October 15

October 15

Our day goes like this in case I haven’t explained this before: At 5:30, the boys get up. You may think to yourself, “that doesn’t mean your day starts at 5:30.” Yes it does. We are required to get up at 6, but our room is practically the boys’ room so we hear everything that goes on… such as yelling (both children and Hannah who has to get the boys up), screeching, singing, and furniture getting pushed around (they like to move their beds to the middle of the room and they have to move it back in the morning). It really hurts me, but Tarynn and I deal with it. Then we go to devotional. The kids sing some songs and then there’s a little worship thought. After that, we go to the cafeteria for breakfast. I sit at younger girls’ table. They don’t like to drink milk or eat everything on their plate… but I have to be the bad guy and make them. Then they hate me for the rest of the day for threatening to take away something if they don’t eat it. The others are angry at me if someone else gets too much or too little food compared to themselves. Then they proceed to turn on each other… I have no idea what they’re saying, but it always sounds like someone’s fighting with another person. After they eat all their food, they go to school and Tarynn and I get ready to leave for the Infa. We get on the bus (sometimes we’re late and we have to wait for a bit) and after that, we walk maybe 5 or 6 blocks to the Infa. This is where anything could happen. Kids jump on you, fight, play, yell, and everything else that children do. Sometimes before 12, we go with another person on errands. It’s pretty much going to different stores with someone to ask for money or discounts on food for the Infa. Today, I went to get some cheese, bananas, and sugar. My arms were about to fall off brining the big bag of bananas to the Infa… they were soooo heavy. When 12 comes around, it’s time for lunch. If there’s school that day, most of the kids usually come at this time. We don’t have a lot of problems asking the kids to eat all of their food because sometimes that’s all they get. After lunch, we make the kids do their chores. This is a very painful time for us. There’s a list of chores (aseos in spanish) that we have to make them do. We have to ask and ask and ask and yell and yell and yell all that business to get the kids to listen. It takes a while, but they do it eventually. Then it’s time to bathe the girls. We then struggle to get all the girls in the bathroom and there’s so much more to bathing them than you think. Sometimes by the extent and passion in which they protest, you think it might be better for them to not take a shower… but I quickly remind myself that they smell terrible and make them do it anyway. The boys are next, but that’s now out of our hands (horray!). Then there’s devotional where I kill lice and braid many different heads. After devotional, we make sure the kids do homework. Sometimes I ask some of the kids to read to me… it’s pretty sad how behind they are, but by the way some of them get excited to read to me makes me want to do it more. They don’t have anyone to encourage them to read and I feel like maybe I can do it for a few of them. After homework, the kids get in line to get their dinner to take home and then they leave. I can’t possibly explain everything that really happens during a day because every day is different. Sometimes kids come up to me bleeding and ask for a band-aid and sometimes people are fighting and we have to put them in time out… or like today, I had to give a baby a bath. There’s always something new. Anyways, after that, Tarynn and I catch the bus to head back to the Hogar. Sometimes we stay in town for a little longer to use the internet, get a few snacks, or to check the mail. We’re trying to have self discipline because we found a doughnut shop the other day. Yes. Doughnuts. A little taste of heaven. Anyways, when we head back, we have an hour and a half of free time or less… depending on when we get back from the Infa. Then it’s dinner at 6 and we have to make the kids eat again. After that, we have to make the teenagers do their chores (this takes foreeeeveeer) until devotional. We go to devotional and then we can have free time until we go to bed… except our light has to be off because we live in the boys room. It’s a good thing the volunteers before us left little Christmas lights. We keep that on so we can see our way around… and to see if there are bugs on our beds. We’re pretty drained by the time they have to sleep anyway, so we usually go to bed around the time they do too.

Anyways, that’s pretty much my day. I would not have the energy to get through so many of these without God. Good thing He’s got enough energy and patience to spare. :)