The Children

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about exactly how we are working with the children. It has taken a while to get settled into a routine, but things are starting to become normal now.

We go to the children's home everyday around 4:oo-4:30. This is when they shower and have free time. We play with them at first and do things like read with them, puzzles, singing, or we just sit and hold them. Most of them don't know how to react to being touched, so we focus on doing this often. Around 5:00 I try to meet with a single child and talk about whatever they want to talk about. Some of the kids aren't comfortable doing this, so it doesn't happen everyday. Today I met with an older girl who didn't speak English, but conveyed that she was having trouble with math. I helped her solve a problem and tomorrow we are meeting again to do more. She was really happy that I knew how to do math...thanks Dad (I never thought I would say that)!

At 5:30 Kim and I hold English classes for the younger children. I teach about 20 girls and Kiim teaches around 25 boys. I give them conversation lines and make them practice and then I give them a spelling test on 6 words each week. The girls love the extra attention they are getting and they always yell out "EXAM, EXAM" to remind me we have a spelling test.

At 6:15 all the children gather for a prayer meeting, which is like a short youth group. They pray, read the Psalms, sing, and then someone talks. Kim and I talk once a week. We are going to start teaching a lesson based on a kid's English praise song and then we will teach them the song. I just got a cd of songs that we use in sunday school back home, so we will use this. Kim and I also plan on having a week-long Bible Triathalon with prizes and games. We'll do this within the next couple of weeks once we plan it out.

We have discovered that our ministry here is more focused on showing the children love than anything else. Most of them have come to the home not because they are orphans, but because their family can no longer support them so they send them away. This stems out of situations like the 2004 Tsunami and recent persecution in Orissa. Some of the children are also victims of crime, meaning that one or both of their parents are in prison. Even with their circumstances, it is amazing how happy they are.

The Children's home is also planning on having a mini-Bible school in March and April. This is always fun for the kids and they get to meet Americans and do all kinds of crafts they would never have access to here. There are two groups going, one in March and one in April. If anyone wants to join a group, please contact me or my parents and we can get you in touch with the leaders.

It is also an option to sponsor one of the children here at the home. As of right now, there are around 40 children that are not sponsored. It costs a dollar a day for sponsorship and the money can be sent whenever it is convenient. This money goes to buy the child's clothes, school books, food, and for the aunties who help care for them full-time at the home. I can also pick out a child personally for you and convey to him/her who is sponsoring them.

That is a little glimpse into the Children's home. If you have any questions or want any more information, just e-mail me at ltuteral@alumni.iu.edu.