Little Deanna

My friends and I in Grenada have gotten to know this sweet little family - the Coutains through the Limes After School program.  You've probably seen lots of pictures of them on this blog.
Deanna is a 1 year old (2yrs in May) who was born without an eye and is in need of an operation to fill the exposed space and soft tissue.
You can read all about the situation and what this little girl needs on this website my friend Amber has set up.
http://deannacoutain.blogspot.com
She has a FAQ section with lots of great information.

Amber has also set up a donation site for anyone who would be interesting in helping this little girl travel to America for the operation.  Any amount would help drastically change this little one's life.
https://wepay.com/donations/deannacoutain
Please search your heart and check out these websites and pray for this family.
Thank you to everyone who has already donated and has this little girl on your heart!

I'll be doing an update on my life soon, promise :)

Short Pants

Today I wore pants to Limes and the girls {Brianna, Shanika, Shania, Ezra, Kaywanna} were all giggling when I walked up
I said "are you laughing at me?!"
Shania said - "Miss we find you look awkward because usually yous does wear short pants"
hahaha  I had to write this down so I wouldn't forget it.
Love those crazy, honest girls.

I should do another post on Grenadian terminology soon... short pants mean shorts. obviously.

Limes T-shirts!

I haven't posted pictures of Limes in forever. what is wrong with me?

We had one of the BEST afternoons a couple weeks ago! We gave all of our Limes kids a bright lime green t-shirt that says Limes After School Program!!
I had the idea for ever that I'd love to get shirts or make shirts with the kids... so Stephanie and I just went for it, googled a company, found an awesome one - Custom Ink. and Steph designed an adorable little shirt!!
We had them shipped to Amber's house and she thankfully brought down 80 shirts in her suitcase!!

All of the volunteers wore one and we handed them out to the kids according to age groups.
One of the sweet little girls asked for "a baby jersey" it was sooooooooo stinking cute. (here)

I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Love these kids so much!  Lee and I even got a little family portrait done :)

 Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone who helped!!!  I am so thankful we were able to do this while I was still in Grenada to see all these sweet smiles :)

thanks for writing on the bus seat

Yesterday I had sort of a rough night... thinking about leaving Grenada and all the kids.
I'm sad to think about what these kids' futures.
I see the creepy Grenadian men who say atrocious things to women and I pray that my sweet little ones don't turn out this way... but if that's all the see the men in their lives doing, then they will.
A lot of the girls will end up single teen mothers...
They'll having drinking problems and spend their lives living dollar to dollar. not even paycheck to paycheck.
How will we ever know if what we do at the after school program even makes a difference at all?  The kids will stop coming when they go to secondary school, just like some I've already known.

I cry thinking about all the kids in the orphanages who don't get held nearly enough.  When they are sick they don't have a mommy to hold them and rock them to sleep.  They are alone in their bed every single night.
The sweet boy with special needs will be shunned by society and end up begging for money.
The one with sickle cell won't live very long.
The little ones who already sell fruits on the street corner at the ages of 5 & 6 will continue to earn a living that way for the rest of their lives.

I have such a burden on my heart for this kids and yet there isn't really anything I can do.  I pray for them and trying to give them as much love as I can while I'm here.

Lee says that it isn't as bad for them as I think it is because I was raised in America... and things are different.  He says maybe the kids selling fruit aren't unhappy... maybe the people who sell things on the beach are ok because they don't know a different way of life.
But I know.  I know the guilty feeling I have when I drive past people riding in an air-conditioned SGU bus or when I'm carrying sacks full of groceries from IGA past a lady trying to sell fruit and vegetables at a road side stand.

I was feeling a little down but got a great surprise today when I went over to the Limes to pick up a paper from my friend and some of the kids' mother Jill today.  The Limes field is set in the middle of several schools.  The Grand Anse school is over the hill a few blocks away, but the Special Education school, the pre-school, and the Mennonite school are all set around the field.
Today was field day for the Grand Anse school so they were all in the field running around today!  And it happened to be lunch time so all the other schools were outside too!

I walked around the corner and saw 100s of kids and they started yelling my name.  First at the Special Ed school I saw 3 girls from Bel Air Home, 3 kids from Queen Elizabeth, and Orian from Limes!   Then I saw some little ones at the pre-school.  Another SO friend of mine has 2 kids who attend the Mennonite school and they came running over along with some of the other Limes kids... and then the Grand Anse school is FULL of Limes kid so there were dozens of them!  It was so much fun.  I felt like a celebrity.  It was so fun.  I never wanted to leave.  But the teachers were kinda looking at me like "who the heck are you?"  :)

I then walked back across the way and caught a bus to campus and sat down in a seat thinking about the kids and saw this:

 Tupac is a legend, but Jesus is alive and he saves.

