heart break

daily occurrence... if any of the children have food... everyone swams them wanting just a tiny grain of rice if they can have it... its soo sad! david.. the one in the pink shirt is a twin and him and his brother were found wondering the streets when they were just 2 years old... :(

mmmm

tickling courage!!!

dancing with courage!

my dear friend courage!


Teaching the kindergartners addition


Bathing Bless

Cute Bennet!! so after i put this on.. everyone started laughing and saying.. she is a real african woman now... !

okay sorry if most of these pics are of me and courage but i am soo happy!! he is getting better and i truly feel it is from the love that megan and i are giving him! :) he got some medecine that he has been taking! but the other day he did have a really bad fever! it was soo hot outside... i was sweating like no other and he was still just burning up! it had to have been about 105 degree fever!
my title is heart- break because think about a time you think you have had your heart broken... maybe from a boy, maybe a loved one passed, maybe you failed an exam, maybe your car was stolen, maybe 1 million dollars were stolen from you... now quadrouple that heart break and that is what i feel like every day!!! i dont think a day has gone by without a tear in my eye for these children. they have NOTHING... really nothing! it breaks my heart that people live this way, that these children live in filthy places with nothing to sleep on (they sleep on hard cement floors), that these children dont know when they will have food next or how much it will be, that these children dont get hugs, kisses and tucked into their beds! it breaks my heart! yesterday megan said the word.. hug.. and they looked at her like she was crazy. i hugged two of the girls goodnight last night and they just stood there like they had never been hugged before!! so sad! this experience has been such an eye opener for me! it makes me so thankful for what i have!! if you ever eat infront of them, they swarm you wanting some food.. they will eat the food off the floors... anywhere just to eat something because they are so hungry. most of the children are so malnourished and have huge bellies and their arms are tiny... like the size of two of my fingers put together!
two of the older children saw my i-pod yesterday and they went crazy!!! they listened to it until the batteries were dead!! haha it was cute! they loved it!!
megan and i are fitting right in, in this town!! people call us by name as we pass.. akoo and akoos.... and the little kids yell.... belina... which means white person!! its fun and i like it! i was singing bob marley... dont worry about a thing... the other day and these two guys started laughing so hard... partly becuase i was a white girl singing and partly because they know bob marley too!! :)
i am so humbled by the peoples love and compassion here. everyone looks after everyone! you could ask someone where someone else was at any time of the day and they just know!! they aren't nosy.. its just how they are... neighbors know where you are.. friends know what you are up to... its funny! i am also humbled by joshua (the directors) faith!!! he has such great faith! i went on a walk yesterday with him and i asked him what the number one need the orphanage has... he said that they are trying to build a school for the children so they dont have to pay the school fees now.. he also said that paying the water bill and the electricity bill eachother (about 60 dollars) is the hardest! he said that God will find a way! he has amazing faith in God! he said in the scriptures it says that when times are hard and you are struggling God will always help and find a way out! ahh i love his strength and optimism! i told joshua that there are soo many people in america that want to come volunteer and teach so when i get home i am going to set up a website for people to come teach at the orphanage!
the people live such humble lives as well. the girls cook each meal outside until coal fires, they wash their laundry in buckets and hang it out to dry! there is no computers, internet, cell phones, tv, radio, washing machine, stove, refrigerator, freezer, oven, microwave, hair dryer...... nothing!!! just think of any appliance that you plug in and its not here... their lives are so simple!
megan and i are still teaching kindergarten each day. its challenging and hard im not gonna lie.. we get frustrated with the language barrier but they are smart kids and i know they will turn out just fine!
megan and i are NOT really a fan of the food... so we may come home looking gaunt and frail.. haha... they feed us fufu and we cannot make ourselves eat it... we have tried to suck it up but megan almost threw up and i gagged... so we dont really eat... its too hot anyway and we are never really hungry! well i must go but i love you all!! miss you and hope everyone is doing well! thanks for your comments!