first steps!

Well, Hello there! The last few days have been days filled with joy, laughter, and just silly things.

Sunday was probably the best day of my whole life thus far. If the Lord had me fly all the way to Africa just to experience that one day, it would have been well worth it. Sunday was the day that one of "my" boys stood up and took his first steps to me on his own. This boy was severely malnourished when he came to Beautiful Gate and so he has been a bit behind developmentally. Since I have been here, I have been working with him a lot to get him to start walking. On the weekends I usually don't go to see the kids since we have church and usually other errands to run, but this Sunday I really felt like I should just go pop in my house to say hello. When I stepped in my house all the kids were sitting and playing and then my house mom came in the room and said something to the boy in Sesotho. After that, he stood up where he was and took 6 steps to me!! I couldn't believe it! The whole time he had a huge smile on his face and was so proud of himself! I stood him up again and took a few steps back and he walked to me again! I was just so happy and proud I just sat and hugged him and cried for a while. I love that he always hugs me back. :) I love that the house mom was so excited for me to see him walk. I love that I knew the Lord was smiling down at that moment. Also, this little boy is probably THE most handsome child I have every seen, seriously.

The next thing is not so much joyful but just kind of a funny experience. A couple days ago Bryan and I had to go back to the immigration office which is where I originally had gotten my visa to stay here. Bryan was explaining to me how the immigration offices didn't keep track of who they gave out visas to and realized that they should probably have done that. (good one Lesotho :) So everyone that had more than a 90 day visa had to re-register just to kind of say "Hey, I am chillin in your country!" When we got there they took us right into the back office and the lady helped up right away. She took our passports and wrote down our name and occupation and stuff on a printed out sheet of paper with lines on it that said "USA" at the top in handwriting that was hardly readable. I chuckled to myself thinking that it would be so much faster and efficient on a computer. There were 3 other ladies in the room and none of them were working. They were just chatting it up and talking on their phones. I began to wonder if they even worked there. The lady that was helping us then turned over our passports and started smearing glue on the back of our passports with the end of a spoon. At that point I was just confused and wondering why she was using the back of a spoon to smear glue. They then stuck on a piece of paper that said "Lesotho Immigration" with a stamp. That whole time I was watching her I just kept thinking that if this was America, this would not be happening. The US government would not just forget to keep the information of the people they gave visas to. I would not be coming to a shady office/storage room with 4 ladies just sitting around chatting it up. They would not glue a piece of paper to the back of my passport. It was just rather comical from my perspective and I just kept thinking...TIA (this is africa:)

I learned something about myself. I never want to be famous. Whenever I am behind my house to hang up laundry, there is always people from the community walking by outside the fence just a few feet away. Since white (especially blond) people are so rare in Lesotho people will often just stop when they see me and either just stare for a bit and move on or try and talk to me (which never gets far since my Sesotho is limited). I used to keep my curtains open most of the day but I have had it too many times where I am stuffing my face with food or dancing around the room to my music and there is people walking by outside the window just watching me. Talk about...awkward. Last week there was a group of kids walking home from school that had stopped by my house while I was out and they all took turns yelling, "Lumela!" and then hiding behind their friends when I looked over and start giggling. It gave me a little chuckle that the color of my hair and skin was really the only thing getting me this attention. Just kind of crazy to think about. :) I have also had it twice now where people have asked me for a job. Both times it was a mother who had one or two children with her. I didn't really know what to say or if they could even understand what I was saying. I was sure to let them know I would pray for them and for a job to turn up for them. Who knew you could make so many new friends while doing laundry?!

Prayer Requests:
-Please keep the funding for Beautiful Gate in your prayers as that area has been a bit of a struggle this month.
-One of the girls from my house has a really nasty wound on her thumb so just prayers that that would not bring her too much pain and would heal quickly
-Thanks for warmer weather...WOOHOO
-There was supposed to be an adoption ceremony this week but the mother never showed up. So just pray that they would be able to find a time to reschedule.
-Energy for me to be able to keep up with these crazy kids :)

new homes, names& kisses!

