Hello All!
Hope you can take a gander at the pictures I have recently put up on facebook and hopefully I can take more and put them up in a timelier manner! The weather this week has been crazy! From 80 degrees and sun to 40 degrees and rain. I had to buy a jacket to be better prepared for the weather! The store I bought it from in the mall kind of looked like a small Kohl’s and then in the back there was a Harris Teeter…how weird and convenient! 
On Wednesday I met with one of the managers of Living Hope. We talked about what I was going to be doing for the next 2 months involving the health curriculum. I am going to get great experience with this project! Most of the information is already there, I just need to change it from a 12th grade reading level to about a 2nd grade reading level. The curriculum is for the facilitators and members of the HIV support groups. The people that are using this information are not dumb, English is there 2nd language and they also lack education on most of the topics. Many did not complete school and do not have any other channels to get information for their health. Isn’t it crazy that it is second nature that we already know about all this stuff? Some of the topics are quite surprising. Like the US, they will be learning about high blood pressure, diabetes, nutrition, exercise, tobacco, ect. Some random topics include foot care and eye care. There is no law here that says you have to wear shoes. People walk around everywhere, stores, schools, soccer games, with no shoes. You can get sick and crazy infections if you don’t keep your feet clean! So…keep that in mind! 
On Thursday, I went to day number 2 of kids club. Kids club lasts from 3-4:30. From 3 to 3:30 we play outside with the kids. From 3:30 to 4:30 we go inside, sing some songs, have a few games/crafts, and then give them a sandwich and fruit. The kids are ages 3 to 13, I normally help with the elementary and younger aged kids. Boy, were the kids rowdier than ever today! One boy decided it would be super funny to spray me and the other leader, as well as the other kids, with a little water gun in the face. That gets old real quick in 45 degree weather! This kid thought it was oh so funny that he still didn’t listen when he was told to go home after several times of asking if he could put it away. That was a bit frustrating. Another kid, probably like 12/13 years old, decided to pull out his “source of income” he called it. I’m glad the younger kids were so involved with their outdoor games that they didn’t see the marijuana this kid was showing his friends. Lots of punches were exchanged between kids as well. There seems to be so much corruption already, it really is sad. There is always light at the end of the tunnel though. Once we turned on some fun Christian music, 90% percent of them jumped up, and started dancing, clapping, and singing. Some of the kids can be so cute. They are all seeking guidance, attention, and most of all love. You can see with their eyes that they are taking so much in. I am glad for an hour they can see God’s love for them, instead of all the negativity in some parts of their community. It breaks my heart that some of these innocent kids have to go back home after kids club to hardly any food and unconstructive lifestyles. 
The coordinator of teen club and kids club is this big guy named Nathan. We were talking the other day and he said that yelling at kids doesn’t get you anywhere. They are always yelled at at home. I don’t know how to get 30 crazy kids to listen to you. Yelling doesn’t work, not yelling doesn’t work (what do you expect they are kids after all). I do know one thing, though. Kids are drawn to love, like everyone else. They may not know what the leaders are saying, especially me, but they know that we all love them. We all will give them a hug if some other kid hits them with a ball or tell them how nice their drawing looks. They are drawn to compassion. We all are if you think about it. Compassion and love is what draws us all to Jesus after all. 
Nathan’s favorite punishment is having the kids stand up with their arms straight up in the air for like ten minutes. I haven’t tried it but I can tell by the look on the kid’s faces that they do not enjoy it! I’m glad my dad made us write lines or run around the house if we misbehaved! 
Hope everyone is excited for a fresh start for school or work coming up soon! Miss you all! 8 more weeks until I am back in the states! 
Love,
Amanda