COUNT DOWN TO HOME

     I know it sounded like I was going to be gone a long time when I first talked about coming, but now that there is LESS than 2 weeks, I'm starting to get anxiety about leaving. Of course I am super excited to come home and see Bob and the kids, but I do want to press the slow mo button and enjoy every moment of the rest of my time here.
     For those of you following, I'm probably going to post a picture most every day because suddenly I feel an urgency to record these moments slipping by. So if you want to stop following now, its probably going to get boring, as its pretty much the same old same old. But oh how I have come to treasure the repitition and routine. Because the children thrive on it.
     What these kids have no clue about;
     They don't know what a bath tub is, nor do they know they have any choice but to sit and get a car wash scrub down each evening before bed.
     They don't know what a pillow, rug or fork is.
     They have never received a gift just for them, Christmas means the "cottage" gets a gift.
      The only posessions they consider their own are their PJ's, their 4 sets of clothes (underwear is a shared bin) one set of shoes and their bed.
     
      What these precious kids DO know is:
       Aunt Cathy comes in every morning and rocks each one individually, regardless of age, and now they sing with me, and line up for their turn.
       I do "this little piggy" with each 42 diaper changes a day, ( and 6 older boys when they are in bed with jammies on) and today the older boys said they had to learn, so they could do it when i left.(yes, the 5 year old can and do change diapers when needed)
      They do know I will read books every day, and ALWAYS, "We are going on a Bear Hunt", which is becoming more and more dramatic as the days go by. I have got to get that on video, as they each have a role in the story now.
       They do know Auntie Cathy worked very hard all morning pouring boiling water in every wooden bed crack in the cottage to get rid of the ladybugs. (Bed bugs)Then mopping up water and hundreds of dead bugs.
      And they do know I love them very much.
       And that kind of out weighs not knowing what a fork is...don't you think?
      Frank (not in my cottage) was sick tonight and the nurse was gone, so they asked me to watch him for awhile. What a hard job:-) :-) :-)

ANOTHER WEEK BEING SELFISH

     This week FLEW by. I think its because I spent the whole week just being selfish. I rocked all of the boys a little longer than usual each morning, because it felt good to snuggle, I read extra books before lunch because their attentive looks warmed my soul. I  And added a new slower version to my "this little piggy " routine because I just wanted to hear them laugh longer, and I told longer than normal bedtime stories because I just didn't want the day to end. And then I sat here knitting Christmas stockings for the Schroeder kids, kind of feeling selfish. I'm not home cleaning or doing chores or taking care of my family. I'm not helping out in the church or coffee shop. I'm not making meals for any sick friends or organizing a bible study.
     And then God whispered to me....my child, your hands are my hands.  Your voice is my voice. Your presence is my presence. My hands have been stroking their backs. My voice has been calming their souls.
     It rained alot alot alot yesterday. I guess roads were washed out, but in my little world it only meant hundreds of diapers NOT drying on the line
     Got Milk?  Go to the Diary!  
     Couldn't find my shoes for awhile. Although most of the time I am barefoot anyway.
     Had an outing for icecream today. I REALLY enjoyed it......(and I think the kids did too:-) :-) :-) :-))
     Practicing up for story time when I see the grandkids later this month!!!!!
    

MY LITTLEST 6

     Let me introduce the last of my 16 Cottage A boys.  From left to right in the first picture:
     Noah was abandoned by his mother who has a mental illness. He came to ABC at 2 months.  I think because he is the youngest in the cottage, and alot of my activities are more focused with the older boys, I seem to not spend as much time with him, as others. But because he seems to be a volunteer favorite, he does get plenty of attention.
     Salim, also a volunteer favorite (and carried around too much if you ask me), was given up by his parents who are unable to care for him. He was brought malnourished at one year old. Again, he isn't one I spend a whole lot of time with.
     Joel has a similar situation, brought in by parents who could not care for him, and he was malnourished, although now, appears really healthy and active. Joel, like Freddy, likes to play jokes on me, and can often be found as my side kick.
     Phillip was born 2 months premature with Cerebral Palsy, and his mother died in childbirth. His father is also no longer living. I spend quite a bit of time with Phillip, as I try to do stretching exercises with him daily (as explained by his physical therapist). He has an ear piercing scream when he chooses to use it, but most of the time is pretty fun to be with.
     Patrick's mother, who is suspected to be mentally ill, is unable to care for him, and brought him to Amani at one year. He is kind of a quiet kid, plays by himself well, and doesn't seem to cause the common problems...grabbing toys away, biting, crying for attention, etc.
     Keith is a hard kid to get to smile. I have to work hard to get him to laugh. He was brought to ABC by his great grandfather who could not care for him, at 1 1/2 years old. I enjoy spending 1 on 1 time with him. He's sober, but doesn't really seem as unhappy as his face looks. He loves to prop his head up when i do story time. I will try to see if I have a picture of that pose.
     Tomorrow I'm going to make a list of some of the things these kids have NO CLUE about.
     What they do KNOW, is Auntie Cathy will be back tomorrow morning to love on them again.:-) :-) :-)

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

     For those of you who know me well, except for the Dominican Republic and visiting family, I prefer not to repeat returning to the same place. I see that there is a big world out there...adventures and wonders galore!  So to be honest, although I love love love it here, I cannot say, in all honesty, that i will be back. Being here are Amani Baby Cottage MAY be a once in a lifetime experience. I will have to see where God leads me next.
     BUT I do KNOW I experienced a once in MY lifetime event yesterday, by watching a total solar eclipse here in Africa. Word has it over 30,000 people came to Africa just to view it. And here I already was!
      And while maybe they had special equipment and scientists to explain each step....
      I had 16 of my sweetest friends in Africa with me, xray film to view through, and a view overlooking the Nile. Does life get better than this? I think not. And I won't even lie.....drinking a Fanta afterwards was like icing on the cake.

