Twenty Years of Kingdom Kids

Kingdom Kids has been celebrating our 20^th anniversary this month. I am just finishing my thirteenth year at Kingdom Kids, as I started in the fall of 2008. Already onsite (among our current staff) when I came on board were Ann Malagrino, Tammy Maijala, Nilda Cancel, Kim Batterson, Jenny Schlotthauer, and Teresa Fox. I started out by teaching only one class: Mother Goose on the Loose. Lisa Mills hired me to create that enrichment class and to teach it. It was only one morning each week, and I enjoyed my first foray back into teaching after many years at home – so much so, in fact, that I agreed to be a long-term sub for the second half of the year, when an assistant teacher had a baby. I ended up being Teresa Fox’s assistant in the 4’s room where she taught two mornings/week.

In my experience, one of the best things about working at Kingdom Kids is all of the people I have worked beside over the years. I have received love, support, and so many prayers through some really big life events: the death of my father, the horrible days following my father-in-law’s suicide, and the death of my mother-in-law as well. I got that last call while I was teaching, and it meant so much to have coworkers stop and pray with me before I joined my husband over at the hospital where his mom had passed. I have felt love in the joyful times too, as the staff took part ownership of Laura and Andrew’s relationship, marriage, and now of Elle as well. I have watched as the staff support and love each other through good times and through bad. These people are my small group, my tribe. They are amazing prayer warriors for each other. They are women of God (with a few men of God sprinkled in), and I am proud to know each one of them. For my money, that is an enduring legacy of Kingdom Kids.

Kingdom Kids Teachers/Staff, Past & Present (photo credit Caleb Gee)

 

Because I am me, I have taken a good number of pictures over the past 13 years. In preparation for the 20^th Anniversary celebration at Kingdom Kids, I started looking through the many years of pictures that I had uploaded to Shutterfly. I wanted to share some with the office for Facebook use. It is not an exaggeration to say that I had tens of thousands of pictures to look through. (Just nod your head knowingly.) The process of sorting through those pictures was arduous, but it was also glorious. Each year I looked at those faces and said, “Oh this group of kids! I loved them so much. They were my favorite.” Except, the exact same thing would happen with the next group, and the next. It was like my life was flashing before my eyes – well, my teaching life, anyway. But it wasn’t just the kids that I loved. It was the families. So many families came through, and sometimes I would end up teaching more than one of their children, over time.

A favorite picture of my curious preschoolers, after being told a robin hopped under the tree.

A favorite end of the year picture, and how I feel right now

 

As I looked through the pictures, I saw parents everywhere. They came to classroom parties. They brought in new babies and pets of all kinds. They came on field trips. They came in and talked about their jobs. One did a magic show for us. Another put a cast on a child’s arm, just to show how that was done. (No worries – she took it back off.) I saw parents volunteering in my classroom. Grandparents, too! They built with blocks and stacked the high ones on for the children. They sat and read with the children. They played games with them and helped them pass out Valentines. They rolled their eyes when their own child stuck to them like glue. Some became substitute teachers here. Some became staff. How I miss the parents this year – oh, and the younger siblings as well. I remember one young lady that had just completed her year with Mrs. Batterson, a 3’s teacher. She walked past my door on the last day of school and she told me, “I’ll see you when I’m 4!” What a delight to have that connection and to see the baby sisters and brothers grow up and come here, too. 

I taught both of these kiddos, plus a younger brother in the family. I hope to stick around long enough to get the final family member in a few years!

 

I have so many funny stories, as I’m sure all of my coworkers do as well. I’ll just share a couple of my favorites. There was the time just after Christmas when one of my students described her show and tell as a gift from Santa. Another student was more than happy to dispel that Santa myth for her. He declared loudly and firmly, “There is no such thing as Santa! Santa is not real! Well, he WAS once a real person, but he died. Santa he is DEAD!” The first student sat with a stunned look on her face and looked at me, “Mrs. Traff, is that true?” The worst part was my assistant, Marti Ogren, laughing hysterically (and silently) from a spot where the kids couldn’t see her, but I could. I remember fumbling through by asking questions about the beloved gift from Santa and then moving on to another student for show and tell.  There was another time that I was teaching the Bible story of Heaven. One student was very determined that we should also include a warning about Hell. He raised his voice and declared, “If you don’t believe in Jesus, you are NOT going to heaven. You will go to HELL. You have to believe in Jesus or you will go to HELL.” I acknowledged him (so he would stop repeating this information about hell) and moved on, but not quickly enough. A parent called the preschool when their child, another student in my room, came home with a message for them about hell.

On the other hand, so much can go right during a day at the preschool. Another year when I taught that same lesson about Heaven, things unfolded very differently. As I descried Heaven’s beauty, one student raised his hand and told me, “I bet my Papi is walking on those golden streets right now!” And then when a second student talked about her grandma who had died, the first student told his friend that Grandma was probably walking on golden streets RIGHT NOW. The second friend paused for a moment, and then said, “I don’t know if they are walking on golden streets right now. They might just be sitting and talking to Jesus.” I absolutely love moments like this, when I can see that my students understand my Bible lessons so well that they could teach those lessons themselves.

Praying

 

And more praying!

Kingdom Kids is a ministry of Christ Community Church. We reach children and families for Jesus. We share the joy of Christ with families who know Him well and families who would never go to church. We pray for moms who miscarry and those who have healthy births. We embrace families who are grieving a loss, who are recovering from illness, and who are struggling financially. We laugh a LOT as we relay the joy of a preschool moment to a mom or a dad who just wants to know that their little one is doing OK away from home. But I think the most important thing we do is LOVE those children who are placed in our care. We love them when it’s easy and when it isn’t. We stand up for them and notice them and listen to them and play with them. And sure, we teach letters and numbers, too. What a blessing and privilege it has been for me to be a small part of this amazing ministry! I am profoundly grateful that God put me on this path, with these people, for these people. Amen and amen!