Precious Faces

These faces make my heart so happy!!!

I was at Target yesterday and needed some folders to start the year so back to the school supplies I went.  There were so many eager faces buying their school supplies (one of which was one of my students last year and I loved getting to see him and his family).  I remember going with my mom and picking out my supplies growing up and I loved getting all of the new crayons, folders, pencils, and anything else I might need.  As I was looking around, it reminded me of how blessed we are to be able to go and purchase what we need.  When we were teaching  in Zambia, we took new supplies with us into the classroom to use and the kids (and teachers) were so excited!!! 

I began thinking about all the sweet faces that will be entering my classroom this year and how they will be bringing their supplies with them to start the year.  It made me think about a conversation that Teacher  Dorothy and I had about some things she won't allow at the school some of which are razorblades (pencil sharpeners) or scissors.  I didn’t understand why and when she explained to me that the students aren’t allowed to have these school supplies because of the high percentage of students with HIV.  That is one thing that I don’t ever have to think about here.  The worst that happens here is that at least one child tries to cut their hair so we have to have the conversation of what we can cut and not cut at school.  I don’t have to think about the fact that 1/3 of my class is infected with a vicious disease that knows no boundaries.  Five of the sweet babies in my classroom at Kabanana are HIV positive, two are sisters and the others have siblings but none of their siblings have it.  Dorothy said that there is no reason those kids should have been born with HIV.  In Zambia when you are pregnant, "if" you go to the clinic, they automatically test you and if you are positive they put you on medication so your baby doesn't contract the disease.  Sadly, many women don't or won't go until they are ready to deliver, and therefore, the innocent are infected with this vicious disease! 



How can you not fall in love with these faces??

The next day after our conversation when I got in the classroom and looked into those beautiful eyes of the 5 kids in my room with HIV, my heart broke into a million pieces.  I had to fight the tears back so hard as they were singing and dancing with so much happiness.  Looking at those beautiful, loving, and precious kids I know that other than a complete miracle (which can totally happen) their precious lives are going to be cut short here on earth.  Most of those sweet faces don't even know they are sick!  God has filled them with so much joy and love despite their situation.  Even though these children have been dealt this, I know God is and will continue to use them in a mighty way to impact His kingdom until He is ready to bring them to their eternal home.   The future of Zambia is being changed, one child at a time.   

On a side note, as many of you will be shopping for school supplies before school starts and are looking at the wonderful “sale prices” of the supplies, if any of you want to pick up a few extras, I would love to collect them and take them to Family Legacy to ship over on the next container they send.  These are the supplies they are always in need of:

Pencils, crayons, blue pens, red pens, construction paper, dry erase markers, composition notebooks, notecards, pencil bags, and block erasers.