My little Chickadees

Alejandro and Miguel pretending to be monkeys

        Learning the letter 'C'

         I remember when I was seven, sitting my brothers down in a little room behind our house, taking out the little chalkboard and teaching them math. Ever chance I had I was writing on that chalkboard wanting to teach something to anybody that wanted to learn. This desire was probably fueled by the wonderful teachers I had throughout my schooling years.
        When I was in kindergarden my teacher, Mrs. Warden, used to call her students "chickadees." Her laugh was contagious and if you were having a bad day her hugs would make all the sadness go away. Some of my favorite memories with her at school were planting sunflowers outside and going on a field to a pumpkin patch in the fall. I truly enjoyed going to school and being her student. Now that I myself am a teacher I feel I treasure those memories more and try to bring into my classroom all that love and creativity I received growing up.
          After moving to Guatemala I was given the opportunity to teach here at Casa Bernabe. My class consists of two three year olds, two two year olds, and one who we think is two years old. My friend Abbi, who also lives here with her husband Clint, brings her one year old daughter and helps out with the class. We have been teaching for two months and it has been fun. We have been teaching them their colors, shapes, letters and numbers, as well as basic motor skills.
         Here are some pictures of us.

Abii and I with our Chickadees

Cleaning up after finger painting!

Starting from the left:

Bella, Hannah, Jon Jairo, Alejandro, Miguel and Jasmine

Mercy Triumphs

          I wanted to share with you something that has been on my heart. Lately, I have been asking God to teach me how to love others with a giving and selfless heart. I have been confronted with my own incapability to truly love as Jesus Christ does. A few weeks ago this question popped into my head as I reflected on this topic, "why did Jesus, knowing Judas (his disciple) would betray him, still pick him to be one of his closest friends?" Jesus poured his time, knowledge, money, everything into those around him without any reservation. I look at people like Jim Elliot or Mother Teresa, missionaries who dedicated their lives to give of themselves to a group of people who, in the case of Jim Elliot, rejected him, were ungrateful and even killed him. Yet, they continued to love and pour themselves to foreign peoples. Why? Why? Why?
          As humans, when we are rejected or even wronged, our instinct is to seek out justice or we pass judgement on the one who has wronged us. According to Barne's notes on the Bible, "justice demands, as what is her due, that the sinner should be condemned..."(Biblos.com).
          This question kept hitting my heart when I came across this verse in James 2:13, " Mercy triumphs over judgement." This is why! This is why and how Jesus gave of himself over and over again, not only to Judas, but to a world of whom the majority rejected Him. This is why Jim Elliot's wife kept loving those people that killed her husband, this is why Mother Teresa denied herself and loved the very ones that the rest of the world rejected. Barne's commentary goes on to say, "Mercy pleads that he [the guilty one] may be saved - and Mercy Prevails"(Biblos.com).
          This is it!! This is the answer to our Why! Why did Jesus come and give of himself to a people who were condemned to death? Because Mercy Triumphs! It always prevails over judgement. No wrong, no sin, no injustice can conquer Mercy! According to Matthew Henry's commentary, "[Mercy] points to the great Truth that God's mercy ultimately glorifies over our sin." This is good news my friend! Not only did we receive Mercy, but God will fill us with the capacity to pour out His love to those around us. He will fill us with the grace to see beyond the injustice we feel and show Mercy.
          As I write this I realize how far I am from reaching this goal, but it is my prayer and my heart's desire to be like Jesus in every area of my life. Please join me in this prayer:

Our beautiful Father,

Give us your perspective of mercy. 

We want to love as you love, 

not with a self-seeking and self-gratifying love, 

but the same love that brought you to the earth to pour out your life unto death.  Amen. 

-acm

On a different note, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish my beautiful baby brother Josue Soto HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I am grateful for your life Josue and how you have filled my heart with so much joy and laughter. You are an amazing man of God with a heart of gold. You bring the light of Jesus everywhere you go! I pray God continues to lead and guide you every step of the way! I love you!