Families Sharing Summer: Week #2

John & Britton Laughlin ~ June 16-20

Our time with Alvin and Jarquavious was really good this week but there were some unexpected challenges too.

Monday and Tuesday we got a lot done and had some fun activities. The guys threw themselves into projects around the house that included cleaning out the tool shed in the back yard and sorting through the unearthed items to determine what to keep, what to give away, and what to throw away.

They also received their books to study for their driving tests. They spent some time each day studying. Alvin really dove into the material, so much so that he was correcting our driving "mistakes" the rest of the week (no driving with one hand!).

The boys also got copies of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to read when they took a break during the day - for some rest from work and from our kids who wouldn't stop playing with them. Jarquavious especially liked reading the story, and he and Alvin both want to watch the movie after they finish their books.

We had a good time cooking burgers out on the grill one night. Alvin learned how to do everything. He helped light the charcoal, make the hamburger patties, and cook them too. It was a perfect summer dinner of backyard burgers, chips and watermelon that night.

Sadly, on Wednesday afternoon things took an unexpected turn. John was driving the boys home in the afternoon when several fire trucks raced past. As John turned on the boys' street everyone in the car realized that it was the boys' house burning. Thankfully, everyone got out safely, but the inside of the house was destroyed.

It was a shock to everyone. Under the circumstances, Alvin and Jarquavious have handled it well. It was not easy for them to see what little they had go up in smoke, but their spirits have been good. It has been a lesson for all of us watching God provide. Through various organizations and individuals the family has received basic needs and temporary accommodations, but there is a pressing need for a more permanent place to live. Please continue to pray for their mom, Robbee, their great-grandmother, Mary, and their little brother, Ladarius who (along with Alvin and Jarquavious) are currently homeless.

The boys rallied on Thursday and Friday, spending those days with our family. In addition to the "normal" reading and completing work projects in the yard, Britton and the kids did some fun sometime activities. On Thursday everyone went to pick blueberries together. It was there that we learned that Alvin and Jarquavious do NOT like spiders.