Duo, Two, Deux take your pick.

The second week of life with Catherin started off with a bang…and not in a way that was necessarily good.

Sunday morning we’re all at church and the worship time has started when I spot Catherin across the aisle from me with one of her Chinese friends. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem except she hadn’t said she wanted to sit with her friend and I just think children need to sit with an adult in church. Especially when they are only 11. So I very nicely told her we were sitting over here.

And she giggles. I tell her again, she giggles some more. I tell her again, a little more firmly and she looks me in the eye and says, “NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” crosses her arms over her chest and looks the other way.

Anyone care to guess what I thought and felt about that? Any idea what I did next, in the middle of church with a defiant 11 year old child? I gently took her arm and hissed, “Catherin, we are sitting over here!” Her friend was invited to sit with us.

The two of them either chattered or slept through the service. Mr. FullCup took care of the whole thing during their lunch. And we haven’t had that happen again. But then again, we haven’t had church again either.

Monday…Catherin went to school and the day was without mishap. And I am forever grateful.

Tuesday, we had a meeting of the host families and Chinese sponsors where a lot of thinks were ironed out. Things like; in America we wear clean clothes every day. And your undies have to go through the wash. If you need  more you’ll need to tell your host momma/dad that you need more.  We listened as the Chinese sponsors told the students what their host parents said was not a suggestion but was in fact what they had to do. Then the all the girls went to piano lessons.

Wednesday was crazy. I had Bible study in the morning, followed by a webcast. The girls had school in the afternoon and then AWANA at night. I’m thinking the fact that Catherin is from a communist country is coming out loud and clear. She’s isn’t against our going to church, but when we got to AWANA I heard her complain to Ariana, “Church? again??”

Thursday the cold I’d been trying to get all week hit with a vengeance. When Russ dropped Catherin off after school I was told there was no school on Friday.

Friday, we all went to the radio station in the morning then Mr. FullCup took all three girls to the church with him when he went up in the afternoon.

All in all it was a better week with fewer times of panic.