Making Strides

After spring break the boys are back in school fulltime and will be till the end of the year. They have a lot to learn to be up to speed with their age level, but I know it will happen. They attend third grade in the morning for help in understanding directions. At noon they eat with their good buddies, the fifth graders, go out for recess and spend the remainder of the day with them. The library teacher is also in on the act, assigning them computer games that enhance their reading and math skills.

Tonight after family night pizza and movie, we had a discussion about School Rules, like Obey the teacher at all times, and Never be the one who starts a fight. Some kids had asked Peter about his ear, and he reacted, perhaps assuming they wanted to fight, as was the case back in boarding school.

The Ukrainian government files show him pictured in over-alls, a darling little toddler with a sparkling smile, but as he grew older he was taunted and poked at, and by the time the missionaries came along in first grade, he needed rescuing bigtime and was a very angry, hurting little boy. I will explain this to his new teachers, because in some ways it is like starting over for him, finding his place in a new school, and rising to the old challenges and answering the same questions. This time I hope he will have a greater measure of grace and poise.

Bob gave him and James and Rob the father-son advice about clean fighting. Only if necessary do you fight, and never because you started it, and never because someone insulted you. If you absolutely must fight, use your fists, not your feet. James had been taught to grab for a rock, but Dad says, "No". I added the part about being known as a man of peace and a man of strength. And Bob said, "When you do fight, you fight to win."

To look at these little smiling faces, you'd never guess how fearless they are. I would be proud to have them defend me in a dark alley.

suitcases

Rob's first baseball game of the season was cancelled yesterday due to the rain, but today he has a track meet. He warned me that it would be a long day, plus it is still wet and cool, so think I will pack suitcases instead of attending.

Shortly our Maggie goes off to Dallas for her Inter Varsity mission trip. She will put up drywall in an inner city project of some sort. There will be another group there, Baptist church young people from Germany. While she heads west for that, we will drive north to visit and meet sisters, brotherd-in-law, grandparents and aunts and uncles. Wha-hoo! This trip will put wheels to the USA map, which heretofore has been spread on the kitchen table.

Prom Queen and Baseball Pants

Maggie called to say, Guess what, they called my name at the Eighties Prom, and I got selectd as Prom queen. She had purchased a bright fluffy formal at Salvation Army to dress in. It seems it was just the thing and indeed she did look her beautiful self, Eighties' style!

Rob went into his room this evening to try on his baseball jersey for the season's first game tomorrow night. He surprised us by walking out in pants that last year were at his ankles, this year at his knees!

Pow! Pow!

James says he has good teeth because he chewed in rocks!! He did tell me seriously that, if a tooth got a hole in it, he used to clean it out and put a little pebble in it. Today Peter complained of a loose tooth. I told him it was only a baby tooth and if he pulled it out, I would give him the leftover strawberry icecream we made for Sunday dinner. James gleefully volunteered to help him, and the two of them disappeared into their bedroom. I told them no punching.Apparently they tied dental floss around it and yanked.

Normally a buddy would give a fist to the cheek of the one with the loose tooth. Peter demonstrated by spitting on each fist and then, pow! pow! James demonstrates the fist to the teeth routine so easily, and the three-thrust punch-and-kick so smoothly, complete with sound efects and a big grin, that I think it was a normal part of defending himself on the streets and in the orphanage. Just survival. He will be sought after for the school football team because of his spunk! I used to fell so sad for those little "street kids", but never thought we would get to adopt one.

It is hard to imagine, because he has such a peaceful, intelligent face, loves poetry, is writing his own life story, has memorized the Lord's prayer, a number of verses about faith and can quote the books of the New Testament. All of this with little or no prompting from me, on his own initiative, and all in English.

He has memorized the Beatitudes to music, his favorite portion being the verse, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." He really does love righteousness and sings that phrase over and over. Of course he also loves being filled rather than hungry!

He looks forward to meeting his new Grandpa next week in Canada and asked if he could go on pastoral visits with him to the jail. "I could tell the guys my story," he said. Sorry, they don't let 12 year olds do pastoral counselling.

Little Pilgrims

Peter and James are back home from school because their class is taking standardized tests for several days. Though they are doing beautifully with their English, they're not yet ready for that.

Today after lunch, when I reached for the book,"Little Pilgrim's Progress", the boys pulled their chairs up close. They followed my reading easily enough, though at times I paraphrased it. After about two pages, James grabbed my arm and said, "Mom! I know what is this!" He understood that he was hearing an allegory. The boy in the story was given a Book (the Bible) and was mocked by his playmates for reading it. I stopped to ask if they understood that, and James said thoughtfully, "That happened to me."

Someone at a church had given him a Bible and he used to read it at the orphanage. I had been curious about how he knows so much of the Bible, even details about Old Testaments prophets. Now I know. He says he has read the whole thing. An older boy saw him reading and said, "That book is not true", snatched it, and set fire to it with a cigarette lighter. James said, "It was mostly burned before I could get it back." I asked where the Book is now, and he acted out digging a hole. He had buried it, and that is where it is now.

