{just dance}

Last week we got to hand out a ton of clothes (donated from America) to the kids. They were really excited, especially the younger girls! It was fun to see their personalities come out as they got to pick out their clothes. Some of them put all their clothes on at once because they liked them so much! It was really fun to "shop" with them.

yes!

piles o' clothes

adding to the pile (I like shopping too!)

look how cute I am!!!

We also had a party with 12 teenagers from my dance class. We had them over to our apartment to play Just Dance! They LOVED it! They played for 4 straight hours and couldn't get enough of it! We also had pizza and red velvet cake which they enjoyed.

steven is actually really good!

so much fun!

taking a break!

we are all doing something completely different...

I am always amazed by the generosity of our kids.  The other day, I was working at a orphanage out of town, and little Robi and Ionela picked flowers for me because they missed me and sent them home with another staff member. The kids are always looking for ways to show their love and affection.  It is such a blessing to be a part of that!

love this face!

cute siblings!

We organized a movie night for an end of the year celebration for our character class.  I tried to find an educational movie, but went with Finding Nemo instead!  The kids really loved it, plus they got popcorn and soda!

total concentration

While there are so many wonderful days, there are also hard days.  Sometimes our hearts feel so burdened for the kids, and all the ways we cannot help them.  Sometimes that is overwhelming- we love our kids so much and want to be able to fix everything for them, but we can't.  It's days like there where I ask God what he is doing and feel the weight of what the kids go through on a daily basis.  I was thinking about what the bible says about God's promise to us, that he has a plan for our good.  And I came across Psalm 30:11-12 "You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.  You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!" What I get from this verse is hope, and that's the best thing I can offer my kids, hope in their true Father who will never abandon them.  And for that, I will dance.
{haley}