Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Carlos' New Shoes











New Sounds
















My new sound for today is one of boys laughing and playing.

This morning Tony picked me up for the breakfast program. Then he went upstairs to talk to Jairo so I got to establish myself with the boys as they all began to gather for breakfast. Tony had told me that the boys can do most of it themselves, and also little things to look out for, so we had everything set up by the time Tony was done. In the end a few girls showed up too, 28 kids total. We prayed in a big circle, with one of the boys leading the prayer. Then everyone had a bowl of cereal and 2 pieces of fruit.

It is interesting to see the boys interact. I noticed one that is a bully and was mean to the others. We will talk to him about this as it is not consistant with what we expect from behavior of children at the church.

Carlos, who is a boy that Tony has been working with closely, came later than usual and Tony was wondering if today might be the day that Carlos decided to turn right at the bottom of the hill and go back to his life on the streets. But no, Carlos did come to breakfast. He chose to turn left at the bottom of the hill and come to the church.

Afterward Carlos and 3 of his new friends piled into Tony's truck with Tony and me. We all went to a special store in Teguc that sells shoes really cheap. It was so fun watching him pick out his first pair of new shoes. We took our time and looked everything over. Finally he chose a nice pair that won't show dirt very much - kind of like little hiking boots. The other boys were so good. They helped him choose shoes that were his size and showed no jealousy at all. While Tony took Carlos aside and talked to Carlos about these being CARLOS' shoes, (not to sell for food, or for his brother, or anyone else,) I talked to the other three boys about how proud I felt that they had been so helpful and not shown jealousy. I don't think any of them has ever had new shoes before.

Afterward, to reward their behavior, Tony and I took all of the boys to Burger King. Unprompted, Carlos went up to Tony in the parking lot, hugged him around the legs, and said, "Thank you Tony for my new shoes." Then they all proceeded to have a blast chasing eachother throught the playland and eating Happy Meals with TONS of salsa (Ketchup). Carlos put on his new shoes to wear into Burger King, then took them off in the car. He put them back on to wear at the church. He showered and was given socks to wear with his new shoes. Carlos has been given 3 sets of clothes and so far has taken good care of everything. Some people are wondering if he will be able to keep his mother from selling the shoes for drugs. We are praying for the best.

I took pictures of this whole day, but I still can't get them to link onto the blog. The internet here, at church, is slow and cuts out a lot - so does the power - so I'll try to do that from my new home.

One of the churches which is visiting this month has invited me to visit an island off Roatan for up to 10 days to snorkle and relax. It is supposed to be an amazing place so I can't wait to go and feel honored that they are willing to sponsor me for this opportunity.

Also when Jose came home last night he had a fit that Karla and I had left my phone at the store so we ran down there and got it back, safe and sound. Then he realized that he has an extra chip at his office, so my phone should be up and running soon. And my favorite quote from him yesterday: "Every time I drink water, I think about how God created water and I KNOW God is good." It was a really hot day and we were commenting on how much we both love water. :)

It's been hotter here today so I am not looking forward to bedtime tonight. My bedroom is so hot. But the strange thing is that by morning the room is almost chilly. This morning I almost used a blanket instead of just my sheet. I hope I'm getting used to the heat because each night I go to bed worried that I won't be able to sleep. And then I'm asleep before I know it.