white bengal tigers

so i haven't posted about the past couple of days and i'm going to TRY to not be so long winded.

the other day we were talking about bullying in our small group. let me tell you, i have no idea what these girls go through. trying to teach them other ways to deal with anger and aggression is difficult because it is all they know - all they have been taught. and when they are at school, their teachers suck. the school system here is just terrible. there is no way out for them when it comes to fighting a lot of times... i mean i'm not going to tell them to not defend themselves.

so i have been focusing on teaching them to not initiate it and how to handle it before it turns into a fight. and a couple of girls i have really been seeing changes in and it is super encouraging. like one girl actually chose to walk away rather than get in someone's face twice now, and that is a huge step.

so encouraging.

these are just innocent young girls who have been born into really terrible situations, you know? and my heart is so broken over them because i feel like they have been gipped in some ways, and i just want to give all i have to them for this summer and pray that the lord really uses it.

anyway.

i did relaxation techniques (which they LOVE) after exercise (which they HATE) thursday. and half of them fell asleep. and they are so cute.

yesterday was up2hope day at the zoo. every friday there is some kind of field trip/activity.

my group did great with staying together and getting along and not complaining about the heat/walking (for the most part).

and the lord was super gracious in that he held of the rain until we got in the vans to leave... literally, it started raining when we got in the vans.

first - me and my ladies

second - roman candy!!!! it's like a NOLA thing you have to get at the zoo... apparently... a lot like taffy (that's what the old folks call it).

first - this is what happens when they sit on a baby elephant and i tell them to all say dumbo... they all yell dumbo and point at each other.

second - brushing the goat... it was hilarious how much they freaked out about touching things in the petting zoo.

the white bengal tigers were my favorite!!! they are beautiful!

so week one of up2hope - a success! i love love love these girls.. they certainly know how to tire out a bunch of summer missionaries though, so we are relaxing this weekend.