A Curious Girl: Ah, the sweet sound of yelling children!

It's funny what strange religious websites you can find just by surfing from one link... Anyway!

Today is day 4 of the Noise - annoyingly, I missed it today because of a dental appointment right in the middle of events (wasn't really worth going twenty minutes either end of the kids' games, to be honest). And all the dentist did was record the teeth I have and don't have (You'll be fascinated to know I'm missing three '4's and I have no wisdom teeth - it's obvious why on both accounts; ie. having crowded teeth and being a fool :-) I could have just told her about the missing ones!) and she gave me an X-ray. I don't know who she was - I thought her accent was Canadian, and then she sounded Irish!! Canadian-Irish, perhaps? Or maybe I just didn't listen hard enough.

So far the Noise team have being doing gardens, litter picking, free tea/cakes/doughnuts and time for a chat, and the children's games. Tuesday was rather hectic as I was doing waterfights with the children, and although I was right outside a Church, there was only me controlling a huuuuge crowd of kids. Okay, maybe only about twenty or twenty-five :-) I was trying to fill the paddling pool with water with the hose, only they kept trying to grab it from me; and they were all so rowdy! My karate training for standing firm on the ground certainly helped (I've given up karate now). Ruth, the very pregnant woman who was helping me had gone inside, for a rest presumably, and there I was in panic; it was practically a blessing when the hose came undone from its extension across the road! It was being trailed from a house across the road, and therefore it was difficult to stop the hose voluntarily - the flow was controlled by a trigger mechanism in the handle, but all it took was one squeeze, and once an unruly child had grabbed hold of it, they could spray it in your face and getting hold of it again would be practically impossible. In fact, this actually happened, and now I think about it, I am rather amazed that I managed to grasp it back from the girl in question.

It was fixed again, and the kids were going mad, I hadn't a clue what to do, and I want to be a teacher. It was shameful. But just as I felt myself begin to cry, and crying being the worst possible sign of weakness in a figure of authority over children, Esther turned up, and she's doing teacher training - she and someone from the 'drop-in centre' happening in the Church were there when some of them were trying to play 'isn't it fun to push someone's head under water' and for a moment I could relax as the hose was turned off and Esther took over. Phew! She said she was worried she'd 'steal my thunder' but it was more like providing some lightning! It was kinda draining, but they had fun, even if I didn't! :-) Esther kindly lent me some dry clothes. When I got in, I had a nice e-mail from Alice and Chris phoned me a bit later, and the chat helped calm me down and encourage me. I was already telling myself you fell down the first time you tried to walk, which I read in Chicken Soup for the Soul and found helpful, and listening to Petra's Right Place was also handy. I feel assured that God was watching over it all - at the time I felt very alone, but he'd already prepared for the over-excitements. He's wonderful. And I just want to say that, after I've given them such a bad press, I really do love those kids! They gave me lots of stress but they're human beings with a lot of potential and a long way to go.

Wednesday I did children's games with Lorraine and her fourteen year old daughter Robyn - we tried to organise craft but lots of them seemed to be walking over the patch of grass we'd designated for it, stamping on the glue pots and riding their bikes over, as well as throwing the frisbee in that direction. In the end, we all packed up - Lorraine apologised (craft being my forte rather than sport!) but I assured her that I was with her on this one. Some of the girls sat around saying 'This is really out of order' and cursing us for limiting their fun, and they and the boys who'd be causing most of the havoc went off, but some stayed and we played rounders (baseball! Sort of) and when our team (Lorraine, Robyn, me, and girls called Michele and Kelly, and a boy called Sam, and another boy whose name I can't remember!) were batting, I was out first go, so I went to fill up some water balloons. We played an interesting game with them! Although two balloons sadly burst, but during the completion of the game of rounders, I got a couple more. They begged us to stay a little longer when it came to 5 o'clock! It was amazing.

The gardening etc. team have been doing great, really helping the people and touching them with God's love. Litter pickers have picked up loads! And when Michele's mum came to pick her up, I heard her exclaim - 'They've taken our old 3-piece suite from the garden! It's gone!' And she sounded really impressed. During our little time of prayer and chat afterwards, someone said, 'I don't know why the Church didn't think of this years ago!' And I quite agree with that sentiment. But God has been wonderful, and serving him is overwhelming joy! Even my panicky Tuesday was definitely worth it.

Chris and I went around the house of a couple who were working on the Noise afterwards - it's great to be among hospitable people, I must work on being one! And we chatted and had some drinks before going to the disco they were having every night at the Church for the children - we got special badges and helped out :-) And I saw lots of the children I'd seen earlier, including the girl I talked to on Monday (see last entry!) and her cousin. Nice girls. I asked a few if they'd enjoyed the waterfights - all positive.

It's been great. Back again tomorrow!

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