Day 3 recap

Today marks the halfway point of our time at the Welfare House.  It's also the day our tiny team shrinks a bit as Jason leaves for Ethiopia to shoot some footage in an orphanage there.  

We started our day by playing in the courtyard with a group of kids we'd seen before.  You can already feel the relationships taking hold.  We all have nicknames for these kids and the kids clearly have their favorites among our team members.  "The Mayor" continues to be Lara's best friend.  

Please notice the boy in the white shirt with red collar behind Lara and The Mayor.  This boy has been present at several of our outdoor playtimes but quickly fades to the back and hangs against the wall.  I honestly hadn't spent any time with him because I thought he was a worker.  He reappears later in the bog...stay tuned!

The nannies run the kids through a series of exercises using the hoops.  I have to admit that it felt GREAT to stretch out with their routine!  Although I'm sure I'm nowhere near as graceful as the nannies.

I found out this nanny lived in this orphanage as a child and aged out of the system.  She went through teacher training but is not allowed to teach in a regular school.  She is now a full time employee at the welfare house.  The assistant director spoke of her with pride.  This nanny has been with us every day so far and I've been so impressed with how she cares for the children.  

After the organized activities, Lara and Miranda broke out the beach balls they had brought with them. The kids LOVED them!  (Great tip for future teams - stock up on these at end of season sales!)

True to form, the kids LOVED playing with Jason when he wasn't filming!

Speaking of filming, I turned my camera over to this young man and he was so excited to take pictures.

This young man has aged out of the system but is still allowed to live at the welfare house.  He can live there until he is 35 and then he will have to move to an elder care facility.  It is clear he loves the children and helps the nannies and staff a great deal.  The nannies and staff have a great affection for him.

After outdoor play (sweat!) time, we headed in for some crafts.  We were in for a real treat!  This was not the typical American craft...this was a chance to learn a Chinese art form.  

The nannies demonstrated how to spread the ink to form the tree branches.  This was harder than it looks!!!

Remember the boy in the white shirt from the courtyard earlier?  He was at my table and came alive doing this artwork!  The boy in the orange shirt is such a sweetheart.  He has CP and walking is a struggle but he does everything with a great smile on his face.  He really worked hard on his art!

This was my partner for the activity and we finally got our branches blown out!

We then used the tips of our fingers to dot on flowers. 

I'm so in love with this boy.  I'm not sure of his age but I believe he will soon age out of the system.

And here is our finished product!  Not too badI

In the afternoon, Jason left for the airport and Lara, Della and the assistant director went out to shop for some supplies we were buying for the welfare house with the donations and Miranda and I spent the afternoon in the Angel Room.  I just posted about one little girl in the Angel room so I'll post some pictures and quick comments below.

Twin girls with what appears to be dwarfism.  They aren't too keen about me and always give me this very serious look.

This beautiful girl has been matched and is heading to her new home soon!

This little girl has also been matched (I believe, or AWAA has her file).  

The babies LOVE this male caregiver and his arms were always full!

This little girl has also been matched with a family and will be going home soon.  The staff LOVES to point out who is being adopted!

That's it for now.  Another long hot day today.  We have 2 more days to love on these babies.  Please pray for us to remain strong and say the words that need to be said.