Not all fun and games

Today was a hard day for several reasons... some of the reasons will be the fodder for many a laugh a month or year from now -- "and just how long do you think we sat in that bus trying to get to the orphanage?" "How far did we go out of our way to get to a place we didn't want to go??" and "Why didn't the cab driver just shake his head 'no' when we communicated (in the best way we could) "could you take us to Pizza Hut?" and then there's the very real stuff... the stuff that left us all unsettled and feeling helpless. Giving a child a stuffed animal or sucker doesn't change the conditions he or she is living in -- doesn't give them a hug at bedtime -- doesn't ease very real pain....

We went to a government-run orphanage today -- and saw many severely handicapped children -- lying in cribs and on cots (it was, after all, their nap time), but the stark surroundings left a lot of us feeling cold... wondering how much these kids ever do get out of bed. Our group passed out the stuffed animals, cars, and lollipops that we brought -- but in the end -- there is not enough of anything that could make what we experienced today okay. There were a few children who could interact with us ... they were appreciative of our gifts -- and smiled with a slight question in their eyes. "Who are these people and why are they here?" -- but who knows what they were really thinking. Please pray for these children -- pray for the people who run the facility -- and for the women and men who are their caregivers... very sad day. As we were leaving the orphanage Will started to cry -- he wanted to go home -- not home the hotel, but home Ohio. He wanted his Dad -- the best way he could explain it "I just don't feel safe here." In the end -- his discomfort is probably the most authentic expression of what we were all feeling -- he just didn't have the vocabulary to explain it... I can't say that I do either.

We left the orphanage by bus -- a much more quiet group than before... We needed to do something for our kids that was upbeat... this outing was a lot to ask of them (physically and emotionally). Obviously, Pizza Hut has become the end-all treat for our children -- so after a confusing cab ride -- we indulged. Afterwards the kids swam in the pool -- and then our group met up to sort through the remaining donations of school supplies and toys for the school dedication. Excitement is building... to see the physical structure of the school, to meet the kids who will go to school there, to see all of the effort from so many people come together -- in a positive and significant way. The day will be here before we know it.

Off to Nha Trang tomorrow...
Tracy

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