Another week goes by

It's been another week of ups and downs... of learning more Albanian and learning more about the kids at the street kids day center. Most of the kids have been gone, at a camp in the mountains, but some of those who were too young or didn't have permission have still been coming this week.

It's been a week of "clean all the things!" - I think all the cleaning has been both because there have been fewer kids and also because we have been battling "mice" (really big ones... Albanian has the same word for mice and rats) and it's just good to clean after you find a dead... mouse.

This week I've been teaching one of the older girls how to crochet. Her first project was a very long chain, which we wrapped around a tree and somehow hooked into the brick wall of the apartment building that forms one wall of the courtyard... and then we used it as a volleyball net. Today she mastered a stitch and was excited to be able to take her crocheting home with her so she can practice over the weekend. It's been interesting teaching crocheting with only words like: yes, no, like this, here, almost, again. And it's been exciting for me to see her start getting it and enjoying it.

It's been interesting running into the street kids when I'm out walking. My Albanian language skills are very limited, so I can barely say more than "Hi. How are you?' but it's fun to be able to say that much - to recognize them outside of the center and smile and maybe give them a hug. I saw a couple of siblings today, as I was on my way to the center. They were with a bunch of other street kids I didn't know... and it was interesting to meet all of them. The others kept asking me detailed questions and the one I do know kept telling them, "she doesn't understand Albanian... seriously, guys, she doesn't have a clue what you just said." That's a rough translation, but it covers the gist of what I did understand.

I am so looking forward to when I do understand more, though I know from experience that understanding more does not necessarily make things easier...  it also makes things more complicated. Sometimes it's easier to watch from the outside and not really jump in with both feet. But that's not really what I want - and I'm excited to learn more.

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Prayer requests --

*My health. I'm pretty susceptible to all the new germs around me. Please pray for my immune system and energy levels. :-)
*The transition into Albanian culture continues... please pray for me to understand things better and start being a part of things. 
*I'll be helping out in the village with the girls tomorrow morning. Please pray for God's leading in what we do and for me to make good connections with the girls.

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Thank you all for praying!