Planning for changes (again)

Gener at 17

Nahum at 18 (and Raisa)

Nahum at 17 - Gener at 16

What a difference from a year ago!

The boys will complete their first "year" of school next week. Looking back, they've really come a far way - and looking forward, they have a far way to go still. They enjoy and now trust a certain level of security they didn't have a year ago, and we pray this will carry them through the next (harder) phase of getting ready for life on their own.
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Nahum and Gener spend a lot of time riding their bikes, visiting friends, hanging out with the neighborhood kids in the evening, taking a bus to church and then to the movies on the weekend - in addition to guitar and karate lessons. They are so much more secure than they were a year ago - and they seem to be settling into this security without being "driven by ambition" to whatever the future holds for them.
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They're now being "pushed" to think beyond today or even next week, and it's hard for them to think of the future in terms of "their place in it." They were institutionalized for five years with every decision having been made FOR them. And the last year has offered them security and personal growth. It is our prayer they will now begin to think of "what they want to be when they grow up." The answer undoubtedly (right now) is they don't want to grow up / they don't want this "good life" to change at all / they want to live in the moment and have the moment extend forever.
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If you're reading this and you're over 25, you know that life continues to change. We want them to be on the forefront of that change, anticipating it and trying to steer it (or steer themselves into the course it is moving). We want them to grasp their future and "go for it." We'll be here to support them as they get their fledgling wings.
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In the interim, they will go home to Waslala for five weeks during Dec/Jan. They will visit their brother, sister, dad and extended family. They will also see (again) that they desire a better life. And while this dawns on them, they will help the family out, which is much needed. They need "fire in their bellies" to ignite, which flame will help them get them through school with a goal. They have ideas forming, so their time in Waslala may allow them to see more clearly.
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They're great kids. They need to know that they are able - and God is able IN THEM - to accomplish their dreams. Pray for them to dream bigger than they are able to now.
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Bless you all, and thanks for your support!