So I was sitting at work this past week and it has occurred to me that on Wednesday the 23rd I had been down here working for a month already! It is crazy how much time has flown by! There are some days that it seems like I have been here for years but then other days I seem like I am still in my first week of work. This week was also a bit harder since the second day I started work this week I got sick with bronchitis. As usual it took me a bit to admit that I was sick throwing my tough "I am not sick" face on but once that cough, sore throat and just plain exhaustion hit in and it was for sure the toughest week I have had to face yet. I not only suffered through the sickness but also faced some tough times with some of the girls. I am now working 3 days at Bader House with some girls and then 3 days at Girl's Cottage with the other girls. It is interesting learning how different each house has both different personalities but also different challenges and lifestyles.  Each cottage brings their own challenges and lessons at the same time.

My first three days at Bader House seemed to be fine. Up until the second night, one of the other staff members and I were just hanging out doing paperwork when one of our girls came out of the bathroom after taking a long time in the shower and went straight to her room. About 10 minutes later another girl was getting ready to shower and came to bring to our attention that the previous girls must have done something to her hair since there was about 5 inches of hair in the garbage. Turns out she had cut her hair in the shower with her razor! Needless to say things didn't go well for the next few days, she lost privileges of her razor for a week and we refused to fix her hair until her appointment the following week. It was a nice consequence for her to suffer through her terrible hair cut seeing as she couldn't be patient with us to wait until her appointment. I suppose life is never dull in a group home that is for sure! It gave me a glimpse into the challenges and unpredictable moments of my job and what I am up against.  But it also reminds me of the things I can do and why I am here. That moment however was not the only moment that made me really see how much these kids need.

I spent my last three days at girl's cottage and there is a new girl who has only been here for a little over two weeks. The first two weeks of a kid being placed they are required to be within arms length of a staff member at all times, so now that she is off that it has made this job a bit more of a challenge. She is pushing every boundary possible and taking out all her anger on one of my fellow staff members. And it obviously is normal for a kid who starts out but it also hurts to see her taking her anger out on my friend even when she is not there. She is hurting and that is what we are here for, to not make friends and to be the adults. So I experienced the first time having a kid truly angry at me for getting after her, especially for blowing up at my fellow staff member when it wasn't her fault. Obviously this is part of the job but when it happens it is definitely something you don't expect even when you know it is coming. So when someone gives you that "I hate you" look it is hard but you truly know it is for the best. It definitely will take time to get to know this challenge but I know I am meant to be here to help these kids and I know in the end they also are helping me grow in not only my relationship with my fellow staff but especially with God. This job is teaching me to rely 110% on God and I am loving all that He is showing me. I am excited to start this next week, especially feeling better than I was. I feel that God is going to use me in many wonderful ways this week and I can't wait to see what He has in store. :)