Forgot to mention that in the children's service they also gave out lit night lights to all the children (and nearly 20 year olds called Lily) who had to carry them from the front of the church back to their seats - not good for my tension levels but no one's hair got set on fire, the order of service didn't burn and Isaac didn't knock one off the shelf!
They dimmed the lights in the church and sang "This little light of mine" in candlelight.
I hadn't realised what impact this had on Noah until last night when he put on our CD of old-fashioned children's music to listen to it again, then got into my bed this morning singing it.
I got the CD when we bought four remaindered books for $20 at our local christian book store - I thought they looked a bit corny and very dated with songs I remember from my old Sunday school days - but still at $5 a book (including CD) it wasn't risking much. And surprisingly the kids love them - we often put one on in the evening before bedtime stories. Because the words are so repetitive they are quite easy to sign too and Isaac tries to copy 'Jesus loves me'
Lily got a surprise phone call today. I actually picked up the phone and when this person I didn't know asked to speak to Lily, I asked what t was about, having learnt by experience that people doing surveys or wanting to check on services Lily gets often end up in a real muddle once they speak to her. Anyway it was a man from Wattie's food (NZ equivalent of Heinz). There had been a competition for people to nominate good sport's coaches and Lily (through her school) had nominated Helen her coach for special Olympics swimming. Lily's name had been pulled at random from the people who entered and she has won $100 of vouchers to spend at Stirling sports shop.
I handed the phone to Lily and when he told her she started literally jumping for joy and shouting with delight -- I think it made the man's day!
At tea time I got Lily to tell us all about it and this led to another of J's stories. There are all sorts of issues that children in foster care have and multiple reasons for not quite understanding what it means to tell the truth but that's not what I'm on about here - it's more the way that J is so imaginative and so believable and how each time I can't believe I've been taken in.
J told us she'd won a competition once and got vouchers to spend at the Plaza (our local shopping centre) - I'm open and believing her here. I asked what competition it was and she was a little hazy but with some prompting said a colouring competition - my antennae were vibrating a little here. I asked where she'd spent the money and she started naming shops that have only been around for the last month - by now I'm realising this is made up. And then she embellishes it a little too much. "And I got a Farmers card, that means you can get whatever you like at Farmers for free" I said then "This is a good story J" I want her to realise I know its not true without making a big deal out of it.
It's strange she should have been able to dupe me as earlier in the day I had an odd phone call from the woman who arranges access visits saying she'd had a phone call from J's mother who believed this weekend's access was cancelled. J had told her that we didn't want her to have access as we wanted her to go to Lily's birthday party! I would never interfere with access arrangements and have never done so in the 6 months J's been with us so its amazing she could get both her mum and the access supervisor believing this.
Then this morning J has no coat or fleece jacket to wear to school - that's a total of 3 coats and 1 fleece left at school or mum's house. When I told the taxi driver she said "But I checked after school yesterday and J said she had her coat and fleece with her."
I just hope one day J can put her story telling and believability to a better use.
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