The mob

(This is our first day at Home of Love in November - Ana is in the middle of this crowd, feeling shy - how would you feel surrounded by such a big crowd of children staring at you?)

Imagine walking into the school yard and every child wants to touch you.

Imagine not being able to walk because everyone is pressed in so close to you.

Imagine not being able to see all those hands reaching out to touch your hair and skin because there are hands reaching from everywhere.

Ana and Noah struggle with that situation at times. When we first arrived at Home of Love in November, it happened, but now the children are just friends, not a curiosity or a novelty. Now, although everyone always wants to hold Noah still, Ana runs around with her friends and they don't think much of the fact that she is white.

But today, when Ana and I walked into the school yard at Jesus is the Truth, a whole new class of preschool students had never seen Ana before. And she was mobbed again. Her soft white skin, her soft light brown hair... these other students have likely never seen a muno or mzungu their size before, especially not within touching distance.

Ana clung to me today until she finally saw her friend Fortunate and she relaxed and smiled and felt at home again. Thank you Lord for Fortunate!

Next week, Ana is probably going to start going to school a few days a week, but she's scared, because she doesn't like being crowded and touched and out of control.

Please pray for Ana as she goes into this scary new situation! Pray that the children would quickly learn to accept her as a friend. Pray that Ana would quickly learn Acholi so that she can talk to her new friends. Pray that Fortunate and Moses would be kind and considerate friends and help Ana (they are both in K2 class with Ana).