"There is No Hope of Joy Except in Human Relations." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This week, I trained a new set of volunteers (from 3 different places!), had someone offer to sponsor (without even asking!  I actually hadn't even thought of this!) each of our kids to walk in the upcoming Walk for the Hungry (still have to figure out the logistics of how to get them there and how to keep them together), and had one of the boys admit to me that he started liking the girl at school that he'd been complaining to me for a couple weeks had been calling him a name (not a bad name, just not his own).  Didn't ever think I'd be the one he'd tell this to, but I'm not gonna complain.

It occurs to me that the kids who have been with us for a long time are starting to open up more on a different level now.  What we learn from them and see them understand during the ensuing discussions just blows us away.  It's amazing, but it also catches us a little off guard.  It requires us to be prepared to listen when they are ready to talk (with no advance warning).  So far, we've risen to the occasion, but I also wonder how many opportunities we may have missed because we weren't ready for it.  If you're reading this and are of the praying variety, please pray that we continue to rise to the challenge and can continue to help these kids realize that they're special and important, and that they can make a difference too.

Oh yeah, I also got to spend more time with the younger kids in the program this week.  They love gym games, and this week they really loved playing with the parachute.  Tuesday, I nearly passed out after blowing up a beach ball for them (not really, just got winded) and Wednesday, they showed me how to play Sharks & Lifeguards... or some title with those positions in the game.  It was really cute.


Tonight was the first meeting of the high school girls bible study.  Only two of the girls could make it, but I think it may have been the two that need it most.  We got frozen yogurt, talked about what they'd like to learn about and what kind of background they have and whether they have bibles, and then we played Just Dance 3.  So it looks like our group is made up of one Catholic, one Scientologist, one Agnostic, and two girls I don't have a read on yet.  Between the wide variety of religious backgrounds and the things these girls have to deal with that I never did just by virtue of their school and neighborhood, I'm back to being a little nervous about leading this group.

Lord, give me the right words.  Your words.