Family Day- Come & Gone

Today was Family Day at the Nehemiah House. All three centers gathered in Cagayan de Oro (29 girls in total) with an invitation to all their families. We woke up this morning at 4 am (the normal- yeah, I'm living the good life) and made breakfast for all the girls. After clean up we went straight to the hair, makeup and beautifying of the girls before the big day. Yesterday I challenged the girls to memorize 1 Peter 3:3-4 which says that our beauty should not come from outward adorning but from the quiet and gentle spirit within which is precious in God's eyes. I offered a reward if they memorized it and most did!! I wanted to remind them even with Family Day coming that outward beauty was not the goal. But anyways- it didn't stop us from spending 2.5 hours on braids and curling the hair and makeup. I think I maybe braided 22 girls' hair this morning-it was like prom but for little people! :)

This one melted my heart. She ran to her brother, fell to her knees and held him and wept.

The little girls clinging to their mommas

Another emotional greeting to her momma! 

Parents started arriving around 9 am and from there they sprinkled in the rest of the day. It was so heart warming and wrenching all at the same time. I have grown to love these girls over the last few weeks so my heart waited in anticipated along with them as they stared at the gate to see if their parents would come or not. The ones whose parents did come would cling to them and weep along with the parents. I had the official duty of the photographer so I was to catch some of these moments which I felt pretty awkward doing. BUT they love pictures here in the Philippines! At the same time- the little girls whose parents never came were so upset. I held some of them, sang to some (pitch and tune are not high on the priority list here- everyone sings and i love it), and just tried to comfort them. I would by lying if I said I wasn't hating their parents at that minute. I don't understand why you wouldn't come visit your daughter for one day out of the entire year! GR!

Anyways- each of the separate centers presented a dance or drama, the girls gave their testimonies and some parents did as well. Then we ate a ton of delicious food, played games with lots of chocolate eating, and called it a day!

In total I think my day looked like this:

-Braid hair for 3 hours
-do dishes for 3 hours
-Take pictures for 4 hours
-Prepare food for 2 hours
-Play and love on girls

Fitting her little brother for a pair of free Toms shoes :) 

One of my daughters for the day :) 

Good ole American weenie roast- Daddy michael had to teach them how to do this 

It's the end of the long day and my feet are aching and my heart is emotionally spent. I leave Nehemiah tomorrow to go back to Pandan in Gingoog. It is so bittersweet. I am excited to be back with the people of Pandan that I grew to love my first few weeks here, but I also will miss each and every one of these girls. They kept coming up to me tonight and telling me they were going to miss ate Whitney... I will have to come back as soon as possible!! I just kept thinking how unfair it was that I let them develop a connection with me only to leave them just like they have been pulled away from their families. I am already praying for God's peace and comfort and love to overwhelm them from today's events and from me leaving them tomorrow.

YWAM Nehemiah House staff & girls 2012