It's so nice to have the boys come in and hug me before they begin their day. In fact, Steven's done it twice this week. Even Randy gave me a hug, undoubtedly because he saw Steven. But, it's also made him a little less argumentative and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. In the 11 years I've been tutoring, That's only about the 10th hug I've received. I'll take it! It tells me the boys are warming up and more open to socializing than when they first came.
It's breath taking to watch them open up. When they first come, they're usually quiet or monstrous, either way, their behavior says they're scared in the new situation. The principal told me for the first year he kind of holds his breath every time they go home on a break. He never knows if they're coming back.
I hold my breath at the end of every year. I never know which ones are not going to come back, whether it's because they're behavior is too disruptive or they're not willing to adapt to the regimen. Either way, it's their loss and it breaks my heart.
Every year there seems to be a change in the behavior patterns. For example, this is the first year in the 11 I've been there that the boys will come in before chapel to study. A more humorous change is reading their Bible stories in the Old Testament. We use the King James Version, which speaks of "asses." All of a sudden the boys refuse to read, "asses." They say donkey, instead.
Every time it happens, my mind goes back several years to a boy I dearly loved. He and I were reading one day and when he came to "ass," he stopped short and looked me, incredulous. "What? "Does that mean he put a saddle on his butt?" Working hard to keep a straight face I told him that was the word they used hundreds of years ago for a donkey. "Well, then, why didn't they say so?" he muttered, utterly disgusted. From then on, every time he read with me and the word "ass" came up, he insisted on using the word donkey. He's been gone for several years and until this year, he was the only one who was shy about reading the word, "ass." Now, they all seem to be doing it. Come to think of it, I haven't heard as much vulgarity as in times past, either. Thank you, boys.
It's getting close to the end of the year (two weeks from today) and T.J. is still so new, he doesn't smile much. He looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. It makes me think of Maciek, who was also very somber when he first came, but he blossomed into a young man who's done all of us very proud. He's given me more hugs than everyone else put together.
The last we heard, he's in electronics school with the navy. As soon as Poland completes his paperwork for his American citizenship, the navy has indicated they will pull him from that school and send him through the SEAL program, which has been his goal all long. We're so proud of him.
Today, I worked with our senior on his thesis. I'm proud of him, too. It's been a seven year haul with him and he's going to make it. Two weeks ago, I wasn't sure he'd get his thesis done on time, but about all he has to do now is memorize enough of it that he can speak without looking at his outline. For once, he chose a mature topic and was gracious in accepting advice.
Recently, I told a friend Shiloh is my mission field. I promised the Lord I would be a missionary when I was 17 and the Lord has blessed me beyond words in this home mission field. I can die happy-just not yet.
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