A Cacophonous Week

Yep, I pulled out the big word this time.  I had to make sure I was using it correctly before I wrote it here.  It was the only word that made sense to describe my week.  And it kept running through my head, and I wondered if it meant what I thought it did.  Cacophonous.  Cacophony.  Yes, those are the words of my week.
Clashes with children at the o, employees who don't fulfill requirements, an attorney who went AWOL rather than do his job, and a host of other things.  All in the face of me trying to build a relationship with these two young women God has brought into my life, M and M.  One relationship began in January of this year.  The ups and downs of mothering a 17 year old pregnant girl who lived the last few years on the streets brought me to a whole new level of faith and trust in our Creator.  Watching Magalitha give birth on our bathroom floor took it up a notch.  And now, watching her go off to school every morning, like a normal 17 year old should, shatters my heart into a zillion pieces.  In both good and bad ways.  She is experiencing freedom within boundaries, something she's not had before.  She's pretty good at respecting boundaries, and following 'rules', though I'm not really sure I have rules so much as behavior expectations for her.  She is aware of the blessings that God has given her, and she realizes that without Him, none of this would be possible.  When I look at her in her uniform, all fresh and ready to go, and she kisses my cheek and tells me she loves me before she leaves, my heart does this strange gripping thing.  Like I want her to go and experience all these things, but I know how terribly the world has treated her, and I can't bear to watch it crap on her anymore.  I get anxious about her interactions with others, especially men teachers, or male classmates.  I try to pray, but find myself instead thinking about what I'll do if any of those things happen that I dread happening to her.  So I kiss her back, and tell her to have a good day.  I hand her some crackers and a bit of money to buy juice since she won't eat a meal until well after 3 pm when she finishes her extra study prep.  Because she takes the big national exam this year, that will determine whether she can continue her education next year, or repeat this level.
She comes home every day, rinses out her socks (she has one pair, it was all we could afford), covers her hair so she won't have to redo it in the morning, and cracks open her first set of books.  She has to memorize her lessons.  That's how it is done here.  So when the teacher asks her a question she can respond literally from her memory, the answer on the page of her book.  If she doesn't respond this way, she'll be hit with a stick or put on her knees.  This is just the way here.  So she studies.  And then she studies some more.
Today she made lunch for our family with the other M.  Miliene came into my world in early September.  She had birthed twin girls in early July, and is struggling to find her way in the world.  At 19, she has had to fend for herself for a few years already.  Her girls were born via emergency c-section, and Miliene continues to struggle with the healing process from that.  She's had some complications, and she has a very different outlook on life and things than Magalitha does.  Yet, God brought them both together at my house, and the relationship they are building is quite unique.  So my girls made lunch for us today.  Beans and rice, but I actually liked it.  Like I wanted to eat all of it, but who can safely consume 4 cups of rice and beans?  Not me.  So I saved some for later.  Miliene washed clothes for me today to earn money to stay in a friend's house.  I'm still learning about Miliene and am doing so with caution.  Magalitha senses something in Miliene (and I do too) that isn't quite on the up and up.  So for now, she washes clothes to have a room to sleep in, and she eats and bathes at my house most nights before she goes home.  Time will tell.
And all of this in the midst of mothering a 27 month old, strong-willed, creative, active boy.  And trying to figure out how a 7 week old baby girl fits into all of this.
Here's looking to a fresh, new, harmonious week.