Bright moment

Last night I met to of the girls who live in our neighborhood. Zuri and Lorana. Zuri is learning English and is shy to speak in English, Lorana graciously translated as needed. Through conversation, I feel like I not only got to know these girls but also some of what they expect from us. As I was walking these two girls home (across the street) and talking with them, I met about 8 other kids ages 2-12 both boys and girls. I ended up bring all 10 of them back over to the community house where we played some trouble and sorry. It was during a game of Sorry that I saw a gift rarely matched. One of the younger boys, Angel, was having a hard time focusing on the game and counting correctly. Rather than become upset, Zuri helped him count out the spaces alternating English and Spanish, played with him in between their turns. We quickly made popcorn for a snack. Angel knocked his cup over, most kids laughed at him, including two of the 12 year old boys, Zuri bent over and helped him clean it up and then explained what happened and asked for more on his behalf. Zuri is 10, and looked up to by the younger girls in the neighborhood. Today I was working on getting our front yard back into shape. Zuri came and helped me for a bit, leading to 4 other girls coming to help. I intially was impressed by her leadership as she is the youngest in her family. In writing and sharing these stories with you, I am amazed at her service, not only toward Angel but to her community. I am challenged by Zuri example set last night, and this evening. I am excited to see her grow over this next year and to see how she grows me.