The WII has become an instant hit with one of the refugee boys from Eritrea, Johannas. He is especially fond of the Boxing game… as you can see from the picture below, he is pretty intense when he plays Thanks to everyone who played a part in his enjoyment!
I am ECSTATIC to say that Shine! is FINALLY, COMPLETELY made-over!!! It’s been a looooong time coming and many baby-steps along the way. Naturally, little things will be added here and there, but the overall aesthetics are complete. Some before and afters….. KITCHEN/DINING/HOMEWORK/CRAFT AREA BEFORE: AND AFTER: LIVING ROOM/HANGOUT CENTER BEFORE: AFTER: HERE WE GOOOOOOOO!
For most parents, its inevitable! The moment your child reaches the age where the recorder is featured in music class as a beginner instrument. Hot Cross Buns, Three Blind Mice… the sounds of squeaking music filling the air. And what happens to all those lovely recorders after the year is over? There are closets and [...]
Shine Headquarters is in the midst of getting a makeover, so I have been busy painting, re-arranging, and decorating. I’ve enjoyed being able to be “artsy” again, a hobby I’ve missed as of lately. One project I have taken on is refurbishing an old toy chest I found in the trash. It was in really [...]
I’ve been decorating and getting the youth center ready, and one focus will be teaching the kids how to read Arabic. Most of them SPEAK Arabic at home as their first language, but they do not know how to READ it. It’s been on my heart since I began working with them, and I believe [...]
As I sit here typing my first blog entry from one of the rooms in the new youth center, this is what surrounds me: A complete state of chaos and mess! I can hear the workers in the next room speaking Russian to each other, mixed in with the sounds of hammers, scrapers, painting, and [...]
One of the memories I treasure most from my adventures while in Brazil was hang-gliding from the top of the mountains in Rio, gliding over the entire city, and landing on the beach. It was an incredible experience, and I remember feeling as though I was flying with the birds… the wind in my hair. [...]
I have to be completely honest…. I’m frustrated! I’ve been spending time looking at places for the youth center, but to be quite honest its been torture. I haven’t found one single place that I would even consider, yet alone want to live in as well. Today I even went inside a place with no floors… NO [...]
I love games! One of my favorite things to do when I go home to visit my family is play lots of games. We’ve always been a game-playing family…all the way back to when I was little. Taboo. Spoons. Trivia Pursuit. Sorry. Life. Scene It. Scategories. Apples to Apples. Uno. Rummy. Mouse Trap (remember that [...]
I’m getting anxious with my youth center plans, and I have a feeling I’m not the only one. Though its not official, and most people here don’t have a clue of what I’m about to embark upon, I think the feeling of something new must be brewing in the air. Lately at the Food Distribution [...]
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