What It's All About

Every evening, the resident children participate in vespers (evening prayers) and then, if there are visitors, they will separate to the boys and girls dormatories for "story time"--for the boys, this is usually stories they make up or traditional stories which they share (Ed likened it to Cub Scouts since, I guess it's universal to the y chromosome, the stories usually involve some combination of somebody doing something stupid, a bodily function and/or someone getting hurt or killed). Story time with the girls usually involves reading a story book and listening to the girls singing in beautiful 3-part harmony.

The picture here was taken during story time with the boys on our second night in Bo. The young man over my left shoulder, in the white striped pajamas is Afiju, who is one of the two children I sponsor at the CRC. As you can see, the boys are healthy, clothed and well taken care of--there is the usual drama of growing up and taking on responsibilities, as well as the dynamics of group home living, which is foreign to me so all the teams go there with open hearts, patience and encouragement.

I wish my camera hadn't broken mid-week because I would like to share more of the faces and smiles of the children. At any rate, I find it a privilege and a blessing to be able to see first-hand how these children are being positively impacted; living in hope to make a better life for themselves and their community/country.