Back with the kids

Tuesday our group was so happy to return to House. First we went straight to the children, and it was amazing how much they grew in the short time we were away.  We played with them for a bit, and one of the house mothers came to me right before the kids went to the playschool.  She pointed at my chest and said, "I want you in the kitchen today."  She is one of the mothers who doesn't enjoy her kitchen shift at all, and the faster one can chop for her, the better.  I have chopped so much that I have actually developed some calluses.  That is a sign of accomplishment for me.

We finished the painting!  In all we painted six bedrooms and two sets of bathrooms for House.  I was happy that we were useful, both for our own sense of purpose and to accomplish something for House.  We were fortunate to have a great relationship with our service site as opposed to some more strained relationships with some of the other sites in which students didn't feel useful or wanted.  I have been really blessed at house.

We chopped lots of carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.  Then we had a meeting about the fun day we are having for the kids next Saturday.  We will have all of the kids from the play school and the ones who are normally at school.  We discussed details for the braai, jumping castle, face painting, and some logistics. I am very excited for our fulllll day with the kids on the 14th.  We also get to share our experience and our relationships with some of the other CSB|SJU students who are going to come help us with crowd control, braaing, and face painting.  We also discussed a book we are making for the children to help them understand that sometimes life circumstances causes separation.  But, that doesn't mean we don't love them.  We are making a story-book which depicts a great relationship that must end, but that it's still okay to love those people.  I don't think the kids are going to have a challenging time with out us, but if they would, this could help their transition by putting the situation in terms that they may understand better.