More History

James bounces back more quickly from unhappy spells than before, and each night he prays for help "resisting", them and whatever else God must be showing him. This week at Sunday School, he wrote a big word, "RESIST" in colorful letters on a paper. "Submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you,"and is believing God will make him strong. Tonight he also prayed for me to be strong in the Lord.

He is still self protective to a degree, but I am daily amazed at how propelled towards healing he and Peter are by Something beyond what we can offer them. I know it is the Spirit of God, and our family are merely facilitators.

While Peter has always been by nature wide open in his affection, James now has a secure enough relationship with me that when he asked me if I loved him last evening, I said I'd have to think about it. Then I chased him around the house threatening to kiss him. Every time I was ready to quit, he came back teasing for more. It is a treat having him act like a normal happy kid.

He still feels a heavy responsibility to see that Peter is good at home and school. I explained that that is too heavy a burden for a 12 year old to have to carry, worrying about his brother's behavior. He's better off leaving it to the adults in his life. He will be much happier for it.

As we sat over our tea today, both James and Peter shared more about friends back at the orphanage. The told of some big boys who did drugs, but when a man told them God loved them, they accepted Jesus. Now they don't take drugs and drink anymore, and they are nice. Today I read a letter from a 15 year old, almost 16, who I have been sad about. He spends a lot of time at church, says they now have a Bible Study at the orphanage and that someday he plans to "go around the world with the Gospel." The power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to bring hope and power for change in a dark place. Praise the Lord.

Soft Snow

Our daughter, Stephie, shared a cartoon. It was a beautiful winter night. The cartoonist was outside shovelling snow from his sidewalk. As he stopped to gazed in wonder at the beauty alll around him, he had a thought. "This snow is so soft, I will make a vow to myself never to be unhappy the rest of my life."

Rob is happy tonight and we are very proud of him. He has bolstered his position as Honored Big Brother by taking second place out of 25 runners in a 1600 yard run in a Junior High track meet today. His team also came in second on their relay race. Two red ribbons made a long, cold day worthwhile. This evening as he and Dad sat chatting about Japan during W.W. II, James thought of an excuse to come out of his bed to join in. He loves to discuss too.

When I think back to decisions we made regarding Rob, and the hours I spent with him hiking the woods behind out home, talking as we'd lie on our backs in a field looking up at the sky, I am so very grateful we could homeschool him for several years. Who would have guessed that he was being prepared for this? His teachers say he has a spirit of peace on him. His consistency and equanimity are just what his younger brothers need modelled.

Occasionally now I hear James saying quietly to himself, "My mama" or "I love you." This is something for a little guy who had to take care of himself for as long as he did, who slept on a park bench "like that one under our trees, Mom" A couple times he was hit while crossing the street. One time a driver just drove on. Another time the driver took him to the hospital where he got warmed and fed until he got over the feeling of not remembering who or where he was. He thinks he was there a couple months.

The boys and I had a conversation about taking rides with strangers. James understood my warnings, but also shared how a stranger had found him sick at the roadside and taken him to the hospital. No wonder his eyes get big when I tell the story of the Good Samaritan.

Then boys say their brains are smart because they never sniffed glue. I believe God prevented them from harming themselves. James did drink and smoke, I don't know how much, but as he explained "you do zeez things becose your mother does them, and you just copy her." Nightly they pray for their classmates and specific kids they want to see in a good family. We will hopefully prepare send some pictures of those kids and letters to send along with a family who will travel to adopt later this month.

Peter claims a boy in his class is his brother, but James explains that they just crossed themselves and said they would be brothers. The kids do that so they can say they have family. I pray for discernment regarding stories he tells. Yesterday he said when he was very little he cared for chickens, and today mentioned a cockoo clock he had in his "home". Since we was in the orphanage from birth, I don't know where these stories come from, likely things he has heard. He does have some lovely pictures taken by the missionaries of activities with the children. He is invariably smiling. What a happy wonderful child!

Well, good night all.

Happy Friday

Luke 1:45 says,"Blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things that were told her of the Lord."

Well, God blessed our first week of school. He heard our prayers, and today was the boys' best day yet. Yesterday the guidance counselor showed me a schedule she'd worked out. The boys will attend 3rd grade in the morning, and in the afternoon, 5th.

My dear uncle and aunt, who visited us this week from Pennsylvania, accompanied me to her office. Their advice and encouragement have been invaluable, and the gift of their stay this week has helped fill the vacuum left by Papa who was in San Antonio. What a treat for us to get to know them up close. They had not seem Maggie and Rob for years.

Early in the week James confided in me that he was embarassed at school by the little laughing trickster who everyone knows is his brother. However, as the days have passed, he had fewer and fewer misdemeanors to report. Peter, despite his initial behavior difficulties, thinks school is wonderful.