Lumela!
On Tuesday afternoon, one of the girls from my house was able to go home with her adoptive parents! I had no idea she was leaving until a couple hours before her adoptive mother got here so it came as a bit of a surprise. After I found out, I went back to my house where I found her and my house mother getting all ready to go. We sat in silence for a bit while getting the little girl all prettied up in nice clothes until my house mother held up one of her shoes for me to see. In the sole of the shoe she had written, "I love you!" After that, we both lost it. We just sat crying for a bit and took turns cuddling the little girl. We were both so excited for the girl to meet her forever family but sad that our time with her was up. I was surprised how emotional I got since I had only known this girl for about a month.  The whole time of getting her ready, this little girl didn't quite know what was happening. Her normal personality is pretty loud and energetic, but the whole time she was very quite and still, almost like she knew something wasn't quite right. When she was all ready, Beautiful Gate's social worker came into let the house mom know that it was time to go. The house mom picked up the girl and headed out the door, walking by all the other kids, and brought her to meet her new mother. It was an emotional yet beautiful thing. That whole night I kept wondering....I wonder how she is doing? Is she adjusting okay? Is she going to sleep well tonight? It was interesting being on this side of the adoption process. I have been on the receiving side and have seen friends adopt, but this is the first time I have been involved in the process of preparing for the adoption instead of necessarily seeing the result. It is different, but good.

This week has also been one of small improvements with one child in particular that I have been working with. On Monday, this little boy SAID MY NAMMEEEEE!!! He doesn't speak a lot and when he does it is usually just babbling mumbling stuff that is probably in Sesotho. He has only said a few words and names that I have ever understood. That was probably like, the best day ever. On Tuesday, one of the kids had bumped their head on something and I was sitting and comforting them. This little boy came over and started rubbing his back to comfort him too. SO PRECIOUS! Wednesday, he gave me a kiss on the cheek! I had just walked in the door that morning and he came crawling over with his big smile. I picked him up and he gave me a big kiss! He is just too cute. :) On Thursday I noticed for the first time him folding his arms for prayer and on Friday I actually heard him sing a couple words of the prayer with the other kids. I love that I am here long enough to be able to see these kids grow and learn.

Here has been my verse for the week:
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him who we give account. " - Hebrews 4:13

At first, thinking about how the Lord sees EVERYTHING that goes on here on earth is a little frightening, at least for me. But really, I am so glad and blessed and humbled that God would care about what goes on down here. I mean there is a lot of trash going on, but he chooses to watch over us and love the people that do trashy things. I love that the Lord sees me here and sees what I go through every day and sees what I am feeling. It really is a relief since most of the time I don't even know what I am feeling. I love that he watches over all the children there and has a plan for each one of their lives that is bigger than I could ever dream for them. I also love that I can be confident that he is watching over and taking care of my loved ones at home so I don't have to worry about them. :) Its really great.

yup just a couple thoughts for the week. thanks again for all of your prayers and support!

peace and love.

hospitals.

Hello again! Well here I am. The time has come. I am now the only volunteer at Beautiful Gate. This is pretty much the first time since I have gotten here that it has been this way. AND the next group of volunteers isn't coming until October. That is kind of a long ways away. Oh well. More kids for me :) hahaha

