Last night I was babysitting in the church nursery for the Maundy Thursday service, commemorating the Last Supper. We had about fifteen children from about six months to four years, and I spent the whole time watching the toddlers play with an infant, adorable little N., either over my shoulder or on my lap.
There was one young mother who dropped off her little girl, B., before the service. As it's our job to entertain and make the kids feel at home, I smiled at B. and said, "You gonna being playing with us tonight?"
"Yep. Mom's going to church. She loves God." said B.
"Well, that's nice. I'm glad." I said awkwardly, as such outspokenness is only found in small children.
B.'s mom explained, "She just came from three hours of rehearsal. Please forgive the overenthusiasm."
I moved about for the majority of the service, trying to keep little N. calm, which wasn't that hard for most of the evening. The kids played ceaselessly and calmly, with one interruption when B.'s mother came and took her up to the service for holy communion. B. was quickly returned afterward.
Finally, just a few minutes before N.'s mother returned at the end of the service, he started crying and would not be quiet. B.'s mother came in and helped try to calm him down, then gave him back to his mother.
I thanked her for her help. "No problem." she said. "I love children."
"Me too. They're so adorable."
We smiled at each other, and she asked me my name. I told her, and she told me hers. It was something unintelligible to me, sadly, and therefore I could not remember it. Then she reached out her hand, and we shook.
"God bless you." she said.
"God bless you." I responded. "I'm glad to meet you." What happened then is hard to describe, but I could see the Holy Spirit living inside that young mother. It was such a powerful feeling of...of...well, it was what Christ meant when He said He wants us to be one, he wants us to love each other. I'm sorry that I can't remember her name, but I'll always think of Christ when thinking of her.
There was one young mother who dropped off her little girl, B., before the service. As it's our job to entertain and make the kids feel at home, I smiled at B. and said, "You gonna being playing with us tonight?"
"Yep. Mom's going to church. She loves God." said B.
"Well, that's nice. I'm glad." I said awkwardly, as such outspokenness is only found in small children.
B.'s mom explained, "She just came from three hours of rehearsal. Please forgive the overenthusiasm."
I moved about for the majority of the service, trying to keep little N. calm, which wasn't that hard for most of the evening. The kids played ceaselessly and calmly, with one interruption when B.'s mother came and took her up to the service for holy communion. B. was quickly returned afterward.
Finally, just a few minutes before N.'s mother returned at the end of the service, he started crying and would not be quiet. B.'s mother came in and helped try to calm him down, then gave him back to his mother.
I thanked her for her help. "No problem." she said. "I love children."
"Me too. They're so adorable."
We smiled at each other, and she asked me my name. I told her, and she told me hers. It was something unintelligible to me, sadly, and therefore I could not remember it. Then she reached out her hand, and we shook.
"God bless you." she said.
"God bless you." I responded. "I'm glad to meet you." What happened then is hard to describe, but I could see the Holy Spirit living inside that young mother. It was such a powerful feeling of...of...well, it was what Christ meant when He said He wants us to be one, he wants us to love each other. I'm sorry that I can't remember her name, but I'll always think of Christ when thinking of her.
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