Luke and Bella.

I have had this page open for a long time, attempting to write about something (recently) that has brought overwhelming joy to my life. If you have spent some time with me you will quickly learn that I love kids, and I have a passion to children to know Jesus and to recognize that they are smarter than most adults. Yet somehow trying to write about this, makes me speechless, I run out of words that can formulate good enough sentences to articulate what it means to be a "child care provider", "teacher", babysitter", or whatever you want to call it, in my life. So many people I babysit for laugh at me because after I babysit their kids, I thank them. I thank them simply because I truly am grateful that they trust me enough to spend a few hours nurturing and teaching their children anything and everything I can in the small window of time I may have. I thank them because I simply love to babysit, I love that I get paid for something I love, and that I would really do it for free, (but thank you for not letting me!) 
Just this week I have been given the blessing of being able to babysit two munchkins, whom over the last two months I have fallen in love with. On Sunday and Monday, I got to spend time with Luke and Bella, well these two are my ultimate favorite and maybe selfishly because they are old enough to actually want to be around me. On Sunday, I think we did nothing but play and play and play. Bella's current favorite thing is to play elephants and watch Dumbo, which I mean, who wouldn't want to do that! And Luke, well I am 100% sure that he is smarter than me, he always wants to tell me something new he learned through his video games or in the book he is reading. He also tests me to see how much I know, which is a very sort lived game. These two days that I got to spend with them were two of my favorite since I have been home from Masii. On Monday we go to go to the zoo, which was pretty much the funnest thing ever. It was fun because one (selfish) thing that I love about Luke and Bella is they never fail to remind me that they want me around. It sounds funny but I think we all want to be reminded that we are wanted and they never fail to do so (as do their parents!). Even after almost 34 hours of spending time together, Luke still came to me when I was leaving and asked for me to stay longer. That seems so silly to me, but it seemed silly to him that I was leaving at all. I have worked with kids of different ages for different types of things, but I seem to love the mind of a 5 year old. Sometimes the things Bella says to me, I think that is smarter than anything any adult I know could come up with. Yet I know some people who would think that's stupid or unintelligent.
One of my biggest fears in my life, is that the kids I know, the ones I meet, babysit, love to death, that one day they will come into contact with someone who doesn't necessarily think the world of them and they will choose to believe that over what is true. I am scared that one day someone will tell Bella that its stupid for her to think that elephants sand horses should be big enough for the horse to ride on the back of the elephants back because they are friends, well no that's actually brilliant and the very words breathe equality. Or that one day, someone will tell Luke that he talks too fast, when in reality he isn't talking too fast you just need to pay better attention to what the smartest little boy wants to badly to tell you, that he can barely let the words out of his mouth. Bella loves to include people and Luke loves to make people laugh, simply, easy. And that is why I love kids so much, sometimes they are rough but that's because they are simply learning things that the rest of us already know. We forget that we too, were once little and knew what now seems to be very little. 
Jesus is the same way, isn't he? THAT is what He gives us. Jesus gives us grace, through the things we may not know and mistakes even when we do know them He still captures the deepest parts of our heart. He sees us for who we really are, He places passions in our hearts that give glory to Him and enhances the Kingdom. I know that it may seem silly that I thank the parents of the munchkins I babysit, but really I am grateful. I am grateful that I have the privilege to remind their children (as someone who isn't their parents) for however many hours I get to spend with them, who they are, who Jesus thinks they are, and how much Jesus truly loves them and to speak truth into their lives. It seems silly but its true. Its kind of funny how I ever got to meet these sweet munchkins in the first place but my every conversation with them opens my small mindset into something bigger and better. Bella helps me attempt to wrap my brain around the "amazingness" of elephants and Luke makes my mind explode with the incredible facts that seem to be never ending out of his mouth. I am grateful that I feel a little smarter and a little more loved each time I leave their house.
Spending time with the kids in my life, brings me joy because the vision that the Lord has given me makes it simply for me to see the joy they shine and the intelligence they hold. I am so blessed to be in a place in my own life, where babysitting is fun and somehow I get paid for something I love.

In short, I never want the shortest people in my life to remember how BIG they really are. 

this one is my favorite!

WHO wouldn't have THIS much fun making gak?

riding the Merry-Go-Round!!

B E L L A

L U K E