On Wednesday, I was able to ride along on a Baylor run. Baylor University started a hospital in Lesotho and it is now pretty much run by all Basotho people. I was a bit nervous because I didn't really have any idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew is that I had to bring food because it could be a long day. I arrived at one of the baby houses in the morning and was handed a kid and sent to the van. Sweet. Easy enough. All the rest of the house moms and kids eventually piled in too and we were off. The hospital was only on the other side of Maseru so thankfully it wasn't too long of a ride for the antsy kids. When we got there, we piled out of the car and entered the hospital. The first thing I noticed was how nice the facility was. It was one of the few places I have been into Lesotho where I thought, "I could pick this place up and put it in America and it would fit right in." The waiting room was packed. Lots of kids and lots of parents. About 15 minutes after we got settled in the waiting room, all the hospital staff came out into the waiting room and everyone in the waiting room stood up. I had no idea what was going on so I just followed and stood up too. Then EVERYONE started singing. Of course it was in Sesotho so I had no idea what they were singing. I didn't know if it was rude to just stand there and not sing so I opened my mouth and started signing "watermelon, watermelon" hoping that no one was listening too closely. After the song finished, a man that worked at the hospital said a little speech (in Sesotho) and then a prayer. Though, I didn't realize he was praying until the end when he said "Amen." Everyone then sat down and all the staff went back to work. It was the oddest thing and I wondered if they do that at every hospital in Lesotho or just at this one? I don't know, it was an awkward yet beautiful thing. :) The rest of the time I stayed in the waiting room with the kids that were done or had not yet been called while the house mothers went in the rooms with the kids. The house moms were trying to get me in the room with them so I could experience that, but just with how the timing worked out with what kids were called, I ended up just staying in the waiting room which was fine. While I was waiting with the kids I noticed a few things that don't normally happen with the states. First, everyone just holds each other's kids and kind of just passes them around. It was the strangest thing and I was so surprised that the mothers were so trusting with strangers. Also, everyone just leaves their purses and bags in the waiting room. Again, they are very trusting. Last, there is no such thing as "personal space." People sit nice and close and even if there is not room for another person on the bench, they make room. Overall it was a pretty interesting experience and I might even like to go again if they need extra help. I would love to get in the rooms with the kids to see what that is like!

On Wednesdays here at Beautiful Gate at 3PM we have a little service called, "Time With God." The staff takes turns leading a devotional and we usually sing some songs too.  I am not always able to go because of the feeding program but this week the nurses said I should go. I went to the chapel and took a seat and a few minutes later it started with some songs. I usually just clap along since they are usually all in Sesotho, but they are such pretty songs and I hope I will eventually be able to learn some of them. After we got done singing, Beautiful Gate's driver started his devotional. He spoke in Sesotho so I just waited for the translator to translate like he usually does. After a few minutes of no translations, I looked around and realized I was the only one here who doesn't speak Sesotho. I just thought "oh well" and figured it didn't make sense for them to translate and have it go that much slower just for one person. Only a few seconds later one of the office ladies yells across the room, "Paige! Come sit by me so I can translate for you!" I was caught off guard and so I quickly said "okay" and crossed the room to sit by her. She then translated the whole time for me and the devotional was very beautiful. The whole time I kept thinking how sweet it was of her to do that for me. She didn't have to. I could have just sat through the whole service and clapped along with the songs to be respectful, but she went out of her way to make sure I could hear the word of God that day. I am learning that that is just how people are here at Beautiful Gate. They will go out of their way to make you and the kids feel well loved. I love that because I am pretty that was what Christ was like when he was on earth.

Some people have been asking me what a normal day looks like for me. And really, everyday looks a little different. So here is my normalish day schedule.
7:00AM- get up, make breakfast, do my devos
7:30AM- start making custard and oatmeal for the feeding program that day (at the beginning this is when I would get to my house but I found that when I got there at this time they were all just getting on the potty so there was not much to do until they got off AND doing it earlier in the morning means missing less playgroup time later)
8:00AM- get to my house and help them get ready and dressed and such
8:30AM- head down to play group with all the younger kids that don't go to school but can still walk
9:00AM- start feeding program with one little boy that doesn't go to playgroup. I usually stay and play with the babies in that house or I go back down to play group when I get done feeding him.
10:00AM- snack time at play group and I feed the other 4 kids on the feeding program
10:30AM- tea time in the chapel
10:45-11:45AM- play group time outside (if the weather is nice)
11:45AM- kids go back to their houses for lunch (I stay and help feed the kids in my house)
12:30-3PM- the kids take a nap so I get a bit of a break
3:00PM- the kids go to playgroup and I go around to do the feeding program again
4:30PM- kids go back to their houses for dinner (I stay and help feed the kids in my house)
5:00PM- I go home and journal or read or blog :)
6:00PM- dinner with the Guerinks (Anita is an AMAZING cook:)
and then we just chill and watch movies or play games or something until I am tired and then I go home and go to bed  :)