Not only is it a great quote but it is the same seat Amber and I sat in on the trip we took to Belmont Estates my first term... it made me miss her so much!  and then I cried again.

Thankful

I'm trying really hard to be thankful this holiday season for all the blessings in my life but I find myself feeling guilty.
I'm getting ready to head back to America, land of plenty and excess, and leave behind all these people in Grenada that I love.  My kids at Limes and the orphanages will still be here, living their lives exactly the same, while I'm off getting a job, furnishing a house, buying a car, eating out at restaurants, and basically being able to afford anything that I need in the future.
I am so thankful for my experience in Grenada and that I have seen how other people live.  No more keeping up with the Jones', not that Lee and I ever lived our lives like that, but even more so now we know what is important... and it's not things.

I know what you're thinking "but Kelsey you love things and your house is full of things"
yes....I may shop at Goodwill and yard sales.... I may still go through other people's trash and dumpster dive.... ok actually scratch the may, I will do these things.
But but I will never again lust over something in a store or feel envious of my friend's cool cell phone or designer purse.
That's crazy.
And remind me to re-read this post over and over again.

Keeping in touch with these kids is my #1 goal.  I can't let them forget me! haha. and not just for selfish reasons, I really want to help them.  I want to be apart of their lives.  I want to send them to college.  I want to know when they get their first job and start families.  I want to come visit in a couple years and be able to pick right back up where we left off. 

I am thankful that Lee and I came to Grenada rather than getting jobs right out of college and buying a house and starting a family and getting complacent with our lives.  I sort of like that we're up to our eyeballs in debt and are homeless.  It's shaping our character, softening our hearts, and making us lean on God all the more.
I want a baby so badly.... but I know that this waiting period is only increasing the love that I will have for a child.  I think that by knowing what it is like to want a baby and not have one will make me love and appreciate that baby when I finally get it all the more.  And I don't even mean a biological child... I don't have that crazy urge for my own baby even.  My "uterus isn't doing flip flops" as a friend once asked me. haha.  But my heart is squeezed every time I get a hug from one of the precious babies at Limes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

a small glimpse...

I think I may have the teensiest bit of an idea what a mother's love for her child is.... and in turn how great God's love for us is - how huge, powerful, and unending.
I never could have imagined loving someone more than Lee, and being as though I don't have children Lee is still #1.... but when I look at these kids my heart swells and I get this feeling that I can't describe.
And seeing Lee interact with the kids is sometimes more than my heart can stand.  I need to take them home with me.  All of them.

update on life

I know when I get home I'm going to regret not blogging more during my last couple months in Grenada.
So here's a little update!

Lee just finished his second set of exams - 2/3 finished with 5th term now!! And completely finished with CPD for life! and he is relieved.
We got the list of available hospitals for the spring.... Detroit is still our #1 option and we have no earthly idea about #2 and #3...  pray we get Detroit!!

We're still both busy all the time. go go go.  I'm looking forward to Christmas and being home relaxing a bit before the craziness begins again in January with Lee back to studying for the USMLE and me working! ah!

Limes is going fantastic!  I am so happy.  The kids have been behaving, the volunteers have been faithful, and the rain has held out for the most part.
I have a couple of posts to back up and do about Limes so I'll do that soon.

We're still visiting QE every Monday.  They got two new little boys that have been quite the handful.  It is so sad to see that they way these kids are behaving is a direct correlation to the environment they were in before they were put in QEH.  People are disgusting. basically.  The things these sweet little children have seen, heard, and been subjected to makes me want to vomit.
Pray for their adjustment and for the staff and counselors at QE and the sweet little ones C. & J.

This week I helped the girls from Bel Air home learn a song and dance to perform at the ICSA talent show last night!! They sang Katy Perry - Firework!  They did sooooo good!!  It was a near disaster when they arrived and I saw that two of the best, loudest singers weren't there!  They didn't do their chores and weren't allowed to come :/  but the other girls stepped it up and they sang their hearts out.  It was so fun!! I made ribbon streamers and we have sparklers lit at the end and the crowd loved it :)  I can't wait to get the video!  I'll post it soon.

Other than that I've been working on growing my sea glass collection, visiting the beach, baby sitting, collecting donations for REACH Grenada, and doing some little crafts here and there.... oh and PURGING this household of stuff so I can pack it all home. yikes.  its going to be a chore.

they are precious in his sight

I finally have some pictures of Limes from this term!  I got my camera yesterday and have been snapping pictures like crazy.
Limes has been going amazingly well!  Yesterday we had 15 volunteers!
With this many people we are able to break the kids into stations, things run smoothly, and everyone has fun!
On Tuesday we had a music/singing station and yesterday we had a special dancing station!  The kids learned the cha-cha and it was so cute/hilarious!  I will post a video soon!
I'm happy to report that all the children were well behaved, engaged, and no one got sent home without snack!
Success!

