Bedtime Prayers

Tonight after dinner I walked over to the Main House to help Lewis, age 6, with his homework. Lewis has been seriously ill due to AIDS in the past and has fallen behind the other children his same age. Tonight I worked with him on writing his name since he will need to be able to so in order to move on to Grade 1. He is very good at "L" and "i" but has lots of trouble with the "e" and the "s."

Lewis

After homework, we picked out 2 bedtime stories, a Sesame Street book and a Dr. Seuss book, and I read them to the 5 kids who live in the Main House (Annah, Dineo, Lewis, Mary, and Mpho). Mpho, who is 2 years old, has finally mastered my name, and so a couple times while I was reading, he would cry out, "Sa-MAN-ta!!" It was hilarious. He has such a little personality.

Mpho

When we finished the stories, I herded the kids down the hall to their bedrooms. I tucked Mpho in and kissed him goodnight and then met the older 4 kids in the girls' room for bedtime prayers. The 3 girls got into their beds, and I sat on the floor with Lewis in my lap.

I prayed first, and then each one of the kids prayed in turn. There was some giggling in the middle, and Annah farted really loud while Dineo was praying so that, of course, got them going, but all in all they did pretty well staying serious and quiet.

Mary, who is 4 years old, prayed after me and asked that "Jesus would be in the girls' room and the boys' room and Mama Elsie's room and the bathroom and the kitchen." She also thanked God for Jesus and for the cross. It was a very nice prayer.

Mary

Dineo, who just turned 8 years old, prayed next. Her entire prayer was centered around Janis, and it went something like this: "Please be with Mama Janis when she goes back to America and when she visits her mommy and daddy and when she lives in a different house. And, God, please be with Mama Janis when she visits Brookie and Brittany and Curtis (Janis' two daughters and her son-in-law) and when she flies on the airplane."

At the end of her prayer, Dineo said, "Thank you, Jesus, for giving us eyes and ears and noses...(long pause)...and airports." Of course, there was lots of giggling after that, and I tried my best to remain serious.

Hope, Dineo, and Annah

I love saying bedtime prayers with the kids. I know I'm only 21 years old, but it seems like so much has happened in my life since the days when I was thanking God for giving me eyes and ears and asking him to bless my mom and my sister and my friends. It's a good reminder for me that I've got a whole lot more to be thankful for than I sometimes think about. Tonight when I say my bedtime prayers, I'm going to thank God for the kids and for their faith and for all that they've taught me when I thought I was teaching them.