Home Again

By Shanequa Dasher

How can a place so unfamiliar feel like home? How can a place full of children who were once abandoned, left to die, and fend for themselves be filled with so much love? The only answer is GOD. The spirit of the Lord is alive, well, and permeating through the walls of the JEHO Orphanage. Today was my second day there, and I again was overwhelmed with love, acceptance, and gratitude for my presence. There were a few hiccups in our arrival. Our car was almost stuck and submerged in the muddy waters of the roads leading the JEHO when our driver got turned around. We eventually found our way to refuge and arrived to be greeted by Pastor Joseph.

As we arrived. We noticed that the room we usually work with the children in was darker than usual. The entire row of buildings had lost power from the rain. Flexibility went into action. We opened the doors of the sanctuary and circled around the small area of natural light to carry on with our day. We reviewed theater stage directions using a series of interactive games. I was so pleased with their retention. They were regular pros!

Prior to working with my younger group, I had the privilege of working with 2 teen girls on a dramatic script. It was such a pleasure working with them and transforming what was an ordinary script reading into a true dialogue among two friends that infused levels of nervousness, sarcasm, depression, and excitement. They were so receptive to my notes and suggestions, and even incorporated physicality into their scene(which is something most actors all always afraid to do). It was such a pleasure sowing a seed that allowed them to truly enjoy the craft of acting.

Once I rejoined my younger group, we hopped right back into where we left off. Each child received their animal puppets, and as promised. I taught them the song that correlated with the literature that we read. I have never seen so much excitement among children! We sang, we added movement, and we had fun! Each and every line of our story had been retold from the voice of the children of JEHO. We even caught the older students joining in on the fun. I can’t wait to share the video footage of what was one of the top teaching and learning experiences of my life! The joy of the children of JEHO is contagious! It felt good to be back at JEHO. It felt good to be, home again.