Going to breakfast, I definitely felt more at ease. Every single person was becoming more and more like family and I was getting to know everyone better all the time. I finally felt more at home, and I was enjoying the presence of God, others, as well as the peace and tranquility all around me (yeah, including the silence!).
Once again, I went up to The Angel House after breakfast. Babies are so perfect! It‘s just heaven! Maggie was with me too, until she and some other gals went into town to supposedly pick up supplies. They were supposed to be back before lunch, but they were missing for a good chunk of the day. I hassled her good once she got back lol. They were on a shopping trip instead of a mission trip; one would have thought I would have been the one that ended up doing that! Ha ha!!
While Maggie was gone, Cindy came and told me that L.A. needed our help. He had a trailer hooked up to the Mule (a golf cart type of vehicle) and he was going to take some of the special needs kids on a ride on the hills around the area. Leaving the babies was the last thing I wanted to do. If Maggie had been there, she probably would have been the one to go, but no…..now I had to do it. ;)
Yeah, that’s how I felt at first. I didn’t want to ride on a trailer in the heat and supervise the kids in the wheelchairs. For one, I always have trouble with “special” kids. Not that I don’t like them, but I have just never known how to relate. I have always felt awkward. I’ve always been afraid that I would upset them somehow, or not know what to do if something went wrong for any reason. I had visions of me falling off the trailer or chasing a wheelchair down a hill. I just wasn’t thrilled with the idea.
Quickly, my outlook began to change as I really got to see and meet some of the people in The Blessing House. Weldon and James (and James’ “baby”, his doll, Adam) rode in the Mule with L.A. (I think George went too, but I can’t remember). Cindy, Edith, and I rode in the trailer behind Amy and Lance who were in their wheelchairs. They can’t say anything, but Amy smiled the whole time! She’s always smiling! Lance smiles sometimes. I think it might have been Edith who told me that he likes music and that he always smiles if you sing “Jesus Loves Me”. (In fact, a few days later, I thought I would try to get him to smile when he and the other kids were outside. I sang that song, and he did smile a little).
While we were riding all around and up and down the hills, I felt the wind on my face and saw all the beauty of nature around me. I saw Amy continuing to smile and I just stayed present in the moment. It was beautiful. I was glad that I had been one of the ones to help and that I didn’t miss it (but Maggie did!! Yeah, that’s what you get for leavin‘! Lol). The more I was around those kids, the easier it got because you do start to get to know more about them, and the “awkwardness” begins to fade. I think it’s even easier because of the fact that they (and everyone down there) just LOVE Jesus! You can feel Him and see Him everywhere!! The whole part of the Lord’s prayer, about “on earth as it is in heaven”; it’s right there at The Galilean Home. It really is a slice of heaven. Everyone loves each other, helps one another, and genuinely cares. I never seen any conflict or negativity; only unity, teamwork, and unconditional love. I don’t think I have ever seen so much of that in one place!! It’s beautiful!!
The ride finally ended, and it was time for Cindy and I to get dinner started. My back (and butt lol) was glad to be off the trailer, but my heart would have loved to have had more! I’m so glad that I got to go on that ride and see all the blessings that I seen! I will remember it (and the kids) always!
I helped Cindy for a little while, until I had the opportunity to help Medina make a rug. You would think I would be all for it, but it was yet another one of those instances where I was like, “eh, I don’t know.” But, I was shown how to do it and we started weavin’ it. I think in my mind, I was just concerned that I would screw it up and then upset her or something. Or, that I wouldn’t know how to talk to her. However, we were getting it done and talking it up in no time. She’s a sweetheart! And, she’s very smart! She doesn’t have much sight, but her hearing must be impeccable! I had been humming a song from “The Sound of Music” while I was working (though rather softly). Yet, she picked up on it and even recognized it! She said, “I love the Sound of Music.” I was so surprised lol! So, I started telling her about how I had it on my iPod (Maggie and I had listened to it on the way down and Lincoln turned up the radio when he heard us singing lol). I told her I could go up to the house and get it (and my camera too, because I wanted a picture with her). So, I left for a minute to go them while Maggie (who had FINALLY returned lol) continued to help weave the rug.
As I went through my suitcase, it was no where to be found. I rummaged around for several minutes and STILL couldn’t find it! I couldn’t imagine where else it could be! I KNEW that it had to be there because I dropped it in there after looking through the day’s pictures last night before I went to sleep. However, no camera. I looked in my purse, under the bed, and all around my bed area. Couldn’t find it. I was confused, panicked, and even a little suspicious.
Well, I gave up for the time being and tried to push it all out of my mind. I figured I would look for it later that night. Yet, even in the evening, it still wasn’t turning up and I was starting to get upset. I had thought to myself “I would rather lose my wallet than my camera!” Ya’ll know me! I’m a shutterbug! And, I have already had to replace that camera once (when it broke last year) and I couldn’t afford to replace it again! I was starting to get a little tearful, and Maggie helped me look and everyone else kept and eye out for it, but it was no where to be found.
That night, I tried to rest, but I was so unsettled. I tried to ignore Satan’s attempts to convince me that someone took it (I know that NO ONE there would do such a thing!). I even thought that maybe I was being “punk’d” by Phil or something (because he said he was going to “get me” during the week as payback for the pictures I took of him that he didn’t like lol). But, none of that was the case. I just hoped and prayed that I would find it soon. Otherwise, it would bug me like the dickens and be a distraction until I knew what happened to it. More than that, I thought about all the pictures that I had taken that would now be lost forever, and the fact that I wouldn’t have them to post when I got home. I would also miss out on taking more pictures (as well as when I got home to my regular life too). I know I sound overly dramatic (and I was), but that didn’t last long…….(to be continued).
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