BAD (Boy Appreciation Day) and Date Night with the girls!!
A few weeks ago the girls decided they wanted to have a day to honor the men on the compound! They decided to put it on the weekly schedule just as BAD and let the boys try to figure out what it was all about. They told them that on Sunday they did not have to do anything but get up between 9:30 and 10:00 and be ready to eat a great breakfast. The day would be planned around anything the guys wanted to do and they did not have to cook or do dishes that day. In the morning the girls had made a sign and put it in the dining room explaining what the day’s schedule was. They made them an amazing breakfast and Scott even said, “this is better then the Nugget buffet”. They were taken out to lunch, sodas were bought for them during the soccer match and dinner was steak, potatoes, vegetables, and a sundae bar for desert. All of the girls wrote each of the men on the compound notes of affirmation and presented to them at breakfast.
The girls decided they wanted to honor the guys because the guys have made them feel special. They have protected the girls, gone the extra mile to always make sure they are safe, have gotten them where they need to go, have insisted the girls always eat first and have made each of the girls feel special. Many of the girls have never experienced men who are willing to act like men and it has changed their perspective on what a man should act like. Some of the girls lives have been forever changed.
Well, in Malindi the guys decided they wanted to honor the girls and do something special for them. They told them in the morning to be dressed up and be ready to go out at 7:00pm and they did not need to bring any money. That day the boys made sure the restaurant would be appropriate they bought them roses and they too got dressed up for the girls. At 7:00 the boys went over to the girls’ house and presented each of the girls with a white rose. They had “tuk tuk’s” waiting at the resort gate and off they went to a wonderful evening of being honored and cared for by the men. Some of these girls have never been on a “Date” such as this and all of the girls felt special.
It has been such an honor for me to be with these young people and watch them care for one another. They have cared for one another without the expectation of anything in return. They are no romances blooming. They simply care for one another and appreciate what the other has done for them. They enjoy spending time together as a large group and have grown very close. They will miss each other desperately when they part but they will never forget the relationships formed while in Kenya.
