I don't like it when my students don't smile a lot, and it's hard for me when I can't make eye contact with them. My family and I have thought that perhaps he's gone through rejection and feelings of not being accepted by others. Though not very active and out-going like his classmates, I'd notice that as the days went by, this quiet, almost motionless boy had an expression of contentment and peace on his face. He was quite pleasant.
From the very start of classes, I knew that Mae Too (age 14; grade 6) was a special mission field of mine. By working with my Commissioner, I was going to do all I could to make a lasting, positive change and difference in this young teenager's life. The Lord clearly spoke to me and told me that all I needed to do at the time was to continue showing him and his classmates the love of God through my life and character and by treating them as siblings. He needed to continue to see that strong trust and sibling-like friendship between me and his classmates.
Weeks went by.
Finally, to my joy one day, he looked up as I was talking up front and he gave me the biggest smile I had yet seen from him. Inside my heart, I was jumping up and down, and praising God. It was so exciting, to say the least.
I was greatly encouraged and hoped that someday he would completely break through from whatever seemed to be weighing him down.
Then, one day, as I was walking around the room dictating words for phonics, I glanced over at Mae Too. And to my surprise he was looking at me. He did this often throughout the dictation. From that point on, he's been following me with his eyes just like everyone else does, and we can make eye contact. "Yes! Yes! YES! You're doing it Lord!" I'd exclaim over and over throughout the day.
On Sunday morning, after the last quiz of the school term, I sat down on our wood flour to grade papers. I finally got to grade 6. Their papers are usually quite exciting to grade, largely because of their little notes that they write to me and the smilies that they draw.
I came to Mae Too's, and to my surprise, he wrote on the bottom of his quiz, "ya uh day poh, naw." (I'm a younger brother, okay?") I read that several times, trying to soak it in as I looked back at what I had seen God doing the past few weeks. What a beautiful change!
Mae Too had seen and had come to realize that he's loved, cared for, and accepted by me and others here. And now he asked me if I would include him as a younger brother just like I had with the other boys in his grade.
I felt so blessed to write above his simple, yet deep, plea for acceptance as a brother, "Yes, you are my younger brother. :)"
As I was moving on to give another student their graded paper, I glanced back at Mae Too who had just received his paper. He and Eh Guh Lu seemed to stare at it for a few seconds then they both burst into big smiles.
God did something very beautiful in this dear brother's life last term, and I know that He's continuing to.
Please pray for me as I will continue to work with our Commissioner in seeking to raise Mae Too up to be a dedicated, strong youth in God's army of young missionaries.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Working for these young people--my Karen siblings--is one of the greatest privileges and rewarding, joyous blessings ever given to me.
I want to encourage you to seek with all your heart to save and bless the young, tender lives around you each day. They're starving, just like Mae Too, for love, care, encouragement, and acceptance, and most of all (though they may not realize it) for the life that's worth living.
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