This was our last week to be at church for the next three months or so. We brought eighteen kids and three adults with the two of us–just to make sure they really feel the community presence 🙂
We managed to stay generally focused through the service, with less mom-glares than usual. I did have one girl hanging on each arm, one who fell asleep. We also had to get up in the middle to find food for one of the girls. She told me her stomach hurt, and when I asked when she’d eaten that day, she said she hadn’t yet. It was 7:30pm.
The neighbors certainly ate their weight in rice and chicken before we sent the first car load back with Stephen. I had stayed back with about ten kids. Jor Gee, an eight-year-old, was playing with the kids when he held up a bloody finger. He had cut himself with a knife earlier in the day and somehow re-opened it. I asked the staff for a plaster and we washed it off. I told him to hold it tight for a few minutes so the bleeding would stop.
He didn’t respond or obey, which is odd for him. I repeated myself, tell him it was important to hold it tight for just a few minutes so it would stop bleeding. He looked at me but said nothing, and I could see eyes glazing over.
I grabbed him under his arms and started to pull him–we made it about 2 steps before he collapsed into dead weight in my arms. I was telling the other kids not to laugh, but to help now as I pulled him into the church. I was pretty proud I managed to see it coming and catch him!
I sat on the floor behind him just as he vomited all over the floor. I was now a little less proud of myself for dragging him inside the church.
Of course the church was wonderfully kind as they helped us clean up. We managed to get him into the car and home without much more chaos. I walked inside with he and his sister to let their mom know what had happened, and that he probably should get some extra rest and make sure he’s feeling better before school the next day.
As I told her, she replied, “He did that earlier today! He cut his finger, and as I went over to look, he just fell on the floor! I was thinking, What is he doing?”
Hmm. That would have been helpful information.
At least we know how to make quite the exit when we leave for a few months. We need to make sure they’ll miss us!