Cafeteria Food

School lunches leave something to be desired! Good thing the conversation and lunch dates are a lot better than the food. Monday, I went to Grinnell for lunch with Kaitlyn. She's such a sweetie; always smiling and happy. When I asked her if anything special had happened that day she looked at me surprised and said, "Well of course! You came to have lunch with me." That made it worth the drive! I had to post a previous pic of Kaitlyn because my camera battery died. Arrgg. Kaitlyn had some of her best friends sit with us and I got the grand tour of her classroom and met her teacher.

Last Friday, I had lunch in Grimes with Jordan. She is the daughter of a gal that used to work in Randy's office. Jordan is a dancer and is the spittin' image of her momma, Megan. They have visited JCFC a couple of times and had a rough few months but things are looking up for them. Praise God! I got to meet her buddies and teacher and see her special art project.

Wednesday brought me a date with Dawson. He always makes me laugh because he is such a little director. He is a classic first born (like me) and is always watching in Creek Kids for opportunities to help me out; like when I forget to hand out quiet seat prizes. I got a tour of his classroom and met some friends and his teacher. One little girl at our table looked very confused and asked me, "How do you become a pastor?" I said that most people go to Bible college. That seemed to satisfy her. :) One of Dawson's buddies said, "Hey, I know you! You are the egg hunt pastor!"

Today brought me back to Des Moines Christian and lunch with Miss Awnna. Her teacher, who I think is great, said Awnna has been excited all week for our date. I've been there enough for lunches and chapel that a lot of the kids know me. The first chapel I preached was last December and it was a sermon called, "I Am a Lion Chaser!" Payden (in the navy shirt in the last picture) came running up to me while we were in the lunch line and very excitedly greated me with, "Pastor Lori, Pastor Lori, I AM A LION CHASER!" He then gave me a stinging high five and a huge smile. Awesome, he remembered that sermon from December. He's just a kindergartener. That made me happy to know he was really listening to what God had for him that day.

Awnna has one friend in her class that can be a challenge and has been down-right hateful to Awnna this year. She is a child that has some family issues and Awnna and I have had several conversations about how to deal with this girl and how to pray for her. Whenever I am at school this girl tries to monopolize my attention and can be a little rude. I was so proud of Awnna today, she handled the situation very well, not getting frustrated or mad. She is really trying to be a light to her friend and I can tell Awnna is maturing in this challenge.

So for some of you, this all may seem silly and just fluff. There are no pearls of wisdom in this post, no lessons in leadership. But I am building relationships with my kids so that now and in the years ahead they know with out a doubt that I love them and care about their lives. I also think my presence there helps them to be more bold in talking about their church and what God is doing in their lives. Got another date tomorrow....can't wait!