and I have been working with a group of 6-10 year olds every morning at the daycare center in La Carpio. We were previously working with a much younger group of toddlers but the need came up for these older kids. This new group of kids had been failing 1st grade and were in pretty desperate need for some extra attention.

We have been very busy trying to come up with ways to help teach them the Alphabet and the proper way to write these letters. It has been very interesting and different to work with this age. It is not something we are used to and personally would not be my first choice. The new experience has already given us the opportunity to practice patience! I am sure any parent of a child learning to read and write knows what I am talking about! It can be quite a daunting task and it is difficult to see a light at the end of this learning tunnel!

This week we have been able to take things a step further and we are so proud of them. We are now practicing writing words with the letters they have been working with. It has been interesting to see how they progress. One thing that stands out immediately is how much more advanced the girls are. We have even had to split them up by gender because the girls were too far advanced to work side by side with the boys. This makes me wonder how much Latino culture may play into this.

In addition to being behind, all of the boys struggle with attention problems as well as discipline issues. Even when we have only one boy present he usually must spend much of class in "time out" and often we have had to just send them home. It is so heartbreaking to see them suffer so much. There is no such thing as discipline at home, they are lucky if their parents even know where they are during the day. All of this simply continues the vicious cycle of female battery, gang involvement and family violence. We often find ourselves overwhelmed with trying to compete with the ideas these young boys are faced with as soon as they leave our class.

In contrast, young girls in La Carpio must cook, clean and take care of their younger siblings. This work for them starts at birth. It does not matter if they have older male siblings. The work load always falls on the first female child. Sadly this causes the girls to miss out on many opportunities. If mom is sick or unwilling to take care of the family the girls are held out of school etc. in order to cook and clean for their father and siblings. Many of the 6 year olds we are working with are constantly distracted in class because they must bring their younger siblings with them and care for them throughout the day. At first glance this is seen as something sweet. How calm and motherly the older sister cares for her brothers and sisters! Once you are able to recognize that it is in fact a hindrance it truly breaks your heart for them. Many visitors are not able to catch the underlying issues and actual suffering of the young girls.

It is our prayer that these young kids might have great opportunities in life through education and the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We hope that they might be able to fight against the twisted ideas of gender in this society and hold firm to the truth given in God's word. We ask that you might join with us in prayer for their young lives and their futures. We pray that they might grow to be honest, godly men and women of great  self-worth and integrity.

14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

-2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NASB)

*Feel free to leave your comments/ideas on this topic!