December 2006
PO Box 2561, Suwanee, GA 30024 Acct. #6137
404-358-6766
What a great time at the mission this month! Since we've been working at Spring Chase for about 3 months our attendance has grown to around 36 kids with still more coming in as the news spreads. Our attendance means two things. The parents are accepting what we're doing and want their children to be involved and the children who keep coming are definitely improving.
A mother and her young son were trying to enter the mission. You need a code to release the doors. The mother didn't know the code but she kept telling the boy, "You must get in! You must get in! You are going to find a way!" The mother was so driven to get her son help that she made him crawl through the window! Once they came we started to help the child. Simple things such as which word has an I vowel sound. Poor Mohammed! He couldn't stay focused and didn't know what he was talking about. He would keep getting out of his chair and running to the toys. After about six times of his constant maneuvering I wanted to give up. No one else can help him. His mother can't understand the material. She offered little words of encouragement to him. I stayed there with him, prayed for patience and continued. I knew if I stayed with him long enough he could grasp the first grade concepts. Now after about three weeks of "training" he is able to write his letters and understand directions. This is an amazing feeling when you have finally taught a child to help himself.
Children aren't the only people I try to help. Just today two mothers got in a fist fight. One was trying to defend what we were doing at the mission and the other disagree strongly! I tried to keep all my kids inside away from the violence but Levar (a 5th grader) who was already outside tried to break them up and got bit on his hand! It all escalated until one of the women was hit in the nose and then the police were called. Spring Chase is usually very peaceful but this experience shows how much tension still surrounds the mission. Please pray that the parents of this community see the good in what we're doing and continue to support us.
This Saturday we will be throwing a Holiday party for all the kids! We'll be having face painting, pumpkin games and tons of candy! Please pray that the children will bring their friends and we will be able to interact with more of the community and eventually bring them to Jesus!