We started out our day with Ionut in his office. Adriana brought the three of us coffee and a platter of sugars and creams. I said my thank you's and right away started sipping at the caffeine my brain so needed this morning. Ionut looked at me in surprise and said, "What, no sugar?" To which I replied, "No, I usually drink it just as it is." A huge smile spread across his face as he remarked, "Ah, I see. We have a saying here that says if you can stand bitterness in your coffee, you must have a sweet life."
I really like it here.
Ashley and I sat with Sanda in her office today and listened as she told us each girl's story. By now, we know every girl by name and personality. I think it made it harder to hear these horror stories. Some of the girls have been at the house since they were 5...8....12 years old. As I was listening to these cases of abuse, I was distressed at the state of the world. It is hard for me to imagine parents being negligent; mothers too fearful to stand up for their children, fathers too drunk to get out of bed and feed their family. These precious girls had their innocence and the springtime of their life stolen. We are talking to Diana, the psychiatrist/psychologist, on Monday asking her about how she goes about treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with young girls. She told us that all of the girls were diagnosed with PTSD, so I'm thinking she is a good resource. It's incredible how much I'm learning about psychology as well as ministry. Even though this is an internship for my Global and Urban Ministries minor, I am learning so many things that will make me a better therapist/psychologist/researcher/human being.
We walked out of the office after that talk, and sat down to lunch with the girls. I looked at each one of them differently. I know more than their names and interests, I know their stories now. God has reclaimed each one of them--these girls are such gems.
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