A Beacon in the Night

I never thought that teaching Mission Friends would be detrimental to our health. However, I've come to the conclusion that after four weeks, we might not make it through the year. Yeah, the kids are rowdy but that is the least of our worries. Our problem is that on the way home from church on Wednesday nights, our car passes by four bastions of yummy goodness: Wendy's, Sonic, Dairy Queen and Mrs. Storey's Dairy Barn. So far, we've favored Sonic and Dairy Queen as the score is tied at two apiece for those particular dessert havens but I'm sure the others will get to make a play as the year progresses. We've fallen into a pretty bad habit (and with my new found love of Chick-fil-A's ice dream this really must stop!) but it is easy to be persuaded by the sugary goodness available at all these locations. Plus, it seems like our car just drives there without being told to do so. And as we typically pass these places between 7:30 and 8 p.m., it is prime time for an evening treat!

I knew we were in trouble last week when, as we pulled into the turning lane to make the left turn into Sonic -- bear in mind we hadn't even turned in yet -- Margie Grace gasped in excitement. "Bite! Bite! Bite!" she started yelling as she clapped her hands and kicked her legs. For her, those neon lights and that drive-thru window meant pure bliss. She knows: really nothing tastes better than a cherry limeade with crushed ice after an hour wrangling four-year-olds . . . maybe except for an Oreo Blizzard . . . or a grape slush. Perhaps we should make it our weekly challenge to see if we can drive right by all those places without stopping. The problem is that Wendy's and Mrs. Storey's are clearly already at a disadvantage and I wouldn't want them to feel left out. I guess that makes me an equal-opportunity dessert connoisseur -- it's a title I wear with pride!

"Mr. Needle"

Three weeks ago Neil and I prayerfully answered the call to help teach 4-year-old Mission Friends at our church. Another couple that we know, Jeb and Lacy Jones, had signed up to teach the class and discovered they were going to need extra help when 24 kids showed up on the first night. We've been working with them ever since. (Anyone that has ever been outnumbered by preschoolers knows what an impossible job this would have been. Our presence has cut the ratio to approximately 6:1 so it is somewhat manageable. Still, each week Neil says he feels like Gulliver being overrun by Lilliputians!)

We have a lot of fun and are really enjoying getting to know all the little ones. Our first night teaching, "Mrs. Lacy" (as the kids call her) played a little game to help the kids learn all of our names: Mrs. Lacy, Mrs. Katie, Mr. Jeb and Mr. Neil. In my opinion, these are four relatively easy names to pronounce but for some reason, these little southern children like to draw Neil's name out into two syllables with a strong emphasis on the long "e" sound. (Mr. Neeeee-uhl) I have been surprised how well they have remembered our names from week to week. (It is taking us a little longer, however, to remember all of their names!) Tonight at Mission Friends each of us was manning a table during craft time and assisting with their projects when suddenly I heard a little guy at Neil's table say something about "Mr. Needle." I had no idea what he was talking about and then I realized he was referring to Neil! "Can you help me Mr. Needle?" "Can you tape this for me Mr. Needle?" "I don't know how to do this Mr. Needle!" It was such a hoot and Lacy and I started chuckling. But Neil didn't miss a beat -- he kept right on coloring and taping and cutting. So next time you see Neil, ask him how Mr. Needle is doing!