I thought I'd take a second to reply to the comments I've gotten regarding my posts on this blog. My intention was never to depress people - I haven't made up or thought up, nor have I exaggerated any of the things I've been writing. Actually, to be honest, I've left a lot out.
The kid with the doors is one of my dearest buddies - the only thing I changed was his name. The 'fly-on-the-wall' view of a Saturday is only one of a hundred Saturdays I've seen.
Vova's 1st day at boarding school is about another little buddy of mine - the only thing I changed was his name, as well. I had a question - why he was at boarding school at all. His grandma was (and is) a wonderful woman, who took wonderful care of him. She lived too far away to send him to school, though - at age 8, he still had no idea what letters were, and now, at age 10, he's just getting caught up to the other kids his age in reading, math, and other subjects. He's also adapted to life in the boarding school - and he doesn't cry.
I want you to read these stories and understand, that this is life for my kids. Good, bad, ugly, or otherwise, there's no changing it to make things sound better. The stories I read from other writers either paint a completely dismal picture with no hope anywhere, or a cleaned-up version that doesn't really give people an idea what things are truly like.
There is hope. The kids are amazing little people. They have a tough life, yeah. A really tough life, at times. But they themselves are tough. Life requires them to be tough. They learn it's okay to deceive someone, but you never cry. The most important lesson in 1st grade is to learn how to be a convincing liar.
So here's the question - why are we there? It's what most people would (and do) call an impossible task. But we're just crazy enough to believe that there's hope. There's hope for kids like Misha, and Vova, and all the rest. I want you to get a picture of what things are like now - so that someday, when I share about what amazing changes God has done, you'll truly be able to rejoice with me - having seen a bit of where they came from.
Also - a lot of you reading this have adopted, or are in the process of adopting kids from Russia. I want you to understand, why they are the way they are - where and what it is they've come from, and perhaps, hopefully, the things I have seen & have a chance to share with you, will help in the long run.
Anyways, there are good times. There are fun things. There are times we laugh so hard, our sides hurt. There was the day we all spend hours throwing water out the window and watching it freeze before it hit the ground - we had a blast!
There's a thousand memories and images in my head - some are good. Most, to be honest, though, are bad.
I'll keep writing - just understand that when I write this stuff, it's not to make people upset, particularly. it's to honestly give you a description of how our little friends live - how they think, what they experience, and what shapes them into who they will one day become in adulthood.
Thanks for commenting - even if the comments are negative, please, don't stop making them! I appreciate all of your honesty.
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5 comments:
Jenni, I really appreciate the stories. I didn't have an opportunities to visit any orphanage while I was in Yakutsk, but many of the themes that you share in your stories I can identify and agree with from my experiences. Thanks for sharing reallity with us even though many people may not necessarily like what you are saying.
this blog is so incredibly meaningful to me. i think what makes it most difficult to read is the fact that we left the "son of our heart" back in a siberian orphanage. he's 9 now and it's hard to think about what his life is like. BUT, i still want to know and learn.... and of course it helps me pray. THANK YOU!
I haven't seen any "negative" comments on your blog. Have you had to delete them?
Jenni, thank you for your response to my question (I was the one who asked why Vova had to go to boarding school). I hope it didn't sound overly negative, that was not my intention. I was honestly curious, since I am in a culture that typically doesn't "do" boarding school, I have no frame of reference for why this would be necessary. Your stories *are* rather depressing, but in a realistic and poignant way, and I think that is very very meaningful. It teaches us all how to pray better and makes us more thankful when we have abundant love in our lives.
So here's my next question....the boarding school and the orphanage are not the same, are they? Or do students who go to boarding school somehow become classified as orphans? From your comments I assume you work in the orphanage, but you also must have some contact with the boarding school if Vova is a good buddy. I'm very curious and wanting to learn!
Thank you for sharing real life stories here. I really appreciate your posts.
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