Long days, busy times, fulfilling work!

Just a quick note to all our friends and families.....Sorry we haven't been able to write as much (even though I know you all prefer the pictures anyways), but we are literally busy from sun-up till sun-down. Plus the internet is really slow, there are only 2 laptops for our whole team to share/take-turns, and the building where the internet is closes at 8pm.  So we have very limited time to get things posted.  Today is Sat, and we are catching just a bit of a breath, so I have gone back and added captions to most of the photos....so please go back and read thru the photos if they didn't have captions when you looked thru them before. 
So the basic summary of our schedule is:  get up at 7am, eat breakfast, pack our lunches, drive over to the slums, do morning and afternoon sessions of VBS "Kids Club" (drama, puppets, songs, crafts and games).  The theme verse is Prov 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."  We have a 1 hr break in-between the a.m. & p.m. sessions where we eat our picnic lunch, play with the kids, help the cooks in the kitchen, help serve their lunch, visit the school classrooms, etc.  Then we head home to the First Love property (a compound with dorm, dining hall, guest house, woman's trade center, a workshop, gardens, office)...the buildings and grounds are beautiful, but the 53 orphans that live here are the most beautiful of all!  First Love has "adopted" them from the slums, they have dorm "mom"s and "dad"s, they are wards of First Love and function as a family unit.  When they come home from school, they immediately do their laundry (wash their school uniforms) and hang their wash out on the line, then they are free to play until dinner time.  My favorite part of the day is when we join them at 7pm for devotions every night....drums, dancing, singing praises to God!  It is so powerful and moving to see these 53 kids singing and dancing their hearts out....a love song to their Savior!  Then Joey and I are reading "The Jesus Story Book Bible" for their devotions.  They close the night by singing a benediction song and praying....everyone in the entire room on their knees bowing to the Lord of all Creation!  Then it's off to shower and go to bed!  You can't believe how dirty we get here...our shoes are caked with mud, our noses and ears full of dirt, sunburned necks and noses. 
Jonas and Alea are doing AWESOME!!!  So much for the rule of keeping Jonas in our sights 24-7.... the famous last words of our team are "Where's Jonas?"  He's usually in the chicken coop, playing with the goats out back, or carrying around the baby kittens.   And of course when the boys are home, he's running around with them......he's always begging "Can I go play with my friends?"  Here on the First Love compound it is  completely safe....brick wall with barbed wire and electric fence above, 24 hr guard, so he is in his element....running free with the animals!  When the kids are home from school, he and Alea are 100% entertained by playing with the kids non-stop....soccer, jumprope, all sorts of ball games (their balls are made out of wadded up socks or plastic stuffed and tied up).  The children are so happy to greet us, shake hands, high five, hug us, play with us, run their fingers through our hair, rub our arm hair, etc.  The first day Jonas was a little overwhelmed by all the touching and ran & hid.   But  now he's just one of the gang (although one boy keeps telling me "I just love Jonas' hair")....Alea has been sooo good with letting the girls touch her hair and drag her around, sometimes fighting over her (who's turn to hold hands, etc)....she just smiles the whole time.
Every day is a big adrenaline rush, as we need lots of energy for the kids, and emotionallly exhausting as we try to process everything we've seen during the day....the poverty, the neediness, the harshness of these kids' lives.  Plus the spiritual "high"....2 praise sessions (the songs are so moving) for Kids Club, and then worship at night here at First Love.  It's like the spritual high you had when you went to church camp as a kid, or youth rallies, church retreats, etc.  
Alea and I have been taking sleep aids every night so that has helped, but we are still feeling run down.  Alea had hives all over, but they are gone now, Jonas has bites all up and down his legs (I think chiggers, from running around after dark with the boys).  The fleas are gone out of our beds. Our showers are warm, we have plenty of filtered water to drink, we are eating well....we're doing good! THANKS everyoone for your prayers.
Tonight we are having a bonfire with the First Love kids here on the property (they are buildling a fire pit as I type)....the kids have never had a hot dog or marshmellow before!  Joey is helping Annette (the one who braided Alea's hair) read right now....she just joined First Love last month and is very behind in school.  Her little sister, Purity, is my sweetheart...from day one here on the property.  We always seek each other out.  Can't wait to goto church tomorrow!
Anissa