Cake and Crafts

Yesterday was a long and fun-filled day! Nina and I crawled out of bed shortly after 3am to go with George's nephew Benny to pick up our newest volunteer, Mary. What a blessing Mary is! She is a teacher and works with my friend Tessa in Italy, at the American School of Milan. When Tessa told her what I was planning to do here, Mary decided to get involved. I was able to meet her for the first time on my way to India when I stopped in Italy to visit Tessa. I cannot say enough good things about Mary! She is a sweet, kind, spiritual woman who's smile never leaves her face. She was able to get her visa just in time to come here for her week of February vacation. And she came bearing gifts! She brought educational games and teaching aids, craft supplies, books, and toys! These kids have nothing more than a couple of old cricket balls and a soccer ball to kick around, so you can imagine how excited they were. Sometimes it is hard to fill the space in their weekend days when there are little resources; one can enjoy throwing rocks in the dirt for only so long. The children took to her immediately! They could sense her genuine love from the moment they met her and have been stuck to her like glue since her arrival. We finished off the night by making some beautiful macaroni jewelry creations that even the boys loved!

We had some sponsoring visitors during our lunch hour that were kind enough to provide lunch and even cake! (They don't generally have oven's here in India, so their sweet treats are a little lacking.) We got to eat with them and introduce Mary to Indian style dining, on the floor, eating with your hand, right hand only. It is a lot to take in right away, especially since they heap your plate with food no matter how hard you try to prevent it, and I feel for her, having been in her position just a few weeks ago.

Some of the boys enjoying their sponsored lunch

I am looking forward to learning from Mary, as sometimes I don't really know where to begin when working with the children on their English studies. It is definitely harder than I imagined, since all of the children are at different levels. Some are very good at reading and speaking, but the comprehension isn't quite there, so their understanding doesn't match their reading level.

Mary dying pasta to make jewelry with the girls

We only have Mary for one week, but she has brought with her so many tools for growth that her presence will be be with us for a long time!

Angel showing off some of her beautiful creations