December was an extremely busy month with donations coming out our ears, volunteers arriving to help over christmas, and staff going on leave. It is also pretty hectic trying to sort Christmas presents for 8 children!
On Christmas Eve, Russell (another long term international volunteer) and I slept over at the toddler house to give the house mothers the night off. I baked Christmas cookies for their evening snack, then we read The Crippled Lamb (by Max Lucado), tucked them into bed and then started the task of wrapping all the presents. Thankfully all the other international volunteers came over and helped so it only took a few hours. After all the wrapping was done and the presents were laid out, I headed to bed. I was sharing a room with our 4 year old girl and she had decided that she wanted me to sleep in her bed so here i am at 11pm trying to climb into the top bunk with waking my sleeping girl on the bottom. At 1 am one of the kids started screaming so I then had to climb down, find out what was worng, put him back in bed, and then climb back up into the top bunk. By 5:30 they were all awake and ready to start the day so I got all 7 of them up, changed, and ready for breakfast. As the toddlers were enjoying their cereal uncle Russell (who had been sleeping in a room at the other end of the house so he didn't hear a thing) finally arrived to join us. I let him watch the kids as I started to prepare Apple Crisp (a christmas morning tradition back home!
After breakfast the kids went straight for the presents! Most of them however didn't even finish unwrapping their gifts because as soon as they found they chips and sweets in their stockings they just wanted to eat! As the kids were finishing openeing their presents, Dave and Aprile (who are my "Americans in South Africa" parents) arrived to help us out for the day. At 9 am we all sat down and ate apple crisp together and then the kids went outside to play as Aprile and I started the christmas lunch.
It was a really long day but a really good day and although it was not a "normal" family it was still a family Christmas! I am very thankful though, that we only have to do it once a year!
And now a New Year is here! I am hoping it will bring with it new and exciting things. Just yesterday we recieved our first baby, a little girl, who was only hours old with her unbilical cord not even clamped. She is small but beautiful and I just pray that God will continue to bring us His children instead of having them thrown away and left to die.
Last weeks we recieved a two week old girl who had been left in a dust bin but thankfully found by a lovely couple who took her to the hospital where she stayed for two weeks before coming home to us. I gave her a name which means "Jehovah has been gracious" and she is doing so well now. I only wish they could all have happy endings and hopefully this year we will be able to offer more of them!
Decorating the Christmas Tree
Making mashed potatoes for 7 kids and 12 adults
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