Day 2

On Day 2 we took the FTC kids to a swimming pool. We drove to a “resort” that would be lucky to reserve even 1 star by US standards but the pool was very nice – there were actually 3 of them. One of the high school age boys, Jefferson, asked me right away if I could swim. He challenged me to a race and based on his lean, athletic appearance the odds were in his favor. However my old swim team days paid off and I beat him convincingly. I gave him some pointers and he asked me tons of questions about how I learned to swim and who taught me. My ego got the best of me when I tried to duplicate his running forward flip into the pool with a nasty face plant into the water. I think I still have water in my sinus cavities. Later in small group with our StuCo students, Jefferson connected with Garrett and they prayed together.

Those of you that know me well know I am not much of a little kid person. I always joke that God gave me extra patience for Jr High age by taking it away for little kids. However as I sat beside the pool area watching the FTC kids and StuCo students playing a little girl nicknamed Bam-Bam approached me. She had me hold her little back pack as she withdrew the contents and repacked them over and over again. Her prized possession was a little toy camera. Eventually she crawled up into my lap. She shares my affection for back scratches and insisted I continuously scratch her back or rub her shoulders. If I dared stop I learned quickly why she has earned the nickname Bam-Bam. I did eventually distract her by giving her my sunglasses to play with which she had to show off to everyone. She lead me along one of the paths around the resort by the hand. She is 5 years old however is barely the size of a 3 year old. She speaks very little although seems to understand quite a bit. Bam-Bam is the youngest of 7 kids I believe. She came to FTC after being horrifically abused and beaten. She barely survived. It was so surreal to be interacting with this innocent child and knowing the tragic circumstances of her short little life so far. FTC not only means a chance at life that she wouldn’t have otherwise, it also means a chance for hope. Hope through Jesus Christ, hope for a future, hope for an education and a better life. I am realizing Hope is the most precious commodity of all over here and one that is sorely lacking more than food or housing.

Day 2 and I am already emotionally moved beyond comprehension. What will the next 11 days hold?