Celebrating Buster

 A year ago my friend Buster died. Even though Buster didn’t talk much, he was the life of the home. You could always find a smile and a laugh when you were with Buster. The orphanage is not the same without him.

Since the anniversary of his passing was on its way, we (at ORR) decided to honor him by bringing some Buster-sized smiles to the orphanage family he left behind. It was declared “Buster Day"! Our Buster party-pack included smiley face stamps, silly bands, balloons, and a heart shaped craft to remember our love for Buster. And, of course, no party is complete without chocolate biscuits, candy, and juice!

I started out by asking what everyone remembered most about Buster and got a little worried as I was greeted with serious, unsure faces and a few trembling lips. Then an answer came—“Buster loved to sing!” “He loved to dance.” “Buster always loved to smile!”

Everyone enjoyed the Buster Day party. It even ended with a spontaneous sing-a-long in his honor. We may never know why Buster died so early, but thankfully we can always remember the life he brought when he was here.

Miss you buddy!

Buster "Busta Rhymes" Findley
Died June 2010

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Beach Day!

Spending time with kids affords many fun experiences and creates many unforgettable memories. There are some days that outweigh the rest... some days you wish you could live over and over... some days you don't think you could possibly smile any bigger and you maybe have to wipe a tear away, it is so real, so amazing.

A day at the beach. 

A sunny, playful afternoon at the beach was a staple in my growing up years. Something I took for granted. You might think, living in a tropical beach bordered country, it would be something the kids in Liberia enjoy too. The truth is that most children here, HAVE NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH! There are some who grow up on the beach, and for them is it a place to wash and (unfortunately for the rest of us) go to the bathroom. Others may live a short distance away, yet have never seen the sand, felt the wind or heard the crashing waves. This is a tragedy.

There are 26 kids inside this beach-bound clown car.

We decided that the time had come to introduce some (of our favorite) kiddos to the beach. We borrowed a friend's Land Cruiser for the afternoon and loaded it up for the 15 minute drive. As we rolled to a stop at our destination, all you could hear were gasps of delight (and fear). Some kids didn't even want to cross the street towards the water. Others ran close then came to a quick stop. I literally had to carry one small girl over.

Then we stood there for awhile--
30 kids soaking in the ocean view for the first time. 

These two were very reluctant to get their feet wet.

Slowly we inched closer. Some cried out and ran away while their braver friends forged on. As the minutes went by, more feet were wet, clothes started coming off, squeals of delight snuck out. Dodging the waves seemed to be instinct, shovels and buckets were filled and emptied, Uncle Josh was buried in the sand, a football was kicked in the surf. 

Warming up to the ocean-- a wave is coming...

BAM!

When it was time to go we had to pull kids out of the water, they didn't want to go. The mother of the home exclaimed, "they are going to be talking about this for days!" ... And so are we.

Maybe this isn't so bad after all.