hakuna matata

when i blog, i like capturing the days in real time. but alas, that doesn't always happen. 

it is saturday morning here as i sit at the breakfast table at itibo, enjoying the morning spread of fresh juices, coffee, fruit, and food. birds singing. i can hear a church service next door. tropical beauty all around. i woke up to the sun shining! we are in the rainy season and have seens hours and hours of heavy rains. all the cute white tennis shoes i wear. ... they ain't so cute and white anymore 😜!

and so i don't forget! the towels are still perfectly crunch from handwashing and drying on the clotheslines. simple joy ❤️

and i got my suitcase....  8 days later but who cares?!!! i have fresh clothes!!!!

okay, wednesday. wednesday was a HUGE day in the future of the girls' rescue center! we (hopefully... pending their acceptance of our offer) assembled our staff dream team!!!! stephen, lydia (all the HR work at college internship came in handy), and i interviewed 14 people for various positions -- nurse, social worker, cook, security guards, house moms, teachers, counselors. and groundsman/drivers. 

we met on the large patio of the bathhouse.... that bathhouse, i am telling you, is very beautiful. there is something so amazing about the patio and rooftop. favorite places on property. to those who made it happen, a ginormous shout out of thanks!

we were evaluating not only for skills, but for a willingness to pitch in for whatever tasks need  done and a personality that can thrive in team setting. many of the staff will live at the rescue center with the girls.  they will become a family.

we were exhausted by the end of the day... and so filled with gratitude for whom he Lord led to us. we had over 350 applications. it has been a laborious process to get to the point of actual interviews, so it was incredibly rewarding to know the 10.5 positions we need, we have. such a blessed relief!

and salaries will be under $30,000 USD annually for all these highly qualified individuals 😳. is that insane?!!!! some things here are comparable to america, and some are obviously not even close!

staff will start mid july, a month before we start bringing in girls. girls who have been defiled, neglected, or abused. our mission is to love them, give them many forms of counseling to grieve and heal, provide education and a specific set of vocational skills, and send them into their community with a newfound sense of wholeness and hope!

signing off to go to saturday church. hope to blog several posts this afternoon. i titled this one hakuna matuda because here i do feel worry free. the worries and concerns of home just seem so very far away. it is like a reprieve from daily responsibilities but with a specific purpose and goal for stepping out of normalcy. i love both home and here.