FUN FUN FRIDAY

     That is what I call our Friday school day, where I try to do some educational stuff a bit more creatively. The children here have really NO concept of food variety or production. They have about 10 different foods that are placed in front of them, prepared and rotated breakfast, lunch and dinner. (mostly, rice, beans, corn mush, porridge, sweet potatoes, lentils and once a week chicken.) So today we walked to a farmers field to see corn growing, came back to draw some illustrations after looking on the internet, then popped corn. I don't know what popped more: the corn or their eyes watching it through a clear lid.
     I had an outing with Keith this afternoon. Rode a Boda Boda to town . ( he wasn't so sure about that), had ice cream...which at first he did not like and was kind of shocked by its coldness.  He had vanilla, I had a lime/pineapple smoothie. He did finish the bowl, however.:-) :-)
     Perfect ending, to a perfect week.
    

MY LITTLE BOYS

     It has been a great week. While I am beginning to miss family more, I am also content in simply going about the daily tasks here, rejoicing in the fact that God has allowed me this time here in Africa. He knew there would be days that I might be lonely, or feeling the strain of all the needs here, yet I know His timing for me here is perfect and I rejoice in all the experiences here in Jinga Africa.
     Tonight I'm introducing 4 more of the 16 boys with whom I spend most of my days. From left to right:
     Fred is one of my favorites, if I'm allowed to be honest. All that I know is he was abandoned and came to ABC at about 4 months of age. He is a natural tease and prankster. His eyes melt my heart every day. He loves loves loves to play tricks on me.
     David is also very special.  He also was abandoned and joined the ABC family at about 9 months. Like most of the children here, when they want attention they just burst into tears until someone picks them up.  David will always come running if I call him for some snuggle time.
     Wilber is rather a serious fellow. His mother died 2 weeks after delivery and his father is unable to care for him. He came to ABC at one month. It is difficult to get Wilber to laugh, and yet I find him more content than most. He also, is always up for a good snuggle.
      Godfrey was found by an unknown woman who could not talk, and came here at about 3 months. He and Simon are both struggling with potty training, and he is kind of in that difficult spot of a bit older than the younger boys in the cottage, but definitely not able to hold his own yet with the older ones. He is always talking to me, I can not always understand it tho. I am giving him a "sweetie" on days he goes susu in the toilet all day, and it is helping keep the pants dry.
      I honestly do not think any of these kids think about their circumstances or think about parents they never knew. This is totally their home and all they know.I believe they feel loved and cared for and really do not know there is a different world out there called "a family". Their Mamas, their Aunties, their brothers and sisters, are all here.
    

MY BIG BOYS

     By now I imagine some of you are getting more posts than your really interested in, however, I also know this is the main way I communicate with my family. So those of you not quite as interested, read what you want, glance at the pictures, and keep me in your prayers.  To those of you more interested, let me SHOW off the older boys in my cottage.
     From left to right:
     Charlie was found abandoned, and came to Amani at one month old. He is a delightful little boy. He is obedient and helpful. He loves to listen to books. Gives the best good night kisses.
     Eligah's father abandoned him, and his mother is unable to care for him. He came to ABC at 5 months old. He is so helpful in the cottage with the younger children. He is a very sensitive boy. Yesterday he scrapped his toe, and you would have thought it was had been cut off. :-) He is my swimming student this week.
     Brian's mother has died and his father is unable to care for him. He has been at ABC since he was 1 year old. When confronted with something he has done, he gets this deer in the headlights look, and completely shuts down. He loves to play with the balls I bring daily.
     Simon is the youngest in this group, I think. (never quite sure about ages).  He was abandoned by a mentally ill  person at 1.5 months. His favorite thing to say to me is "also me".:-)  He is having a hard time with potty training. Wish I had a bag of M&M's to help the process.
     Matthew was born in a hospital, transferred to a special care unit and abandoned at 9 days old. He is one of my 1st graders and was my amazing swimming student last week. He is so helpful to the mamas. Because I spend so much one on one with him, we are pretty close.
     Jonah's mother abandoned him, and an unknown lady took him to the police station at 2 weeks old. He is so so sensitive. Also very helpful and kind.
He will be my swimming student next week. Loves to snuggle.
     So, while I can't give out more information of who may or may not be in the process of adoption, or have a serious illness, I can tell you it has been a blessing and a privilege to be God's hands and feet these past weeks with these boys. And his arms to wrap them in love.
     Every day I rock all the boys, in the cottage, individually, and also do "this little piggy went to market". You can be sure all the above boys insist on their turn also for both.