Oh Jimmy … He is 14, the age at which boys are by nature typically punks! Jimmy is a punk for sure. It is the best description of him. PUNK, it encompasses so much. He is simply mean and obnoxious by nature. He is always looking for attention, and this desire for attention works itself out as annoying and pestering behaviors. For example, he will come to you – 1st thing in the morning at 6 am – and slap you on the back, no too hard, but enough to be annoying. And he knows it. Every time he sees Stephanie, a girl from Maine working here before her church sends a group down in 2 weeks, he comes and messes her hair around. He comes and attempts to tickle everyone by jamming a finger into your armpit, typically while you are eating. It you are resting at “el rancho” (see picture) he will come and disturb your peace by squealing high pitched, swinging your hammock, or whatever else he can imagine to get your attention.
Robert, me, and a few others always tell him we love him & God does too. He needs and must hear it. His response? Well, it is to look at your, make a face, and then imitate your comment by replying with nonsense noises in a truly obnoxious high-pitched jabber. It is indeed hard to love Jimmy, but am I not hard to love too?
He does not know how to stop either. Now, we all know someone who doesn’t know when to stop, don’t we? Jimmy is that person here at CICRIN. Even with 2-year-old Dunia, he knows not when to cease his persistent pestering! Poor Dunia!
Apparently, he has received every form of discipline possible and it has no effect. In fact, he has been held back in school because of bad behavior, not an uncommon practice here. I think it is a good policy. But he should be in late middle school or his freshman year of high school and is still in elementary school. And it has nothing to do with how smart or not he is, for in fact he is quite gifted. He is just such a punk all the time!
I hope this paints a picture of Jimmy. If your thoughts are, “He has said nothing positive about Jimmy,” then you are correct. There is nearly nothing positive to be said.
Yet, redemption to a small degree does exist. Jimmy and I have a good relationship. As I said early, he is hard to love, but he can be loved. And God has graced me with the means to love him, with the patience to get beyond his annoying tendencies and to see a little boy in need of more love than most can understand.
The story of our friendship goes like this…
From day one I knew I was going to have difficulties with Jimmy. Sure enough, I did. Our first Sunday here, Laura, Nelta, & I had a home church time, during which we prayed for the means to love Jimmy like we need to, like we are called to. I pretty much viewed him as an enemy, and we know what God calls us to in terms of loving our neighbors. So we prayed for it. And that is as much thought as I gave it.
The next day Marjorie (Jimmy’s older sister), Jimmy, Darrell, & I were in the lake swimming, cooling down, talking, and apparently having a mud fight too! The last not to my preference. As my level of tolerance began to reach its max, something happened, not tangible and noticeable at the time, but looking back I know now it was God answering my prayer from the previous day … to love Jimmy well. It happened slyly. The obnoxious mud fight became a fun game! We waylaid each other with the lake bottom mud … its actually a really fine black volcanic sand, and not gross. We each took shot to the face, hair, back, chest, and everywhere! It was so much fun. We laughed, gasped for air as we ducked under water to avoid a new hit to the face. This went on for some time. Eventually it calmed down. We all settled down. Like Nacho says in Nacho Libre, we just had to get our wiggles (wēē-ggles) out. Afterward, Marjorie and I had a nice conversation.
The result – to the glory of God – is that Jimmy and I have been at peace since. And more. We have grown to be friends in some respect. He answers my, “Como estas?” with a legitimate answer. When I tell him God and I love him, he simply takes it quietly. For some of his manners, you just learn to ignore it … and it eventually disappears. And for other behaviors, its how he shows affection. It is misplaced and misguided means of affection, but for now it works for him, and you just have love him back in the same means and with true means like a hug. An offer for a high five is responded to with a high five, a smile with a smile, and a correction with a silent reaction, which may or may not include a face made at you.
This is one of my most cherished stories from my short time at CICRIN. Jimmy needs much prayer. God is able to save him.
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