The Children!

What you've all been waiting for, eh?



(all of the ages are estimates. They do not know when they were born. . . they are orphans. . . And many of them look way older or way younger than the age they say . . .and many of them start late so the grade they are in does not reflect their age. . .i stopped asking how old they were and instead I just ask which class are they in)

Yesama (sp?)—Age 4 (?)
The baby! A tiny little boy with a quite mischievous face and spirit. It goes without saying, he is precious. He is the baby so everyone treats him like the baby. He likes to play chase with me. And tries to dance by doing some Elvis Presley type move with literally cracks me up every time. He is a bit of a trouble maker though. We have been praying for him this week

Christine—Age 5
A tiny little girl that would make anyone’s heart melt. Her English seems to be pretty good for her age though it is still not much. We have a special bond—she is the cute little one. I just want to hold her all the time. She has a fiery spirit—she is ALWAYS laughing at me. She is hilarious.

Mary—grade 2
What a beautiful child. Her eyes sparkle. She could be a princess. Such a gentle spirit she has. So kind. She falls asleep during devotionals a lot and it cracks me up.

Carrol—Age 9?
Oh what a strong, kind, intelligent girl she is. Her English is very good, though it took her a while to let me hear it. At first I thought she was a bit stand-offish and Ms. I Can Do My Own Thing. But I was wrong. She is very capable and smart and she is very helpful to me. I love when she speaks English cause I just love her voice! She leads the singing sometimes too.

Anita—Age 8?
Carrol’s sister—and they look SO much alike. She is also a very sweet girl.

Eva—grade 3
A strong spirit. Maybe a little bit of a tom-boy. A little bit of a stand-offish attitude. But I love her! She is much fun. She is going to be a strong woman.

Irene—Age 12
Oh my Irene-y (they add “ee” to the end of lots of names as a sign of affection.) Irene has had a hard life which kept her from going to school so she is not as “bright” as the others. She is in 2nd grade. She has a strong, fiery spirit. Yet her spirit seems wounded also. When I look into her eyes I simply want to grab her and hold her forever. According to Mamie, she is the most undisciplined. She has an obstinate spirit many times. She makes fun of the other kids many times. So they make fun of her a lot. I love to watch her dance—she has some very “African American” moves and it cracks me up, because she has no idea what that would even mean. She is a “strong pray-er” according to Mamie. She loves to sing. When I show her physical affection, she latches on. Her laugh—oh my, her laugh gets me every time. It sounds exactly like one of the Momen girls (Lanita) so it so weird for me!

Sharif—Age 10
Oh my goodness I love this boy!! Let me just say that the first day, I thought for sure he was a girl. It was not until I made the connection that the ONLY way to tell the girls and boys apart is that girls where skirts/dresses and boys where shorts/pants. It’s not that he looks extremely feminine either because you would get them all confused really. He is just SO sweet. I think he has the best English. He is SO smart. His face is beautiful and his smile would melt anyone’s heart. He loves helping me—or anyone. He takes care of the others so well. Mamie says that “it is usually girls who cook, but this one—he is the best one at preparing the food.” And it is true—he is always preparing food or cleaning with such a cheerful spirit. And oh can he dance!! So well! He tried to teach me one day and it was hilarious. He is the main song leader also. What a beautiful voice. And if it sounds like I am describing a “girly” boy. . .well maybe I am, I don’t know how it works in Africa. But he also is always making bow and arrows! He does seem to be with the girls most of the time though. There are 3 older boys—around his age—but he is rarely with them. It is strange.

Joshua—Age
Pronounced “yo-su-a.” A quiet little one. They joke about how he is built—strong body. He does not seem to know much English but he is a sweet boy.

Derek—Age
Another quiet one. A good, strong boy.

Ashraf—Age 12
I haven’t quite figured him out. He seems very bright. He seems to make fun of the others sometimes though—but maybe not. He gets “shamed” easily (embarrassed) and it is kind of funny how he hides his face. He will make a good leader. He looks like a typical soccer player.

Peter—Age 13
What a good boy and leader. Such a sweet spirit. Always taking care of the others. Mamie speaks so highly of him and Ashraf and how they are such a good oldest boys. He is very smart also. I like to watch when he is in charge. He is not arrogant or demanding of attention—he just does his job respectfully.

If it seems like I have any favorites—that may be true but I don’t know. Sure I am a little closer to some than others, but all in good time. The thing is, every time I look at one of them, smile, and then wipe their stoic face off and smile at me—my heart melts. Every single time with every single kid. And I think to myself, “oh how I love this child.” It is so funny how serious they look all of the time. And they look at you with those serious eyes. . . and of course I cannot help but smile every time. . .and it is like they are taking by surprise and burst into a beautiful smile. I wish I could capture this on video.

So those are my wonderful children!
One of them is HIV positive, but I would rather not say who because I don’t want them to be labeled “the one with AIDS.” Sorry, maybe later.