Tuesday’s Notes

Yesterday, these very weird birds, that sound like babies crying, woke us up.  Well this morning, we must have been sleeping so well, that we slept through the birds. So we got a little late start but made it to breakfast and still left with the team on time.  I think we have an alarm figured out for tomorrow, since neither Rachel or I thought to bring one. (smile)

When we got to the orphanage today, Auntie Irene’s plans were different from ours.  (Like I said yesterday, good to have a plan – didn’t know if we would get to use it.)  The orphanage is divided up into four houses.  Each house had representatives for each of the games that the teachers had for the kids. These games were supposed to support that it was the week of the World Cup.

Morning Assembly

Preschool boys race.

Preschool girls race.

At the end of the games for the kids, the teachers invited the missionaries to play net ball.  Net Ball is a game with a ball, no net, and you do not dribble, or run when you have the ball.  The net is a steel ring on a pole.  Once you are at the net, you do not jump to shoot you simple shoot or push the ball up with your hand.   The most important thing I learned about this game is that you must go to the bathroom before you play. (double smile)

Because they do not understand as much English as I thought they could understand, I greatly simplified some of the moves to the movement songs that we did, they stayed right with us today.  Some of them really like to do the fun songs.

We taught Phillipians 4:13 today by a rhythm.  We snapped as we said it and then reviewed the “Love the Lord your God” Scripture song from yesterday.  They are taking to both very well.  Tomorrow we will introduce Romans 5:5.

I really miss my family.  I knew that I would, but didn’t truly factor into my brain not being able to talk to them at all.

The pictures of the kids show that their uniforms look nice, but there is much that you do not see in the pictures.  Their uniforms are wore out.  The seams are coming out of the sides, their sweaters are badly frayed, and the boys are lucky if they have two buttons on their shirts.  None of their shoes fit like they should.  They are definitely in need of much more than beds. Their classrooms are very small.  Their dining room is nothing more than a shelter, poles and a tin roof.

We gave the kids Bibles today and Maria wrote her name in her Bible and then she wrote “My Gift”.  It was such a sweet moment.  There was this one little boy, who immediately went off by himself to sit and read and look at his Bible.  They are so hungry for God’s word.  They are taught about God, but until today did not have their own copy of the Bible.

Maria and me.

We were in a traffic jam today with a herd of bulls. No one seemed to mind and the bulls had the right of way. The herders by the way were kids.

Rachel is a great roommate!

This was encouragement night, where your team members get to tell you things that  affirm you.  I wanted to run away, this is hard to take.  Much easier to give  compliments to the others.

Found out today that Boda Bodas are twice as much as the taxi vans because they are so much faster to get where you are going. Our interpreter said that the trick to riding the Boda Boda taxi (motocycles) was to make sure that you did not get an intoxicated driver.  I think I’ll just stay on the bus.  (smile)

This was a very full day and we are very tired. Shouldn’t have any trouble getting to sleep.  No one here uses fitted sheets – they don’t really know what they are. This is very interesting to me.

I only thought I knew how to pray until we came here. Their prayers are pure – they are worshp. I pray that God will teach me this.