if you read my last blog you got a glimpse of where I am, who I’m with, & what I am doing but you better believe that there is way more that can be shared. I also mentioned in my last blog how I am teaching a class full of girls, 15 little women who give me more reasons everyday to thank the Lord for all He has blessed me with. specifically that I am able to know all them & the rest of the girls at Sending Hope. I could write a paragraph for every girl here to try & express the adoration I have for them but I would like to focus on two girls who especially stole my heart.
Chai & Nuchgee. I am writing this with tears in my eyes because I never knew that I could love two humans as much as I love them. let alone two girls that I have known for a week & that don’t speak the same language as me. when I say tears I mean sad & happy. mainly sad at the moment due to the fact that the two of them left Sending Hope today. they are cousins so they were able to get picked up together, along with Chai’s little sister, Pooklook, who is also at Sending Hope. they are not going away forever, only a week. but it is Tuesday as I sit here & type this & we arrived here last Tuesday. unfortunately we leave on Sunday so if you did the correct math then I assume you have put together that they will be coming back after we leave. to say today has been hard would be an understatement. it was hard not having them both in class on the edge of their seats waiting to answer the questions. it was hard seeing two empty spots at the table for meals where they sat. it was hard going to worship without hearing Nuchgee on guitar or Chai on the boxdrum. it was hard not hugging them right before bed as we say “goodnight, I love you SO much!!!” it was the hardest waving goodbye & not knowing if this would be the last time I will ever see them or if the Lord will bless me in the future with an opportunity to come back here.
okay that is enough with my Nicholas Sparks novel type sadness & is also proof that I am wayyyy too emotional. bear with me because here is where the happy tears come in!!! in spite of all the hardness, at the end of the day I praise the Lord that their home life is in a position where they can go & see the rest of their family. they are super lucky that the two of them have each other, plus Pooklook, at Sending Hope so they can have family support while growing up. however, they were forced to leave a large part of their lives behind so going back to that every once in a while must be a great time. plus knowing them for a week is much better than not knowing them at all & the impact that they made on me in 7 days is something is that I am confident I will cherish forever. with our final round of hugs we were able to exchange some going away gifts. both of them gave me a picture of themselves with notes that they love me, will miss me, & will be praying for me. to know that two girls, ages 10 & 11, are praying for you is a powerful thing. it is also comforting to know that the Lord will grow them into women more amazing then they already are, which is actually hard to believe that is possible. my prayer is that I can some way be involved in seeing that growth & that they never forget me. my bracelets that I gave them should do the trick for a while, just as Nuchgee hoped the bracelet she made me will make me remember her. the bracelet is so pretty but little do they know that I took a ridiculous amount of pictures of them this week so I can hold onto those for a real long time.
Chai (her fingers are making a sign that means “I love you”)
Nuchgee
last but not least, a picture featuring the bracelets I gave them. as you can see, I am pretty much obsessed with them but look at those faces, how could you not be?? seriously praying that I am able to hug them & squeeze their faces again in this lifetime. thank you God for these two.
