09.

Sunflowers are like icons at DH. They surround the houses and are painted on the walls. They are painted on paper, framed, and stuck on the walls. It is a beautiful thing to be surrounded by blossoms.

Today we played a lot. After spending my morning in Sanda's office (translating things into English, peeling oranges, filing passports, etc), Ashley and I went outside and found a group of the younger girls. It was absolutely perfect morning weather, so we sat and enjoyed the breeze while the girls took their turns on the swing. "Let's play a game!" We agreed, and I stood there trying to translate for Ashley this wildly invented game about colored eggs. This is how it goes:

There is one "Mami" (Me)
And one Wolf (Ashley)
And three children (T****, V********, and F*********)

The wolf waits around the corner as the Mami whispers colors to the little ones. The wolf knocks on the door and so begins the dialogue:

Mami: "Yes?"
Wolf: "Hello, Mrs. Hen. Do you have any colored eggs?"
Mami: "Well, it depends. What colors are you looking for?"

The wolf proceeds to name colors, and if he so happens to guess one, Mami pretends to invite him in for coffee to distract him while the one with the right color runs as fast as they can into the garden. I would yell "Go! Go! Go!" and run after the wolf. If the child can run back to Mami's arms before the wolf gets her, she is safe! If not, she.....is out. Creative, no?

We played this game for at least one hour before continuing to play a rough game of dodgeball in the middle of the road. Because it is tiring to spend your morning running through orchards and throwing soccer balls at Ashley, I was relieved when Lorena called us into the living room to talk. Lorena is the driving force behind DH--the whole project is her dream that has become a big, functioning reality. We spent a long time here. It was an amazing time where we exchanged ideas, listened to her explain laws and norms, and developed a plan of action for next week. Ashley and I are planning on talking to the girls about a few things: body image, boyfriends, modesty, and hi5 (a myspace-like website that is not what teenage girls need to be spending their time on). We have the weekend to become experts on these topics! What an opportunity. Please pray for us--that we will come across in a way that is credible and non-threatening.


There is so much more! But I won't bore you with details. It was an incredible day, full of learning. Here's to many more.