A Penny in my Pocket

Some of you might know the Jana Alayra song, “A Penny in my Pocket.”

A penny in my pocket; a dollar in my shoe

When I give them all to Jesus; there’s nothing he can’t do

To feed a hungry neighbor; Give shelter from the cold

Take a wounded heart; And make it whole

Oh, we are one family; Oh, in the Son of God you see

Yes, he’s calling us to be; His arms of love, His arms of love

We are his arms of love; We are his arms of love

Well, these children from all around the world that have become one family, shot up their hands as soon as the song was over and had MUCH to share. Here are some of the things they said:

“Every year, when the year is beginning again, we invite a lot of kids who have no mommy or daddy to come into our house and I get to serve them food and drink and we had someone who did funny things come and make us laugh.”

“I saw a boy the other day and I told my dad to give him food but he didn’t want to, so I told him to give him money, but he didn’t want to.”

“We have visitors that are sleeping in our house right now!”

“The other day, my dad’s friend came over to our house, and she had two kids with her who had no mommy or daddy and no food. And that’s what she does. She takes care of and feeds all the kids who need it.”

“The other day I saw a boy and he asked me for money and I said, “sorry, I don’t have any money.” And my mom was up in the salon. But my brother was by me and I talked to him for a long time and he was so kind because he gave me money to give to the boy.”

“In the genocide, my dad is a doctor, and he just went around and helped people and saved their lives.”

And they continued…It was a bit different than singing it at Saddleback in Orange County! These aren’t just words to these children; this is normal everyday life that they experience.

Later in the day, one of my students asked “why did God not give Rwanda money?” Now, I have to admit it wasn’t quite that articulate. Partly because it can be hard to understand her with her accent. And partly because she was trying to explain what she had seen in her country and couldn’t understand why Rwanda was different. About half the class resonated well and also understood the heart of her question immediately. Another student immediately asked, “yah, why did God choose to give money to only some countries, to only a very few?”

So, yes, I was attempting to facilitate a discussion about the different economies of the world and the role God plays in that with my Kindergarten class!!