Grade 2 Multicultural Day
It’s been awhile since we have posted a blog…it’s been a bit busy for all of us keeping up with school days and activities!
The end of this week was filled with several social and cultural events, along with adjusting to life (and getting less sleep) with our new German Shepherd (we think!) puppy, Echo.
The Elementary school had their yearly Multicultural Day where the kids dressed up in traditional clothing or anything representing their home country. Cypress dressed as Junie B Jones and Isabell as Dorothy from ‘The Wizard of Oz’. The kids had a “parade of nations” through the chapel, then performed songs and skits for each other. Following the chapel time, there was a performance by Nigerian Tiv dancers accompanied by drums and flute out on the basketball courts. There was also huge potluck lunch for all the kids and parents with foods from all the different represented countries.
We went to a ‘Hallelujah’ party with several other families complete with pumpkin carving, hide & seek for treats, costumes, and an “American” theme potluck, complete w/ grilled hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, homemade potato chips and some yummy desserts.
We also went to a 2 year old birthday party which was different from any party I have been to before. The kids were all outside and the adult women were all inside. The families were Arabic (except me of course) and this was an opportunity to take off their robes and head scarves and get dressed up. As one woman said, it was a chance ‘to let down their hair a little’.
Another time we were invited to the same home, just our family and theirs. They are a Muslim family, where the father graduated from Hillcrest, and have had many other family members attend. I asked why they chose to attend a Christian school and if it was confusing for them at a young age. He said they are appreciative of the teaching they received about many different religions at Hillcrest. He talked about the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity which was very helpful to me since I know little of Islam. We also talked about Bible history and accuracy. I felt a bit inadequate with my knowledge, but my short time in Bible Training Center helped. It was a challenging but fun time of interacting and talking about God. I admit, I was surprised by the many similarities of our faith, but I was shocked at the lack of assurance they have in their ‘performance’ in life and where they will spend eternity. Their sins are cancelled out by good works and suffering in this life. If the seesaw weighs too heavy in the wrong direction, the outcome is severe. I left feeling sad for this wonderful family, yet God has shown me that we have a connection with them and I am excited to be His witness. I am now reading ‘The Cross and The Crescent’ by Phil Parshall which has been a great source of understanding of Islam.
