I am stepping off my soap box for this blog post - I promise no high-brow rants about truth or love. Just a few short stories before I get by beauty rest for my trip to Sao Paulo this weekend - My upcoming Sao Paulo adventute.
I met a family a few weeks ago who adapted a girl from CLM. We hit it off over lunch here on Sunday. So because of my infinite charms - not really... because of English skills, they have invited my to spend the weekend with their family in Sao Paulo so they can practice English. I am really excited and nervous about the trip, but it is sure to be in an interesting contrast to life here on the farm.
Peeing on the Job.
As I said in my last blog post, I am making an effort to include a few of the boys in all of work projects. They are always eager to help for about the first 30 minutes and then they find excuses to run off before they work too hard. haha.
Last week, Geovane was helping me cut and stack wood. He had the day off school and refused to take off this PJ's so he walked beside me down to the barn in sandles and red pajama pants with teddy bears on them. As I started tossing logs into piles to be cut. I glance up and noticed Geovane standing 4 feet away from me - peeing. He didn't even bother to turn around...he just leaned slightly the side of our work area (aiming down hill thankfully), and let it fly. I laugh awkwardly and he just shrugged... and proceeded to cut some logs.
Then this week, I have been filling the holes in the driveway with gravel... and again I asked a few of our boys to help. Today, Lucao decided it was a good idea to pee in the rain water ditch on the side the drive way (the driveway the everyone uses to go to and from the house by car - I might add). And yesterday, Allison did the same exact thing! I have learned that if I hear the shoveling sounds stop and I don't than hear an excuse to stop working that the boys are peeing right were they stand. Sleeping on the job isn't a problem here at CLM, but peeing in the job comes with the territory.
The Barefoot Boys.
All the kids here wear sandles (shan-del-os) - as do I. However, some of our kids where sandels for about 15 steps and then decide they no longer need them and just keep walking leaving their sandals literally in their tracks. Viktoria, our second in command here at CLM, has pointed out to me that you can tell the kids that come from the streets because they are the ones running around barefoot. The concept of foot-ware is simply foreign to them - as is showering and changing cloths. One of our boys - who as only been here a month - didn't change cloths all week, despite my repeated pleas. Finally, I realized that he wasn't changing cloths because he wasn't used to having new cloths to change into, and he was afraid he gave up his cloths because he might not get them back. When i finally did convince or force him to pick new cloths out his closet... I found the green "orange" fruits hidden in his closet. Hiding food is a survival strategy... watching the fruits roll out of shirt sleeves and pant pockets i both a laughed and teared up inside - and in the end - just picked them up and put them back - and gave Ali a hug.
He was used to getting a shirt and pair of pants and wearing them day after day after day after day until they literally fell off of him. I thought the dirty cloths and bare feet style here was a part of the farm culture my first few weeks, but now the I am learning more about each kid's personality and history I see they these kids are unlearning life on the streets and learning the most basic fundamentals of life in a home.
Eu louco para pizza or I am crazy or Pizza.
"EU Louco Para Pizza. Yeah!" was the chant in the car today as the Davi, the boys, and I drove into the city. Another example of your kids unlearning their street habits dawned me tonight when we took the older boys for a pizza buffet. First of all, a trip into the city is big deal. William busted out kakis and a tie for the trip, and Arivoldo and Altair slicked back their hair into perfect, shiny business man doos.
Second of all, Snoots you are going to be jealous of this buffet experience. This place puts cici's to shame. You didn't even have to leave you seat!... every (literally) 40 seconds a waiter would bring a new kind of pizza right to your seat - highlights were beef stroganoff pizza and chicken heart pizza. Then, after everyone eats their weight in regular pizza, they start the dessert pizza rotation. By desert pizza time no one wanted to eat another bite, but the desert pizza seemed to get progressively more delicious and irresistible - imagine chocolate, fruit, white chocolate, and peanut butter pizza... and now imagine it coming roaring back up in chunks because that's what I imagined as i chewed every last piece i forced down my gullet.
Well, our boys ate like champs - and complained like them after. I thought it was all in the name of fun buffet gluttony, until Mike explained that some of the boys still haven't overcome their survival eating mentality. That is... these kids who lived on street without parents or with parents on drugs - never knew when their next meal might be so any time they had the chance to eat - the ate everything they could get their hands on. This becomes a problem at a buffet... Despite 4 squares a day plus snack some of our boys still hold onto this survival strategy - and I think a few of the boys might be unlearning this eating cycle on the toilets right now. :)
I can't imagine our kids living their "past lives" when i look them in eye and watch them smile. More than a few of them were in street gangs, some suffered sexual abuse, some were force to steal or prostitute themselves to support their parents' drug habits, and one of them was forced to live in cage when their family left the house. These stories are horrible and unimaginable - especially when you meet the loving, joyful, intelligent, sweet kids they happened to. It awes me the power of God, family, and love that can heal. The people here at CLM are literally giving these kids a second life - a chance to be reborn - not just spiritually, but literally to begin life again in a home and with a family. I can think of no better way to spend a life than giving 34 kids the chance to live their lives.
Blogs to Come....
a virtual tour (by picture of where I live)
a profile of all the missionaries and staff and visitors here
and stories and adventures in Sao Paulo
Good night to you all...I am off to bed - 5:45 rolls round quick.
Gerbs.
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2 comments:
You wake up at 5:45 every day and in your previous life couldn't make a 7:40 carpool more than 75% of the time?! Who are you and what have you done with Pat?
;)
I didn't actually read the post - but the pictures were incredible. I am jealous.
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