This after school program has really made me love my time here in Grenada... I don't know what I would have done without it or these precious little kids.
Please remember them in your prayers because once they leave our program at 5oclock they go back into rough home lives and are exposed to all sorts of things that children never should be.
I am thankful for the 2 hours a day that we get with them and a chance to make them smile.

Reading Station

Games Station

Dancing Station

Worksheets/coloring Station.

If you would like to join us the Limes After School Program meets every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3-5!

Family Photos

My heart aches looking at these pictures.
of course they make me happy, but I also have this overwhelming desire to adopt a Grenadian child... this could be our real family!
maybe in 10 years??
I just need $25,000, a good lawyer, and the ability to take them out of Grenada.
easy peasy

oh and..... these girls aren't orphans. so I'll need to pick adoptable children. check.

thank you Amber for getting these adorable photos!!

volunteering

here are a few pictures from the past couple weeks of volunteering.
things at Limes are going great! and the kids at QE and BelAir are still just as adorable :)

 dedicated volunteers! unfortunately Lance has already gone home, Amber is next week, and Jessi will in a couple months :(

 giving some jockey's (piggy back rides)

 beach day with my precious little Katie

all photos by the fabulous Amber Gazo.
Amber. do. not. go. home. PLEASE.

Limes Stories

Last week I tried to encourage the kids to develop a love of reading and writing.  Not sure if they got it.... but I got to read some pretty great stories as a result!

this one is from a 14 year old boy...

one of my favorites 

42 kiddos!

today for class we had 42 kids! 
I love that we keep growing & the kids are enjoying themselves! 
everyday I learn something new about teaching/running an after school program.

if you didn't know, they still have corporal punishment in Grenada. 
spanking, hands whacked with a ruler, etc.
so they are pretty strict at the school.
and they come to us right after school. right after several hours of sitting in a classroom & being forced (threatened?) to behave
it's probably pretty tough to come to an after school program and be expected to sit still again!

lets cut the kids some slack shall we?

today was a great day! no major behavior issues, I never raised my voice, and I only blew my whistle once!

we gathered all the kids up & went over the rules (which we do allllll the time. they need reminded)
Limes Rules
1. no fighting, cuffing (hitting in grenada lingo) or even play wrestling
2. no pelting stones - kids lingo again
3. no cussing
4. no picking up broken glass
5. and no talking when Miss Kelsey or another teacher is talking to the group

after a very successful review session I handed out some worksheets I made with questions about them, their favorites, what they do daily, wishes, etc.
the kids were so well behaved & answered the questions very thoughtfully
after about 15-20 minutes of working on their papers & discussing their answers I turned them loose in the field with 3 soccer balls & let the girls have blank paper and crayons to draw.

and they were so good & I got to enjoy their company and cuteness without feeling stressed out


another thing we tried out this week (which we need multiple volunteers to do, today we only had 4) was stations.  a talking/question circle time station, homework/worksheets station, craft/drawing station, and a games station.  we split the kids up by their ages & rotated them through the 4 different groups every 15-20 minutes.  It worked great when we had 8 people!  1-2 people per group, plus a couple floaters to walk around and make sure everything is going smoothly. 
stations is my goal. please volunteer at limes with us!!!!

& while we did "get" the building back. we have not actually gained access. the owner hasn't left a key with anyone & is never there..... but maybe next week! say a prayer for us!

here are some pictures from this week!

doin a little disco dance

Today was our first day back to our Limes After School Program for the term!

Frustrated by busing complications, my spirits were instantly lifted when I came into view of the field and had about a dozen children swarm me.  I literally almost fell over and crushed a few. 
of course we had our bumps along the way...
2 time outs, 3 sent home, and no cookies for good behavior handed out... not too out of the ordinary.
but I'd say it was a pretty successful day.  we had 8 volunteers. EIGHT! ah it was so great to have that much help!

we tested out my new idea of stations.  crafts, games, homework, and circle time.
it went pretty well, and I got to use my new whistle when it was time to rotate. 

but the most amazing thing was......... drum roll please.
we got our building back!!!

Limes is no longer homeless!!!
We can start having classes in the Dynamite Disco tomorrow!!!!

It will be so amazing to have a roof, and chairs, and tables.

A few of us are going over early to clean out the space and organize our supplies. 
I have never been so happy to clean. for real.

Can you believe I am so happy about this building??  a dirty, concrete room with no window screens/bars... and a naked lady painted on the wall? (will have to make sure she's covered up before class)  yep.