A Different Weekend

We currently have a group of teachers here from California teaching English during the week at several schools. Unfortunately for me and the kids, they have to go to school here in the city. So, we can't be with our CA friends or ROB while they are out in the countryside teaching. However, this weekend, we took a bus about 3 hours from here and met up with Rob and our teachers at an orphanage/welfare center.

The children at this orphanage were all school age children. In fact they live on the school grounds. Some of the children have lost both parents, but a lot of the children have only lost their fathers. Apparently, in the traditions of the local culture of this area, when a man dies, his wife must leave the man's family and all she obtained, behind. This includes her children. They become orphans. The mom must walk away and marry into a new family. This was very hard for me to grasp, but standing in front of me were dozens of examples of this occurance. It broke my heart to think of the rejection these children already know and are well acquainted with.

We spent a lot of time playing, laughing, singing, doing field games, and making cookies. Hannnah, Hudson, and I brought enough stuff for all 60 kids to make and decorate sugar cookies. It was so much fun. It was such a joy to spend time loving on these kids.

Cookie Making

The countryside is so beautiful with these mountains/rocks shooting up out of the ground.

Field Games and Relay Races

Dodgeball
Steal the BaconMy man telling some poor kid he was "out!"

There is a song that kept playing in my head all weekend by Leeland, and I couldn't help being reminded over and over all weekend of the truth of this song.

You lived among the least of these, the weary and the weak, and it would be a tragedy for me to turn away. All my needs you have supplied, when I was dead you gave me life. How can I not give it away so freely? So I'll, Follow you into the world....