Drumroll please....

Well, I came here to update, and realized that I never actually posted the last one I wrote. Oops. So I'll post it, then come back later and write more recent news. This one is from the beginning of November...



I know everyone is so excited to see that I am still alive over here. I thought I might start to receive some sort of hate mail if I didn't update soon. Somehow it became November and I realized that I have already been here almost three months, and haven't updated since September. I think that I discovered the problem. It is not that I don't have the time to update, and it's not even that I don't have anything to write about...I just don't like to do it. (Insert gasps of shock!) There, I said it. I don't like updating my blog because it is too much pressure. My perfectionist tendencies, which usually lie buried deep, deep inside, tend to flare up whenever I sit down to write. It bothers me that I cannot effectively communicate all that I want to share with everyone, and that what I am trying to say does not come out how I see it in my head. Plus I can't stand spelling and grammar errors, and no matter how many times I read over what I have written, inevitability there are always mistakes. I know that no one really cares, but it still bothers me. Anyway, that was all pointless, but I felt the need to justify my severe lack of updates. So...I don't think I can catch you up on everything from the past two and a half months, but I will try to hit some highlights. I'll start with today and go backwards as far as I can remember.

It's Monday afternoon and I am actually at home right now. I'm sick. Well, actually I am feeling much better today, but yesterday was not so good. That's the bad thing about being around kids all the time, germs. Mary Grace got sick on Thursday at school, and the nurse sent her home. She said there was some sort of stomach bug going around and that 10 kids had already gone home. So I had the afternoon off and spent it wisely, by taking a very long nap! Friday, Mary Grace stayed home from school and I went over to her house to stay with her. She was feeling better quickly, so we had fun just hanging out on a day off school. We watched her very favorite T.V. station, Animal Planet. Seriously she is obsessed! So I learned all about a deadly jellyfish that lives off the coast of Australia, and all about a family of Meercats that live on the outskirts of the Kalahari Desert in Africa. All very useful information. :) Really it was just kind of nice to get to watch T.V. Then we played a few rounds of "Go Fish", I painted her nails, did her hair, and we did a little school work too. I think, if she could get away with it, Mary Grace would pretend to be sick every day so I could come over to play. So anyway, I woke up yesterday morning, Sunday, with a terrible stomach ache and realized that I had caught the bug. I stayed home today just in case it wasn't completely gone, but am glad to be feeling better. This weekend the Middle School performed the play, Pirates of Penzance, on Friday and Saturday night. We went to see it on Friday night. They have been working on it the past few months and all their hard work payed off. They were incredible and completely adorable. Although they probably wouldn't appreciate me describing them as adorable. They did such a great job, and impressed everyone with their production! I love those kids so much, and love being able to see them use the talents and abilities that God has given them.

Then, on Saturday, I got to spend the day with another amazing group of kids, the high schoolers. I don't usually get to interact or see the high school kids much, since I'm always in the elementary building, but I was really excited to get to know them some on Saturday. A few times a year they go on a trip to an orphanage about an hour away and volunteer for the day. Paula was supposed to go as a chaperon, but I ended up getting to take her spot. The orphanage is for kids from very young ages up to 25, I think. And all of them have some sort of disability.
I loved being able to spend the day playing and loving on kids. Although it was frustrating that that was all I was able to do. The language barrier definitely prevented me from being able to communicate everything that I would have liked to. I wanted to be able to share with these precious kids that they are loved so much, not only by myself and all the others there, but also by their Father, the God who created them and freely offers a life of redemption and hope in Him. But all I could offer were smiles and hugs. I was so encouraged though by the teenagers that gave up their Saturday to spend with these kids, and took initiative to plan the whole day. I am thrilled to see a new generation of kids rising up who love the Lord, and act on that love by serving and meeting needs. I can't wait to see how God continues to work in their lives and see what great things they will do in His name.

I absolutely adored this boy. I think he may be autistic, guessing by his behavior. He was so sweet and I couldn't stop hugging him.

These two adorable boys are brothers and just came to the orphanage about a month ago. I was told that they had been found living on the street somewhere alone, and that their mom showed up only every once in a while. It made my heart ache to think of children so young being alone and unprotected. It was obvious though that they had learned to survive. They played so rough and held their own when wrestling with the older boys much larger than them. At one point, a hug from the younger one on the left turned into him almost ripping my hair out. They haven't learned how to control themselves and their emotions, and probably haven't had much gentle affection in their short lives. Leaving at the end of the day left me with a mixture of emotions. On one hand, I can't be more thankful for the life that I have had with parents who loved me and raised me to know that I am loved. On the other hand, I felt so dejected and helpless at the thought of how many children who aren't blessed with that same thing. I feel so small and completely unable to make a difference in any of their lives. But then I just remember that I serve a huge God, whose power is limitless, and is in control of everything. He is sovereign and I just have to trust that.