Party People

So, we are continually adjusting to our new 'brown daughter' as I affectionately call her :)  She is PURE TEENAGER and all the attitude that comes along with it.  But she is also her own person, shy, overwhelmed, and still dealing with a lot of trauma, so we are constantly trying to push in the right places and draw back when needed, and who knows when we get it right.  One thing that is particularly overwhelming to her is when we have lots of guests over, even if she knows them.  She just doesn't like big crowds of people, and is much more talkative and open one-on-one.  On Saturday, with our BIG KIEREN FIESTA happening I had no idea how she would take it, but in the early afternoon she called her cousin Minkey (who she grew up with, is also an orphan, and still lives with their aunt and uncle, the ones Ntokozo is estranged from and lived with last), who had recently returned home from her holidays in Durban.  Minkey said she wanted to come to Kieren's party and bring Joshua, their aunt's son too (who Ntokozo also loves).  Of course we welcomed her, but were SHOCKED, because Minkey has hardley stepped foot in the our home since Ntokozo moved in.  We picked her up and she joined the chaos for the day.  Later in the day, Ntokozo's son, Jacob, was brought to the party by his foster mom, Nicole.  All afternoon Ntokozo was BEAMING and so proud to share her family, especially her son.  The girls from the OV that went with her to Hillsong youth camp this past week were also at the party and those girls welcomed Minkey into the bunch.  After the party, I hesitated to even ask Ntokozo how she felt about the day, assuming she would still be weary of it all, but she said she loved the celebration!  She was so happy to share her son and is really growing more comfortable with our community.  She then even mentioned for the first time that when she came to our home for dinner the first time, she felt like she had already been here and knew it would be her new home.  It must have come to her in a dream before our first meeting, she said, and she knew then she would live with us.  WOW, just wow.  I don't know if this story makes sense, but I was amazed to hear this, and how Ntokozo always knew she would come here.  And then she even liked our day of CRAZINESS celebrating Kieren.  It was a joy to have her family there, and I hope they continue to become a part of our life, as it's so important for Ntokozo to keep those family relations alive with the loss of her parents.  However, we are creating new family here too, and she is more and more becoming part of it. 

At the end of the day, that conversation with her was almost as special as the entire party for me.  Just made my heart so full, you know?

Lots of love,
Sarah