Yesterday was another flipping awesome day "at the office." I found out via computer phone that Owen got into UF-- all of heaven's gators are celebrating- I almost cried I was so stoked for him. ok time to get back on subject.... yesterday I was able to bring new clothing to a little girl who was just dropped off at douglas last week. She came with one set of clothes and wore it for almost a week before someone put a new outfit on her. I went through our donations and picked out some awesome stuff and had her try on some jeans to make sure they fit- she's super tiny for a 6 year old. It was possibly the most new clothing (most still had tags on them) that she's ever received, in fact i'll almost guarantee that it was. She then decided to put on immediately a pair of straight leg cool girl jeans and a new pink long sleeve shirt. She walked around for the rest of the night like she was a model. And she is beautiful - she looked like a princess but then... that's only fitting because she IS a princess and for just a few moments she got to feel like one too. 4 beautiful casa hogar douglas kids made valentines for me -- how's that for being single, feeling kinda lonely in a foreign country, away from your friends and family (grandma your email brought me to tears) on valentines day??! These kids are so sweet and with each passing day that I'm with them, I find myself falling more and more in love with them. And to top it off, I got to help grill steaks, yes i said STEAKS, for the kids. For those of you who know my dietary preferences.... i'm not a big fan of any kind of meat but yall- steak tacos is where it is at! I love it, the kids love it, the group loved it- this doesnt happen but maybe twice a year for each of the homes we serve i think. It was overall, a joyful day and I'm loving my job which doesn't really feel like a job most days... feels more like a dream.
Today... I got to go to church at douglas - which in my opinion is the most awesome thing of the year here with B2B. It was standing room only on top of the hill today. In the afternoon, I went to one of the squatters villages we serve and helped a group mix and pour some concrete, play with billions of kids, and feed a hot meal to the people. As our bus arrived, a ton of kids swarmed our bus because they knew the "americans" were coming today. I was the first one off the bus and was greeted like a celebrity. Kids threw themselves on me. Each time I go to this area, I have rather mixed emotions. It's a horrible part of town. No one wants to go there, including the police, let alone actually live there. It's like a giant town garbage dump with shacks, livestock, and a horrible stench. It is a very dark, poverty stricken place- home to abuse of every kind. But Olga and her husband had vision- a vision of something else for these people and I LOVE any opportunity to see this vision come to life. We play with kids who just want to laugh and be kids- jump, run, play, giggle, be silly, smile. As I joked around with one 6 year old little boy... reality hit me. We were joking back and forth and at one point I asked him how he was doing. His response hit me like a ton of bricks. He said, "I'm good. But my grandma and grandpa are beating each other up right now." I had him repeat himself b/c i thought perhaps I just wasnt' translating what he meant to say correctly. But he said it again and so matter of factly. He got to get out of the house for the afternoon and forget his troubles in a place of safety. That's what God is building through Olga. He's building a refuge.
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