Update 26
At 9 am we left our "resort" in the back of a truck driven by the house parent of CG. We dropped our stuff at our new "condo" on our way to CG. Bekah had sent me learning websites so I loaded a few and showed the CG teacher, Nordeth how to use them. Several boys got hooked right away. Chan & I taught English off & on till 2--then we went with several CG staff & kids to the gov't run facility. We brought 2 large bags of clothing and a huge pot of sticky rice to donate as it seems the gov't doesn't give them enough $$. Boys were cutting wood for cooking as they didn't have $$ for propane for their stoves. Chan went with Sharon to minister to the abused girls. A deeply moving hour for them. I went with Nordeth to where they kept the street kids brought there by the police. Parents can pick them up after 3 days--but most don't. The staff there was amazingly caring & often let the kids stay until they found an orphanage (often CG) for them or they wanted to return to the street--many in search of their family. When Nordeth prayed with them she asked them what they'd like to pray for--all said to return to their family. Heartbreak. Nordeth asked me to play games with them so we played Doggie, Doggie, Bluebird and Duck, Duck, Goose. Such joy filled the room. Then Nordeth gathered them and read them a story. She was so animated and read with such expression adding much background to each page....the kids were completely captivated! I had chills...in spite of the hot, humid weather. Each kid then got a coloring page & a few crayons, 2 suckers and a note from a Pennsylvania Sunday school class who had sent them along with a care box to CG. Several of the CG boys played basketball with kids who were there because they'd been caught stealing. Sharon is so wise to realize giving to other is often the most healing of all experiences. Sharon shared many of the boys stories & her experiences while eating later as we treated her to dinner out later. Then we shopped a bit to stock our new home that they boys had all set up for us when we returned. Beds were made up & floor mopped. A few cockroaches liked it too! Home, sweet, home.
Update 27
Another day so full of emotional moments. I'm exhausted. How can I capture these moments when they pile up on each other so quickly that I've hardly absorbed one when another one happens. kind of like huge ocean waves pounding my heart time after time. Johanna telling me with tears streaming down her face that her Dad left her & later cursed her for her beliefs...how since her parents had been one Muslin & other Catholic...she didn't know which God to choose...how she has never felt loved... til now. she hugged me & thanked me for giving her strength & love. And the cook here who is a single mom & feels she is glorifying God by cooking here & hopes to do it the rest of her life. Irvine who so wished his older brother could find love & peace in Jesus like he has. life. And the most poignant, Daryl who's prayer was that he could visit Taclabon again...the typhoon area & his former home and then turned to me and said, "Mammy, what does BE mean?" I asked how the word was used and he said, "BE hopeful. It's in my bible." Wow. How do you explain that to a kid who has lost so much and lived on the street as a bigger for years? I only hope my explanation brought him hope.
We met a few more volunteers today...know a 5 now & 4 are American other Australian. All long term and all with their own special faith journeys. Rog spent most of today & yesterday with a crew of boys eager to learn and pitching in whenever they could. They replaced screens & walls, fortified shelves & patched holes. He also does tutoring between jobs. Chan & I continue with our English & reading lessons and showing kids computer learning games. I went to a big supermarket (Meijer style) to buy fruit for the boys. It made the cook's eyes sparkle when she told the boys we had a surprise for them. Fruit is a real treat for them. But the real treat came when they surprised me with a birthday cake & sang a beautiful song accompanied by JP on the guitar. Now it was my turn to tear up! I got lots of tight hugs & high fives from each one. Chan & Rog were the master minds behind it...and everyone loved...especially me. At 8 pm, devotions started led by the former house parents. Though we could understand little, the sincerity of their voices as they sang & prayed spoke clearly. Two boys told their story (which was translated for us). Again I'm struck by how horrid their lives have been and how strong their faith is now. I honestly don't think I have ever felt God's love as overwhelmingly as they do--my comfortable & relatively easy life "shields" me from it...but having the opportunity to see it here...and in many other places we've traveled...to get a glimpse of that is such a blessing and through it, my faith deepens.
