Our Giggle Girls

The sound of giggles can be heard outside our window starting at about 3:30 every afternoon. Why giggles? Did someone just play “Ding, Dong, Ditch?” Nope. The giggles are in anticipation at what happens at 4:00. That is when I open the doors to our ministry room and begin my Bible study with the kids.

Each of the kids that come to our class have been given their very own copy of the Evangelios, the four Gospels. We always look forward to presenting each new child with their very own copy. It brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face when I see the smile on their face. On many occasions the child immediately hugs their new Evangelios. While presenting the child with their copy of the Gospels I ask them to promise to me: “that you will read at least five minutes every day.”

I can honestly say that I never would have associated the Bible with giggles before our time here. These kids are so excited to study the Bible and to learn more about their faith that all they can do is giggle. Their love of Jesus is heard outside our windows everyday. Their love for Christ is on their faces in the shape to a smile whenever I see them. My Bible study with these children started only with Ariza and Fiorela, my “Giggle Girls.”

These beautiful girls came to our house looking for rosaries, which we glady gave them, and they left with an Evangelio as well. At that time I hadn’t thought about having a Bible Study just for kids since we already had a Bible Study for the whole community, but God had other plans. The next day there was a knock on my door, Ariza and Fiorela wanted to learn. I was just getting ready to start the English class I was teaching so I invited them to join, not realizing that they had brought their Evangelios along. After my English class the two girls asked about the Evangelios. I opened them up and explained that reading them is really quite simple and the numbering system is exactly the same as a complete Bible which we had learned the night before during the community Bible Study. The girls understood but they wanted more. All I could think was “OK Lord, now what?”. I asked the girls to read John 1:1-18 for tomorrow. They left smiling as our marriage prep class got under way.

God is so good. Where I am lacking He will fill me up. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given to him.”- James 1:5. Praise you Lord Jesus for your generosity. Upon going to the Lord in prayer He did fill me up and He did grant me the wisdom to put together this study in Castellano for my “giggle girls.” At 4:00 the next day we started our first full Bible study. They were full of giggles and super excited to read out of their Evangelios. The three of us took turns reading the verses and when I struggled with the Spanish words they helped me. The study that God prepared actually went along perfectly with Mass later that night. The point that I highlighted in my study turned out to be the same point that Padre Paco made during his homily. God is so amazing!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given to him.”
+ James 1:5 +

Our studies are no longer just the three of us. The “giggle girls” have started bringing their friends to join us. We started running out of seating in our ministry room! Some of the kids have to join me in sitting on the floor. Often during the study I see people standing in the street outside our door just listening. One man was so excited to see all of the kids studying the Bible that he came in and gave each of the kids fifty centimos (about 15 cents)! He praised them for wanting to know Jesus and begged them to continue to come and learn.

Even though our Bible studies have grown one thing has remained the same – the giggles can still be heard. After our studies I always look forward to tomorrow when the faint sound of giggles will once again be heard beneath my window!