Juju (China Part 6)

Oh, Juju. Where do I even begin? She was the one who challenged me the most during the week, but she was also the most rewarding in the time we had together.

Bless her, I don't think I'd be happy either if some foreigner was treating me with lice shampoo. I had to keep reminding myself it was for her own good. And she ended up cooperating like a champ.

She was very wary of me in the beginning, so I tried to limit the pictures. Does this face look like one that wants to be disturbed while eating? I got the hint. 

 She did seem to enjoy crafts after a while.

Her relationship with Mona was the coolest thing to watch.

While she and I took longer to bond, she took to Mona much faster, which was humbling to have to accept. Mona is absolutely wonderful, but part of me was a little jealous to have Juju prefer her over our own family. I quickly got over that though when Juju opened up to Mona and began to enjoy herself more.

Turns out, that was just the encouragement she needed to come out of her shell.

 Apparently, Juju is a little bit boy crazy. She had a crush on Mick the translator. Look at that face!

Juju also loved to play with Mona's hair every chance she got.

See, she's a little shy even to the most welcoming of foreigners.

But we finally got her to open up some. Please notice Natalie's Alpha Gam sunglasses she snatched at some point and toted around all week.

She really enjoyed James coming and tucking her in, even if she was a little shy.

Juju was a constant reminder of how my own unwillingness to trust the Father's plan out of fear only holds me back. 

While Juju was working on her communication skills, her smiles and laughs were the most rewarding sights and sounds I have ever seen and heard.

Even though I don't understand the process of pairing orphans and volunteers, I know that our pairing was no accident.

After that first difficult day, I knew she needed love and hope more than any child at camp.

She taught me the patience of Job and the importance of being brave and jumping in the water, both literally and figuratively.

Sweet Juju, I hope the week impacted you more than I'll ever know.