Day Two!

It's so much fun getting the kids dressed every day. Bona is VERY opinionated over whate he will wear and Buzena does the happy dance with every outfit I pull out! The rain boots were a GIANT hit & I was a little scared they would wear them all day...in the 80 degree heat & crystal blue skies. Until Bona saw the new tennis shoes & Buzena the polka dot flip flops :)

We hung out all day hoping we'd hear good news & be able to go to court.....it was not to be. We did sneak out for lunch at Kaldi's. It's a Starbucks knock off - nearly the same logo & color sceam....with not NEARLY the same prices. We had 2 hamburgers with fries, 1 chicken sandwich with fries, 1 order of fries, 1 mango juice, 1 sparkling water, and one macciato - for $15 - oh & 5 scoops of ice cream!!! Dinner tonight was 2 large pizzas, 2 sodas, and 1 beer - you'll never guess who THAT was for - for $9....contrast that with this! The manager of the guest house was telling us he has his law degree - but lawyers don't make any money. The money is in the tourism industry. He said he just bought a 9 year old van with 200,000 km on it - for $23,000!!! Crazy! and the rent they pay on the guest house is $2300/month. It has one big room and 5 smaller rooms. The big room rents for $80/night - the smaller rooms are $50/night. He said the average person makes about $150/month....

That would explain why we've been surrounded by people begging for money every time we step out of the gates. It's super super super sad. They follow you all the way to wherever you're going - repeating - please mother, father, need food, need help. So far I've given away a bunch of granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, fruit cups & the left over applesauce that Tara gave me! The poverty is nearly overwhelming....but my prayer has been to break my heart for what breaks yours....I guess it's not an accident this is where we are...

On a lighter note. Bona & Buzena took their first baths today! I thought Bona's face was going to crack off! He was giddy! I can't wait to see his face when we pull up in front of the swimming pool tomorrow!!!! YEAH!

I brought one of Ellie's dolly's for Buzena to play with - Zoe actually :) She's carted her nearly everywhere! She has over a dozen hair clips in & has had nearly as many outfit changes. She even slept next to her! So sweet! She repeats every word we say in her high pitched sing song voice.

A van came to the guest house with 10 little ones in it headed to one of the orphanage. They'd come from out in the country. The poor things looked shell shocked. They took them out back & bathed them & then sat under a tree and played for awhile. I thought Matt was going to break down right in front of them.....it's so hard to see. These little lives....each one so important to God.....yet thrown into a faceless sea of others just like them. Heart wrenching.

At the Yebsabi yesterday we ran into two boys that remembered meeting us when we were out shopping with Ellie 18 month ago! We had bought gun & tissues from them! They've been semi taken in by all the AWAA familes that stay at the Yebsabi. Letting them take showers in their room & buying them dinner. One of the boys is getting accepted into the AWAA program & a family that was there last week is going to adopt him! yeah!

Tomorrow we head to the POOL! Bona saw his swim suit in his suitcase- a GIANT smile crossed his face!!! I can't wait to tell him to put it ON tomorrow! And this time I even brought swim goggles so he won't have try and swim with my sunglasses :)