Today the kids and I visited a church without Lee, who’s working a twelve hour shift today. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve done so far. Everything else basically has taken just a little more time, but once two kids are strapped into the stroller, life is a lot easier.
After Sunday school, I asked David what the Bible lesson was about. He replied, “Jesus.” Remember this is the kid that hates probing questions, and typically clams up if I’m too direct. It was the beginning of a missions conference at this church, so I asked, “Did you talk about missionaries?” (I’ve found it helps if I have an idea ahead of time of what they talked about.) Yes, he said. I’m a missionary. Oh? Yes, because I talked to someone. I’m not sure he got that one. Not a word about the Holy Spirit, which his Sunday school paper informs me was the subject of the lesson.
Then he said, Some children were naughty. I immediately remembered the short story “Charles” where a delightful little boy entertains his mother about the naughtiest boy at school. At the end of the year, the mother asks the teacher at open house, where little Charles is. The teacher’s answer gives the surprise ending. I’m trying real hard not to react to shocking revelations, since reacting tends to make David stop talking. So, I just asked if those children obeyed the teacher when she told them to behave. (I figured if David was among the naughty ones, he’d talk about it if I kept asking about it in third person– remember the third person trick.) Yes, apparently they did, because the teacher told them only one time to be quiet. Phew!
But the teacher told me David was extremely well behaved. So when David told me he was talking with another boy, I wasn’t sure what to believe. I’m still not sure, but for some reason I got more information than I have in awhile. I’m still figuring out how to keep him talking.
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