Everyone,
COLOR. Color is a big part of our lives. It can create an atmosphere that is soothing or exciting. It can cheer us up or darken our mood. Women "have their colors done" in other words determine which colors look best on them. We add red peppers to our vegetable dip to "give it a touch of color". You can often tell a person's personality by what colors they like. My mother-in-law was very quiet and feminine and she loved pastels, whereas I .... well you wouldn't be surprised to know that I love bright, some might even say "loud", colors!
I recently saw the story of Noah in a different light. Noah was in a sense a refugee. His world was destroyed by the flood and only he and his family were left. When God wanted to reassure Noah of His love and faithfulness, he created the rainbow - the full spectrum of color. Color is something that plays a big part in the children's program where I am currently spending most of my time. Recently we had a short term team repaint the children's room. Once the background color was done two of my talented teammates painted the walls with colorful animals and an amazing tree. As you walk past the kids room the bright colors invite you in. Welcome.
As the kids arrive on Saturday we greet them with "Salam, Nakashee?" Hello, color? It they want one we give them a fun coloring sheet - the girls especially like Disney princesses while the boys are partial to Spider Man. For the kids that come regularly this is routine, but we recently had two new families come in. The first family had two or maybe three little girls. When we asked "Nakashee?" they nodded eagerly. One of the little girls was so happy when she saw the big box of crayons she could hardly contain herself. She would color a minute and then wriggle in her seat with excitement as she selected a new color. The other family also had two girls. They came in a bit later but the older girl was especially excited to color a picture. She was only about half done when her mother came in to tell her they needed to go. She protested but her mother was insistent. She then tried to take some color crayons with her but we had to tell her "No, these need to stay here." The tears rolled down her face as her mother led her from the room. Once she was outside where the other kids couldn't see I called her back. I reached into the cupboard and pulled out a small pack of 8 crayons that we keep for just such occasions. As I handed them to her, her face lit up with a big smile and she clapped her hands before happily leaving with her mother. Joy.
We have a newer boy of about 10 years of age that has been coming. He is autistic and at first he was very disruptive. We discovered however that he loves to color. Now he will come in with the other kids and sit attentively through the Bible story. He enjoys doing the craft but he really loves it when he gets finished and receives the coloring page. He will sit happily coloring until his mom comes to get him. Today when she came in he pointed out his craft hanging on the board so she could see what a good job he had done. Peace.
The kids are always proud to hang their pictures and craft projects on the board since they don't have a place to keep them at home. As they bring them for us to hang we have the opportunity to praise them for doing a good job and give them a hug. Love.
I always color with the kids because it give me a chance to interact with them without much language. I am learning my colors in Farsi - Abi or blue is an easy one. However the word for red is Kharmez - which start with the letter I like to call "flem". The trick is to get enough of a flemmy sound so that you are not saying a normal "K" sound but not so much that you sound like you are hacking up a hairball! The kids get a good laugh out of my efforts which is all that really matters. Fun.
Often when we are coloring the moms will come in to sit with their kids. At first they will suggest colors to their child, soon they will be "helping" and often they will finish the picture themselves. I offer them a picture but they are shy about accepting one for themselves and would rather "help" their kids. In a life that is often dark, drab and devoid of color, they enjoy a chance to do something artistic. Beauty.
Another way we bring color into the kids lives are with the crafts we make each week. Last week we made lanterns out of brightly colored construction paper and crepe paper strips. The kids really liked it and were excited when Wendy, our children's coordinator hung them on a string along the ceiling. Of course their favorite part was when she lost hold of the string at one point and they all came sliding down! Whenever we do a craft I am always amazed at how the kids put their own individual stamp on it. Some of the kids want their's to look like the example and get frustrated if they can't duplicate it exactly. Others love to add extra decorations or even turn the craft into something else. One little boy wanted to put a bottom on his lantern so he could use it like a basket. Creativity.
I am so glad that God made a world full of color and beauty and I hope that as we bring a little of that color into these kids lives that they will feel God's love for them. The next time you see a rainbow or a box of crayons think about how blessed you are say a prayer for those who are less fortunate. Thanks to all of you who make it possible for us to have the materials to work with these kids and for being a part of our greater team. We love you all.
Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@juno.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
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