Routine

It's funny how fast routine sets in. I've only been here for a few weeks but I already have to remind myself that there is nothing "normal" about my summer. In fact, it's not even summer here- it's winter. In any case I feel right at home here and am enjoying the same work that I described in last week's blog.

I am thankful for the sense of normalcy that I feel here but struggle with the normacy associated with the pain, hurt, and poverty that accompany and follow every child at the village. Abuse, abandonment and broken families are normal here- expected here. That will never be normal to me.

A couple of stories...
Siphamondla, who just turned 8 last week spent the beginning of his life being raped almost daily by a neighborhood teenage boy. When he told his grandmother she just told him not to play with that boy any more. And that was that. This will bever be normal to me.

Ayanda's mom was 11-years-old when he was born. His father was his mother's 5th grade school teacher. Neither parent wanted their son. This will never be normal to me.

Another litter girl was rapped when she was only THREE MONTHS old because her alcoholic mother left her alone in their hut without a door to close so she could go buy beer. Two men came right in and raped the baby one after the other. This will never be normal to me.

Perhaps the hardest part for me to deal with is thinking about what it means to be a mother. A mother loves her child and is willing to do anything for her child. I cannot understand. (I actually am too mad to really write anything down here.) I've taken comfort in my favorite Selah song called "I will carry you" that describes the loss of their young daughter and how they have delt with it. Sometimes I feel like my time is too short here to really help a child out of this mess. The words of the chorus (although taken out of context) ring true for me.

"I will carry you while your heart beats here. Long beyond the empty cradle through the coming years. I will carry you all your life. I will PRAISE the One whose chosen me to carry you."

I will continue to praise God for giving me this time here to love His children.

Ok, enough of that...
The kids still keep me on my toes each day. The two most common questions are "why is your earring right here?" (in my cartledge) and "are you married?" Here's my conversation with a 6-year-old girl from yesterday:
"Are you married?"
"No, not yet."
"Do you want to be married?"
"Someday, yes."
"Then why aren't you married?"
"I have to find someone that wants to marry me first."
"It's ok. I still like you."

haha- i feel so loved.

Working with Aphiwe (the blind boy) has ironically been "eye-opening." I've tried to come up with activities for his hands that will help him to visualize what we see every day. For example, a few days ago, we made a dog out of play-doh and I found myself explaining that dogs have four legs that go here and a tail that goes here. I'm hopeful that exercises likes this will not only help him understand the world better but that the fine motor skills will prepare him to start learning his letters in Braille.

if any of you are sitting on the internet with nothing to do would you mind researching exercises or games for blind preschoolers? I have very limited internet access and no books about this so I'm just kinda feeling it out as I go but I'd love to have more professional ideas and instructions. :)

I'll close today with another one of my favorite Psalms.

"LORD, my heart is not proud; nor are my eyes haughty. I do not busy myself with great matters, with things too sublime for me. Rather, I have stilled my soul, hushed it like a weaned child on its mother's lap, so is my soul within me. Israel, hope in the LORD, now and forever." - Psalm 131

miss and love you-
brigid