This week has been really tiring so far. I'm not going to sleep at night very well, so that doesn't help much. I'm hoping that tonight I will sleep better. (Maybe since I woke up at 6 a.m., I'll be sleepy enough.)

I've been helping with the Kids'Club during the afternoons. The first day (Monday) was completely CrAzY! We had approximately 500 kids and were not quite prepared for such a crowd. Fortunately, we didn't hand out candy or other prizes.(That would have caused a riot!) Yesterday (Tuesday) wasn't quite as hectic. We handed out oranges at the end, and I think we gave out around 400 of them.

This group of kids has been much harder to handle as a whole. They don't listen to instructions and will beg and plead for money, pictures, plane tickets to the States, and whatever else they think you might give them (like your watch, ring, hat, glasses, etc.). They also will lie to you about everything. When passing out crayons and paper (everyone receives one of each) one little girl came and asked me for a crayon. I KNEW that I had seen her more than once (even though with 100 6-8 year olds they all start to look alike). I asked if she already had one and she replied no. So I asked her to show me where she was sitting and walked over there. She sat down next to her friend and I asked the friend to stand up. There were about 5 crayons underneath her. Justin (another intern) said kids would lie to him and he could see the things sticking out of their pockets. Yet, even though we had caught them in lies, they would continue to lie to us about the same things. It's sad and frustrating.

One little boy followed me around asking for another sticker (they all had received one for their craft) and I kept telling him no. After he had eaten his orange and had orange juice dripping from his hands and arms, he asked again. When I gave him the same answer, he grabbed my arm to get them from me. (I greatly appreciated the orange juice wiped all over me.) It takes a good bit to make me upset, but let's just say... I had to get a little firmer with him. (He left me alone after that.)

Arthur had to be firm with a little boy, too. We were leaving on Monday afternoon from the Kids' Club, and all the kids were still hanging around in the field and jumping all over the gringos. We finally were all loaded in the bus and Arthur's truck and driving off. The kids were chasing after us and many were hanging onto the back of Arthur's truck. When Arthur saw they weren't going to get off or let go, he stopped the truck and got out. He walked to the back and told them to get off. One little boy continued to hang on and just looked at him challengingly. So, Arthur picked him up and held him up to eye level and gave him a scolding. I'm not sure what was said, but the little boy didn't touch the truck again.

It's sad that we have to be hard on them sometimes, but there seems to be no other way to get the message across. I think one reason there are more problems at this club is because of the area we are in. It is a much poorer area and most of the kids spend their days taking care of themselves and siblings since both parents work. Basically, they are their own parents. It makes me want to do something to change the situation, but the only thing I can do is love them and pray for them. I know that God can work in any situation. Pray that we will all have patience and endurance for the next two days!