You can ask anybody that has been on a team with me this year…..I’m NOT the biggest fan of working with children. They seem very overwhelming to me and take a LOT of energy. The times on the Race that I have been needed to work with children I have done it, but it has been very difficult. If there is any other option….no matter what it is….I would do that instead.
–> –> –> Fast forward to month 10…Siem Reap, Cambodia.
At nights our ministry was teaching English. Can you guess what our ministry was in the afternoons?? Yep, children. Our team split up and went to two different orphanages. One team taught English, the team I was on was teaching dance. Here’s what immediately went through my head: “Great. Two things I don’t know anything about….children and dance.”
Here’s how it all worked out…my amazing teammates Tara and Aly taught the children a dance to a Christmas song and I had all the younger ones outside playing with them. Also, as a side note, the younger kids knew no English which made it even more challenging.
The first day a little 5 year old boy named Leya brought me a soccer ball. Every day (literally) we would play soccer.
The other parts were spent with Esa and Esaiah. They are twin boys that are 17 months old. I can handle playing soccer, but what do I do with twin babies?? It turns out they were pretty easy to entertain.
Every afternoon at least one (most times all) of these little guys was attached to me. We had fun just running around and playing on the swing and laughing. We would talk, them in Khmer and I in English. Even though we couldn’t understand each other, these guys taught me a lot.
They weren’t overwhelming to me.
I actually looked forward to seeing them every day. Yes, they took a lot of energy, but it was all worth it. I loved spending time with them!
By the end of the month, I was not ready to leave. If we hadn’t had one more country to go I would have taken the three of them with me back to America. I truly care about these kids and want them to grow up knowing Jesus.
These kids changed how I view children. 
