Welcome to the Jungle: Orphanage Dress Up Day

Tinkerbell

Dress up Day :

One of the fun things about going to the orphanage is coming up with new things to do with the kids. This week’s theme was "Dress Up" thanks to Brooklyn giving up some of her old dress up clothes. The little girls loved it. I also learned a few things in the process. I definitely need more plastic dress up shoes. I also need to take the big girls shopping to get new church shoes. You should have seen them trying to squish their feet into tiny little plastic shoes.

Mani/Pedi:

My thought for the older girls was doing their nails. I really should have thought that one out better. As soon as I brought the polish out they were wildly painting their nails. It was a total mess. I remembered to bring nail polish remover but I forgot the paper towel or cotton balls to use with the remover. Whoops! Of course the orphanage did not have any toilet paper so I was out of luck. Luckily, my friend Wendy had some Kleenex. Oh, well! Lesson learned. Also a pair of fingernail clippers is a must. I am definitely putting that on my next shopping list.

Naked Hair:

I had taken a bunch of old hair bows with me with the orphanage thinking I would put them in the little girls hair. I expected the younger girls to love them. I did not expect the older girls to also love them. It was fun seeing a hair bow in every girl’s hair. I am definitely going to have to go through the rest of Brooklyn's hair bows and find some more that can go to the orphanage. Brooklyn cracks me up because she always says her hair is naked if she doesn't have some kind of hair accessory in her hair. I think she was seriously relieved to find out the kids no longer had naked hair.

Story of Hope:

The more I learn about the stories that brought the kids to Insan Permata the deeper my commitment becomes to helping this orphanage. Some of the stories are down right horrific and the intentions of some of the people involved down right evil. I am so thankful for Pak Jonedy and Ibu Anna who are willing to do something about it. Learning to trust again is a huge issue for these kids for obvious reasons. It is a slow process. I am watching it happen right now with the three newest arrivals. Having new kids enter into this big family is not always easy. There are LOTS of challenges. Each child reacts differently to coming to the orphanage. Some withdraw, some become people pleasers, always trying to do the right thing so they are not sent away while others become down right difficult. There is one specific little girl that is so angry about being at the orphanage. She is loud and obnoxious. I am amazed at how patient everyone is with her. They are slowly chipping away at her protective barrier she has put around herself. I watched Ibu Anna patiently feed her lunch yesterday. She did not want to eat her vegetables and she was being quite a stinker about it. Ibu Anna never lost her cool nor got upset. I think this little one has definitely met her match. In the end the vegetables were gone as was a little piece of the wall that keeps everyone out. I got the pleasure of giving Ibu Anna a break during the vegetable match. I think the novelty of a crazy white lady making airplane noises distracted her and the vegetable were gone pretty quickly. The victory definitely goes to Ibu Anna.

Next Steps:

I haven’t had any luck getting any organizations willing to take on the kids from Insan Permata into their sponsorship program. Riau province is very corrupt and most non-profits don’t want to touch it. We are praying for guidance as we begin take the next steps in securing monthly funds for the orphanage. I know that God will provide for them. I am excited to see how this is all going to come together. I am also thankful that we get to play a little part in His plan.

Snow White