Smiles to light up a Nation.

Have you ever seen a smile this big? Today was the big day here at New Hope Homes. We got up at 6:30 to begin prepping for the distribution of the gifts that you sent with me. It took about 2 hours to get everything set up and then over 4 hours to distribute. Here’s the way Santa’s Elves did their work. All the kids gifts of clothes and shoes were laid out in alphabetical order. Then the kids started outside one by one. 1st we measured their feet to get an accurate reading of their real size as it’s been a bit hit or miss. In the early days Chantal would trace the kids feet, send the sketch to me, I would take it to the store and guess the size. Not quite an exact science, but a start. Today we were able to properly measure each foot with real instrument and start again. No surprise…only 2 kids were actually in the right size shoe. Sarah and Kelly measured the feet and wrote down the proper number on the spreadsheet. Then we asked each of them their favorite color so we would know in the future. Next they received their present and came outside for a photo holding the bag. Then back to the main room for a fitting, then a photo with Erik (Chantal and Mbanda’s son) , then a photo in their new outfit. The smile on each of their faces was ear to ear. To receive brand new clothes, just for them, is like giving a kid in the States a new Wii or PS3. It’s a HUGE deal. They study each of them carefully and look with pride as it is “theirs”. Next Erik would ask each child what type of clothes they would like to receive next..ie do the girls want dresses, pants, shorts, skirts etc. and do the boys want pants or shorts. Then they got to ask for a wish. What is one present they would like to receive some time this year. The answers were beautifully simple…a ball, a small truck, a coloring book. Then back inside to adjust for the proper shoe sizes and clothes. As mentioned up front we had a lot of adjusting to do so all of your clothes and shoes went to a child…just perhaps not the intended child as we wanted them to have a proper fit. The kids LOVED the notes and pictures you included in each of your gifts. They opened them with such care and studied each of them as it had their name on it. Know that they will keep this notes. Proof is Fabiola brought out a folder yesterday of a story that my friend Lynn wrote about her 2 year ago. She brought it to me in the same folder as I presented it in. It has clearly been cared for over the years. She was proud to show me that she still had it and loved it. She’ll do the same for them. Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into sending the exact right gift. Your attention to the details was duly noted. As the kids came out in their new outfits the Mama’s and little babies were sitting on a small wooden bench and oooed and ahhhed as each new child emerged. The Mommies really loved seeing the joy on the kids faces. Erik, Kelly and Sarah were AMAZING. This was major production for over 4 hours. It takes a lot of patience to properly meet each child’s needs in such a beautiful way. I am so thankful that they were here. Last time I did this solo with the Mommies and Aunties who really don’t speak and English so it was challenging at best. Erik said goodbye and we continued to inventory the excess shoes and clothes. We used nearly every single stitch of clothes – including 4 extras bags full. We also have a terrific inventory of shoes now…wonderfully enduring shoes like Tevas, Keen’s and Crocks. Exhausted, the adults took a little rest break while the kids went to have lunch. When they returned the big kids too the little kids into the classroom and began teaching. Sande and Isaac wrote addition and multiplication examples on the board and the kids copied them onto their paper and worked on the solution. It’s a very orderly process and so impressive to see 10 year olds teaching school. Next we worked on recording our music DVD with the kids singing songs in English and Kinyarwanda. We’ll be working on this for a few more days. The kids do a great job, but as you can imagine…are a bit figitity…so you get what you get. But their little sings are just adorable. As I am writing this the kids are yelling and screaming in the yard playing games. The sound of their laughter is something I carry with me. I think back to the fear on these kids faces when they came into our homes. How frightened they looked. How dishelved. How they suffered from malnutrition. How dirty they were. Now they are full of joy and the Love of the Lord, they are healthy, happy and love their brothers and sisters. Yes, laughter tells so much to the trained listener here.