Time for another story!

This happened in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico in a small village.

We had been invited to a village close to San Pedro Chindua, Oaxaca. I always had 1-2 girls, and often a family with me who were helping me as I was training them. One of the girls had to look after her nephew who was at the time between 3-4 years old, so he was with us also.

Little Josué of course had some toys with him. The village children for the most part, did not have toys. In fact they did not seem to play at all.

Sadly also, it was not uncommon to see a 5 year old actually working in the fields, carrying sticks or doing some little task to help. We never saw them play.

Then when they came to the Vacation Bible School, we discovered they did not even know HOW to play!. Life was full of nothing but work for them. My team spent some time playing with a ball with a group of youngsters to TEACH them how to play!

One little boy of about 4 years old was trying hard to get a toy away from Josué, with the obvious intention of breaking it. Josué of course was resistant.

I noticed what was happening and went over to prevent the fight which was obviously about to happen. I said to the little boy “no, you can’t have this toy, it belongs to Josué”. He continued to pull at it, hardly acknowledging me. I spoke to him a second time. He kept on trying get the toy, and his intent was obvious, he was going to break it.

Finally I spoke to him a little firmer, and he stopped and looked at me and absolutely blew me away by what he said.

When adults say “No” , he said, they always mean “Yes”.

This little boy in one of the villages of Oaxaca, just 4 years old was simply declaring what he had learned from adults. He had really thrown out a challenge!

What are the children in your life learning from you!

Yuli.