the close of a chapter.

Here are some of my ESL students. Aren't they precious?... They aren't actually angry. They just don't really smile for pictures.

Today was my last day to teach my ESL class to the Somali Bantu refugees here in Fort Worth, TX. It's been a pretty rough week. I got an email from my supervisor last Wednesday telling me that my class would close at the end of June. There are many new arrivals who have come to Fort Worth already this summer and more will continue to come throughout the summer. Basically, my class had the lowest, most sporadic attendance and so for that reason as well as a crunch in money and a higher priority placed on new arrivals, my class was the class that had to close.

I began teaching this particular class August 1, 2005. So, I'm just one month shy of 2 full years as their teacher. I think I've asked for a substitute to come to one class in my 2 years. In February of 2006 I began tutoring these students' high schoolers. If you've read previous blogs, you know that my heart is super attached to these people - not simply as my students, but as the people God has placed in my life to love and share His love with. So, in the past week, I've had so many emotions go through my head, my heart.

Today was bittersweet. It was so good to hear my students, through an interpreter, list off a number of things that I have taught them over the past 2 years - like to write their names, to dial phone numbers, to memorize their phone number, to know how to have really simple "conversation" when they are at the supermarket or food stamp office, etc. They also talked about how I've invested in their community - not just their lives, but their families' lives. God is good, and He has let them see how big of a heart He has given me for them. For that, I am incredibly grateful. We had a party at the end of class today with cake, cookies, watermelon, and soda. And we ended the class with a song I had taught them to learn the days of the week.

Though this is not the end of the time I will spend in this community, it seemed like I closed a pretty big chapter in my life today. I will continue tutoring their children. I will be in and out of their homes for the remainder of the summer as I tutor there. When the fall comes, I will return to the school systems to tutor and will not be in the community as much. I'm praying for God to open doors for other believing families to really get involved in their lives. I'm praying for a revelation of Truth and Love for these precious Bantu. I love them dearly!