In my last couple weeks at Lily I took about 1,000 pictures...well, actually, most of the time I gave my camera to older kids who took a majority of the pictures... regardless, I've gone through and narrowed that down to about 180 pictures which I've posted online. I know it's still a lot of pictures, but the kids are just so cute and funny! Here they are: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/573686228HyCdqo
As I mentioned in my last post, things didn't end like I would have wanted them to at Lily and future reflections will probably dwell on some of that again, but when I look at the pictures of the kids I remember all the good parts about the place. I think about all the times the kids made me laugh and all the good times hanging out on the trampoline, in the houses and running around the grounds. I also look at these beautiful, healthy kids and am amazed to think about some of their background stories...kids abused, kids neglected, kids abandoned, kids in and out of the hospital for TB or HIV related diseases battling for their lives, kids literally on their death bed, all having found a home at Lily, now healthy and growing and thriving. One kid was apparently brought to Lily at 11 years old, weighing 22 pounds, everyone expecting him to die within a couple weeks and surely never walk again; now at 13 he is a healthy, good sized boy running around, smiling, playing with the other kids. Other children who had shut down emotionally and socially from past horrors have gained confidence and opened up while at Lily. Yes, there are many great stories to be told. I thank the Lord for those stories, for his goodness, for those kids and for granting me 9 months to live with them. I pray that Lily can grow and continue to meet the often very difficult physical and emotional needs of these kids, building on what has already been done so that these kids have a chance to live happy lives when they grow up. Enjoy the photos!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Blog??
Yeah, I've been bad, I don't know what to tell you (but i'll attempt). It's been a combination of things (begin excuses...):
1. I've been recovering (I know it's been a month already! take it easy on a guy)
2. I've been busy with family, friends and Sarah. Having a girlfriend across the country is not easy. And if I haven't seen or talked to you yet I'm sorry.
3. Lily didn't end all that well and I haven't really wanted to post on it. I figured the post would be depressing, and well, i've had a few people tell me to keep blogging and keep it funny, which it would not be right now... although i don't consider myself that funny in general.
4. Since my mom has gotten the chance to see me she has been far less nagging about my blogging... although she's picked back up more recently.
So why am I blogging now? Because I'm trying to look for a job and that's just depressing, blogging is a much better option. So is sleep... I think I'll do that soon too. As for the job hunt, I'm now looking for a job in Nashville, TN, which I am visiting at this moment. So if you have any contacts out here, please please make my life easier. Yep, Nashville... it'll be interesting to see how the South and I get along... I just had my first use of "fixin'" in a sentence today, that was weird. The occasional y'all usage has also been increasing. Unfortunately one thing I didn't leave behind in LA was guys wearing girl jeans...that happens too much in Nashville as well.
Seriously though, I think I owe it to all of you who have supported me to fill you in on how the trip has affected me. So back to wrapping up my South Africa trip before moving on to other things... As I said, my time at Lily didn't end all that well. Basically, as I blogged about once before, some sexual abuse between kids was brought to light during the end of my time there and a few more things happened before I left. It was just tough to see that stuff and also see the way it was handled. There are still some things going on there that are hard for me to swallow and some unhealthy relationships. These things have caused me a lot of pain for the past few months and have also forced me to reevaluate and question things a lot. I think I'll be processing this stuff for a long long time, but I will try to get down some thoughts in forthcoming blogs on what I've learned from my time there and what I'm still working on. As for Lily, that place and its management need a LOT of prayer. Unfortunately, I think my time with them is coming to an end soon once I wrap up some loose ends, but I continue to search for guidance there. I still love those kids. I'll try to post some pics soon along with the additional blog posts.
1. I've been recovering (I know it's been a month already! take it easy on a guy)
2. I've been busy with family, friends and Sarah. Having a girlfriend across the country is not easy. And if I haven't seen or talked to you yet I'm sorry.
3. Lily didn't end all that well and I haven't really wanted to post on it. I figured the post would be depressing, and well, i've had a few people tell me to keep blogging and keep it funny, which it would not be right now... although i don't consider myself that funny in general.
4. Since my mom has gotten the chance to see me she has been far less nagging about my blogging... although she's picked back up more recently.
So why am I blogging now? Because I'm trying to look for a job and that's just depressing, blogging is a much better option. So is sleep... I think I'll do that soon too. As for the job hunt, I'm now looking for a job in Nashville, TN, which I am visiting at this moment. So if you have any contacts out here, please please make my life easier. Yep, Nashville... it'll be interesting to see how the South and I get along... I just had my first use of "fixin'" in a sentence today, that was weird. The occasional y'all usage has also been increasing. Unfortunately one thing I didn't leave behind in LA was guys wearing girl jeans...that happens too much in Nashville as well.
Seriously though, I think I owe it to all of you who have supported me to fill you in on how the trip has affected me. So back to wrapping up my South Africa trip before moving on to other things... As I said, my time at Lily didn't end all that well. Basically, as I blogged about once before, some sexual abuse between kids was brought to light during the end of my time there and a few more things happened before I left. It was just tough to see that stuff and also see the way it was handled. There are still some things going on there that are hard for me to swallow and some unhealthy relationships. These things have caused me a lot of pain for the past few months and have also forced me to reevaluate and question things a lot. I think I'll be processing this stuff for a long long time, but I will try to get down some thoughts in forthcoming blogs on what I've learned from my time there and what I'm still working on. As for Lily, that place and its management need a LOT of prayer. Unfortunately, I think my time with them is coming to an end soon once I wrap up some loose ends, but I continue to search for guidance there. I still love those kids. I'll try to post some pics soon along with the additional blog posts.
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