Over the past few months I have tried to remind myself over and over that I am not shopping for a nine year old, boy version of myself. Eugene probably has very different taste than me and he may hate things that I love. I tried so hard to study each picture he drew, letter he sent, and photo of him in order to get any glimmer of information about what he might enjoy. However, when my shopping was complete and I laid out all of the gifts, I couldn't help but laugh. If you know me, you will see so much of me in these gifts. I tried so hard to take myself out of the them, but in the end I just couldn't do it.
I understand that soccer is all the rage in every country except the United States. I get it. However, I do not support it. I hate soccer! My future children will not play soccer! It's one of the few sports I just can't stand. Any time you can finish a game at 0-0, it's just hard for me to get excited about it.
Ok, I am getting off topic...so I bought Eugene a soccer ball to prove that I love him, but you can't honestly expect me to not bring him a football. If you did expect that, you do not know me at all. I can't imagine going to Ghana and not teaching my little boy to throw a spiral. He may hate it, but at least I tried. Yes, after I return to the U.S. you can expect to see a video of Eugene learning to throw a football.
Luckily, I grew up with three younger brothers so I am no stranger to the toys of a nine year old boy. In almost every letter Eugene draws me pictures. He always draws a plane or an automobile of some kind so I was sure to buy a Matchbox plane and HotWheels car. I threw in the Legos and Batman action figure for good measure. Oh, and the Mickey Mouse I bought while I was at Disney World for my half marathon. I wanted to be sure I brought a little piece of Florida to Ghana.
A few educational gifts - Eugene has told me several times in letters that he loves to read. I am not sure how much he can read in English, but hopefully he can enjoy these items.
school supplies
the basics
According to a recent letter, Eugene's favorite color is yellow. The shirts are Gap, Old Navy and Nike. Oh, and don't forget the Texas Tech shirt and the Florida Gator hat. Does this just scream Danielle's kid or what?
I really wanted to buy Eugene a nice Bible. I don't know how long it will be until his English is advanced enough to read it, but I have hopes that this is something he can hold onto for the rest of his life.
Just to make it a little extra special, I had Eugene's name embossed on the Bible.
Thankfully, everything fit nicely into the backpack I bought for Eugene. Is that backpack cute or what? I poured over the Internet for weeks to find the perfect backpack and yes, of course I ended up choosing a NorthFace. I'll be taking my NorthFace backpack to Africa. Why would I not get one for my little boy? Hopefully he will like the colors and pattern!
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Acts 20:35
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