"I Wanna Singa Jeesa"

Loosely translated: "I want to sing about Jesus."

Candace has been coming to church with us for a lot of weeks months (wow) now, and she really loves it. I started by putting her in the nursery while we attended the service, but when I came back to pick her up, she was standing in the same spot I left her in (sucking her thumb with her bunny). Don't get me wrong, I do not think nursery is bad...I think it's a WONDERFUL ministry. With Candace, though, she has abandonment issues, so it's difficult for her to socialize with unfamiliar people/kids because she's obsessing about whether or not I'm coming back for her. I decided a while back to try and keep her in the service with us until she feels more comfortable with the process as a whole (or gets old enough to be disruptive to those around us).

Being in the service has been amazing for her, I think. She absolutely loves standing and trying to sing the songs. She also has a crush on Brian (Briwahn), which helps. Lately, she's been really interested in singing outside of church. Her favorite is "Christ the Solid Rock." I know, right?

Last night, I was trying to teach her a song ("Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus"), but I couldn't remember the words. Dave looked it up on iTunes and she was immediately captivated by the melody line. She looked at me, held up her hand, and said, "Jeesa?" I almost lost it, but was able to explain what putting your hand in the air means when you sing to "Jeesa." She eventually went to sit on Dave's lap (that was a big step with me still in the room) to look at the computer and sing.

Dave came across a video from the India Children's Choir and played it for her. The choir came to our church a few weeks back and she loved it. At one point, they perform a slower song with the lyrics, "the name of the Lord is a beautiful sound." During that song, Candace closed her eyes, and lifted her hands and looked like she was singing it. It was a crazy moment. My mind was flooded with thoughts of her listening to horrible gangster rap music and that if she wasn't with us, she wouldn't be learning these "Jeesa" songs. I felt some comfort thinking that, when she does go back with her mom, she will have these words hidden in her heart. It's incredible what a 2 year old can pick up.

Right before bed, I started a little tradition called "Thank you Jeesa." Basically, I say "thank you Jesus for ______," and she repeats me and then adds some of her own (Rachel's cat, Tycho topped her list last night). It was a nice way to end the day (for all three of us).