Camp #3: Social Dorm
Have you ever wondered what happens to orphan children when they graduate from the system? Where do they go? How do they support themselves? Well, this week I spent 5 days at a government owned dormitory where orphans, who have aged out of the system, can live and raise their families for little to no rent. The down side to this is the living conditions. Ceilings are cracking, wall paper is peeling, and there is a ever-present smell that is the combination of body odor and pee. Families of up to 5 will live in a room the same size as my college dorm room. Community spaces are dark because no one will purchase light bulbs and unfurnished besides the 4 broken theater chairs and a wooden desk.
As a child growing up in this facility, you get used to zero privacy, a communal bathroom, and drunkenness. On our last day, there was a drunken man walking around from the time we got there (8:30 am) to the time we left (6:30).
We spent a week with children who live in this dorm. Like the other camps, we played games with them, did crafts, and gave Bible lessons.
Our crafts took place in the sandbox with makeshift tables because it provided the most seating.
Our Bible lessons happened in the community space inside the door where we would either sit on the floor or on seat cover.
As for games, most were played on the concrete or gravel.
We noticed a theme with the children at the dorm. During the games, losing was devastating and winning was the most important thing. When a team lost, many children would break down into tears, stomp away in anger, or start yelling at his/her teammates in course language. During the crafts, demanding help was normal, grabbing hands became expected, and many mothers would join in long enough to make away with our supplies (cups, hats, candles). These character traits are just more hints of the kind of life these children and mothers have had to endure.
But I also noticed that it was very easy to earn the children's affection. I discovered this when a little boy came up to me, after learning how to say a specific phrase in English, and said in a small voice, "Catch me." After 15 minutes of tag he confessed his love for me and he was my friend for the remainder of the week. Another time I gave a child a piece of gum. And another time I showed a boy how to arrange his seat covers for optimal comfort or braided a girl's hair. Though, most of the time, I didn't have to do anything. Just the fact that I was there was enough for them all to be my little best friends.
This week was exhausting. My commute alone had me tired by the time I arrived at 8:30 am (15 minute walk to the bus stop - 30 minute bus ride - 5 minute walk to the tram sop - 20 minute walk to the dorm). The 12 hours days made it easy to fall asleep every night and hard to wake up, but the thought of seeing the children again always got me there.
Not only was this week physically exhausting, but it was also emotionally exhausting. My heart breaks for the children I met. Since many of their parents grew up without parents, they never learned how to be ones themselves. These children endure beating, hunger, dehydration, and even abandonment issues. So it was beautiful to see them smile when we arrived every morning, and ask if we are coming back tomorrow after each day. They were given a week of Truth, love, and fun, and if they had half as good a time as I did, then I think we did our job.
I could not have made it through this week on my strength alone. It is so amazing what God can do through us!
"The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one." Psalm 28:7-8