Last week me and Elijah had a Pirates of the Caribbean movie marathon. We set up the projector and everything in my living room because his sister's couldn't watch it. We tried making popcorn twice and burnt it both times! We ate it anyways and washed it down with some apple juice  :)

Said goodbye to the England group on Wednesday morning. What a fun group! They will be missed. 

RAD painting skills 

We also said goodbye to these 3 girls who are from the university that have been helping at Beautiful Gate for one of their classes. They are all such sweet girls who always look so classy :) 

peace and love.

 (this never gets old)

normal.

Hey there! I hope all of you are having a restful Sabbath. Today and yesterday have been very chill here which has helped me catch my breath a bit and reflect on the past few weeks. This was the first weekend we didn't go on some big outing which meant I could sleep in and I was not complaining about that!

Being here for a month now, life seems much more normal. I have pretty much adjusted to being away from my family. Thinking about the fact that I live in a third world country doesn't seem to shock me anymore. I no longer have moments where I stop and think to myself, "WHAT AM I DOING HERE??!??" Some of the staff has been teaching me and quizzing me on my Sesotho which is no longer so intimidating to try and speak. The kids know my name I know most of the kids in my house's names. It feels good being adjusted and now that I am already a month into my trip, I keep thinking of how 4 months is too short of a time!

Today, our sermon at church was about how necessary it is to have a prayer life. I have found this to be so true, especially being here in Lesotho. Working with orphans everyday can get kind of heavy when you think about all of these beautiful kids not having parents. I have learned that I can't adopt them all (I have already asked :) and I can't fix all of their problems, but I have also learned that the two best things I can do for them is smother them with love as much as I possibly can and pray for them and their adoptive families. I have also been praying a lot for my family and friends back home. When I was in the middle of life with my family and friends I found myself not praying for them as much because I was with them all the time and often I was not able to see the need being in the middle of it. Being here, when I think about the ones I love during my day, I realize I don't know what they may be facing right at that point so I just pray for them because that is about all I can do. Prayer has been the thing that has kept me sane it times.

Adoption has a very special place in my heart. It always has. For those of you who may not know me personally, I have a 7 year old sister who is adopted from Saginaw, MI. We are "best sisters" and I miss holding her hand and hearing her little voice and all of her little funny sayings. I have always known I wanted to adopt later in life because I always saw as just a good thing to do. It was not until I got to Beautiful Gate that I realized importance and need for it. You could list off the number of orphans in the world all you wanted but it was not until I saw their faces and learned their personalities that I realized that adoption is their one hope whether they are old enough to know that or not. A great as Beautiful Gate is, they can't stay here forever. They eventually must be adopted, go back to their biological families (for the un-adoptable ones whom still have living parents), or move to another orphanage. Many of these kids NEED families. That is still hard for me to wrap my mind around yet. Coming from such an awesome and supportive family, its hard to imagine NOT having a family. Yet this is these kids' reality everyday and there is not a whole lot they can do to help themselves escape it.

Currently, there is a group here volunteering from England. The lady who is leading them was here earlier this year and she wanted to come back again with her family and friends. The first night I met them, I honestly had no idea what they were saying. The thought, "Are they even speaking English?" came into my head more then once. I just smiled and nodded a lot. There are a few girls who are my age from their group and I have enjoyed getting to know them and comparing cultures. I find it so funny because a few of them dream of coming to America and they love our accents, when in America many people dream of going to England and everyone likes English accents. Strange. One girl asked me if my school was anything like the movie "Mean Girls." I had a little chuckle and thankfully I could say "no" to that. :) This group has a very wide range of talents and it is fun to see them all getting used to serve this community and Beautiful Gate.

peace and love.

peoples.

