As I've been working with the kids lately, though, there have been three or four who I have grown increasingly worried about. I thought I'd let you know who they are and what they're dealing with, so that you could add your prayers to mine.
The first is a 2nd grade boy named M (he took that picture of him and me above...I'm not looking so hot, but oh well). He is incredibly sweet and, I have recently discovered, very smart. He reads quite well, his spelling is great, and he catches on quickly to new math concepts. M's problems are at home. He lives in an apartment that is a center of drug traffic, in addition to other, equally illegal, happenings. He and his sister, R., are both really struggling because of this. They deal with a great amount of anger and emotional volatility as a result of the fact that they don't feel safe at their own home. Sometimes M. gets into a state where he's just really angry and doesn't know how to direct this anger, so he gets frustrated and sad (on top of angry - which is a terrible combination). It's heartbreaking. I have no idea what to do for him, other than love him and pray for him...and encourage him academically. He's smart enough that he could make it through high-school, and possibly even go to college. He could make a better life for himself. We just need to pray and pray and pray that he doesn't give into the darkness that surrounds him so much of the time.
The second child is T. I think I've mentioned her before on this blog. She is in 1st grade and is sweet as she can be. I have noticed from the beginning, however, that she is far behind her peers in terms of development. I'm worried about her, because even though she cannot identify the sound that letters make (much less read grade-appropriate material), she is being shuttled through the public school system. She needs a great deal of extra help and is not receiving it. My personal opinion is that she needs a special program. She already relies heavily on being cute (which she resorts to when she can't answer questions), and I'm worried about where that sort of behavior will take her as she grows up.
Thirdly (and lastly) is S (that's her - 2nd from the left; the really smiley one; T is on the far right). She is, to say the least, a character. She has tons of personality and is lots of fun - until she gets upset. She just loses it...to say the least. The littlest thing will set her off, and once she's gone, it's hard to get her back. This results in her getting suspended, both from school and Little Lights, because she doesn't respond to us when we try to work with her. S. has a lot of potential. She is sensitive, empathetic, smart, fun, imaginative. Her volatility, however, threatens to overshadow all of these wonderful traits. Thankfully, she has a wonderful grandmother who she lives with, and who we are trying to work with to help her.
So pray for these 3 kids this week or month, if you can. So many things need to come together in order for them to make it out of the difficulties they find themselves in. Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray that this happens.
As a side note, I realize I am always asking/telling you to pray on this blog. I thought I should tell you that prayer doesn't always come easy to me (in fact, I struggle with it a lot). I didn't want to give the impression that I'm just a prayer warrior, constantly praying for these kids. I strive to be that, but right now I find the actual work I do with them easier than the prayer I know I need to do for them. This blog is a challenge to me - as well as you, hopefully - to remember/realize how essential prayer is - how we cannot hope for anything this huge to be accomplished without it - and incorporate that realization into my life. I just thought I should let you all know that.
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