I think I am in love!
Had my morning coffee, grabbed bread and went up to sit with the boys as they ate breakfast before school. I look around, and I know I am accepted by them. I am now more than a missionary, I am their friend. I have come in to sit with one or two of them at a table, and as more of them see me, they nudge another boy, point to say that I have come in, and more than 10 are now sitting around me. They are chatting as normal boys, comfortable in Makua, and on the important parts, getting my attention so they can tell me the story in Portuguese. I can't remember the distict moment that this happened, but I am their friend; and we both know it.
The boys head to school and I go up to the girls dorm with a roommate; then take them over to the beach. The girls are so wonderful and beautiful, yet so very shy. Fatima came in swimming with me first, then finally Mariamo as well! :) They invited me thursday, they want to cook Matapa for me. I am so honored!
Came back to take a shower and eat dinner, and on my way out Achimo comes up to me, stares up at me with his big beautiful eyes and says in Portuguese, "Please, will you tell me a story?" That stole my heart. Thank you God that I get to be the one to tell bed time stories to these beautiful children.
So Achimo, Juma, Manuel, Ellias and several others sit down in front of me as I tell them about my parents, and about life growing up. Their eyes were huge and in awe; it was so sweet. It came time for them to head to bed, they all came up to get a hug and kiss good night. I am in love!
August 10, 2010
After school the boys invited me up to their veranda to play with them; I brought cards and Jenga. We sat and hung out as Tiago took some pictures with my camera. Then another missionary and I went to go visit Lordis (she works in the kitchen), along with 5 of my boys. We sat with Lordis as she got her hair braided and the boys played cards.
We then went walking around the village so that Sandi could find some fabric. The boys led us around to two different villages and looking for specific fabric. They were so great! :) Afterward, I took them to the Noviane market and bought them a coke/fanta. They are so sweet how they have really shown me how they just love to hang out, and don't ask for anything.
It was also super sweet, the boys know I don't like it when we go out and everyone yells, "akunya, akunya." It means "white person." I explained the them, I am not just a white person, I have a name. So as we are walking around and people are yelling, "akunya..." Achimo would holler back, "Nao akunya; Elena." Sweet!
Came back, and Fatima called me up that she had prepared Matapa for me. I spend most of the night with the girls, we ate, played games, then I went to go worship with Fatima, as she cried soft tears. Then came back home to make some birthday cakes!!
August 11, 2010
Went with some of the girls to go get breakfast, and I ran into Folgas. He started to tell me about a big fish that was on the shore, that we should go see it. I asked, what kind of fish; a WHALE!! Wow, had to see this! Ariell and I head down, and sure enough a baby beach whale, surrounded by about 1,000 people from the village. People were walking about with their machetes hacking away at it, and taking pieces home to eat. I tried to get closer, and I saw a friend of mine. I shouted to him, as he looked up, he motioned to me to catch... and there he goes...tossing me a huge chunk of whale!!
So what did we do... went home...and fried it! :) Didn't taste to shabby!
After lunch ;-) Ariell and I went up to hand gifts out to the rest of the kitchen staff (spaghetti and sardines). It was so beautiful, Filipe told me that I had blessed him so much as his friend, Lordis gave me a necklace, I started crying right there. Then everyone gathered about and started singing praise songs. It was beautiful and I felt so blessed.
It was raining so the boys and I decided to go to the beach the next day, went up to the baby house with Fatima to meet her younger brother. Prayed over a few of the babies who had gotten malaria. Then Achimo found me, and the boys wanted to know some things, so I ended up drawing a map and trying to explain time zones! HAHAHA! WOW!
