Day 22 - Day 2 of the Chicken Pox

Well, today was a bit of  an emotional day as we struggled trying to figure out if he would be able to get on the plane Saturday.   New Horizons has had 20 hosting periods and this has never happened before, so everyone was scrambling trying to figure out what was going to happen.   I had taken the day off today to take the kids to Tumbling and Trampoline.  All three kids participate in it, and he was going to be able to join in as well, and I think he would have had a ton of fun.  Unfortunately, with the outbreak of the chicken pox caused us all to stay home to protect everyone else there just to be safe. We had to take him to the Dr. this afternoon and he was able to get some medicine to suppress the illness and allow him to go back with the others on time.

After getting back from the Dr., we spent the afternoon playing the Wii and watching movies.  I have a feeling that those two things are going to be a staple the next few days as the recovery continues.  He has been a trooper and has not complained much, only that he itches occasionally.  We would have rather him not get sick while he was here but I believe this is a blessing as well because it is allowing us to show him love and take care of him nursing him back to health, in the comfort of our home.

With less than a week to go, I reflect this evening, as I sit here alone since Linda is at the store and the kids are in bed.  I find it hard to believe that we are in our last week of hosting.  It seems like it has come and gone so fast.  I think back to when we signed up,  I thought I kind of knew what to expect.  We were at the airport, butterflies in my stomach as we tracked the flight.  5 minutes away.... they just landed..... the buzz of everyone as we waited for them in anticipation.  Seeing him for the first time not believing that he is actually standing in front of us as we had been praying for him for about 6 weeks at that point.  Some families had been praying for much much longer for their children, but our 6 weeks seemed like an eternity.  We got our pictures taken and then everyone went their separate ways.  We found ourselves the last family to leave the airport.  I thought to myself, we are really doing this.  He does not understand anything we are saying to him, how are we going to do this.  As the time passed and the days went on, we were able to act things out and begin to master the use of the translators for help.    We found out on more than one occasion that even though you have a translator on your phone, you can not always rely on it, like in the dressing room at Kohls, when trying to figure out that he is saying his pants are to long, or while he is in the dentist chair while you are trying to explain to him what they are going to do.  We made it through it though and have learned to communicate with him in different ways.

I have be amazed at how well he has done here.  I know that if I were his age I would not have been able to do what he has done.  He is such a strong, smart, and talented boy.  We have see parts of all of them.  It is fun to see him open up to us and let us see glimpses of who he is on the inside.  As I was putting him to bed this evening he asked if he could draw, so I let him draw for a bit.  Watching him draw you can see his mind work with each sketch of the pencil.

This week is a big week for many people across the country.  Many families are in similar situations that we are.  There are over 200 children being hosted across the country.  Many of the children react in many different ways to the end of the hosting period.  Some get angry, some are happy, and some build up walls to protect themselves.  If you could pray for the families hosting this week as all the emotions of the entire hosting period come to a head and we all have to put the kids that we have come to love back on the plane. Sorry if I rambled a bit this evening, I found it difficult to organize my though and may have repeated myself.