Ian

We have 3 sons so I have decided to add little things about them along the way.  Since the other 2 have had recent birthday entrees & Ian's special day is not until November I thought I would start with him.  Transition for Missionary Kids becomes "normal" as I talked about before.  The problem is, they have to learn what that means for them & then, how to accept & handle it.  Once that is accomplished, they really begin to blossom... at least that is the hope!

Ian is 6 years old & has more energy than I could ever hope to.  He is our child with darker features since he takes after Chris's Puerto Rican roots.  Sometimes he likes this because he fits in well in Latin America.  Other times he feels different from his brothers & wishes he didn't fit in as much here.  It is funny how kids think about things like that on their own!  He LOVES technology & is a computer whiz.  He is doing well with school & reading.  He loves skateboarding, climbing, soccer, swimming, making messes, taking pictures, yo-yo's, & playing video games & listening to music!  He adjusted well to Costa Rica, but Venezuela has been much more of a challenge for him.  His spanish speaking abilities are much less than Isaiah's & his comprehension skills are less than Imanuel's.  So, he has been trying to find where he fits.We recently found out that he was allergic to the yellow dye in foods so he had to give up his favorite food in the world... FROOT LOOPS!  This was quite a sacrifice for him.  He is not fond of waiting & sitting in lines & since much of our lives involves waiting in lines, waiting in traffic, waiting for internet service, WAITING all the time... he would rather just stay home!  He had no friends & wanted to be left alone.  Chris & I have prayed for him & tried to think of things for him to do that he would make him feel successful.

Finally, at the park the other day, he saw a kid running & he was wearing a set of earbuds with his mp3 player.  Ian like him because he had an mp3 player too.  He began to run, first staying far behind, then moving closer.  After about 12 laps around the park which is quite a but of running, they began to talk.  The boy he was talking to was born here in Venezuela but his family is from Italy.  His name is Fernando & he is about 14.  He actually speaks a little English.  He & Ian talked a while & I heard Ian ask him if he would be his friend.  He told Fernando he would help him learn English if he would help him with Spanish.  Fernando agreed & smiled.  Ian came running over so excited to tell me he had a friend!  He was so proud of himself!

As parents, you want what is best for your child.  It is painful to see them struggle.  What a huge blessing to see them work through a problem & feel success on the other side.  He has plans to learn to play the guitar & practice riding the skateboard.  I feel confident he will accomplish these things with great success.  And when his Spanish abilities finally come, he will be unstoppable.  It seems that the children that struggle the most with language as children are the ones that God uses as adults to be great speakers & teachers.  What a blessing it is that Ian is a part of our family & that he is on this journey with us.  We look forward to seeing the awesomeness that God has in store for our "Beefy".