Orphanage Report

The KCH team arrived ready to paint. The living room was Mama Leonnie's choice. After 45 minutes and our dismay at the color she had chosen, Leonnie came in and said "Hey, he gave you the wrong paint." We all said, "Thank God".

After waiting for incorrect color to dry, we resumed with the correct paint and finished around noon. Katie came by shortly after we had cleaned brushes, rollers, etc., and we all got a ride via the medical and construction site in Armenia and arrived "home" at 2ish. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to cool off - some by swimming in Jaguar Creek. All in all, a very good day.

Orphanage Report

The "love letters" of support, encouragement have been AMAZING. They have lifted spirits when the heat has knocked us for a loop. Thank you so much to everyone who put forth such effort and love in your notes, letters, and cards. The team that worked at King's Children Home battled the stifling heat with the hugs and smiles from the children. Part of our team continued with the ongoing painting project but today more of the teenage residents assisted with painting. The highlight of today was the highly anticipated field trip to Blue Hole National Park for time in the water. Shirley F and Shirley K were instrumental in coordinating this trip. We took thirty six children to Blue Hole ranging from 9 months old to 19 years old. The children had a fabulous time swimming - lots of laughing and splashing. The field trip would not have been possible without the extra "life guarding" efforts from other team members (i.e., the laundry crew). The children crave the individual attention and affection. They constantly ask to be read to and sit with amazing attention despite that the readers often are melting from the heat. Ezekiel (a nine year old boy) tells me throughout the day that my face is TOO WET!! The children are well cared for but as in many big families one on one time is precious. So whether we are reading or painting or folding an amazing amount of laundry you are never far from our thoughts. Your prayers are felt throughout the day and without you this experience would not possible . I now understand the true meaning of Brothers and Sisters in Christ, for that I will be eternally grateful.

Peace In Christ,

Elizabeth

Orphanage Report

Today, I went to the orphanage with Shirley F, Shirley K, Olivia, Cynthia, Sumner and our two friends from Chicago. It was a hard, hard day. Ms Leonie lives in this flat cement block building with the 50 plus kids in her charge. They swarmed around us as we tried to paint their rec room and hall. It was so hot and muggy again. There were fans in the room, but Ns Leonie doesn't run them because electricity is so expensive. Her typical bill is $500 a month, without the fans.

The children, and their stories, took a real toll from me. First I met Crystal who is 13 years old and who painted alongside us all day. Her father is dead, and her mother doesn't want her. She has lived in 5 foster homes, and thinks the children's home is PERFECT because it has TV. I wanted to take her home with me. I also wanted to keep Edgar, aged 10 months. He is a shiny fat faced bulldozer who spent most of the morning crying for one of the kids to pull him around the dirt yard in a milk crate by a rope. Trinidad who was 8 has lived there since he was a baby and serious James aged 9 has been there his whole young life as well.

Ms Leonie told me she has migraine headaches at the end of many months. That is because she doesn't have enough money to pay the bills. It costs $5000 US to run the home each month and she only has firm commitments for $3000 of income. Some months it comes, sometimes it doesn't. On the bad months, she delays paying the electric bill, hoping something will arrive before she is cut out.

Our group is holding up okay at least in spirit. The heat is truly oppressive and is taking its toll on us. Elizabeth had to stay home today. She was vomiting and showing general symptoms of dehydration, but was feeling better by dinner tonight. I have a feeling that she won't be the last. Please pray for us. This is getting really hard. I sobbed upon return from the orphanage. It was terrible to experience the bleakness of the kid's experience. Tomorrow we are taking them swimming. Hope this makes sense - I wrote it without my glasses!

In Christ,
Sue Byrne

Orphanage Report

Five of our team went to Kings Children's home today. The day was mostly getting acquainted. We were received so warmly. The children were delightful and seemed to crave our attention and touch. Ms Lioni is called "Mamma" by all the children and the children pretty much interacted like brothers and sisters - some bickering, tattling, rough housing, and playing but also helped take care of each other. Oh, and the mountains of laundry we helped to fold - and that was just one day's laundry.

Another group of 16 from Manassas, VA, came after lunch and scrubbed the walls and the bathroom in preparation for painting tomorrow. Tomorrow we will go back and start painting the hallway, living room, and kitchen.

If there was just some way to ignore the heat, but at least we were not shoveling concrete.

Shirley Frykman