Sonrisas y Sol

 “And they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). Created With In the Garden of Eden, God didn’t create  doers ; He created beings . We weren’t created with the ability or purpose to give Him something that doesn’t originate from an expenditure of His own power. He simply called us into existence to be with Him. To talk with and walk with in the garden. People were created for community with each other and with God, and I found an example of this recently. Little boys from Los Leones weren’t allowed near the Las Lilas’ house under former teachers, but that effectively separated siblings: Soledad from Juancito and Nirza from Benja and Chacho. While Carlo was filling in as Leones house parent, we had a lot of co-ed days, especially sharing our swings and our meals. “Both houses seem more well behaved,” Maddy commented. “Lilas are less dramatic and Leones are less troublesome.” “Man, boys and girls were created to balance each other out,...

Do you have a pet peeve phrase? Some series of words that, when spoken together, grate on your nerves? A comment or question that drives you through the roof? Not to be dramatic, but I just found mine: “¿Qué vamos a hacer?” (“What are we gonna do?”) Ok so that doesn’t sound bad. Just some girls saying they’re bored and wondering what to do. Yeah. Now add a sprinkle of a whiny tone, spice it up with constant repetition, and serve it while I’m in the middle of recuperating from another project we just completed. Tried and true recipe, homemade by Las Lilas. Maybe parenting kids who are close enough in age to be my sisters might not be the best for maintaining a mature attitude. Maybe me being craft supplier and project manager in this house for a semester conditioned them to expect endless activities. After all, they are the most unable-to-be-bored kids I’ve ever seen. Maybe I should try using my mom’s phrase I heard as a kid: “Only boring people get bored” (but I can see their unimpress...

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) I’ve never had to build a house before, neither literally nor in the structuring-the-way-kids-live-their-lives-under-my-roof sense. The most building I’ve done was playing with Legos as a kid, which my sisters can tell you I didn’t do a whole lot of. However, since December 4, I’ve been a house constructor, so-to-speak. Building Blocks “Tag, I’m it!” I thought that Sunday morning after hanging up a homemade goodbye banner. The letters spelling “Vamos a extrañarte T. Abi” (“We’re going to miss you, Teacher Abi”) swung suspended through the kitchen of Las Lilas. My co-parent — the one who literally changed the game for these girls, the Bolivian who understood them culturally and verbally, the strong woman whose disciplinary skills allowed for love in the midst of an almost-too-well-ordered home — was only a year-long volunteer. I fought the...