Mission Center on Friday was... awesome.

I was tired and slept on the way to the city, then when we got there I was grumpy, and no one was cooperating, so I was snappy with the group. Not good. But we split into our groups and started walking around, picking kids up.



When we got to Kathleen's house, she came RUNNING out, and ran to me. I gave her a huge hug (I missed her!!) and she just stood by me the whole time we were at her house. Then she asked me to carry her, so I did.



I carried her on my back the whole way, and sometimes we talked, but sometimes she just hung out back there. She is such a precious girl... top student in her second grade class. She loves Hannah Montana and has the sweetest heart of anyone I have ever met.

All the kids play on the playground when we get there. I played tag for a LONG time with Yessica and Roberto. The girls love showing off their monkey bars skills, especially Hannah:



We went inside for the lesson, and while Hannah was running around instead of sitting down, the rest of the kids listened pretty well. Kathleen sat with me the whole time, and she was quiet, like she was really letting the words sink in about Jesus healing a man with leprosy.



Then it was craft time! The kids colored pictures of the story. Kathleen and I colored together with her little cousin Kyle. At one point, Kyle grabbed a marker and started scribbling all over my picture, which was sad, but fine. Then he started to scribble on Kathleen's picture. I told him to color on his own page. And he did.

But Kathleen was quiet for about 10 minutes, just coloring and thinking. And all of a sudden she looked at me and said, "I forgive Kyle for coloring on my page. I know I need to, so I do. He didn't do it to be mean. I forgive him." Then she went back to coloring.

I was speechless. Literally. I just looked at her. This little, beautiful girl, age seven, who lives in a neighborhood where the last thing most kids learn about is forgiveness... and she forgave her cousin for ruining her picture, just like that.

How many times in my own life have I known that I needed to forgive someone and not done it? How many times have I withheld that forgiveness? And why? WHY? What a lesson learned... forgiveness. And Jesus did it on the cross.

Kathleen gave her picture to me, and I gave mine to her. She colored the one on the left. I wrote her a note on the back about what an awesome girl she is. And I'm going to hang mine up in my room.



God teaches me so much about life through the kids at Mission Center. We go to teach them, but I feel like they are the teachers rather than me. I guess it's life and to some extent, I'll always be a student. Kathleen's words... they keep ringing in my ears... "I forgive Kyle... I know I need to, so I do." So matter of fact. So pure. So undeniably Christ at work in her.