- Something that was really neat to see during this trip was just how far even a little attention or a smile or hug can go. . . My goal was basically to give as much individual attention to the kids as possible—talking to them, holding them, smiling at them, whatever. Nothing huge, but it was amazing to see how they responded. And just seeing that was more than enough to confirm for me that I was supposed to be there, just loving on them. I had prayed before we got there that God would give me His love for the kids, and He really did. The love He gave me for them and the joy in just being there with them was incredible. I can’t really even describe it; it was just such a blessing to be there and to get to interact with the kids.
- One of my favorite things about this trip was getting to know Carly better. Carly is about 4 years old, and Gertrude thinks that she might have had polio or meningitis. Because of this, she has problems with her legs and is unable to walk. She can pull herself up to standing, though, if she has something to hold on to, and she’s very good at maneuvering herself around in her wheelchair or scooting herself along the ground. She’s also very, very quiet most of the time, especially around people she doesn’t know well. You can ask her questions, and she’ll answer (at least, yes/no questions), but you have to either be listening very closely or watching her mouth to hear her answer. I spent a lot of time with her, and by the second day, she was following me around in her wheelchair. She also became more willing to talk, and by Sunday, she was actually shouting and laughing as we played. She also started reaching out to hold my hand if I was near her and already holding another child. Sunday night, too, I held her as she fell asleep, and then when I went to put her down on the mat, she was not happy, so I sat by her until she fell back asleep. She’s a very sweet girl, and it was neat to see her respond to even a little attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment