Girls! We run the world!

Well, the girls have finally made an appearance! They came Saturday night on July 13th. I love them all so much! Each one has a distinct personality that I can wait to see more of! Seven of the girls are from the North and four of the girls are from the South East. Four of the northerners cannot speak Twi, the rest of the girls can, and two of the girls from the South East can understand English. Every conversation is translated from English to Twi, to the northern language and back again. It took me an hour and a half to read a children's story book! Most of the time I just make a fool of myself and try to use hand motions to communicate, which rarely works. I have the pleasure of teach English to the seven northern girls while Courtney works on reading with the other four and I teach math to all of them. I can only do this part of my job through the LORD because I do not have the patience to teach. The LORD comes through everyday though and provides it. It is so amusing to see the girls experience things for the first time! Like a shower, a light switch, kitchen tools, a toilet, and coloring! Tina won't even let the younger ones in the kitchen because they are still adjusting. The second day that they were here, we brought out the crayons and paper from them to color. They had no idea what to do! So Courtney and I would draw something and they would copy. This is still going ton a week later. All the girls love getting their pictures taken, looking at pictures, dancing, signing, and learning new words! This week we started trying to get somewhat of a daily schedule down of two hours of English and reading, and hour of bible, a break and lunch, an hour of math,and  an hour of life skills and health. We are trying to prepare them to start school in September and not be to behind. They all went to school back home, but most are extremely behind. The first week they were here we practiced how they should welcome visitors. It is the cutest thing to hear them all say together "Hello! Welcome to the Pearl House!". They nail it every time. Courtney and I have definitely had to adjust as well. Girls here fight a lot more, cultural boundaries, and lack of communication have all been hurdles we have to continually jump. The girls are all so beautiful and I can't help but smile every time I hear them laugh, even if they are miss behaving. We took all of the girls to the Village of Hope Orphanage Hospital for check-ups and lab work to make sure they are all healthy, which they are! We all attend Lauren's Lighthouse Chapel together on Sunday mornings and pretty much double their congregation. I am so excited to see why God brought these specific girls here and learn more about their lives. Please pray for patience, communication, and open hearts for the girls.