Just Showing Up

I've learned over the past few years that one of the most important things I can do for the kids at Sovietsk Orphanage is to just show up. I have at times been unsure of how to relate to and connect with these kids I see for one week a year. But I tried something new on our latest trip. I decided to just be there and live in the moment. And most important, I learned to stop trying so hard to connect and just look them in the eye and give them a pat on the back. I think the same idea can be applied to writing letters to these kids. I hear a lot of people asking what to write about in these letters. I understand completely. But really there's not much to it. Just tell them what you did that day, or tell them about a good book you just read, or a movie you just watched. You get the idea. It's easy and it doesn't take long. It's really just a matter doing it.