Day Thirteen…some really crazy dreams last night, in particular the final one where i allowed another person to drive my car which resulted in my car being totalled just as I woke up...I guess these are the things that come with owning a new car!
Morning devotional and breakfast were pretty standard and then we were off to the center. I have started bringing the Kindle to breakfast to get some reading done while chowing down on the limited selection of foods on offer. Reading is one of those things that I actually really enjoy, but I just cant find enough time to fully enjoy it. As part of this trip I planned to take some time to myself and get some serious reading done...so I have loaded up the Kindle and Im working my way through whats on offer.
Today was considerably colder than the past couple of days so it was straight to the boys room with no messing about! The weather on average has been fluctuating between -1 and 1 degrees….so not a lot of difference…but today felt a few degrees lower than average.
Today as we entered the room, we were met with such joy and happiness, the kids were so excited. Not because we had brought anything particular with us or that we were going to take them somewhere specifically nice. They were just happy to see us and that was shown by the hugs we got entering the room. One boy in particular kept saying (in mandarin of course) "thank you for coming".
How often do we show this kind of gratitude in our lives? How often do we just take the things people do in our lives for granted, without a second thought for what they have done for us? Its unrealistic to think that the kids realise that we have flown across the world to spend this time with them, but regardless of that, they are just happy to see us, happy to spend the days with us.
I guess you could also take it to another level…how often do we complain we are bored? These kids have very little variety in their lives. Day to day life goes by under a pretty standard routine. They cant spontaneously decide "lets go shopping" or "what movie would be good to watch?". Their only choice is…"where do I sit today?". That mind sound ridiculous…but its the unfortunate truth. We are so blessed…but we fail to see it on so many levels. I am so blessed and I continue to complain. God has blessed me so abundantly in life. Its said that its harder to pray when things are going well, as we can naturally become complacent. But the reality is…during the good times, this is when we should be praying just as much if not more. We should be singing the praises of God each and every day! Everything is given to us by God, whether we choose to believe it or not. And those things that we dont have that we still strive for…there is a reason for not having them too. God loves us more than we could ever full appreciate and for Him to not give us something that we desire suggests that there is a pretty good reason for it!
Anyhow back on track, the morning was as per usual with the music session. I spent the latter half of this time with one girl who really likes to hug people…tight! She is so happy when someone will just hold her, she would be no older than 4 or 5. Such a beautiful girl, such a tragedy that for the majority of her day she is left alone…sitting on the floor. This is by no means the fault of the carers in the center, they have 10+ kids to take care of simultaneously, if not more. No the tragedy is the fact that she is missing out on a childhood of love and compassion. When we are down, we go to our loved ones for support….but again do we value this as much as we should. Do we realise what we have in front of us before its too late?
After music we went back to the boys room, but I was quickly called away as DangKou was really upset today, screaming at the top of his voice. So it was down to the Therapy room, which always calms him down and brings a smile to his face. As I had a bit more time to play with, we spent approximately an hour in the Therapy room before I took him back up to join the rest of the kids.
Lunch time came and it was same old, same old. Picked up my laundry and had nice 45 minute rest before it was back on the bus to the center
Now on Tuesday, the afternoon didnt run as smoothly as would have hoped, so today we were super organised with our planning. We planned for colouring for 30 minutes and a whiteboard game for 30 minutes, before they would all head off to the kitchen and we would have the cooking class. The colouring went well, with all the children actively involved and having a good time. It was good to see them quiet, but as we drew near to the end you could sense they were getting a little restless. So it was time for the whiteboard activity, this involved me up front drawing on the whiteboard and the kids guessing what the picture was of. Usually it was an animal of some variety. Now let me start by saying that Im probably the worlds worst when it comes to drawing…but still I managed to draw the likes of a Cow, Sheep, Butterfly and even an Elephant. This was actually a really fun activity for all, the kids were really involved the entire time, attention span wasnt an issue and there was plenty of laughs. One thing in particular that stood out for me was that XiaoPang, who is a young boy who is confined to a wheel chair and has very little control of his limbs, he was one of the boys that got the most answers right and was smiling the whole time. That brough happiness to my heart…seeing him happy like that. For most of the day he is left out, for most of the activities he cannot join in due to his condition. But this was a time he was joining in, lauging and having fun. Knowing I brought joy to one child makes this whole trip worth it.
One thing that came up this week was the fact that certain areas have food donated to them while others do not. One example is that a local bakery donates bread to the girls room, while the boys miss out. This means at morning tea time, when the girls are eating their baked goods, the boys go without. I have to admit that the girls are of course very cute and when volunteers come in for a day, they inevitably get drawn to the girls room. But the boys deserve as much love as everyone else. This isnt a girls vs boys debate, its just me saying that each child is special, each child deserves to be loved…especially the undesirable ones.
At 3:30pm it was time for the cooking class, so we all filed down in pairs to the kitchen for the class. This was run by Poh Suan and she was teaching them how to cook fish with noodles. This was an awesome idea, with the keys being to teach the kids hygiene and safety (in particular with knives). All the kids had the opportunity to participate in preparing and cooking the food, from washing and cutting the vegetables, to preparing the noodles and fish. All the kids were really excited throughout the exercise, especially at the end when they got to eat the food! This was an excellent idea and really demonstrates that despite their disabilities, these kids have so many skills. They are more than capable, despite what people think they cant do.
In life, we all want a chance. When we make a mistake, we always want a chance to fix it, to do it right. When we go for a job interview, we want a chance to show them we can do the job. But the harsh reality for these kids is…they will never get a chance in life. They are stuck in that center for the rest of their life. I know that sounds really depressing…but its the truth. But they deserve so much more. I was thinking on the way back from the center today that if I had the capacity…I would adopt one of the boys, in particular HeZhong. This boy is more than 20 years old, he is one of the boys that helps most around the center and in fact is quite shy…especially when the camera comes out. But he is so kind-hearted, each day when we arrive, he runs up to me and shakes my hand and says "thank you for coming" in mandarin. He loves to laugh and hug you. But his whole life has been confined to a welfare center and because of his mental disability, this is where he will remain. Its my prayer that God will work a miracle in his life…for he deserves much better than this. While with my own knowledge, I cannot see a way that things can improve…but with God all things are possible. So I will continue believing that God will intervene in his life.
After the cooking class, it was end of the day so it was off to dinner and then worship meeting to wrap up an eventful day.
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