I haven’t yet mentioned here that when students aren’t yelling or throwing stones, they sing beautifully at night . . . . As preps let out around 10 pm, noise suddenly escalates with the sounds of laughter and goodnight calls then settles into a soothing murmur of nighttime routines for students, washing out underwear or socks, brushing teeth, chatting. Then the murmurs slowly change to singing and we begin to hear the beautiful voices of our girls choir, practicing: “I’ve got my mind made up and I won’t give up, I’m going to see my Jesus, O Lord . . . . .” – think of a Negro spiritual tune and imagine it brought forth into the darkness of the African night, by tribal people, who, like the slaves, have known much suffering. It’s a pretty amazing experience – and it’s ours most nights around 10:30 pm.
Today was another incredibly full day, but the car tires are all functioning again, we are well on our way to having more reliable household water, and the school batteries are refilled and ready for more punishing use. I met with the orphans, we supervised a whole lotta meals, and our kids had a fun day with friends.