It took a good long time to explain not only the concept of weighted blankets and lap pads but how we wanted access to rice to fill them. It caused more than a few raised eyebrows. At one point, Joan didn’t even want to translate what I said to her; “I cannot ask that because that is wasteful.”

We may or may not have felt a bit like this over the course of that 30 minute conversation with a director.

But, eventually, we got more to a place like this.

We took a walk into the depth of their kitchen pantry where a big round cook wearing full on cook-gear showed us the rice storage room where there were at least 25 big 25 lb. bags of rice. We offered to buy a bag from them but in the end, they said we could use it since it wasn’t going to be wasted.

Success.

I showed my muscles and asked for the big ole cook to bring it to the conference room for us. He laughed and then pointed to a metal push cart nearby.

Three of the team spent a good long time filling those things. In the end, the kids and staff loved them, like really loved them.

{wiping sweat from our brows}

There are stories to tell. That’s why we’re here–to enter into their stories, share our stories, and tell their stories. That was clear today as we did a lot of this:

and more of this:

and more of me walking around with our translator by my side talking and talking with hot water always close by.

All that and I still had enough energy left to play volleyball with a mini blow up beach ball with this boy who has captured my heart.

There’s a boy who went to sleep tonight with pictures of his new Mama and Daddy by his bed. He heard his name for the first time today. I wonder if he knows how to spell it. (Note to self: teach Ian to spell Ian tomorrow.)

The stories. All those stories and the big one that connects them all. That’s why we’re here.

Pr-ying He multiplies the minutes these last two days.

I was hopeful that my 1+2 coffee packets would carry after about 4 hours of sleep. But, I found that once I got over there, I didn’t need more than these friends.

The older children were eager to learn in the English class this morning, struggling only through the drawing activity planned. As she walked around translating, Joan told me it was a little hard because China doesn’t teach children to think creatively like America does. It took a good bit of extra urging and instructions but we got somewhere and ended up with a room full of “I am glad” pictures.

3:30 was looming over me though as I knew the staff training was coming. I used every minute of our lunch break to finish all I could.

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength, a team, and milk tea all the while.

When we arrived a half hour early to the big ole conference room (complete with a table up front that looked like it could be for justices of the peace with microphones for every chair) to test the technology to make sure I could get video and sound and PowerPoint and all that stuff, there were already 20 women seated waiting. No pressure or anything. By the time 3:30 came, the room was filled with a little over 60 people. Speaking so slow it was painful and having Joan translate every word made me wonder if this would work. But, it totally did. The staff were with me. They were in it. They participated. They giggled and hid a little when they saw themselves on screen up front and as we looked at the videos we took of them interacting with children and analyzed them. But, they did it. And, so did we. It was a bit miraculous for sure, as was the fact that the last slide included a quote from the ancient Roman philosopher named Paul that I read in English and Joan translated into Chinese as a sea of cell phones captured it in an image just so the staff wouldn’t forget it later.

We ended the day with lots of smiles and giggles over this fun sign that we could add to our collection of odd sign spottings.

And, the fact that Jeff crouched down to pick up a baby today and managed to split the front part of his pants to which he responded by using said baby as a fig leaf of sorts to cover himself until he could somehow communicate sans understandable verbal language to an ayi that he needed a needle and thread. He proceeded to go to the bathroom, take his pants off, and sew them himself. He would not let me take a picture of his sewing job, understandably given its awkward location. However, it’s safe to say he should’ve let the ayi do it while he waited behind a curtain.

The team is energized already for another day tomorrow. And, I’m already wondering how hard the van ride leaving this place is going to be come Friday.

Our first day at the orphanage. Doing what we came to do. Since it’s after 11pm right now and I’ve got some work yet ahead of me, a few glimpses with little words are all I will give you.

Besides, my words right now wouldn’t be that wordy. I’ve been speaking in simplified English sentences, saying them maybe three times in three slightly varied ways all day long. I don’t think I have much brain power left right now to write anything worthy of reading. But, I believe these glimpses will tell a bit of a story of what our day looked like. Summed up, today was foundation building.

 

We met a lot of caregivers and a lot of kids today. We’re overwhelmed by names that are very hard for our mouths to say. And, team members are taking deep breaths tonight…hopefully, they’re all asleep by now while I burn the midnight oil. The first day is hard, wrestling with what each team members’ role is in their room, wanting to do significant work but not knowing the best way to do that, feeling the weight of the sheer number of children all of whom could use an entire day of one-on-one time.

I’m taking a deep breath myself and trying not to bite my nails down to nothings. At 4:45, literally minutes before we left today, one of the directors of the orphanage who has been working with me asked me to change the plan I had for the daily ayi training and instead combine it into one presentation and give a lecture tomorrow for about 40-50 staff including ayis, therapists of various types, and administrators.

Ummm…okay.

For the past 3 hours, I’ve been sorting through video clips that the team members took today and reworking all my notes and Power Point slides to create something that might work for tomorrow, all the while trusting that whatever He wants said will be said in spite of me.

Yup. I can’t say I’ve got this. But, I know He does.