Buga

I don't go much for cute kids. A lot of times I feel awkward around really little kids. There's this one kid, though...Man he's cute. I forget his real name, because everybody calls him Buga (uh...it's a rendition of "booger"). He reminds me of an Ewok baby with his big eyes and he bites everything. He often leans against his mother Gloria or his sisters, Claudia and Rosi, and when I look at him he'll kind of toss himself back against his mother's lap.

There's a handshake that all the kids in the colonia make. "Chocala" (crash it). You slap hands, make a fist, and pound it. If you hold out your hand to Buga, this little two year old will swing his hand way up, slam it down on yours, then pound your fist with his. Then, if you lean down to him, he'll kiss your cheek. Cute kid.
Buga's whole family is Christian and comes to our church, though his dad, Ernesto, comes more sporadically. One day I saw Ernesto teach Buga to say an offensive thing. All of a sudden I saw the contrasting forces that will continue to work on Buga's life as he grows up. He's being raised in a real Christian church where hopefully he'll learn moral standards. His mom is a deeply committed Christian, but his dad has some serious struggles. As Buga grows, who will his role models be? If his mom and dad disagree, whom will he obey? What is his vision of what it means to be a man? What will it be?
Mothers and fathers, church and culture, sons and daughters, desires and values, the Holy Spirit and human nature. All of these forces working on us, making us into who we are becoming.

(sorry my picture of Buga is so blurry.)