Teaching About Halloween- From Kim
Sara and I are enjoying our time with MuMu and her family. Of course, this time of year brings a holiday that is foreign to most refugees...Halloween! We've been explaining trick or treating, costumes, pumpkins, bats, witches, ghosts, haunted houses and the traditions that go along with this uniquely American tradition! We've also been busy with parent teacher conferences, getting their internet hooked up (which was a huge undertaking and took several weeks) and carving pumpkins! We've treated them to different kinds of candy, cookies, breads and hot chocolate to experience Halloween and all things autumn. It's been fun!
The kids are doing remarkably well in school, given their previous experience with school in a refugee camp. Having the internet has opened up quite a bit of discussion on the camp that they lived in for most of their lives. We are starting to understand what it was like for them. They have shown us pictures of their camp, their house, where they went to school, the market and generally how they lived. One day their camp caught on fire and they had to flee for their lives as the fire spread so rapidly. It was a very scary time for them. They lost what little they had, but the next day they started to rebuild. We also got a short history lesson on the wars and fighting in their country that led them to be refugees. We could hardly believe the stamina and determination of this family. They are so thankful to be here in the United States. They feel safe here, and are determined to stay and make a new life for themselves. It is difficult for them on a daily basis, yet they stay the course and move forward everyday. We so admire their courage and love this family!
We will be taking them to our ward Halloween Party on Saturday so they can have a hands on experience with all the traditions of Halloween! We're looking forward to introducing them to our ward family and maybe opening the door to some missionary opportunities!
No comments:
Post a Comment