Rest

It’s something I don’t find I give myself enough of. With all that is happening in and around the orphanage with teams, kids, and visiting groups planning activities, I’m constantly keeping busy, which is good… sometimes. If there’s a job that needs to be done, I am usually quick to offer my assistance, no matter my free time. Like when I had the infection in my leg, I was quick to cover for another volunteer who went home early not feeling too great, acting as if nothing was wrong with me. I guess since being busy for almost 5 months straight, I am noticing everyday that I am grateful for a place of my own to have a place to retreat to when I’m almost at my breaking point.

I can’t help but put others in front of myself. I have to remember that I am worth taking care of and that I do need some time to myself as well, to refresh, recharge and to focus on my relationship with the Lord. I guess a day of rest is important if it is included in the ten commandments, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God…” (Exodus 20:8-10)

I have been recently trying to use my weekends as rest, although that’s the time of the week to also get the work that needs to be done outside of the office, like laundry, cleaning the house, or errands/outings. If you’ve been keeping up with my blogs and/or photos, I’m sure you’ve noticed that each month, we take the kids out to lunch if their birthday falls within that month. This weekend was a tough one. We had 11 kids in the month of August, with seven of them being 6 years or younger. That’s the age where they don’t pay too close attention to rules and wander off on their own if not watched closely. Most of the day was a job getting them to sit in the moving van, walking to and from the restroom, and answering the same question repeatedly. Thankfully there were also three old enough to help us control the little ones from disappearing.

My job for the afternoon was to stay at the back of the pack so no one gets lost, while also carrying around a little 3 year old everywhere we went. Let me tell you, carrying a 25-pound 3-year-old is cute for about 10 minutes. After almost 2 hours of picking up pizza, purchasing snacks and beverages, and getting ice cream after, my arms were feeling it. She was old enough to walk, yet when I put her down, she either try to run away or freeze, as if she was lost and didn’t know where to go or what to do. It was definitely one of the tougher birthday outings we have had. I definitely gave myself an hours rest after that.

All in all, I can say that I am ready for a few days off. I’m looking forward to staying in my bed past 7 am, knowing that I will be able to shower later in the day. I am ready to brush my teeth with sink water, control the temperature of the shower in the shower (instead of with a few knobs outside), and not have to walk outside to get to the bathroom. It will be nice to get some food in me that extends beyond eggs, rice, beans, tortillas, chicken, and hot dogs, and to have a stove/oven to cook (or bake) whatever I’m craving. Three more weeks and I will get to experience that rest, along with getting to see some of my friends and family I’ve been missing. I know that when I head out in a few weeks, I will be counting down the days ‘til I am reunited with my kids again.