Steffi is a lovely ten year old girl: she came to my notice early on when her step-mother became concerned that Steffi was not talking about her feelings regarding her biological mother’s hospitalization for mental and emotional issues. We spent a good deal of time talking, walking together and just ‘hanging out’, and Steffi has become my “right hand man” at Samford – whether I like it or not.
She’s a tough but sweet Chiquita: she loves to dance and sing, paint, and is friends with everyone. She puts sparkles in her hair, writes me long letters and draws lovely pictures for the Chappy's room.
She also drinks straight from the sink, farts like a sailor and has announced that when she grows up she wants to be a stripper.
Oh, and she has a boyfriend; though I’ m not sure he’s as keen as she is. See, he has lots of girlfriends. Steffi’s not too happy about that.
Ahhh…. Grade 5. Was there ever so happy a time? But I digress….
The Chaplain’s room is filled to virtual overflowing with toys, beanbag chairs and arts and crafts materials (and when I say “filled to virtual overflowing”, naturally I mean “looks like a bomb hit it”). One of the more unusual items, left (I later discovered) by one of the Roman Catholic members of my LCC (Local Chaplaincy Committee – the group that raises funds to pay my salary), is a small collection of vials: one containing Holy Water, one containing consecrated oil, one with Frankincense and one with something called “Holy Earth”. Oh, and a “mini bible”.
Recently, Steffi found them and asked what they were. I explained as best I could, that they were consecrated tools of the Roman Catholic priest. Then I explained what ‘consecrated’ meant. Then I explained what a Priest was. Then I explained what Roman Catholic meant.
*sigh*
Finally, she got the idea that the Holy Water and Oil were used in the baptism ceremony; dabbed on the forehead to mark one off as God’s own. She was delighted.
Well, Steffi, never one to let a good idea go, waited until the Chaplain’s room was bursting at the seams with kids (as it usually is during Morning Tea and Big Lunch). She then proceeded to chase the children around with the vial of Holy Water, poking them in the forehead and gleefully shrieking “You’re a Christian! You’re a Christian!” until they wrenched the vial away from her and began chasing each other shouting “You’re Christian! No YOU ARE!!!”
John 11:35, I thought with a mental sigh.
Shortly thereafter, she lined a section of chairs up and hopped on, raising the mini bible high and shouting at the top of her lungs “OK, WHO WANTS TO BE BAPTIMIZED??????”
Bizarrely, and yet thrillingly, about three students stepped forward to be poked in the forehead with Steffi’s grimy finger, read to aloud from random sections of scripture and to have her pronounced that they had officially be “Baptimized”.
Somebody ordain this kid…….
1 comment:
I thorougly enjoyed reading these posts... =]
I've always smiled or reflected upon or seen a wonderful sense of humor and wit in what you write, but there is something even more behind these. A spiritedness of sorts... no doubt something that has long been there, but greatly evolved during your time spent in Australia.
Do continue...!
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