Darin's Journal

6/July/2007

Another couple of days. Another couple hundred memories. First, the general report. Across the team everyone is healthy and pretty happy. There are 19 of us staying in a house that was built with maybe 6 or so in mind. It has meant for very close-quartered living. Everyone is coping well. There is only one shower in the house and a hot water tank built to handle the needs of that one shower being used maybe once or twice a day. Last night... it died. Ice cold showers the rest of the trip.

I realize that I need to say more about my decision to send Maderyna home. I still struggle for the right words to use. I’ve been talking with members of our team about the fact that this may well have been for our benefit –a chance to see the horrors of this setting up-close and in person. Maderyna’s story includes an upbringing that we cannot imagine. Her present reality is beyond our imagination as well. One of my last conversations with her this trip was a tear-filled admission that her mom has arranged ‘boyfriends’ for her – a means of securing money and alcohol. The sad truth is that there is nothing that can be done for Maderyna unless she decides she wants help. There is no system in place here that would advocate for her – at sixteen years (emotionally 12 or 13 if you ask me), she’s considered an adult. We are brokenhearted for her. I’ve decided I won’t go into the reasons that I removed her from our team here on the blog. I’ll ask you to understand – I wrestled over this. I’ll also ask you to trust me that this is only a small part of the whole story. We strategized everything we could imagine. In the end, the only solution was to send her home. This was one of the hardest leadership decisions I’ve ever had to make.

Since her departure, we’ve recovered a bit of a normal stride, I think. The dance team continues to impress me. On the second day the girls noticed that many of the children that came were dressing similarly to their American teachers – leggings and tank tops, or Capri pants and t-shirts. By day three we all realized they were picking up and copying some of the little mannerisms of the dancers – I watched as a couple of our girls stretched, and across the room some of the children were stretching in the same way; a couple of the girls came with water bottles like the dancers; as I watched the dancers ‘mark’ their moves before the music started, I noticed the children doing the same. It is quite a sight to see. Many people have told Steph, Steph, Amanda and Casey that they saw the 2005 team come and that this is the very reason there is a dance program today. Even Pearl, the 15 year old who, by herself, started and leads the dance team here, was present that day in 2005 at Kolin Foundation School, and has told the girls how God used that day in her life. I am thrilled for them to hear this with their own ears. There are 56 girls preparing for the performance Saturday night. Our dancers have done a marvelous job.

Our school teams, Pre-school and Primary are busy with children in one on one and classroom settings. This team is the group that will hurt the most when we pull out of here. You cannot spend any time with these children and not have them wrap your heart around their little finger. Each night I listen (read: eavesdrop) on the conversations here – mentioning the children by name and describing experiences they had. I know that this means a tearful separation in a couple of days. But, the rest of the story is that they are making a huge difference. The educators are getting a wealth of testing done that the schools have asked for. Our helpers are loving on these kids, more important our hosts will tell you than even the testing! God is at work in and thru this team.

Our high school team continues to hold forums in the afternoons after visiting classrooms in the mornings. Great discussions have taken place, including some real trust being built. Each member of this team will tell you that it is a stretching experience for them. They have shown a video entitled “Beat The Drum” about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. There is an expectation that conversations today will move more that direction. So, sexual purity, rape, pornography, homosexuality, AIDS… how are these for ‘easy subjects’ to talk about in a high school setting? These folks are giving themselves away!

My late night walks and talks continue. Last night I actually spent some time walking and talking with StephB. No, that’s not a typo. Really. Many of us shared some cool walks late last night as the sky was unbelievably clear. I kept thinking about Hosea 2:14… go ahead, look it up. God pokes His face through the night and says, “I’m God. I love you.” Too cool.
And, I actually got 7 hours of sleep last night. That’s after three straight days of 3 hours a night… so I’m feeling much more human… a kinder, gentler Darin. More later.