Emails, etc...

Emails, oh emails. I have a love-hate relationship with them. I was talking with one of my volunteers on the way back from church about how fun it is to receive an email, but how difficult it can be to reply. Then I get here and I have no less than THIRTEEN since last night at midnight. Yikes! That's normal for a weekday morning, but on Sunday?! And almost all that I get require a personal reply... (Which I am glad to do, but sometimes - often - the priority is on the people/kids right here who need me right now, in which case the emails get put off.)

Included in that list are three potential volunteers (my Mom will reply to them, thankfully) and one asking about adoption. Yesterday we had two sets of visitors to the homes and now I'm waiting for a couple of ladies to come. The interest people show in our kids is still mind-boggling at times, and such a blessing! I always think this work brings me across people at two extremes, sometimes within a matter of minutes: some of the most difficult people in the world and some of the most amazingly generous people in the world. As a side note: when I ever have a chance (but NOT after responding to ALL my emails, oh nooo), I'd like to prepare some posts of the backgrounds of some of our kids.

Also someone has asked for more on Bolivian culture. That one made me grin-I've lived here so long now (1/5 of my life) it's hard to remember/realize what some of the differences are! Or maybe...to verbalize them? Because I'm so used to some things. But that would be fun to try to do and now's a good time, since we have 4 new volunteers in and seeing things afresh through their eyes reminds me of my first months here.

Now, off to the ever-arriving emails.....

PS--Just got a call from someone pleading help for her maid's 2 year old nephew who is alone most of the time, completely uncared for. So hard. Just wanted to say "bring him over, we'll figure it out!!" but I just CAN'T. That makes 6 cases in the past 7 days, and I did say yes to 2 of those even though we're full - we're always "full"!!

Today the sermon was on having compassion as Jesus showed while on earth, but as I sat there with the two newest babies, both needing so much attention, I thought, "So do I take compassion on the abandoned newborn, or the lost mentally delayed 6 year old, or the possibly abandoned baby girl [all ones I turned down this week], or on my poor staff who are expending their all to care for the constant in-flow of babies? or on the other children, who will receive that much less attention if I take in yet another this week?" It will be such a happy day when we launch our foster family program.... (That's yet another post for another day because any minute the visitors will be here to learn more about adopting.)