When we first visited Mexico almost three years ago, my sweet, little three-year old saw a group of preschool kids performing a traditional dance. She told me then that she wanted to live in Mexico so that she could go to school and dance like those kids.
Two weeks ago, her dream came true. Elyse participated in her Kindergarten graduation from the school in the village. It was everything she had dreamed of...and more. All the little girls had matching, blue party dresses and the boys wore a black suit with matching blue shirt. They were precious. Our friend in the village offered to come by and fix Elyse's hair so that she would "look like" the other girls in her class. Elyse told me that I wasn't Mexican enough to fix her hair.
Elyse and our friend getting ready for the show
Elyse's fine hair required a lot of hair spray!
The finished product. Beautiful!
The day was perfect. The rain held off until after the ceremony and Elyse was finally able to perform her dance (watch video at the end of the post).
And the dance...
Elyse's Padrino (kind of like a sponsor for her graduation) and family
Elyse is very aware that she is different from the other kids (she often asks if she can dye her hair black), but for this one day, thanks to a matching dress and similar hairstyle, she was one of the gang. She was very excited when she saw that another little girl had the exact same shoes!
Can you find her in the crowd?
During the ceremony, our friend was talking to one of the other dads. The man said, "Look at that...all those dark kids and then that one white one. She is kind of like a light in darkness. When she goes to the elementary school this fall, she can be the light there, too." I know this man was talking about her skin color, but oh how well he expressed the desires of our hearts. God has called us to be exactly that...a light in the darkness. Kieran's memory verse a few weeks ago was from Matthew 5:14-16.
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on
its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
As we live in this community, we pray that they will see something different in us that is more than skin deep. We pray that our actions reflect the light of our Savior. It wasn't easy for Elyse to go to a new school where all the kids spoke a different language, but by God's grace, she did it and has made some wonderful friends in the process.
Elyse and her best friend Elba. Spanish is a second language for them both, but communication has never been a problem!
Elyse and a few of her classmates
"This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine!"
