Restore St. Louis

I was privileged to spend a few hours this past week in south St. Louis city helping with a summer tutoring program.  One of the local PCA churches, New City Fellowship, provides this service to families in their neighborhood.

Many of these students are recent immigrants or refugees whose families are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu.  The extent of language barriers ranges from nearly none to extreme and poses a challenge for the teachers who are trying to simultaneously and effectively communicate material to 10-15 students with highly-diverse needs.  Only one criteria divides the two classes: readers and non-readers.

I don't know what kind of trauma any of these kids may have endured already, but they are joyful and surprisingly open to loving and being loved...even the teenage girls.  It amazed me too, that even though they knew we were with them for only four short days and that a new crew would greet them this next week, they were open-hearted and by day 2 were hanging and hugging on us as if we were old friends.

Here are a few of the beautiful faces and moments from the week:

Tin and Olyvia - 2 well-spoken, confident little girls!

Wa Gay Moo - has a perpetual smile on his face and a cheery disposition

Than Than Soe - a sweet, quiet, Burmese-speaking girl who is still learning how to form English sentences 

Every morning, the girls drew on our hands and arms with gel pens

Energetic Ezra loved to play the drums in assembly

Henry and Marcus

These girls loved being on stage for singing time!

The Whole Gang