I have got 2 sponsor boys, 2 aged 12 and 1 aged 17 and my sister and Dad has the sisters of my 12 year old.
Our sponsor children are in Karangesem, just out of Candi Dasa. Before I had left Australia I got a letter from my 12 year old asking me to pray for him because he was doing a test at school and wanted to win the competition. A week or two later I got a letter saying he had got top of the class. I was so proud of him, so told him I would buy him something special.
So before we left we got our driver to go to a bike shop in Kuta (just down the road from Supernova) and we got a good bike (a red one!!) and it cost 350,000 rp. So on top of the car it went and we were off.
We had lots of clothes and presents for both families. My oldest boy is one of 8 children and there is no father. I usually buy a stack of groceries for the family but this time I just left money with his Mum and gave his some pocket money as well. They made us welcome in their little house!!! She put a piece of matting down on the floor and we sat down and then they brought out a bowl of mandarins. Bless them they were trying to be such good hosts. We stayed a little while. Kids from everywhere came and then before we left their home, we did the hokey pokey with all the kids. We made a big circle. Probably thought we were nuts, but they were all smiles.
Then we went on to the other family. They (Mum and Dad) and the 3 children were waiting for us. The father has a little food cart and mother sells bits and pieces at a market. The stall is now bigger than 8' x 8' and that is where they live and sleep as well. They sleep under the counter and God knows where. No mattresses or anything like that. Just bits of sheeting under the counter. And then the next thing we saw was a picture of us - me, my sister and My Dad hung on the wall. It makes your heart break. My little boy was just so gorgeous, he was really cuddling into me and after a little while brought the bike out as a surprise. He jumped on it and went for a ride and thought it was great. I said I was very proud of him. We gave that family some money from the 3 of us and the smiles on their faces were so big I won't forget it.
The kids looked lovely and clean even though the poverty they live in. We stayed a little while giving them little presents and then went on our way back to Kuta.
Thats it for our trip up there. The next week, was pretty quiet, my daughter went home the next day and we had 1 more week, so we just took it easy after taking the orphanage kids to Waterbom park.
Its pretty quiet and not many Australians there. The Balinese ask when are the Aussies coming back!! Sad.
We had a great time and I have started fund raising again (making cakes again) to give the orphanage kids a good time again next year.
Hope I didn't bore you too much