Yesterday we got up early and started moving in the kitchen and bathrooms. After my shower, out of sheer curiosity, I pulled out the tiny-tooth comb from one of our many lice kits and drug it through my wet long, curly hair. Within a few short seconds I witnessed the horror of horrors. A fully mature louse on the comb. I eventually found two others and a few miniscule ones. AHHHHHHH! Three lice kits, two mayonnaise treatments, tea tree oil daily in our shampoo, Ivermectin pills, and one Robicomb later, and I still have lice.
No rest for the weary though since I had to be at Casa de Fe early. Our teacher in the three-year-old
room, Nelly, was going to be out today and would need me to hang around for the full four hours rather than just my usual two. Selah and I left the house just after 7:30 and started on our mile trek in the drizzle. When we arrived we found all 70+ kids in the big house attending their early morning assembly. Upon the conclusion we followed them to a long bathroom break and then it was off to our classroom. Nelly had hired a substitute teacher for the day so she and I introduced ourselves and we debriefed about the plans for our time together.
Within a few minutes we began our art project--putting red paint on a picture of flower petals which were covered with bowtie pasta. I pulled out the paint, put a dab on each dish, distributed the pictures and gave some simple instructions. The kids, who were supposed to only use one finger to do the painting with, were eventually wearing red on their clothes, faces, and hands. That's when it occurred to me to put their painting shirts on to protect their clothes. Too late! Our tia (helper assigned to the classroom for the morning) took one child to the bathroom in the big house while we tried cleaning up the hands of all the others in a bucket of water. After she returned, one of the women in charge of the orphanage came to our little classroom because she had seen the red-covered school uniform scurry past her. When she opened our door and saw a sea of red, I think she actually 'saw red', if you catch my drift. She was very disappointed and shook her head lots. I apologized profusely and told her the fault completely rested on my shoulders. She was fairly kind about it, but I think it was too late for our sweet little sub. We both felt terrible but knew there wasn't much we could do to change it now. We carried on with our day as best we could.
Well, after many rough spots with kids hitting each other, crying uncontrollably, wondering out the door in the rain, standing on the table, pulling things off of the shelf, licking the container of red glitter, stealing toys from one another, spreading red paint on the walls, pulling out the blue paint and spreading that around, and many other things that escape me now, we three adults with our mere seven kids were overwhelmed. Did we miss Nelly! We decided to take the kids outside as it was no longer raining and we simply needed a change of scenery. We joined the class of four year olds and walked all sixteen kids down the big hill to the outdoor concha. Two other ladies visiting from Minnesota (we bonded on some things) joined us on our walk. So, with six adults and sixteen kids, what could possibly go wrong? Never underestimate the power of these crafty kiddos.
We made it down the hill well and onto the concha where the kids ran and climbed and laughed. It was a joy to see and a huge relief. Yet, we still had the cloud over our heads as every time you looked at one of the precious kids you saw their red-stained shirts. We ran and chased and corralled them from 'hither and yon' and then headed back up the hill. Three meandered into a tiny spot protected by barbed wire and too tight for any adult to enter. We coaxed and coaxed with little success; it was the words of our threatening tia that finally did the trick but not before these guys had put their mouths on every dirt-covered bottle and piece of trash they could find. One of our poor guys had smudged his whole face with dirt and was quite the site. Once they came free from their spot, we trudged up the hill and back to our classroom for the final fifteen minutes of class before the kids ate lunch.
A few minutes later Selah and I departed after my giving lots of kisses goodbye and commiserating with our sweet substitute who by this point was obviously distraught about the shirts and the challenge of the day. We told one another that all would be well and that the paint would come out.
During our mile trek home, "I need a nap" is the only thing that kept circling around in my head. I was beyond discouraged.
Yet, just when it's darkest, there is always a ray of light that comes shining through. A friend called on my cell phone to let me know that she'd been to the post office and had discovered two packages for our family in their postal box. Oh my. What preciously perfect timing! I personally believe it is God's timing that just as we get the most discouraged, he plans those perfect things to let us know that He cares. We met Doug and the boys for lunch (a whopping $12 for the six of us at a place we'd never been to before), and then the rest of my family went off to school. I walked the rest of the way home stopping quickly by our friends' apartment to retrieve the two packages.
I ripped into them faster than lightening as I walked the last block home. What an amazing thing to be feeling so incredibly low and uncertain of oneself one moment and then to feel so very loved and appreciated the next! The first, smaller package came from Heather and James and their kids--it contained an American lice treatment kit! Praise God for their timing. I just had to laugh at how it was the very thing that I needed. The second package came from Beth and Kurt and their four girls (they just delivered girl number five since the package was sent) filled with candy and sweet homemade cards. Between the two, it was more than I could take. Sending us sweets to the tune of $31 just melted my heart and made me ever so appreciative--I started to cry. (Please note, this is not to encourage any of the rest of you to spend that kind of outrageous money to send us a package! Praying for us, emailing us, or calling us to chat are all great gifts as well--cheaper too.)
Oh how I needed that blessing at that moment. It was perfectly timed. When I arrived home I had to get going on my planning for the lesson that I'd be teaching at Bible Club (Sharon was going to be gone again) three hours later, all in Spanish. If that doesn't make me think and hit the books, I don't know what does. PTL I had a quiet house, a wonderful cup of Earl Gray Tea, and time to pour over the story of Abigail in the Bible. Suffice it to say that in my preparing a lesson on "Thankfulness" (it is November, you know) in which I report that thankful Abigail is blessed by God's hand while ungrateful Nabal, her husband, is cursed and struck dead my God, I remembered that I too should be thankful even in the midst of challenge. I even said in my lesson a short three hours later that God expects a grateful heart. Hmmmmmm. Not sure what the kids got out of it. Probably talked to myself the most.
Thanks for reading,
Blessings,
kim
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