Teamwork

The fires across the street have been burning for a week now.  Yesterday they burned down an old forsaken barn.  I think otherwise the buildings have been safe.  Every day we pass and see more little patches of fire.
Today there were more fires in the valley as well.  It rained for about five minutes.  I was hoping it would rain more.  Yesterday was 98 degrees so the rain and chilly air felt nice.

Today I got a ticket to go back to the US in June.  I have been checking daily and today ticket prices started to skyrocket so I talked to my Mom about it and decided to buy one.  After I bought the ticket I was more excited than I expected to be. It will be awesome to see friends and family!

At the Breakfast Program instead of asking for prayer requests, today we had a day of thanks.  It was cool to think about all of the ways that God has answered our prayer.

I might be able to go to Nicaragua with a team of translators.  That would be super cool.  I've heard that Nicaragua is the most beautiful country in Central America in some people's opinion.  Also, it could be a paying job!  I'm not sure about that part.

It seems that I will get my car on Monday.  There are still some papers to fill out.  The people have to inspect the car before they give me insurance.  Also the IRS has to fill out forms.  But that should all be done by tomorrow!  I am excited to have some freedom, to be able to go grocery shopping without asking someone to take me.  It will be nice to come and go from the church on my own time.  I am even excited to park in my driveway, as silly as that sounds.  I am really, really grateful that Jairo drove me around for more than a year.  He has been wonderful to me.  But I am ready to be independent now.  Joss asked if I am nervous about driving here.  I am a little nervous, but less than I used to be.  I know the streets better now and with the AAA coverage I feel more comfortable too.  The drivers here are crazier than any I have ever seen in any other place in the world, but I am as ready as I'll ever be.

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: ''UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?'' 'UBUNTU' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are"

I would love to figure out a way to get the kids at the Breakfast Program thinking in this manner.  Right now they are so used to fighting for everything they have.  They are not used to working as a team.  I talked to Lourdes about it and I am going to look into more teamwork games and projects.  The idea of fighting to survive is so deeply ingrained in them, it will be a hard mindset to change.  But imagine if they worked together!

They already do in some ways.  We need to complement them more about the ways they DO work together now.  Yesterday Daniel came to the office upset.  He said that he had yanked one of the girls away from a man who was trying to lure her with candy and cell phones.  We need to emphasize that kind of positive behavior more, instead of standing there aghast when the kids tell us stories like that, which is my natural reaction.

If anyone knows team building activities that would work for all ages, I would love some ideas.