June 24, 2011

Today, we slept late and then went to the country where we just kind of hung out.  I spent most of my time outside with the children.  These two A and I have just won my heart.  They totally enjoyed sitting by me, taking photos with my  camera and showing me their treasures around the farm.

A is 14 but very small for his age and always smiling.  How could you not love him!  He is considered "hyperactive," and he has some physical problems.

I seems sadly longing for a kind word and love.  The other children seem to pick on her.

We discovered babies in the barn.  We think there are three but only found two.  Just more of God's everyday miracles.  My heart swells for all the beauty He has made.

This is as close as we could get to this little guy.  He stayed in the rafters.

The children seem especially proud of the chickens.  This is N who is being adopted by a family about an hour south of where we live.  They hope to travel to Latvia in August to bring her home.  They have four biological children and are adopting N and another boy who is about 13.  I believe N is 11.

The chickens entertained all of us on the roof of the barn.

Kilo is the family dog.  Her dad is a dachshund and her mom a cute mix of a lot of things.

Kilo's mom along with her human, Natalija, who is also S's godmother in Latvia.

Rex is also the family dog.  Reportedly he is part wolf and is about 18 years old.  He eats anything you give him!

This guy is not a family pet.  He is fattened to take to the butcher and feed the crew!

A and I took turns making photos with me.

I look pretty pitiful but keep in mind I was awake until 4 a.m.!

Doesn't this look like years gone by!  Part of the farm.

I is welcoming us to their clubhouse which is an abandoned block building.  It looks like it was a weigh station of some sort at one time.  There is an old broken scale in it that would weigh really big things.  They call this the "Poker Club."  Wonder where they came up with that!

The grand tour of the Poker Club

One of A's favorite places.  He has on a t shirt my niece, Morgan gave S last summer.  Everything gets recycled here!

A is proud of his tree house too!

This day is best explained by photos.  Just lots of God's everyday miracles.  These children are miracles because they are surviving.  Mama Gertruda gets $160 a month to house, clothe, educate, medicate and feed each of these five children.  S has taught me to make cutlets like Mama Gertruda....It is about half meat and half bread.  Meat goes further that way!  Every where you look people grow potatoes.  They store easily and go a long way.  Housing is less expensive than America, but it seems everything else is as much if not more.  S fussed at me yesterday because my hair dryer was making the electric meter spin.  We turn the shower off to soap up.  We are going to start implementing those rules when we get home!! 

This is an enchanted place of stark contrasts.  There is all of God's beauty and nature, and there are people like Mama Gertruda; then there are angry people in the market who do not look at you and never smile, and there are rows and rows of apartment buildings which have been here since the USSR and look very tired and worn.  I think God has brought me here for something special.....I know part of that is my precious S, but I feel some other tug at my heart.