Week 10

Week 10

Well it has been a week and I am so ready for this Cape Town vacation! 16 hours and 2 minutes until the plane takes off but really who is counting!?!?!

Changes at the Baby House

This past week we had lots of changes at the baby house. One of the starfish kiddos went to a different home so that his special needs could be better met. Two of the big babies moved down to starfish. One of the small babies moved to big babies. And we got 2 more small babies! It has been lots of fun to have two of the big babies that I know so well down in starfish. They have been working through the transition. It is a new room with new kids and new aunties to get to know. Because they know me from big babies they have been by my side whenever possible, which is cute but it makes it hard to move or do really anything. The small baby that moved to big babies does not like that he does not get to nap as much I have heard and so he falls asleep while he is out playing and all the kids are talking. One of the new babies we got is very small. She is about 4 pounds and 6 weeks old. She was born very early but is just precious. The other one is a little boy so this brings the boy count up to two in small babies. 2 boys among 9 girls! I believe that we will continue to see more kids moved around in February also! Rumor has it that we will be getting one more in starfish and that should mean another person working as well. Yay for 3 adults with 10 toddlers! It is so hard only having two people down there.

Creepy Crawly Things

We have met our fare share of bugs here recently. I posted the picture of the crazy bug that Katy found in her room. We also had a big centipede in the bathroom that Katy and Nicole share a few days ago. The icing on the cake though has been the scorpions that we found in the flat. Nicole, Cassie and I were hanging out in the flat and Nicole’s dad called her. She moved her backpack and grabbed her phone and when she did a scorpion ran out from under her backpack. It ran under the couch so Cassie and I moved the couch and found it. Neither one of us wanted to kill the thing so we put a drinking glass over it and would take care of it later. Then Cassie stayed in the living room to call her mom. I walked over to the kitchen and then to our bedroom and as I did I saw another thing in the entryway to our bedroom. I looked at it and sure enough it was another scorpion. Well I did not like the fact that we had one in our house but two means that there must be more somewhere. I put a glass over this one as well and also went to go call home for a little bit to vent about other things that had unfolded throughout the day. After our phone calls Cassie and I decided that we had to kill these things in order to sleep that night. Neither of us could so we went down to Nicole’s room and asked her to come up and help us. She did and both of them were killed really well. Neither of these scorpions were very big but one of them did put its tail up when we removed the cup to kill it so it was mad and ready to hurt us. We had to shake out our bedding well and just a say a little prayer to keep them away while we slept. So far we have not found another one thankfully and we pray that it stays this way. I have had enough of the creepy crawly things around here to last me the rest of my stay.

Starfish Kiddos

I have enjoyed my time down in starfish but some of the kids are driving me nuts. A few of the kids are really good and most of the time they will follow directions but there are a few that will deliberately disobey what you tell them to do. (I am sure that all you parents know what I am talking about!) It is so frustrating especially when what you are talking to them about is so that they or others don’t get hurt. There are sweet moments though that make up for it. The other day when the kids were watching Barney and I was sitting on the couch taking a rest because all the work was done for the day one of the girls ran up to my arms and crawled into my lap. She then looked me dead in the eyes and took my face in her hands and touched her forehead to mine and gave me a big hug. She just had a little love that she wanted to give auntie! It was so sweet and it really does make the hard parts of the day not seem so bad. Two stories of the two extremes of working with 9 toddlers.

Starfish Songs and Prayers

There are many songs that we sing and a few prayer that we say before we eat that I thought I would share.

-The prayer is to the tune of Fraira Jacquea and it goes (the end line is just said and the we yell AMEN),

Thank you Father, Thank you Father

For our food, For our food

Many many blessings, Many many blessings

Amen, Amen

God bless our food before we eat, AMEN

-One of the songs the Aunties sing during Bible Story time goes

Kingdom come by fire by fire by fire

Kingdome come by fire by fire

Kingdom COME! The kids yell the last come each time with hands in the air.

-One more for now is for whenever the kids answer a question correctly or need some positive encouragement for doing something well. It is to the tune of Old MacDonald.

(child’s name) is a clever girl, EIEIO

(child’s name) is a clever boy, EIEIO

EIEIEIO, EIEIO

The kids love to hear their name in this song.

I will put more up as I keep learning them. It is so much fun to sing with them when they know the song.

Orphan Safe House

This past Friday I had the day off and so did some of the other girls. We tagged along with Brady and Candy to an orphan safe house that they visit every Friday. They go and hang out with the kids who range in ages from 17 to about 3 I would guess. All of them are orphaned and live in this house. Candy and Brady do a Bible lesson with them and then just spend some time loving on them. I loved my time at the orphan safe house and am looking forward to going back on more of the Fridays that I have off. It is fun to have real conversations with the older kids and chase around the little ones.

Odds and Ends

-       Most of the movies that we watch take place in the States. Many times I will see something in these movies that I really want. They can be simple things like going to a park at home, a bowl of Lucky Charms or just be surrounded by everything familiar. It is really something to experience movies in this way.

-       On the way to the Orphan Safe House this past week we pasted a zebra on the side of the road just like we have horses on the side of the road at home. It was behind a fence just like the horses are also. Much cooler than seeing a horse though.

-       We had girl’s night this past Monday. It consisted of take out from Steers, including ice cream, watching Charlie St. Cloud, painting nails and listening to One Direction. Moments like these are some that I really love here and will really miss when I get home.

-       I was bit for the first time this past week. I did not see it coming but she was so excited from all the tickles that I was giving her and this was the only way she thought to respond. The little girl who bit me was HIV but she did not break the skin so I am safe. Thanking the Lord for that but she did leave a pretty good bruise.

-       Many of the aunties have commented how much the kids in starfish love me. Whenever I get on the floor or go sit on the couch they come running. It is really sweet but sometimes we have to go over personal space because as much as I love them, it can be exhausting to have 9 kids on you at the same time!

Prayer Requests

I have two specific prayer requests at this time. The first one is for transportation. There has been a lot that went on recently with transportation that I am not going to get into but we do not have a car that the volunteers have access anymore. Prayers for a miracle, and until then that we can find many willing people to help with simple tasks such as grocery shopping. I have joked to my parents before that I will probably cry when I see my jeep at home again and I have to believe that it will not be a joke. I am so looking forward to having my driving freedom back at home and will forever have a changed view of those that need help with transportation. The second request is for health. The past few weeks the toddlers have been passing around a cold to each other and I pray that none of us working with them catch it. Thank you for all of the faithful prayer this far in the journey. They are felt and have made a difference. Keep them up!

A verse that has come up over and over again since I have been here comes from Paul in the book of Romans, Romans 8:28. It reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I had read it once from scripture when I first got here and it really hit me but I just kept hearing it or reading it in other things that I read. I looked it up again the other night and just feel in love with the whole passage that it comes from. The title of the section in the NIV Bible is More than Conquerors and that alone I find powerful. The rest of chapter 8 after verse 28 reads, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God had chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is such an incredible promise that God gives us and it does mean that we are more than conquerors! Praise the Lord! This is the promise that I am leaning on when things get hard and they have and I know that the hard is not yet done. I hope that you can find a bit of encouragement from this today as well.

Loving and missing you all at home,

Emily

P.S. You are going to be spoiled with Cape Town updates often this week because we have Internet at the place we are staying! It is the small things in life friends, unlimited Internet for a whole entire week. I think I just might be more excited than a kid on Christmas day!