I'm pretty sure my new favorite sight in the whole wide world has revealed itself to me here in India. There's nothing more beautiful to me than this: palm trees at twilight. From the beginning of the setting sun, until the glistening of the stars, the shadows and silhouettes that dance beneath the palm trees are so incredibly captivating. Well that, and this: the sight of 12 smiling boys at the children's home. This week we returned to Tangarutu, where we've been sanding and painting away. Its been a monster of a task, and has posed quite the challenge. We've tied bamboo ladders together, hung from 2nd story roof tops, and tried to simply understand our directions, given to us by a man who gives us insecticide when we asked for peanut butter... Enough said. After painting the boys bedroom lion king theme, and the windows and doors 3 separate colors, the outside of the building 3 colors and the inside 2 separate colors, we have managed to provide the pastor and his family something they are very proud of... I realized quite quickly thru all this that we weren't going about painting the way I would like to, or choosing the colors I think look good, or even doing simple things like painting primer on the wooden shutters or rebar in the windows, nope we were doing it the way we were told to... I know this seems like a very elementary thought process, " you don't always get things your way" but here's a new angle on it. There's something bigger here: smiling faces of the people who live here. From the cook to the boys that find slumber every night here, it's awesome as they dance with glee up and down the stairs, parading their joy like it's Christmas. It really makes it all worth while, being woken up at 6:30 by a boy holding a tiny cup of coffee, smacking your face saying "good morning, coffee frank?" simply because he wants to serve you by bringing you coffee. Then proceeding to pound on the steel drums here in the church, to showcase his talents. It's funny, sometimes I think about having the luxury of waking up in my OWN room, with my OWN big comfy bed, sipping my delicious home brewed coffee, eating my OWN breakfast with my OWN cutlery. And that's just the start of my day. But no, these boys havent ever had those opportunities, I bet they only dream of a holiday like that... Instead they share a bunk bed to 4 boys, their wardrobes are shared with 11 other boys who all want to wear that spiderman shirt that the other has on. Meals are served on the floor they use their hands to eat. Bathing is outside by the well, their washroom is beside the house in a bush, and they're required to serve the tall white people that come and visit. Interesting life if you ask me. We are so fortunate back home! I'm so proud that I was able to provide just a little bit of happiness to these boys this week!
