Happy Birthday, Shonna!

Today is Shonna's birthday. Happy birthday, Shonna! Shonna is changing the world. She has always been so pure-hearted- seeing people's souls rather than skin color, differences, religion, culture, etc. She has a gift for that. She is changing the world one student at a time. She teaches Muslim students from Somalia, Saudi Arabia, etc. Most of them are refugees seeking freedom and security. But, most of them come with prejudice against Christians, if not Americans. Shonna is loving those children and changing them and helping them. She, in fact, may be the most important person they now know as she teaches them English. She is the ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. They love her. We got to see this in action. We flew to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with Shonna and Blake and Michelle and Brian (post to come soon). As we got off the airplane on Friday night, Shonna asked if we'd like Somalian food. They took us to a little Somalian restaurant owned by a Somalian employee at the school. They served us a delicious meal of goat meat and Somalian rice and banana. Shonna had told this man that she would be coming that evening, so he made a special trip to be there and to make us curry soup and serve us himself. Obvious respect for Shonna. The next day, we went to a nearby metro park that Shonna and Blake enjoy. We were eating our picnic when a van pulled up. In it was a family very recently moved here from Saudi Arabia. Their delight was obvious at seeing Mrs. Cameron displayed by their shy giggle and "can't wipe it off" smiles. We met the entire family (after the parents finished their prayers to Allah on the mat) and so enjoyed learning of their Id tradition (celebrated at the time of our Thanksgiving: they slay a goat and divide it in thirds: one third to the poor, one third to a friend or relative, and one third for themselves) and meeting all of their children, including the three Shonna teaches. It was cute, when they got out of the van, they said, "Hello, Mrs. Cameron." Shonna responded. She said "How are you?" "I am fine, thank you!" Shonna whispered, "I taught them that." They couldn't say much else, but the father's English was excellent. Later, the mother came over bearing a plate. "I bake a cake." She had prepared her family a picnic, and came to share four pieces of her delicious cake with us. We were so touched at her generous gift. Shonna had made pumpkin cookies, so we bagged some up for them and exchanged. Where there used to be hatred, now is respect. I keep telling Shonna that she is fulfilling part of her destiny. She is changing the world- one student at a time. I can't think of anyone I know that could do a better job of it! Happy birthday, dear Shonna! Shonna with the three Terazzi's she teaches and their mother "I make a cake."