This was originally posted on a previous blog of mine on May 1, 2010 while we were serving in Indonesia as missionaries.
I wish you could hear their voices—the laughter, the screaming, the sound of their imaginative play. These are the children who play in our yard. There are around 30 of them, and they also attend our Sunday School, whenever they take the initiative to run all the way up the hill to the church building. We are starting to see some of the parents come to see what this church is all about also, but that is for another post.
The other afternoon the noise had a different tune to it. Once again they had gone to the forbidden spot behind our house and grabbed about 20 of our empty aluminum cans (fruit, cream of chicken soup, etc) and were using them as drums. As one beat the drums the other children were dancing about with leafy branches from our trees. They were having their very own traditional Papuan festival.
Looking back, I wish I would have videoed the whole scene. Unfortunately, I saw them and was not very happy because they had disobeyed again. There is just one spot they where cannot play or go--behind our house. Since they are not taught to obey with consistency and love at home, they think nothing of rules. I am not with them all the time, but I refuse to resort to their parents’ tactics of hitting them or slapping them across the face, not to mention the ugly and degrading words they use.
Anyway, I was not happy, so I breathed deeply first and went out and told them to put the cans back. I started to say, “How many times have I told you not to…?” But then I thought how ridiculous the question was, not to mention unhelpful. They looked at me with fearful eyes as they put the cans away as quickly as they could. I wanted them to see the love of Christ in me.
Thankfully, the positive discipline ideas that I’ve studied came to mind. “Let’s think of a solution to this, okay?” I said this as I squatted down to their level.
They didn’t know what to think. “You like playing with these cans, don’t you?”
They nodded.
“Why don’t I get a bucket and put some of these cans in it, and we’ll put it over behind the well. As long as you are playing in my yard you can do what you want with them, but before you go home you must put them back in the bucket.”
I went over it again with them and asked them what they are to do before they go home. “Put them away!” They happily answered.
I customarily shook each of their hands, smiled, and went back inside my house. A few minutes later I came back out with some cookies for them.
They probably think I’m the craziest woman alive!
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