Time is one of the most precious things we can give to anyone. Time is love. Yesterday my family and I volunteered for the second TIME together at JDMS. It is a middle school in our city. This TIME that we give to the students is quickly becoming my favorite TIME of each week. We are focused on reading WITH them. It has been brought to our attention that most of the 6th and 7th graders are not up to grade level reading. Math is another area that we have been able to help with. The academic improvements are noticeable even in this short amount of TIME. Their desire to have the TIME with us is even more noticeable. We just started last week. We are doing Tuesdays and Thursdays. We had four students last week. Each us one on one with a child. Our mission is simply to help bring them forward from wherever their skills currently are. Our mindset is - If we can read then we can help another to read. Reason for doing so is - If they can read well, EVERYTHING in their lives will be easier.
Two of last weeks students were able to return yesterday. One brought a friend (smiles). I am going to give these students different names in order to maintain confidentiality so you are able to follow clearly how things progress as we continue this adventure for the remainder of the season. Emily is working with Torrie. Last week Emily was so competely shy- this week when she walked in the room and saw Torrie she beamed with excitement and at the end she did not want to leave! Emily's friend Pricilla received help from my husband, Jeremiah and I. Pricilla needed a lot of help with definitions of words in order to do an assessment test. I am not a walking dictionary like my husband. Lol. Since we had 3 kids today and 4 mentors, I asked my husband for help. (Hee! Hee!) My son, Kody spent his TIME with Gary. Gary had been with me last week. Gary needed a lot of help with sounding out the words. Gary is easily frustrated, as are so many kids in today's world. With almost constant reassurance Gary was able to stick with reading for over an hour last Thursday. His sense of accomplishment having done so was palpable. Gary was also quite tired from all the hard work! It was a good tired and I was confident he would return. It truly was work and Gary truly did very well! This week he and Kody focused on math that he needed to complete. It was geometry! Oh boy...NOT my strength. I have NOT used that since I have been in high school- ON PURPOSE! So thank God for Kody. He and Gary hit it off quickly. They were able to complete his assignment while obtaining a HIGH score! Witnessing Gary's excitement as he accomplished such great success -just by taking the TIME to learn and work out the problems instead of guessing was awesome!
I can not predict the future but I am believing that God is going to continue to bless this mission with riches far better then gold! Their were many awesome moments during the TIME we were with these young souls, but these were the priceless ones for me:
Watching Pricilla's eyes catch the light as she grasped each new understanding.
Witnessing Gary bounce out of his seat as he got 90% correct on his assignment. Gary AND Kody eager to continue!
Emily receiving the gentle nurturing guidance from my daughter (in law) Torrie. So many genuine smiles between the both of them!
Mr. Silas' (The Dean) heart felt groan as we prayed for his continued strength to do what he is called to do. (Settle down activists! I asked if it would offend anyone if we prayed together and the answer was emphatically "no")
ALL that were present in this little Media center at JDMS grew together during this TIME.
We all can not be mentors. We all can not volunteer parts of our day a way...but we ALL can make sure our loved ones get what they NEED from us. TIME- ONE on ONE communication TIME with Cup Of Time..because TIME is LOVE!

What an excellent idea! Kody and Torrie from Jacksonville Florida are planning to have ice cream in there vessels during their Cup Of Time this Friday! Great idea! My husband and I are going to steal that! Well...adopt that idea! Theft is NEVER good no matter what the case! 😊 Thank you son (Kody) and Daughter I did not have to give birth to (Torrie)!