Today, I was hit in the face with a shoe

Yes, you read that right. I wasn't only hit in the face with a shoe. I was whipped with sweaters, had backpacks thrown at me, and was told to control the toddlers while they were climbing over the tables and playing with the chairs. 

This morning was rough, all by myself, not being fluent in Spanish, told to watch over 14 kids by myself- while the 2 house moms were out with a child each (14 for me to worry about instead of the full 16). 8 of them were attacking me, finding anything and everything they could get their hands on to throw my way. Climbing on the counters trying to get back the things already thrown at me for a second round and taking the sandals off their feet to whip my direction. I was just sitting in the corner, by the door (incase anyone walked by to help me), grabbing things from their hands and getting them out of reach. 

As tough as this job is, it has been a blast being with the kids 24/7 and getting to see how they live. It's hard to believe that I am over halfway done, that I've been here for almost 4 weeks and just have two left to go. Yes, I am looking forward to a long warm shower. A full nights rest on a comfy mattress. Something  other than beans, rice, hotdogs, and eggs.  Getting a minute to sit without having to worry about a 5 year old doing something wrong (or 16 of them!) Departing from germs and getting rid of my cold (going on 3 weeks now). 

But, I will miss it. I will miss hearing my name with a Spanish lisp. I will miss waking up to the sunlit mountains and the rooster crows. The sense of community between the 100 kids that call Casa Shalom home. The feeling of being wanted, kids fighting over who gets to sit with me in front of the TV. I will miss my 16 children and the house moms that I get to call my hermanas.