{day seven} teasin'

Today I had the rare pleasure to talk on the phone with my dear friend, Will. Will and I have known each other since first grade, and have been blessed enough to have families that love each other so much that we get to spend most holidays, Sundays, and special gatherings together. Since I was 14, I've had a permanent big brother in Will, and with all the good things that come from brothers, also come the teasing, tickling, fighting, fussing, and until about 15 pounds ago (on my part) the "Oh, you don't want to do that? Okay, I'll just pick you up and dangle you by your feet until you decide to say yes."

I have laughed hardest, felt 100% embarrassed, cried until my eyes ached, and had the best time I could imagine with that guy, and I am SO thankful! Today, we chatted and caught up, talked about Christmas-y plans for my next visit, and he expressed that he would never be coming to visit me here, and even if I were dying in the hospital how he'd just send me a balloon. (Only about 15% sure he's joking...)
Amongst our chatter, I told him how much I'd fallen in love with all of the girls here, and how I felt most days as if I had 60-some-odd little sisters running around all the time. I told him how they like to run up and just jump on me until I fall to the ground, and then it's a power struggle. How they LOVE to find out how ticklish you are and then take advantage of that for the next 4 months straight. How they like to create imaginary boyfriends for you, and then tease you like they're real. And how they just like to call you names, justtttt to get on your nerves, like, "Barbies", "Loquita" (Little Crazy Girl), and "Colochita" (Little curly headed girl).

This note, from one of the girls just expresses their sweetness. I was helping another girl in the computer lab one day, and came back to this written on a sticky note, and posted in the middle of my computer screen. Then, she was just peering around the door frame, giggling, and ran away!

There's nothing like a little teasin' to make you feel a lot loved! Will would be proud.

{day six} talentos y dones

What you learn, just about people in general, working at a home for girls who've come out of abandonment and abusive situations, is that they have their "thing". This thing, that most people have, that they do when they need their alone time, quiet time, to deal with frustration or sadness. For most of our girls, it's not to sit down and have a talk about it. For some, it's to sit with blank pages, markers, crayons, and colored pencils. For others it's to write about it in a journal. For many it's to escape to play the piano, guitar, and even the drums, or run to the soccer field and kick the ball around in solitude. For me, it's to lay outside with my eyes closed with only the sunshine on my face. (This proves to need an alternative when it's pouring rain outside.)

For one special girl, it's to crochet. She makes hats, blankets, scarves, bags, and sometimes just long pieces of crocheted yarn. Oh, she can do all sorts of shapes and sizes. She sometimes adorns them with colorful flowers. This morning, she walked into my office, and said with delight, "Betsy! I made this for you! It's a table decoration! You can use it in the middle of your table to put flowers on, hot dishes, or books!"

Tonight, as this is sitting in the middle of my table, awaiting a vase of flowers, or some books, I am so grateful that the Lord gives us gifts and talents that we can use to comfort ourselves, bless others, and glorify Him with.

{1 Peter 4:10}
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

{day five} selfie saturday

If there's one thing I've learned since being here, is that these babes LOVE technology. They could sit for hours just watching music videos, movies online, taking pictures, typing letters, researching poems...whatever you've got, they want it.

What I've noticed more recently, is their obsession with capturing every moment with my camera. Sometimes I'll open up my phone and have 100 recently taken photos in my album. Most times just of the floor, ceiling, or someone's back, but sometimes you get just a really really cute selfie. In the States, kids take selfies with fish {kissy} faces, the word BAE across the screen {Still don't know what that actually means}, a "Stay Fierce" face, or, try to make themselves actually look unattractive. What I love about the selfies of the girls I work with, is that they don't actually know what they're doing, so it just turns out sweet.

Now, if you're from the south, you know that I'm not saying "sweet" to mean like, "super cool", but you know that I'm saying "sweet" like, "Well, she just looks so sweet in that little pink ruffly dress." or "That sweet girl doesn't have an ugly bone in her body". And that's just what I mean with my description.

This little selfie-er absolutely captures my heart every time I see her. Giant hugs, a little raspy voice that laughs SO hard, soft brown hair with little bangs, a giant neon yellow sweatshirt with jeans with heart shaped patches, and a love for piggy back rides.

{day three} swagger

swagger: to move with confidence, sophistication, and to be cool. To conduct yourself in a way that would earn respect. To dress in a stylish and quirky way.

I put this definition, because I know a lot of people wouldn't be 100% sure what the word "swagger" was. Just since being out of the United States for a year, I have lost so much knowledge on slang, and on words that have a second meaning.

I chose this title for today's photo because this girl, is the definition of swagger. She is 100% her own individual. She is cool, lovable, kind, hilarious, independent, easy going, and an absolute rock star. Despite her history, past and present, she is one of the girls that I admire the most here. She takes her friendships very seriously, encouraging, loving, and supporting each one of her friends from a Christ-like woman's perspective.

I remember one specific instance a few months ago when she was worried for a friend, and we went and sat together under the stars outside and prayed for her. Her eyes filled up with tears as she just wept for the heart of her friend, and that Jesus would take care of it. This is the same girl that chose to have "Stay Fierce" embroidered on a fancy pillow for her Quinceanera celebration, and buy really cool high top sneakers to go under her poofy, gem-stone-studded royal blue dress.

I took this picture yesterday as I was running out the door because of a stomach bug, while she said to me, "Feel better Betsy. Stay fierce. Look at this picture while you're laying in your bed."

{day two} teamwork

I've always been one to 100% support teamwork and healthy competition. I have always struggled when people say to me, "Make sure there's a winner from both sides, we don't want to hurt their self esteem." Not because I genuinely want to damage a child's self-esteem, but because I believe that competition can foster self discipline, and an inward motivation.

I also love watching kids work together to reach a common goal. I love the idea of 5 or 6 different learning styles coming together to solve a problem, different skills and talents being mushed up together to create the best of their best.

Today was Guatemala's national "Day of the Children". It's a day to just celebrate the children in your life, and remind them how important, valued, and special that they are. We celebrated at the Oasis by welcoming the girls home from school with firecrackers, a big special lunch followed by cake, 3 hours of games and competitions, and then a movie with popcorn and chocolate covered marshmallows. Maybe we spoiled them a little bit today? :)

Here's my favorite photo from the day, of the girls really digging into the game at hand. I believe they had to unscramble words to make a phrase, in this particular photo!

"He who walks with the wise, grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." {Proverbs 13:20}