Lucretia had discussed with several others the need for a summer reading camp. Many of the kids we were working with once a week seemed behind in their reading and writing skills. We all feared that taking the summer off from school would result in loosing some of the abilities that they had worked so hard for.
As we came to know these families more, and as I try to learn to speak Spanish, we discovered the great disparity that comes when kids grow up in a Spanish speaking household versus those from an English speaking background. I had assumed from working with second grade kids that some were just a little slower in learning than others. Later, I would discover that these same kids were really very bright as they were able to show once they had mastered the English language. Still, while they were learning a language, their peers were learning grammar, math, science, history, etc.
This difference was and is a constant issue in our classes. Church kids and their parents resented classes taught a a basic level of bible knowledge even though all kids can benefit from learning more about the essentials of the bible. In our 5th grade class, we had adopted the Easy to Read version of the bible to keep lessons simple. The resistance came often from parents and kids from a home schooled setting which voiced opposition to a "dumbed down" presentation of gospel facts. We tried to emphasize for kids and parents who had grown up with the Bible in their homes that these were an ideal setting to model outreach and ministry to kids who had lacked their training in the home. We also tried to say at the same time that we should be especially welcoming to families who didn't have the background of our denomination or heritage. This would include families of all cultures, education levels, and race. Still this discussion continues.
Discussing the summer program with Cassandra we decided to check out an existing program called Kids Club. The staff who greeted us were so supportive as they showed us how they reached at-risk kids in several of the Elementary schools. As we compared our ideas for applying this to the kids we were reaching, we were totally surprised when, after checking with the board overseeing Kids Club, we were offered the use of their facilities without a charge for one day a week for the summer. In addition, they invited us to join in their one week "Summer Camp". And so, as we continue to experience, when HIS Spirit is leading our actions we are put in touch with others who are led in the same direction.
Our program was called Adventures for Kids. We invited about 25 of our 2nd through 5th grades from our Wednesday night classes. Another 10-12 older kids were asked to serve as staff to join others in the same age group from church. Each Tuesday during the summer we picked up these kids and spent the day at the Kids Club facilities. We played, read, sang, studied math, had devotionals, and went on field trips. For kids who had few opportunities away from their apartments or trailers during the summer, this day of Adventure was a treat. At the same time, the kids had instruction from volunteer adults and older teens.
These days spent with kids gave us the chance to know them better. Our contact previously had been limited to either in the classroom with its necessary structure or on infrequent and short van trips while taking them home on Wednesday nights. We also witnessed more closely the distance that existed between these "van" kids and the "church" kids who came to volunteer. Our labels and distinctions continue to separate the kids and their parents from others in our church settings. Not only is language a barrier but also the economic and cultural differences make it hard to relate to each other. We judge each other with stereotypes which only prolong misunderstandings between us.
For Lucretia and I, as these prejudices became more apparent, our own protective instincts made us resent attitudes expressed by our "rich, white" church members. We quickly began judging others for their biases while ignoring our own toward both the families of these Hispanic kids and also families who sought to protect their own kids from the rough, unchurched nature sometimes seen in these "van"kids. About this time, in part as an effort to eliminate labels, the van program as a whole was given the ministry title, SEEDS. It was an acronym but I still can't remember what it indicated. So, another label was added to the existing "bus" or "van" label that distinguished these kids from "our church" kids.
Every Tuesday, we would pick up two van loads of kids for our Adventures. Among the outings we included swimming at the city pools, Jumpy Castles, bowling, and a trip to the Children's Museum. It was on this particular trip that another of our personal life changes began. On this day, our Adventures kids were mixed with others from the community who were enjoying the Museum. We assigned small groups of kids to our older helpers while the adult volunteers roamed among them keeping eyes open for kids' opportunities for mischief. I noticed a woman there with two kids who to me seemed obviously from Ethiopia though I have really never had known anyone from there. When I got the chance I asked her if her kids were adopted from there. She smiled and said that this boy and girl were really not hers. Yes, they had been adopted from Ethiopia but by her friends, Brandon and Jen Hatmaker, who were pastors of a church in Austin, Texas. She suggested that we might want to read the book that her friend had just written titled: Interrupted. We discussed our summer program and the kids that we were with and promised to read the book as soon as we could get a copy. That became our read on our trip later that summer and is the source of the Spirit's further moving in our lives.
Although the summer was exhausting for us to organize and facilitate, the result was that we got closer to the families of a larger community. This community is more and more part of our lives. We are seeing ourselves as part of HIS family.
