Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Bulla Battalion

They might appear like little thugs, but don’t be fooled – their only weapons are those little white rosaries clutched in their hands and their mischievous smiles!  :) These dashing young men are my little seventh graders – wearing their Sunday best for their First Communion. 

Last spring, Bryan and I starting helping the other catechists on Sunday mornings – were many of the students were also in my English classes at the junior high.  Typically, the sacraments are received much later than what is customary in the States – the average age being 12 years old, to make sure the students have a strong literacy level needed to complete the course work.

Often my English classes consists of “bulla” or naughtiness, especially when it comes to the boys, who relentlessly flirt with the girls in the class.  Pobre Chicas! (poor girls!) When its time to start class or listen to a lesson, they’re the last ones to listen and often try to act “suave” with the ladies while I’m trying to correct them.  They loiter around the campus after school and practice their new pick-up lines on us, despite the fact we’re their teachers!  O’ dear!  :) So… you could say they’re a handful! This made Sunday morning quite amusing, when those same little troublemakers looked like sweet little angles!  They were so excited to be all dressed up - eager to get their candles and rosaries, and wait in the procession line. 

Come Monday morning, we’ll see how permanent the transformation is… but until then I can’t help but smile – it took only a little encouragement from their families and friends to transform them into these confident young men! So cute! :)

"Prayer became my armor, and I wrapped it tightly around my heart." -Immaculee Iilbagiza