"Sedinta"

(This blog was written June 3, 2008)
It was quite a full day. This morning when I arrived at the orphanage every worker I knew was sitting outside the orphanage dressed in his or her normal clothes (not his or her work clothes). I asked what was going on. They told me that they had a meeting.

“Who will watch the kids?” someone asked. “Marinela!” one of them responded. ‘Marinela” is what they call me at the orphanage since my English name is difficult to pronounce. “And Ingay!” said someone else. Ingay is another volunteer.

So Ingay and I spent the morning in the back yard with all the mostly mobile kids. My guess is that there were about thirty kids out there.

“Be careful that Alexandra doesn’t jump over the fence, like she usually attempts to do,” Ingay told me. Alexandra is a very hyper and also autistic child who is always trying to escape from where ever she is. Bianca, a wiry eight-year-old that is also autistic, always wants to be held. Screaming tantrums were the result of her being set down. Vasile kept trying to tell me in his non-verbal way that we should leave the back yard, sometimes by using all his weight to try and drag me to the locked exit. Many of the kids were very good, which makes me know that God was with us.

Unfortunately it was impossible to discipline the thirteen-year-old boy who threw rocks at me and the other kids and gave the middle finger to construction workers working beyond the fence. I could record a list of his other offences here, but I think I'll won't. At one point, after he had tried to pants me and was hitting the baby in the face, I had the gut reaction of wanting to kick him in the groin. I just wanted to disable him from causing harm to others, and I must admit I was mad. Psalm 37:7-9 encourages me on how I aught to think of Bogdan's actions.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land."

How I wish real love and real disciple could be administered to Bogdan. His only reason for staying at this orphanage is that he is has ADD, other than that diagnosis he is a healthy boy with an unhealthy attitude. He abuses almost all of the kids at the orphanage. GOD, HELP!

As soon as workers came, Ingay told me that we should try to “escape” out of the back door. The reason we had to escape, is that if we made a big deal about our exit, then the kids would likely become a problem for the other workers who were coming in. As soon as anyone goes in or out of the exit, all the kids rush to the door to escape. I had held 8 year old Bianca with one hand all morning, and was pulled around by Vasile with the other. I should also mention that 8-year-old Bianca had taken off her dirty dipper and shorts, and Ingay had to hold her down on the ground while I tried to put her pants on her kicking legs. Before Ingay had said we aught to put on her pants, little Bianca had been in my arms clothesless. (clothesless is a word I made up that actually means naked.) Speaking of legs, I had pulled Alexandra by they legs as she tried to crawl under the fence. Thankfully this attempted escape only happened once.

I thank the Lord for his presence and his help today. That I got to help the staff, be with the kids and that no one was seriously injured. Maybe all these events sound horrible to you, but somehow I am blessed by the events of the day. This day makes me want to continue what I'm doing, and pray with more faith than ever for God's intervention. Days like today keep me coming back.