Getting Closer!

My plane tickets have all been purchased and I got my yellow fever immunization last week, so I'm getting closer to being ready every day! I'm very excited and people from church are very excited for me, so that's encouraging. Several people have volunteered to take little parts and pieces of my job so no one person will get everything dropped in his or her lap, so that's helping me not to stress out too much about being gone for three months.

The orphanage sent me a list of things they're hoping volunteers will do, and lots of them sound good to me:
*Helping to teach in the pre-school and deaf class. -- I took a semester of American Sign Language at Augustana nine years ago, but I don't think I remember enough to help much!
*Taking sports activities of different age groups. -- Perfect! Five summers of being a camp counselor and seven years as a youth director; I think I can teach a few games!
*Story reading (it is very important). -- Yay! I love reading!
*Art classes. -- Mr. Barkley gave me an F in art in high school and shattered my artistic self-esteem. No drawing for me.
*Exercise classes.
*Singing and music. They have some instraments: violins, guitars, keyboard, piano accordionn, flutes and oboe (they have been donated but nobody can teach). -- My childhood piano teacher Mrs. Hartje asked me not to come back to piano lessons after she had to prerecord my seventh grade recital piece on her keyboard so I could run my fingers over the keys, pretending to play, but I'm pretty sure I can teach the basics. Guitar, too. And hopefully those kids will be able to teach other kids after I leave. I really like the thought of that!
*Helping with the daily supervising of teeth, shoes, bathing...
*Helping with the rooms inspections.
So there are lots of things to do, and I'm sure I'll be busy the entire time I'm there! I wish all of you could come with me because I just know I'll never be able to express how wonderful it was, despite lots of pictures and stories!