...for our documentation.
Living overseas has
afforded our children exposure to things that I certainly was not
thinking about or encountering at their ages. Some of these things are
trivial, like the fact that they love hot and sour fish or spinach soup,
that they are used to dogs walking through open air restaurants
scrounging for food, food/bones that we allow them to drop on the floor
in said restaurant, or that even at six they have a political status
unbeknownst to them, told to them by classmates.
This
year in particular the discussions have gotten deeper as Sophia's world
has opened up to her and her analytical skills have gained her a better
understanding, or at least a desire for understanding the whys and hows
of life's struggles. Here are some examples...
About
two years ago (and this discussion shows her immature mind at the time),
when Sophia was maybe not even four yet, she said: 'mama, what is a wai
guo ren?' I told her that it was a foreigner,(literally 'outside
country person'), she said, 'oh...how do they know that I am a
waiguoren?' David and I still talk about this statement. At that point
in her life she had no idea she was different. Yes, people always called
her this name, 'foreigner' and made a little fuss, but she didn't
really have any idea that she was different. She went to school, she
played, she spoke their language.
"My classmates say I
am an enemy of China that has come here to fight them." I laughed out
loud at this but did not make light of how the political climate does
indeed affect her, in small ways. We then discussed why a classmate
might say that.
We have given lots of clothes and toys
to 'refugees of the war nearby'. Yes, a place less than two hours from
us has seen fighting from time to time. We discuss why there is war and
why there is this particular war, we discuss good and evil, we discuss
how to pray for those on either 'side' of the conflict.
Our
catechism questions discuss the reality of life without Jesus, and
death and hell. Where we live we often hear funeral processions, the
family taking the body to be buried up on the mountain. This always
involves loud fireworks and music, people walking carrying the casket,
and much more. About six months ago or more, a day after we started
discussing life without knowing God, Sophia got really quiet and sad as
we heard yet another funeral procession. Then she burst into tears at
the reality of death without knowing Jesus, and how those around us
'most likely do not know God' and 'would be separated from Him'. This
led to a lengthy theological discussion, And I am not kidding, this made
her more fervent in prayer for her friends.
More
recently Sophia watched and listened as we discussed with our helper
(who is like a daughter to us) about her upcoming marriage. The
situation was horrible, her family was turning against her. One night at
prayer time before bed, while we were still in discussion with
Priscilla, Sophia said: 'but that is their daughter, how can they be
like that???' This discussion was a hard one, and one that none of us
completely understand, but that the WORD attests to...it will happen, if
you love the one who lived and died for you, the people you love the
most may/will turn against you.
And just the other day
Sophia really started talking about her cousins in the Williams family.
She has such nostalgic memories of them at Aunt Beth's together, at
Whitefield, sleeping over, getting up at 7 a.m. to go play soccer, fun
times. For the first time ever she said: 'I want to go live near my
cousins.' This surprised me because not a month ago, as we discussed
traveling and being thankful for our home, she said she always wanted to
live here, 'for forever'. When she mentioned living near the Williams
family I told her why we could not, I talked about why we live here,
and reminded her of things she already knew about our life here. She was
content with the reasons, but she still misses her cousins!
