It was the Best of times & the Worst of times

On November 15th we were able to host 2 AMAZING young boys from Rwanda and an adult chaperone. They are part of a traveling children's choir called Asante. They are here for 3 months traveling Washington, Oregon, and California. Let me tell you it was an amazing experience.

(Augustin & Theogene with the Asante Children's Choir)

Here are the best of times:

Waking up to snow- usually I do not like snow, but since the boys had never even seen it, I was happy that it had snowed. That first snow we woke the boys up and had a snowball fight at 6:30am. It was a blast & the reaction to the snow was priceless. We had a free day on a Friday & I was able to take the day off from work. This allowed me to take the boys to Riverfront Park. They rode the carousel, fed the garbage goat, and played on the Red Wagon. They really had a great time. Here's a photo of the boys.

Augustin & Theogene

Due to the forecast, the boys ended up staying with us for an additional week. I was estatic! It ended up snowing even more and the boys & I had another snowball fight in the back yard. It was a lot of fun & I even learned that snow feels like a "snake bite". The boys also got to spend Thanksgiving with our family. It was nice to have them too!

The boys loved to listen to music & their favorites consisted of Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, and the song Cotton Eyed Joe. They were constantly dancing & listening to the music when they had time or we would let them use our iPods. I ended up making a music folder that had their names so all the songs that they liked were in one playlist.

Here are photos of the boys:

Our dear Augustin! He gave the greatest hugs! What a handsome young man both inside & out!

Our dear Theogene! His laugh was infectious! He too is a handsome young man both inside and out.

The worst of times:

Saturday was, I think the hardest day of my life for me. You see, I have always wanted a little boy and for 2 wonderful weeks God gave me 2. I think the two weeks that Augustin & Theogene were the best weeks!! The laughter & love that they brought to our house is indescribable. Since they have left, the house feels empty, and I am a wreak. I feel like I have a hole in my heart that will never be filled, nor do I want it filled. These boys have touched my heart in a special way. I just hope that someday I will be able to see them again, either in the US or in their home country of Rwanda. I know that these two boys will grow up to be strong, caring, God-fearing men. I know that the hurt will go away at sometime, but for now, I pray that God will protect the 2 boys that I fell in Love with and came to care for as my own.
Our final photo of our Theogene.

Our final photo of our Augustin.

How could you not fall in love with those faces? Auntie will miss you Augustin & Theogene! I will always LOVE you and pray for you both!