When Children Pray!

Remember last Sunday (Easter) the title of my post was "why cry mom?". I cried all the way through the Easter service and confused my sweet Grace. I had to explain to her what happy tears meant.

So this sunday we are worshiping. I am standing and singing etc. I look over and Grace has her head down, hands folded sitting in the seat and is mouthing a lot of words to God. She has no clue I notice her. She is praying for a long time (probably at least 10 minutes). I am thinking, I wish I had my camera but that would ruin the moment and distract her. I am so touched by her praying but continue to worship. I wonder if she is praying in Amharic. I think about how sweet it is that God hears the prayer of the child's heart. I think of how He probably cherishes the prayers of children so much more than ours even. I know all prayers are important but still I can't help but think the children's prayers have a special FAST PASS to the ears of God. I imagine He is inundated with loud cries from powerful men and women and somehow can still make out the sweet sound of the whispers of a child sitting in the church and focusing so strongly on talking to Him.

So, we finish worship and during welcome time the kids go to sunday school. I walk the girls to their classes. I am holding their hands. Grace says, "Mom I pray". I said "Great". She said "I say thank you Jesus"...I said "That is wonderful sweetie"...She says "I say thank You Jesus for my mom and dad"...UH OH Here come the well of tears from Mom again. I said "Thank you sweetie. I thank God for you too." Wow! I leave her at sunday school and then have to go to the bathroom to cry and check my mascara again before going into church. AMAZING....

You never know what God is doing inside the hearts of your young children. And it is really hard for me to know especially since there is still a language barrier. But everyday their English gets better and I learn more.

THis week I learn that their grandmother would give them a lemon to eat when they were sick and they would feel better. I learned that their mom loved garlic, would eat the skins on potatoes, cooked a fish after fishing for it once and that their great great grandmother had cows that would give milk a rooster and two dogs.

I also learned that Grace knows two tribal languages besides Amharic and English.

They have told me that they do not want to keep their African names as their middle names instead Grace now wants her middle name to be Hannah (after Hannah Montana) and that Ella would like her middle name to be (Beautiful Deanna)...so Grace Hannah and Ella Beautiful Deanna are settling in with Jared Michael....(we still have to fill out the papers before we make the new names official ---HA!).

D