Another Update

WOW! I can’t believe my trip is half over, how crazy?!?

So I wanted to share some stories with you… all of them are meant to give you a chuckle, except the first…

- I was chatting with one of the girls one night and she asked me if Per Noel (Santa Claus) visited kids in the US. Not knowing where the conversation was going I said that yes, Santa came to visit young kids in the US. She then said that he doesn’t come to the Congo… I felt like such a bad person at that moment… how does one explain to a young Congolese orphan that Santa is either:
a) not real- then I would have to explain that the parents purchase the gifts and I’d feel bad about that because she has none to do that for her and apparently she still believes that Santa is real…
b) or stick with Santa being a reality and he just must accidently miss the Congo every year… ?

I did find out that this girl is here with three younger sisters. Don’t know where the father is, probably killed in the war and the mother died giving birth to the youngest (who is about 18 months). Their grandparents are in America and are going to adopt the girls but they have been stuck in paperwork (along with many other folks) to get them there. They are such amazing girls and will all thrive when they reach America!!

- Someone donated a chicken to the orphanage the other day- I’ve named it Snow White!

- I taught the young boy here how to play “thumb war” but “th” isn’t a sound that’s easy for the kids to make because it’s not part of their language… so he calls it “bum war!” (Flip-flop was also funny… he called the flip-bops!)

- Recently a girl who was adopted from the orphanage came back for the first time in seven years. She brought lots of items for the girls, including deodorant for the older ones… I was in the room when she was passing it out… after one girl received hers she came up to me and pointed at her deodorant and mimed rubbing it all over her face. I quickly said “no” and mimed using it correctly…

- Last Saturday I attended the dedication of Jamaa Letu/CEJAL II… because of all the horrible roads here I always am looking for a bathroom when I arrive anywhere. This day was no different. I asked the orphanage director where could I find one? She took me to the parsonage of the church that is right beside the new facility and I thought: Oh, a parsonage, this shouldn’t be too bad… She then showed me the outhouse… yup, a hole in the ground in a little hut with a door that one must squat over… let’s just say that I’d need some practice if I was to use the toilet that way on a regular basis, I had a few issues :)

- Last Sunday was the huge centennial celebration! Before it started I went up to one of the ushers and said to her: Toilet (because I needed to use one… thanks again to the roads.) She quickly stuck her hand out and told me her name… I guess she’ll always wonder why the crazy American girl’s name is Toilet, hahaha! :)