Greetings from Lesotho! The internet has been out for a few days here so I was not able to post as soon as I wanted to, but thankfully it is back on now! I have also struggled to put into words a lot of what I am feeling on this blog because it is all so new I never really know what I am feeling. So, hang with me and I will try to do my best :)

This week has gone by so fast! I cannot believe the team left already. Working with the basketball team all week has been so fun and I have learned so much from them. They all have such big hearts for these kids and the communtiy here. I have been encouraged so much by their positive attitudes and awesome work ethic. As much as I was hoping their flight would get delayed and they would be stuck here with me for a little longer, I am excited for them to be able to go home and share their stories and experiences with loved ones. I would love to hop on the plane and go home with them, yet at the same time I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me here. It is crazy to think I am almost a month in already!

 a little muffin making adventure

this picture has nothing to do with anything...I just found marshmallows in the shape of rats at the grocery store....yum

Last Tuesday was the last day I posted and that was the day I was sick. That day I got so many facebook messages and e-mails that helped and ecouraged me so much. So THANK YOU to all of you...you guys are amazing.

YAY for coloring pages from MJ!

As awesome as this week has been with the team, the devil has tried to get in and bring some people down. I got so frustrated when I would things happen because I wanted this trip to be perfect for them without any sickness or hiccups. In the end, I think the Lord did win and everyone was able to draw closer to Him even through the rough spots.

On Thursday, the basketball team was able to go to the local High School and challenge them to a game of Netball. None of the girls new how to play Netball so when they got there, they just kind of learned as they went. The deal was our team could come to play them but they had to go to school for an hour with them first. Sadly, I was unable to go because of responsibilities I had here at BGate, but it was so great to hear their stories when they got back about how fun it was. They all had such great attitudes about going into a situation that was a bit out of their comfort zones.

Saturday we went to Malealea. I had been there before a couple weeks ago and I was a little nervous going back with such a large group. The horses don't always like to listen to you and they sometimes get mad at the other horses which can make for an interesting ride. We quickly found out the couple girls who had the trouble-maker horses because they would be biting the other horses. One girl's horse bit another horse and then that horse got mad so he kicked him back which ended up in a shin injury for the girl on the biting horse (wow, that was confusing). It wasn't serious enough that she needed to go to the hospital, thankfully, but she did get kicked pretty good. She was such a trooper through the rest of the trip even though she was in some pain.

SNOWMAN SUCCESS 

pony trekkin it up

Monday was a strange day. I rode along to bring the team to the airport in Bloemfontein (which is in South Africa). We cried (okay, I cried) and said our goobyes and then me and Bryan headed into Bloem to get some things from the mall. Going into the mall was like culture shock all over again. It felt like I was right back in thr US! We ate McDonalds, which tasted a little different, but it was still good. It was also strange going to a place where Enlgish wasn't the main language. In Lesotho, everything you read is pretty much still in English. In South Africa a lot of it was in Afrikaans(spelling??). It was just so strange going from that back home to Maseru.

With the team leaving, I was able to experience or get a little taste of what it will be like when I leave in November. I don't really like thinking about it because I don't want to wish my time away. I realized now that I am kind of afraid to go home. I am afraid that I will go home and fall into old habits again. I am afraid I will become too comfortable and won't be able to realize how much I need the Lord. I am afraid that I will forget Lesotho and all my kids. Its funny how I was afraid to come to Africa in the beginning and now I am afraid to leave.

I have been trying to teach the kids in my house some new songs and their new favorite lately has been "Trading My Sorrows" WITH the motions(duh). It is probably the cutest and most hilarious thing even to watch the kids pretend to throw up after singing the line, "I'm trading my sickness". I just love it so much.

This morning I walked outside to THIS:

(yup that's snow)

ohhhyeaaa. It is a sad day when you open your fridge and it is the same temperature (if not warmer) than your house. TIA BABY (this is africa)

peace and love.