[yotlyolqualli]

One of my "passions" is children. The one thing that breaks my heart the most, about being unable to fully participate in a church, is teaching. I've taught Bible School, Sunday School and was a mentor for children through a local CPS office, (when in the mission field). The mind of a child is so clean and so extremely thirsting and hungering.

Communion at the church I grew up in, (and taught in) was/is held 4 times a year. Two times, in the spring (Good Friday) and the fall... were the "big ones" where we would also include a foot washing service. (explanation soon lol). The one in summer and winter were simply the partaking of the sacrements.

It is a very solemn, very humbling occassion and I remember as a child always feeling that "auora" of mystery... why were some people crying, why was there a very palpable feeling of the Holy Spirit? What WAS this thing called communion?

Of course when I grew up and was born again and was baptized, I understood. One such service, as an adult, I found myself watching the children who were in my S.S. class and saw the same look of bewilderment on their faces. At the time I was teachying K1-1st grade. Two of my students were a niece and a nephew, one was my god daughter, and the four other's were two sets of brother and sister. Try as I might to concentrate on the service, I found myself going back to my own childhood and the questions I had.

I am of the strong opinion that children are much more wise than we give them credit for, and I think, are or can be, closer to God they an adult will ever be, until Glory. I decided that on the coming Sunday (which was Easter) I was going to teach them about communion and foot washing.

Now, I'll take the time to explain the "foot washing". In scripture, at the last supper, before Jesus passed the wine and bread, as symbols of His flesh and blood, He washed His disciples feet. It was symbolic of His coming, even as the Son of the Most High God, His coming, was to serve mankind. When we, as a church, wash each other's feet, (men wash the men, women wash the woman) we are declaring that we are there, within that family, within that circle, to serve each other. Not in any D/s or BDSM way, lol, but in the "family" way. We were there to carry one anothers burdens, to bear each others loads, to lift each other up and to represent Christ, not only to our brothers and sisters but to the world. It is a humbling experience to get on your knee's in front of someone and wash their feet. It is even MORE humbling, to allow someone to kneel before you and wash your feet. It's so easy, sometimes, for us to be willing to serve, but at times, especially in my culture, allowing someone to serve us is, at times, very difficult to do. Both washing and being washed is a beautiful and moving experience and can truly only be understood, if one actually does it, I think.

Ok, back to Easter Sunday. I brought in the "special foot washing buckets" and even brought along one of the "cup holding" offering plates, and some home made bread. Then, I explained, step by step, why we took communion, why we ate the bread, why we drank the juice (wine is never served in a Mennonite church, instead pure grape juice is served) and then served the children communions. After we had taken communion, I took each of my students, and I washed their feet. It wasn't solemn, they giggled, it tickled some of them and it was an odd thing, but, for me, it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. As I washed the feet of each child, I prayed God's protection and love over them, I prayed for their life and their soul and then I hugged each of them close and in the traditional way said, "blessings to you, my brother/sister, I love you. As I spoke those words to each child, that same feeling, the same Holy Spirit feeling came over our classroom. You could see it on their faces! Then we celebrated. Communion and footwashing are remembrances of the sacrifice Christ made for us, us His broken body, of His shed blood... but Easter... Easter is the time to celebrate life!

A mother, who had born the youngest two of her four children in Costa Rica, where she and her husband served for many years as missionaries, came to me the next week. She cried as she told me how her two children, Joey and Janet just couldn't stop talking about "communion" and how I had washed their feet and called them my sister and brother.


Years later, just a year and a half ago to be exact, my now grown god daughter, who was pregnant with TT at the time, and her 3 year old daughter Ava, attended a Good Friday service with me, and I washed their feet. It was a sweet moment, when I washed Danielle's feet and recalled how I used to bathe herwhen she was a baby, and indeed how I had washed her feet in S.S. class back when she was 4 years old. Then, and then I washed Ava's feet and I wept. I was extremely overcome with emotions. A want to protect her, a want to teach her, a want to show her the love of Jesus.

Children, our precious children, are indeed our future. They are sponges who soak up everything around them. They can't help it, it's how they learn. I was reminded then and am now, with TT sleeping here beside me... that it is up to us, the adults in their lives, to make sure that what they are absorbing, are life, faith, soul, and spirit affirming and feeding experiences that will help shape them into faith filled adults, compassionate, caring, loving young men and women, who will in turn, be helping to mold the minds and hearts of the next generation.

"Train a child in the right way and when he grows up, he will not depart from it."


So... now Im going to share some of the songs I share with TT on a daily basis.


David was a kid with a sling in his hand
and old Goliath was a big, big man, and he said
David, I'll kill you with my sword!
But David brought him down to size, with that rock between his eyes!
Because he came in the name of the Lord!

Zaccheus was little like me, so he climbed up in a sychamore tree
So he could see Jesus, passing through!
But he slid down so fast they say there's still no bark on that tree today!
When Jesus said I'm going home with you!

and we're God's little people, we've got a light and we're going to let it shine
and we're God's little people, God's little people is God's big people sometimes!


...isn't it just like Him to want to walk with us
Just the kind of Friend He is to want to laugh and talk with us
Listening to the things we say and joining in the games we play
Sharing, caring, that's His way!
Just... like.. a father understands his own
knows what it's like to be afraid or lost or all alone
He is up above to watch and heal and help and love us that's Him!
That's Him!

You can be short, fat, red haired or freckled face,
dressed in a shirt with big holes and your shoes unlaced
tall, thin, with red, black or yellow skin and still He loves you,
that's just Him! He likes blue jeans, jelly beans, hot dogs and bubble gum
He doesn't care what your name is or where you're from
He is up above to watch and heal and help and love us that's Him
that's Him!!


Does He ever laugh? HO HO HO!
Does God ever laugh? HA HA HA!
Does God ever laugh with glee? HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!
Does God ever laugh? HO HO HO!
Does God ever laugh? HA HA HA!
YES! God laughs and we will see!




My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God can not do!
The mountains are His, the valleys are His, the stars are His handy work too!
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God can not do, for you!


Jesus went about doing good, the Bible tells me so!
He healed the sick!
He healed the blind!
To little children He was kind!
To hungry people He gave food!
Jesus went about doing good, the Bible tells me so!



and so many more.. but they always end with these...


"When nighttime comes and my prayers are said,
I go to sleep in my little white bed, and God takes care of me!"

"God takes care of me everyday! When I run about and play!
And at nighttime when I sleep, God takes care of me!"


They need to know that even as children, they are indeed very dear and very precious and very important to God, who has a very special plan for each of them. They need to know that no matter what happens in this world, God will always be with them. Always.



Take care and God bless...