Yesterday I got to hang out with Danny-8th grade, Maudi-7th grade and Pablo-4th grade.
Background: I was Pablo's mentor @ Orcas summer of '03. He and his siblings mentioned above attend/attended the after school program at WPC. They are Trailseekers. Their older brother Jesse raised them (he's 19), their dad is long gone and their mom is hooked on drugs. As a family they were locked in a bad cycle for a long time. They would live in an apartment/house for 3-4 months and then get evicted for not paying rent. The last time it happened in late January their mom abandanded them so they called Greg. For about a month they were living with a family member-I think. Then there was a hearing 'cause the kids are now a part of the system. When Greg showed up he was met by about 6 people from WPC who offered support/whatever he needed. The kids were going to be split up so the Chronisters volunteered to become their foster parents. (Jesse lives on his own & works fulltime.) Because they are now foster parents they have to go to two day long classes. Yesterday was one of them. So we took the kids for the day. I taught 'em how to play Apples to Apples, we watched Harry Potter #4, they played on the computer and we went to Randall Park to feed the ducks and ended up playing tag. My dad played too:) It's a miracle from heaven that these kids are so normal, smart, funny etc! Seriously, if you saw them you'd never guess. It's so awesome that they have a safe place to live now. Plus they have all kinds of new clothes and they get to shower regularly... stuff we take for granted. It makes me so happy to see them at church because they're finally getting what they deserve-a regular family life with all the fringe benefits.
