Life With Ezra {Never a Dull Moment}

Tim teaches Ezra the art of garbage disposal repair.

After two+ years of hosting Ezra in our home, one thing remains the same: there is never a dull moment! Ezra's adjusting provides many teaching opportunities; his ongoing successes and accomplishments give cause for celebration.  Having grown up in civil war-torn Liberia, bounced from mom's rural village to dad's city dwelling, then sent to live in an orphanage; witnessing tremendous violence and chaos...  Perhaps in response to myriad environmental, social, and psychological disadvantages (horrors) of his youth, Ezra's personality is reserved; almost hidden.  Chatting away with the boys downstairs, Ezra will clam up completely when an adult comes into earshot.  Not that his conversations are inappropriate, just that there is one Ezra who lets loose when he feels safe and one Ezra who's on guard in the company of adults or strangers.  Complicated.

Ezra's resistance to asking questions, seeking clarification, or following a series of instructions have led to:

• a sink completely clogged with dirt after Ezra used it to clean his running shoes after a very muddy trail run during cross country season
• a broken garbage disposal, choked with 12 potatoes' worth of peels (although he had been asked to put the potato peels into the compost bin)
• a ruined electrical outlet, torn from its socket when Ezra folded up his Murphy Bed with a clock plugged in right at the mechanism's center
• bleach concentration sprayed all over the house from our new mopping device, after Ezra added 2 TBS bleach when instructed to add 2tsp vinegar

Ezra's accidents and honest mistakes provide opportunities for us to grow in patience, and to charitably teach him how to repair the damage.  He has had instruction in sink maintenance, garbage disposal repair, and careful product label reading.  He has learned to make plans and seek permission at least a day before an event.  He has gained confidence in using the telephone and asking others for rides.  He gets himself out the door by 6:30AM every day to catch a city bus to a school bus to commute 45 minutes to his culinary arts vocational training; followed by half-days at the public high school and after school sports involvement.  We continue to look for ways to help Ezra grow closer to mature independence, and each day Ezra gives us a reason to smile.  We genuinely enjoy his company and delight in getting to know him better, one tiny little glimpse at a time.

Tim shows Ezra how to raise and lower his new Murphy Bed.

Pray for Ezra~

Pray for us!