Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of our first night with the children. I will tell the story though, and I think it speaks volumes.
When I went to the church to pick up the children and their chaperone, I wasn't sure what to expect. I went alone so that there would be enough room in the car for the four of them and their luggage. I entered the church atrium and started down the ramp to the CLC. At the bottom were several children who all took turns introducing themselves to me with a hug. They did this for every person who came. I was humbled that it was the children who had travelled half way around the world who put me immediately at ease.
We had received the children's names (Pamela, Justine, and Diana), so when they introduced themselves I was able to tell them that they would be going with me. Each of the three of them just smiled and hugged me again. The chaperone with them is the head teacher of Humble School, Perpetua. She was such a nice lady. We talked a lot about education, comparing the two systems. The four of them always stay together. Their respect for her, and everyone, was impressive.
We loaded up the car, one of them asked to pray, and and then we drove home. They have been in the U.S. since mid-April, so I was a little surprised when we pulled in the drive way, and I heard one of them whisper, "Wow." Our house is certainly not huge, but we are blessed and could easily forget how much. I later learned that two of our girls live in straw houses when not in school.
I put the car in park and began to get out. I was stopped when I heard three sweet voices in unison say, "Thank you auntie for driving us." They did this each time we went somewhere.
We had prepared the whole upstairs for them to use. Annie and Emma slept in our room. They were excited by this, and, I think, in awe of the girls' bedrooms. When I asked Perpetua later if they found everything they needed, she said, "Oh yes, everything. There are so many babies!" If they played, they put everything back in the exact spot it was in. I'm sure they did, as they were up at dawn the next morning, but you would never know by looking in the room.
The girls (all five of them) went out to play. They were so excited to see the trampoline. Another family they had stayed with had one. They jumped (very high!), laughed and giggled. Justine, in particular loves to laugh. Her face is full of light. Pamela, who is older, really liked swinging. Diana jumped with Justine.
We prepared chicken legs, potatoes, bean salad, and squash for supper. When we were going inside to eat, I asked them if they were hungry, "No, auntie." They cleaned their plates. And they loved the chicken legs. I heard later that they have chicken on holidays only, so it is really a treat. I've never seen children eat every bit of meat off of the bone. I also learned later that the children will always reply that they are not hungry. You just have to offer them food, then they will eat. In truth, they aren't hungry--not compared to what they have been in the past.
When they finished eating, they all brought their plates and scraped the bones and other bits remaining into the trash can. I thanked them, but then they did the most unexpected thing. They washed every single dish--the ones I had cooked with, the ones we had all eaten from, all of them. Then they sang a little song thanking me for the good food. I wish I knew all of the words; it was so sweet.
Then they sang a couple of praise songs and prayed. They say the sweetest prayers. They are so grateful for all of their blessings, and each time they asked God to continue to bless the host family, so that we could give to others--sometimes specifically saying to please give the host family more money. They gave us way too much credit I'm afraid.
From there, Perpetua took them to bed. She runs a tight ship; it was about 8:45. I can see why she is the head teacher. She is so very dedicated. She has left her own family of seven children to travel with the choir for four months. It was obvious she missed them so much, but she said to me that she did what she had to do, for it was God's calling. I certainly believe that it is. She is a very special lady.
