The Week

July 14, 2006


Heard from my window while working on the computer:

William (5 years old): potty mouth potty mouth Noah is a potty mouth
Noah (7 years old): do you even know what a potty mouth is?
William: no
Noah: its someone with a big mouth, like a pot is big

William: do you like coke?
Max: yes
William: coke head coke head.....

I have to laugh....now there is innocence for you...a potty mouth is someone with a large mouth and a coke head is someone who likes coke. How refreshing.


Alot has happened since Monday. It has been a full week. Tuesday, okay, I’ll admit, I don’t remember what happened on Tuesday, I think I did office work on the computer, and looked after the kids. Wednesday, had prayer meeting in the morning, which ended extending until 1pm. We do quite a bit of talking and discussion, and this week we started studying the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. Kathleen was supposed to prepare the lesson, but was busy, so I was the pinch hitter. Good book Joshua. Main message...be strong and couragous for the Lord your God is with you. So good I decided to use the stories in Joshua for my kids club. Nothing like double dipping. We also talked about good leadership, which is always on our minds, with the new government in place, and everyone hoping that things will move forward for the country. Honesty and integrity are crucial for change to happen. In the past there has been a lot of dishonest behaviour within the government ( I know, which government doesn’t suffer from this problem) and it is difficult to change behaviours and attitudes that have been so prevelent in the past. We are praying for change. Wednesday afternoon I took the children to the beach to swim with their friends, and I had a nice chat with Debbie, a woman who’s husband Rick is a doctor here. They have been here I believe since 1997. Rick’s mom recently died of Alzheimers, and they returned from the states just a couple weeks ago. It is nice to have understanding with other people who have dealt with the disease in a loved one.
The waves were strong and so the smaller kids played in the lagoon, while the older boys were out in the waves. I went in for a short dip....they have portuguese man-o-wars here, and I am always feeling things brushing up too me...overactive imagination:) Today I was still finding sand in my hair...I just can’t figure how it got there!
Thursday, Kathleen and I went to Group of 77 to interview families. Several of my people weren’t there though, so will do their interviews on Tuesday. I was standing in the hallway waiting to take a photo of a family. Try to imagine. Cement hallway, ground level. Its dark, except for the light coming through the breeze blocks (cement blocks with holes in them). There are people in wheelchairs scattered down the hall. Several doors are open to the small 10 by 10 rooms, also dark as there is no electricity. In one room there are two women with polio lying there by the door with their babies, watching the people go by. There is about 5 small children ages 3 to 5 marching around the hall. The building is rectangular, with the halls all joined. These kids must of passed me 4 or 5 times, around and around. One boy didn’t look well and appeared feverish as he had beads of sweat on his face and his eyes seemed a bit puffy and glassy. I wonder if he has malaria or something. While I am waiting, a blind man comes around the corner, being led by Boima, a boy of about 10 who can barely walk himself due to muscle jerks and his feet not going in the right directions. Coming behind the man is Patience, a young girl of the same age who has some similar problems as Boima. They both have big smiles on their faces. I say hello as they go by. The two children seem to be inseperable. Halfway down the hall is a laundry line, with someones clothes drying. There are also two coal pots burning, with pots on them...lunch. A boy of 14 or so comes in with a large bag. He dumps out two roosters....alive. There feet are tied together so they can’t escape. I wonder to myself...is there a reason he is letting them out inside the building? He re-ties their feet and carries them away. Every time I am there I remember, there is an infestation of bed bugs, and then I start feeling itchy. I am not surprised, what with the live poultry around the sleeping quarters. The family finally gathers, an elderly women in a wheelchair with two daughters and their babies with no apparent fathers, and a son who looks about 30, and not mentally stable. I wonder, what is there to be done that would really help them? It seems like an impossible challenge.
Today. My first kids club up the road. I was thinking we may have up to 90 children, but we had about 35 to 40 ( I admit I didn’t count) The lower numbers are a bit more managable for me. We sang some songs, and I told a bible story, then I had some volunteers help to act it out, then we played a game outside. I think it went well, but it is always a challenge to really connect with the communication being a bit tricky. I ask them, do you understand me? They all stare at me...I think it will get better as they get to know me. Out of all the kids, I think only two or three of them can read, so activities I choose are somewhat limited.

Statistic in the newspaper today, 1 doctor per 88, 000 people. there are only 34 doctors in the country. Wow...