This unexpected reminder that we have had two small children “underfoot” for this past year gave me a moment of reflection. In a short while they will be heading back to Japan to resume their lives, and we will become empty-nesters once again. Has this year been worth the investment of time, energy, and money it has taken? Have we accomplished the lofty goals that fueled this original decision? Will they remember this time with fondness? Has it changed their lives for the better? Questions like these flooded our conversation as my wife and I discussed it before falling asleep that night.
It was a year ago that we hatched this wild idea that my son’s wife and two small girls come to the Dominican Republic to live with us for a year. The girls could speak very little English and we could speak no Japanese. This prognosis of a lifetime without the ability to communicate with our grandchildren was frightening to both our son and to us, so we were open to his suggestion to have them live with us.
As we prayed about the various obstacles in the weeks that followed it became evident that the Lord was giving us an open door. So our first goal and mutual concern was to have the two girls learn to speak fluently in English.
The second goal was something that my wife and I have been praying for since they were born.
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.
Jude 24 KJV
Our prayer has been that each of my three children and their children will enter the Kingdom of God and be presented faultless before the presence of His glory. Apart from a few Christmas story books we sent as gifts we have had little opportunity to share the gospel with these precious girls. So this decision for them to live with us had a second goal. We wanted the girls and their Mom to understand the good news of the Gospel as they saw it lived out in the context of our family and the school they attended and worked for. So as we near the end of the year, this reminder of scotch tape and stickers made me evaluate our two-fold goal.
A few days ago while I was finishing a writing project in the living room, the girls were within earshot as they played a card game together on the kitchen table. The conversation went something like this:
L – “Do you have a seven?”
A – “No, go fishing, please.”
L – “Oh, yes, you have a seven. I know you do.”
A – “Oh, no, I don’t have one.”
L – “You know, when you lie I still love you, but I don’t feel good inside.
I’m unhappy but I still love you so much because I love Jesus.”
A – “Only Jesus lie?”
L – “Oh, no, Jesus died on the cross but he came alive.”
A – “OK … uh, do you have a six?”
L – “Go fishing.”
To the right of our living room is a small alcove in a sunny room surrounded on two sides by windows. Before we found curtains to fit we used to call it our "fish bowl" because anyone outside could see what we were doing inside. By the time the girls came we had found some curtains, so we converted it to their toy/play room. Occasionally a cake crumb finds its way into the play room and overnight the ever-present ants blaze a trail for a congregational meal.
One Saturday when the girls went in to play they found some ants. With shrieks of delight mixed with disgust they got on the floor to watch them. Soon they were talking to the ants, scolding them for entering their world. The seven-year-old said something and the four-year-old copy cat sister echoed. This crescendoed until they were yelling trying to out-do the other.
L – “You are bad ants and shouldn’t be here.”
A – “You are bad ants.”
L – You will die and go to hell.”
A – “You will die to hell.”
L – “But Jesus died on the cross but come again in fire.”
A – “But Jesus on cross and fire.”
On this same day their mother was shopping with a friend in an attempt to be ready for her upcoming departure to Japan. My wife and I were occupied with our own projects and the girls were expected to entertain themselves for some of the time. In their Japanese home they could have gone outside to roller skate or jump rope or ride bikes. Even in our home town in Idaho they could have played in the back yard. But for security reasons it is rare to have them play outside without direct adult supervision. It is a sad consequence of living in this country. However, they have learned to adapt.
Turning down a suggestion to play the Wii they decided instead to create a game using plastic bottle caps. Dividing the pile equally between themselves they sprawled on the tile floor while they invented various activities … stacking them like blocks, spinning them like tops, creating designs of flowers, pushing a hand on one and having it defy gravity as they lifted their hands up, setting it on its edge and pushing it forward with a finger so that it would shoot away but return like a boomerang. With each new discovery I could hear an exclamation of “Amazing!” and then a patter of bare feet with a squeal of excitement as they rounded to corner to show Grandpa the newest glimpse into their world.
