“Yep, there it is,” I thought to myself as I walked through the double doors and stood in front of the counter. To my right lay a long, carpeted corridor with painted door-frames barely jutting out from the wall perpendicular to where I stood. But the spectacle wasn’t what captured the attention of my senses. It wasn’t the enormity of the brightly-lit hallway or the peek-a-boo presence of scurrying adults wandering in and out of my field of vision as they entered and exited classrooms.
It was the smell.
Do you know what I’m talking about?
A universal feature of all things childcare, the illustrious scent may only be described as a pervading, ever-present mixture of bleach wipes and broken crayons…emblems of childhood at its very best. It brought back so many good memories of past adventures working in KidMin and afterschool programs because the scent is always the same.
Anyway, I met the teacher I would be shadowing and in between her instructions and my fumbling attempts to find and gather supplies, I tried to absorb the surroundings, uttering a prayer over this opportunity to meet and serve some kids I had never met.
All of the sudden, I experienced the faint presence of what felt like thunder and my spidey-sense began tingling, warning me the disturbance was getting closer. Over my radio, the Director announced, “the kids are here” and then, through the end doors poured a slew of colored lunch boxes dancing in the swinging grip of junior humans. Bookbags bobbed up and down as children, complete with their untied shoes, snaggle-toothed grins and high-pitched chatter, made their way down the hallway, exiting the bustling, pediatric interstate highway into their assigned classrooms. It was a sight to behold!
Over the next half hour, this series of events repeated itself until just under 100 children made their way into the facility and into my heart. It was FABULOUS! What kind of new adventure is this? 😊 One that I’m sure will be the inspiration for many great stories to share with you….one through which I believe God will speak, using the unique and precious life perspective of His “littles” and “mediums” to teach me more about Him.
I’ll keep you posted…
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“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.” –Psalm 127:3, NLT
