Good night prayers

I have posted prior about our good night routine.


The girls lay on the bottom bunk as we read a story that each have picked out from the bookshelf. Then a bible story is read. We say prayers and the blessing before kissing them goodnight and leaving the room.

Who says the prayers?


Lily and Elliot answers Adam or my verbal prompt, 
"What do you want to thank God for, Lily? Who needs God's help, Lily? " Then she just talks to a Friend...

Elliot's turn... she says almost the exact same stuff Lily did, unless that night she is talking in her made up 3 year old language. Maybe it's tongues?

For the first 3 weeks, we asked Yana, "What do you want to say thank you to God for?"
"I no understand" would be the reply.  
Every. Night.

Even after we translated it. She would say "I no understand," with a smile.
Almost as though she was trying to get attention for not praying. We would ignore the attention seeking behavior and the escape from the task of praying, and finally after about 3 weeks into the hosting experience, we just stop asking her to pray aloud.

Not on purpose, I don't think. Yana is still part of the routine. She will still pick out a book for me to read-a-loud and we still give her the blessing.

Three days ago, Adam and I were putting all the girls to sleep, and she said in her loud deep voice, "me" while we were praying.

And then it happened, "Thank you for Keem, thank you for Adom, thank you for Leely, thank you for Alex, thank you Elliot, thank you for Babushka Sherry, thank you for Babushka Noreen, thank you for Pap, thank you for Papa......"
She must have listed every person she has met in America. She even thanked God for Lily and Elliot's swim teacher, the pool, the cats and dogs, her Sponge Bob kiki, the horse she rode one day and cheese on toast.

"Yana, anyone need God's help?"

"Alex......and Yana."

We showered her with a ton of attention. 
She was thankful, she was thankful for everything. EVERYTHING!!!


Our bedtime prayers are a bit longer now,  but I cannot walk out of that room without the biggest smile on my face. Feeling grateful for all the people we have in our lives. Something I take for granted without the innocence's of a child to remind me.

He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

 Matthew 18:2-4