Thursday, February 25, 2010

New Kids on the Block

In the last two weeks we have added eight new children. I am going to give you a brief insight into their lives and their experiences as new Angels. Cha Cha was the first child we added. We have already blogged about our initial encounter with him. However, now that he is adjusted we call him the female Nossi. He can be destructive and no one understands him because he does not speak Swahili. At other times he is the sweetest little child and all he wants is a hug or to be held. He is also extremely photogenic!

Second was Frenk Cha Cha. He is Bhoke Mwita’s cousin. Bhoke is one of our Junior Staff members who just graduated last year from boarding school. We call Frenk the “busy body” because he likes to get into everything…seriously! He tries to help with Derrick but ends up making him cry instead. Frenk is a good kid though. He tries to help you out and never forgets to come and get a hug in the morning or at night before bed.

Derrick was our third child to receive. You already know about him. He is the smallest and if he does not get a nap he gets whiny. But Eric and I are in love with him none-the-less. Eric can put his hands together and they wrap around his waste. He weighs 13 kg and we cannot find clothes small enough for him here. I found little VANS in town for 3,000 tshs (equivalent to about $2.75) and he absolutely will not let you take them off!

Rhobi and Bahati are sisters. They have been cared for by their grandparents. When we first encountered them, they were terrified of men. They would not respond to anything Mwita or Eric would say and cringe if they dared touch them. However, today Bahati will run into Eric’s arms wanting to be spun around in circles. They are both hard workers and willing to do anything to help out. Bahati wants nothing more than someone to hold her hand and walk around with her.

Siza has adapted better than all the rest. There are many other girls her age at Angel House, so they were able to give her clothes, shoes, toys, etc. She always has a smile on her face. Sometimes I wonder what she is getting in to…other times I know it is mischief.

Nyanokwe and Mwita are our newest members. They came to us from the Gamasara village (the village Angel House resides). Mwita is 5 years old and is still a little shy. He worries about not having what he needs to. He cried this morning because he did not have school shoes like all the other children. However, it is only the second day of school for him. Nyanokwe is going to be the next Prime Minister or President. On his first day of school he made all A’s on the work the school tested him on and then came home and studied all night, even during dinner time. Nyanokwe impresses me more everyday.

Having new children is fun but challenging. They all have their scaring pasts and a bright future ahead of them. They all eat way too much because they are afraid of not having enough later. They all hide everything we give them because they are afraid of it being taken away or not lasting long enough. Our prayer is that they realize that we will never abandon them. The will have what they need and much much more.

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