Moments to Treasure – Project Eden (by Ashley McClanahan)

This past month has been filled with exciting moments here at Project Eden. We started this month with midterm exams in English, Computers, Chinese and Math. The girls are so determined and focused and it makes teaching them enjoyable each day. They are showing improvements in all three subjects and each of them love to play basketball during our P.E. time as well.

With the weather cooling down, we decided to go on a hiking trip with the girls. We left early on a Saturday morning to go to a beautiful mountain nearby. The girls are used to hiking quickly at high altitudes and our group hiked 6K to the top in just two hours. We enjoyed eating lunch at the top and the girls found a “grassland” area for our group to picnic on. The hike back down was pleasant and was filled with the singing and laughter of the girls. We celebrated three birthdays this month and had a barbeque dinner to celebrate. We bought some Western goodies and had a feast of hot dogs, chips, fruit and of course birthday cake! After we ate dinner, the girls had a sing off and each girl sang their favorite song.

It is an incredible opportunity to be able to live in a community setting with these girls. A few days ago, the power in our village went out while some men were doing some maintenance. This unexpected event actually turned into an hour of fun, lit by flashlights, as we played games and sang songs. Part of the beauty of living and working at Eden is being able to take hold of these opportunities to get to know the girls better. It is truly a blessing and a privilege to serve these young women and to watch them grow in strength and maturity.