Learning Life Value Principles - A Fun Afternoon with the Dayspring Children

Over the past 18 months, David and I have immersed ourselves in learning much about Trust Based Relational Intervention principles. This is the work of Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross and others from the Institute of Child Development in Texas.  We have intergrated a lot of their teaching into our work both in the US and overseas in training social workers and orphanage workers.  Yesterday, we had the opportunity to try it out with children. Working with them on learning life value principles was so much fun.

Making Sock Puppets...
The first step was creating sock puppets so the children had fun making their own sock puppet that can be used in the life value scripts.

                                     Mark, the son of Olga, foster mom, had some help with his.

                                                   Christina did a great job on her puppet.

                                              Yulia wanted to show everyone her creation

 Costa, foster dad, even got in the act.  He has on his serious face, but it is only a ruse. He is actually like one of the kids - which is great for connecting with them.

Now Upstairs for the Lesson

            Ruby helps them get their skit together on "No Hits, No Hurts" life value principle.

  Emma and Julie Wright joined us and Emma is working with Jenia and Christina on their script.

Costa and Olga work with Mark, Anya and Dasha on "Obey first time."

 

 

The Video

 

We knew that Ruby took video of the lesson time yesterday, and were so excited when she came in today to training with a semi-finished product.  Here is what it looked and sounded like:

 

 LEARNING LIFE VALUE PRINCIPLES

 



It Isn't Just Another Training Day

Our time spent with social workers and orphanage caregivers is not a day just of giving out information.  We ask God before we step out the door to touch lives in a helpful, maybe even transformational way. We count it a privilege to be with them and so wish we could engage in conversations, but the language barrier is always there.

Whenever the topic of childhood trauma is addressed, we know that it will also touch the personal lives of those who come.  We all come from some woundedness.  Recently, a man who was in our training emailed Ruby to thank her for the training, but to also tell her that it opened childhood wounds for him.  We would have loved the opportunity to talk with him further.

Here are some sights from the training room at Dayspring. It felt like a good two days for those who
came....

We needed a traumatized child for a visual .....I know Ruby will not be pleased we posted her quickie artwork around the world. (She is an excellent artist by the way.)

 These workers are caregivers to a local orphanage and Gulnarda, on the right is the cargiver at the Jeremiah House.

                                                       Going over an assignment.

Sharing an assignment.

As always, we get a group picture at the end of the day....

 

Some of these precious folks we will see again. Some of them our meeting was for only this time.  We trust the two days of time they gave to us will make even a small difference in how they care for the children entrusted to them.

 

We have meetings and plans for the next couple of days. The trip here, although short compared to our others, has been meaningful, fun and always a learning experience.