Out of the Mouth of.....Eleven year olds

Last Wednesday was one of those beautiful winter days here in the Hill Country.  It was winter in name only.  It is January, right?  So, it must be winter.  But in truth, it was 68 degrees, a little windy (making it feel a bit colder), the sky was bright blue with not a cloud in sight, and the sun was beaming down on Kerrville, TX.  Sam and I decided to take a picnic down to the sparkling Guadalupe River and enjoy that beautiful afternoon.  Ah, homeschooling at its finest.  The whole lunch took less than an hour, but I'm sure it will be a memory I'll never forget.  Such a special 45 minutes!  In that time, God gave me a window into Sam's heart and mind, and I was inspired and heartened by what I saw.  

After we ate our last bite, and had finished throwing crusts into the river in hopes of watching some fish gobble them up (they never showed), Sam stretched out on his back on the cement slab just next to the river, put his hands behind his head for a pillow, and sighed a sweet sigh of delight and satisfaction.   "You know, Mom, too bad I couldn't have rushed through lunch in the cafeteria at school.  It's so hard to have to be out here in God's beautiful creation, relaxing and talking with you.  Ha ha ha!"  Then he said, 

"Mom, I've been thinking a lot about something.  You know, all my life, if I've ever needed anything, or even really wanted anything, you and Dad have just gotten it for me.  I've never had to need anything before and worry about whether or not I could get it.  Never.  Except that one week at Boy Scout camp........when it was all dusty and hot b/c of the drought and it was 103-105 every day."

[At this point, I was swelling with happiness and pride that we'd done such a good job making Sam feel secure and taking such good care of him.......]

But then he said, "I was thinking about all that the other night before I fell asleep, and I realized that it's all going to change when we get to Rwanda."

[Ouch.  Okay, so there went all those happy, fuzzy, 'I'm a great parent' feelings!]

"Oh", I said.  "What do you mean, exactly, Sam?"  

"Well, for instance, you know how I love to drink a big glass of cold milk every night before I go to bed?  I've done that my whole life, and I was thinking, they probably don't have cows there, so I won't be able to do that.  We'll probably have that disgusting powdered milk stuff like we drank in Haiti. And it may not even be cold, because we probably won't have a refrigerator!"  

"Wow, Sam, how does that make you feel?  Does it make you feel scared knowing there will be things we just can't have there?"  

"No, not really.  I don't feel scared. I know if there is something we really need, you and Dad will find a way to get it for us.  I'm just realizing I need to get ready to make some big adjustments, that's all."

"Oh......" [That's the only thing I could think to say, I was so blown away by what had just come out of his mouth.]  I thought of Jesus, and how he said,

9“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" - from Matthew 7

"Father-God, help me trust in You the way my boy trusts in me and his Daddy."  

Sam started speaking again, drawing me out of my prayers.  "You know what else I've been thinking?  A lot of the people in Rwanda don't know what it's like to need something and be able to get it.  And I don't know what it's like to need something and not be able to get it.  I'm glad we're going there, so Dad can give people surgeries who need them.  It's just not fair that most of the world has to live without getting what they need, and we can have everything we want and need over here.  I'm glad we're going, even though it will be hard.  It'll be worth it, to be able to work with the people of Rwanda and help bring more medical care to sick people there. I know God wants them to have the chance to have surgery and stuff -- and food, too.  So, when I think of it like that, I know I can live without my milk!"

So, now you see why I titled this "Out of the mouths of 11 year olds...."  That was a lot, huh?  Am I proud of my son?  You bet.  Am I amazed at what God has been teaching him?  Yes, I am.