At one point a minor squabble was brought to my attention. One had a blue bottle cap that was different that the blue cap that the other had. A visible cloud of unhappiness began to form on their normally sunny dispositions. My wife suggested trading for five minutes. After she explained what “trade” meant she set the timer. The cloud dissipated, laughter echoed in the hall way again. When the timer went off, the youngest said, “I gave to my sister so I shared.”
Right after this they found the “Wee Sing Bible Songs” book that has been lying around the apartment all year. They spent the next hour singing some songs together that they knew, occasionally asking me to help them. For the rest of the day at odd moments of transitions such as washing hands, or waiting at the table to eat, or drying off after a shower, I could hear the baby voice of the four-year-old singing on-key:
This is the day, This is the day that the Lord has made,
that the Lord has made;
We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glam’ in it,
and be glam’ in it.
From the bedroom that evening after I said goodnight I heard both sisters singing together,
Alive! Alive! Alive for evermore, my Jesus is alive, alive for evermore,
Alive! Alive! Alive for evermore, my Jesus is alive;
Sing alleluia! Sing alleluia! My Jesus is alive for evermore;
Sing alleluia! Sing alleluia! My Jesus is alive.
Earlier that day we found them both on the couch. Big sister was reading some verses out of her personal Bible to her little sister. They were playing “Chapel”. Later I found scraps of paper with words scrawled on them in the hand of a first grader saying things like, “I will remember God”, “I give thanks to God”, “I will love your sister”,"I need to love everyone and God”, and “I will go to heaven if I believe in Jesus.” Under each one of these verses was written a Bible reference like Jon 60:1 or Jon 60:2. They had made up and were memorizing their own Scripture verses. I guess I’ll have to let them know that we aren’t supposed to write our own Scripture… one of those details they haven’t picked up on yet.
Hopefully this shallow description will help you see, as we did, that the two goals have been delightfully accomplished. They speak with each other and with us in English. In fact, it seems amazing to us that they have learned a foreign language so quickly. And they also seem to have a fundamental grasp on the gospel. On the bus on the way to school I’ve overheard conversations over the year of the oldest girl with one of the teachers with whom she sits. When my granddaughter would ask a question relating to salvation (and she loves to ask questions), the lady teacher asked in return, “Well, let’s review. What do you think a Christian is?” or “How do you think a person gets to heaven?” Our granddaughter's responses throughout the year have usually started with answers like, “People who are not bad.” Recently, however, she has been answering, “Jesus died on the cross for things I did bad and I have to believe in him to get to heaven.”
During our normal Bible book time one evening a few nights ago the oldest granddaughter asked if I would pray for her and her sister. Normally each girl says a prayer to end the devotions according to whose turn it is. So this was an unusual request. When I asked why, she replied, “Because I want to be Christian.” When I asked her to explain what she meant, she rehearsed a very genuine understanding of the gospel and her desire to receive Christ. The little one, of course, wanted to join in on the experience. So I prayed for both of them.
From that time on she has been telling everyone that she runs into that she has become a Christian. She is reading a verse in the Bible each day and wants to talk about it all the time. I know that the gospel is so simple that a child can be saved. In fact, Christ holds up the faith of a child as the example of saving faith. How real this is, time will tell, but it is another indication that God is answering our prayers.
Both girls have been sweet and trainable all year long. They have learned more than we expected, and we praise God for that. What they remember of this year and how it impacts their lives is yet to be seen and something we will bring regularly before God in prayer. I honestly believe that next year when I look at my slippers each night I will sincerely miss seeing the assortment of scotch tape and stickers.
The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day:
“The grandparents to their granddaughters” shall make known thy truth.
Isa 38:19 (with some applicable alterations)
1 comment:
Missing you! Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your time with your precious grandbabies and how much God has accomplished in the months they have been in your home away from home.
What a delight and an encouragement. They sound as adorable as they look - would love to catch them up and give them a squeeze!
And you and Carol too!
Blessings, dear friends,
Paula
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