It's soo HOT! It's not the humid kind of heat that I am used to hating, but it's still terribly hot! It would be easier to deal with if I were able to lay out and get a tan... but that won't happen until Sunday probably.
Justus is getting so old! I can't believe that he is 16 already! It feels like just a short time ago, I held him for the first time... He was soo sweet and tiny...
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| We helped Mom get her facebook up and running... This is her profile picture. :) She is trying to be "cool" |
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| I can kind of relate to this little tree I think. More to come on that later. |
Even though I don't like the weather in the middle of the day, the mornings and evenings aren't so bad... and I really like the scenery. I know that it's not much... but I really do love looking out and seeing the beautiful mountains around me. It's fun driving through them. Every time you look at them, they look different because of the way the sun hits them. It really is wonderful!
The more time I spend out here, the more I know that I want to do some sort of residential treatment. If there were no other reason for Justus to be out here other than to help me fall in love with residential treatment, then his time here is worth it! He is learning and growing so much!
Today, during lunch one of the guys in his group had asked to come have lunch with us so that he could talk to me. I thought it was super sweet! He is going home in ten days and is excited, but wanted to talk to me about several different opportunities he has back at home. I encouraged him to get a mentor at his church. He said that was definitely something he saw that was possible. He asked me all about missions... That's what he wants to do. He is planning to go to Haiti or Guatemala in a year or so. He asked me all about what mission trips were like. He also asked a lot of questions about neighborhood work I do in the ghetto! It was a treat being able to talk with someone who is ready to be home. Even in the (completely non related) little conversation we had over lunch, he gave me a lot of hope for Justus. The majority of the kids out here have been to several different treatment facilities before coming here... but THIS is where they got help. This is where they recovered. I am glad that Justus has come here first. It gives me hope to see the progress that is being made. Even though it is still rough at times, he is still learning.
Another thing that I really love is being able to talk to the therapist out here. She is super sweet! So fun to talk to. We had a family session the first day in... (I didn't know we were going to have one...) but it was totally comfortable! I didn't feel like it was really weird like it was last time. I was able to talk with her alone for a few minutes today. I had a question about Justus. She was super helpful and encouraging. We also talked about school and social work. It is so fun being able to talk with other people who have similar careers as I want to have. It really makes me excited about my future! :)
So far, it's been an excellent trip. I don't want to have to leave here... One, I dread the ride home.... 16 hours... Two, I hate leaving my brother. :( Oh well, time for tears later. Much fun to be had for now!
