The Bonin Neighborhood Bible Study is marching along great. I haven’t posted the last four or five Friday nights because…Hmmm. I’m having trouble coming up with a good excuse. I just haven’t taken the time to post them, so here is the sum of what has been going on.
The kids have made their way further into our hearts. Every week someone gets melancholy. It’s either me after they leave because I’m a mother and mothers do that, or my daughter because she is empathizing with a sadness one of the kids is feeling, or one of the guests because the story challenge is so challenging and they want to aspire to live better. But there is also A LOT of laughing, playing and singing.
These unlikely kids have become friends with each other in such a sweet way. It has become a tradition that we sing praise songs and then silly songs after the eating. Each of the kids (almost each) proudly takes his/her turn in front of the fireplace crooning a tune while Grey accompanies on his guitar. No matter how bad it is everyone cheers and claps like it was awesome. I think this is everyone’s favorite part.
These unlikely kids have become friends with each other in such a sweet way. It has become a tradition that we sing praise songs and then silly songs after the eating. Each of the kids (almost each) proudly takes his/her turn in front of the fireplace crooning a tune while Grey accompanies on his guitar. No matter how bad it is everyone cheers and claps like it was awesome. I think this is everyone’s favorite part.
Their open honesty binds them too:
One will say: I love this chocolate cake you make each week Mrs. Bonin, but it gives me bad gas! (like we didn’t notice :-))
Another will confess: The kids on the bus call me “Twinkie” because I’m overweight and it really hurts my feelings.
Another will add: I know we are supposed to take our shoes off on the carpet, but my feet stink too badly. Can I keep them on? (Please, do!!)
One will say: I can’t read that well. Can I skip?
One claimed with a hand on her hips and the other angrily pointed at another guest: Her mom came over and cussed at my mom and my mom said her mom is just a ----------------...this and that and on and on…
(While I don’t think the neighbors have stopped feuding, these two girls of different origins come over daily and play like best friends now. They visit at school and no longer nurse the prejudices of the grown ups. They sing and dance in our den together, jump on the trampoline and work on building the fort for hours at a time. I love to see them getting along.)
Another one has a nervous tick and a bad case of bed head (not the cool kind) that all the kids graciously overlook. I’ve been so proud of them. They treat this one like a champion.
After the study they stand in the kitchen around the food and take turns talking not leaving anyone out regardless of the age. They are compassionate towards each other. It’s as if they’re all in it together and they understand that each of them carries a different pain.
After studying the Creation, the Flood, Tower of Babel, Abraham and Sarah, we covered the Christmas story in Luke, then back to the Old Testament in January, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We simply cover one major Bible story after another and apply the principles and lessons to daily life.
We have had several people say they want to come and be apart of it with us. Since most of these are Christian friends our answer is that they can come and see once or twice how to do it, but our goal in sharing what we are doing is not to attract a crowd, but rather to encourage you to duplicate it in your own neighborhood. We did not know these kids when we started.
A whole new world has opened up to my husband and me. When we were kids, we never lacked for something to do on the weekends. Friends weren’t a problem. Life was good on many levels. It never occurred to us that just down the street the story could be different. There are so many lonely, mistreated kids with NOTHING to do on Friday nights. Open up your homes. Create a community among the lonely that live near you. You will never be the same. I might not post a lot about our Friday nights anymore, but if you are interested in details email me at boninfamilyadventures@gmail.com
Terri
