update: kindergarten

Hello, lovely people!

It’s just another night at the Jefferson/Borchardt casita. Everyone’s tired from their own long day, so we’re just kinda hangin out tonight. Zach and I really enjoy living here with Richard and Melissa. They show love to us on a daily basis in all kinds of ways. Really generous people, fun to laugh with, share meals with, and go places with. We love them!! Both couples we’ve had the privilege of living with since we got married have demonstrated such incredible hospitality, so Zach and I have been learning from the best. We can’t wait to do this for somebody else someday.

A lot happens in a week and a half (my last post). I recently started working with 4 kindergarten girls at Prince of Peace several times a week. After class is over with their teacher at noon, I arrive with art supplies and we just have fun being creative for an hour before lunch. These precious 5-6 year olds come from home situations where they didn’t have the chance to just be little girls; they had to grow up fast, you know? And without affection or even basic needs. So I was offered an opportunity to just play with them; to let them express themselves through art or to play dress up or decorate cookies or paint nails or whatever. It’s super fun. J Their names are Haylin, Rubí, Paola, and Estrella. I don’t have any pictures yet, but here's a quick video I took the other day! Haylin (dancing) and Paola (singing with bubbles) are the ones trying to get the camera's attention:

Becoming more involved with Prince of Peace in this way has opened a huge door for me to get to know the place better and all the girls who live there. I’m learning so many names and faces and personalities, as well as how the Home runs and stuff like that. It is a truly remarkable place. Every time I pull up to the drive, there are beautiful little girls all around to greet me with hugs and kisses. They want to hold my hand and ask me how I’m doing. They want to practice their English or talk about ‘mi esposo,’ (my husbandJ). They beg me to stay for lunch and ask when I’ll be coming back. I can almost not believe how much love they have in their young little hearts, when they’ve been denied love in their pasts. But I know that what I see is a product of God’s grace. Transformation through love is the business of God, and there is a lot of that business going on at Prince of Peace.

Take a minute to check out the website here and see some of these beautiful faces I'm talking about!

http://www.princeofpeacegt.com/

Ok…I only made it this far tonight… will have to write more later when I'm actually awake.

Love, Kristen