These children have become quite comfortable inviting themselves in to hang out in my home this month. This makes me happy. I want them to feel welcome and loved in my space. But yesterday after breakfast, I told them to do something outside for a while because I needed to "take rest." Our trip to A--- , followed by our trip to M--------, followed by youth meetings, and movies, games, and cooking lessons in my house has plum tired me out. I expected this month to be quite slow and relaxing, but entertaining the 7 children who stayed behind has proved to be quite the opposite. I love these 7 kids and wanted to make this month fun and memorable for them, especially since it had so much potential to be sad and lonely. Judging from their lively expressions and playful bantering these days, I'm pretty sure my mission was successful and I won't be surprised if these 7 kids have more stories to tell about their summer than their friends do!
It's been fun to watch the transformation in these kids over the past four weeks. None of them were children who I knew particularly well before this summer. A few of them were quite shy and timid. As I've shared their lives with them, taken them on trips, given them clothes, eaten all my meals with them, slept in colonies with them (and contracted their lice which they've faithfully cleaned me of), and served them their favorite once-a-year meal of red beans and rice in my home, it's been beautiful to watch them blossom into lively and expressive children who know and feel that they are loved and special. It's been my joy to be able to know and bless these children in a more personal way than I can when all 300 are around. But it's been thoroughly exhausting too. (Yesterday I took a 6 hour nap between breakfast and lunch and had no trouble sleeping again at night.) So although it's been a very fun and treasured summer, I am VERY ready for the other 300 kids to return tomorrow and to return to a normal schedule.
It's been fun to watch the transformation in these kids over the past four weeks. None of them were children who I knew particularly well before this summer. A few of them were quite shy and timid. As I've shared their lives with them, taken them on trips, given them clothes, eaten all my meals with them, slept in colonies with them (and contracted their lice which they've faithfully cleaned me of), and served them their favorite once-a-year meal of red beans and rice in my home, it's been beautiful to watch them blossom into lively and expressive children who know and feel that they are loved and special. It's been my joy to be able to know and bless these children in a more personal way than I can when all 300 are around. But it's been thoroughly exhausting too. (Yesterday I took a 6 hour nap between breakfast and lunch and had no trouble sleeping again at night.) So although it's been a very fun and treasured summer, I am VERY ready for the other 300 kids to return tomorrow and to return to a normal schedule.
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