There's a TARANTULA in the preschool!

09.24.12

I had a GREAT night of sleep last night...9:15 until 7:30 this morning!  Wow!  What is not to be joyful about today!  I am so excited to just start a new week of school and really see what we can get done this week :)  The kids were doing great...we were right on schedule and on task with getting our devotions done and digging into some school work when Brooke and Addy came up the stairs very hastily.  

"Mom!  There is a tarantula...in my PRESCHOOL!"

Hold on, wait...what did you say?  Yup.  I had heard her correctly.  Christina and I looked at each other and Christina quickly responded with, "Well, I think this calls for a break for a quick science lesson."  

In full agreement with her I grabbed my camera and followed the others down the stairs and across the green lawn, still soggy from last night's rain, to the preschool door.  Sure enough, on the far side of the room, there sat a rather large tarantula.  Brooke told me that from the minute it dropped down it hadn't moved...ok, that was reassuring.  We had also heard that in comparison to other tarantulas, the ones we have here in Haiti are very slow-moving-also reassuring.  

One other thing that I felt interesting was the fact that there was a Haitian man and woman just staring over the wall of the preschool as well.  At first I thought they were watching the spider and all of the activity that had since ensued, but Brooke went on to inform me that she and Addy were actually the spectacle before the spider even came.  These ppl were waiting to meet with Renel in regards to getting items for school for their children and while they were waiting they felt it was entertaining to watch two "Blans" in the preschool room, hanging out together :)

Everyone trying to get as close as they could to the spider, without getting too close, for the best view.

Addy was thrilled to be the guide for this tour!  she is just the best story teller and was so animated and excited to introduce us to her preschool visitor!

There he is...or she I guess for that matter...GROSS!!!!

I had everyone make a face that would portray how they felt about seeing the spider...

this one turned out a little better :)  LOVE IT!

Tonight, another first happened...when I went down to find the girls and round them up for supper and to start to get ready for bed, Gracie snagged me and wanted me to come with her to the baby house to brush the kiddos teeth.  I realized that I had a flash of anxiety when she asked me this.  I haven't really been in the baby house much.  This may come as a surprise to you, at the same time up to this point have you really heard me talk about it?

Despite my flash emotion, I agreed and followed my 7 year old daughter, walking so bravely and so confidently, into the baby house.  Immediately we were surrounded by kiddos :)  Bouta was one of the nannies that were working tonight and she was leading a group of kids in singing "If you are happy and you know it say "Bonswa" (in creole of course).  So kids were dancing in the hallways, while others were contained in their rooms getting ready for their bedtime routine.  It was in the Lyon room that I found my other two daughters...dancing and playing with babies.  Gracie and I had passed out the cups of toothbrushes with one of the other volunteers and ended up staying in this room as well.  One of the little Lyon ladies ran over to me immediately, wanting to be picked up.  I readily swept her up into my arms, but as I held her I realized I wasn't able to give her my full attention.  I was distracted...

As I focused in on what was going on around me, my heart was brimming with tears of JOY!  Karys was playing with Christella...dancing around with her and lifting her off the table when she tried to crawl up on it...Addy was holding hands with Natalie and trying to teach her ring around the rosie...and Gracie, my sweet girl, was holding Naika.  Gracie has also been pretty tentative about being int he baby house too often; however, as she sat there so gently and tenderly cradling this little girl I knew that she was beginning to find her place in this house.  Naika is one of the more withdrawn kiddos that we have, the one who doesn't seek affection and is not quick to show emotion.  And here, Gracie held her in her arms and Naika played with Gracie's hair and you could just see her relax in her embrace.

Oh, Jesus...this is almost too much.  This is you, Lord...This is you....

At that moment, I think I let go of my fears and there were walls that fell down.  I think I had been so guarded to make sure that I cared for my kids through this transition first that I kept myself from the baby house.  I wanted to see the needs of my own kids first and be able to be focused on them and their transition and help them to set boundaries.  I realized tonight that may not have been necessary...while at the same time, I was blessed in the way that it happened.  I got the privilege of humbly witnessing the love of Christ flowing through my children without abandon.  I felt myself relax in my inner being...we are going to be ok...they are going to be ok.  I was just glimpsing a piece of the mighty work that Jesus is doing in their lives.  And my JOY felt so complete in this moment.  Thank you, Jesus for tonight...in so many ways...thank you...