the kiddos

Ever since about September, we've been hanging out for a few hours most Saturdays at an orphanage nearby our house. I could fill a book with descriptions of the kids who live there and stories from the directors, a couple of anonymous Mother Teresas. But since this is just a blog post, I'll keep it short on words and filled with photos of their sweet faces.

Both David and I were nervous to go at first. What if it's sad? What if they don't understand our crappy Spanish? What if they run out in the street? What if...?

One thing we didn't what-if was the possibility that they might worm their way into our hearts. But that's what happened. Darn kids. Or, as David likes to say, little pukes.

There's Mabel. Such a hard life she has in that stupid wheelchair. She has an autoimmune disease called Myasthenia gravis and has only been in the wheelchair for a few years, so I'm sure she remembers a more "normal" life. It's so sad watching her struggle to wash her clothes in the sink (she refuses help), or washing her hair, or trying to eat when her muscles aren't cooperating. How frustrating! Sometimes she bursts into a big smile or laughs, and her whole face lights up. I love that. She has a mischievous side to her that took me a while to notice. The other day we were playing with a ball and I accidentally bonked her on the head. I made her laugh by asking her "Do you remember your name?" and "What's 2+2?" Later, when I forgot the Spanish word for "catch" for the 12th time, I joked about there being a problem with my brain and Mabel said, "4 plus 4?"

There's Alfredo. Talk about a face lighting up with a smile. He is adorable. And he smiles a lot. He is all boy. He's 11 years old, I think, and is a handful. He's one we've both picked out when we play the which-one-would-we-adopt-if-we-could game. But then again, we've picked out pretty much all of them at one time or another. We got a taste of Alfredo's puppy dog eyes/pouty lip/manipulative side when we took a group of four boys to the arcade at the mall. But he's still stinkin cute. And helpful. We often see him helping take care of the babies who live at the house. 


Luis, Josef and Brian were the other three boys who went on the arcade trip. I like Luis because he kind of marches to the beat of his own drum. He's also thoughtful and helpful. I've seen him several times offering to carry things for people. Little Brian is so sweet. He loves hugs. Josef ... yep, I'd take him home too.

There's a boy who came more recently, Josway. The police took him from living in the fields with his alcoholic father. He's extremely small for his age because of malnutrition. The other day the kids were practicing a traditional dance for an upcoming competition, and it was obvious Josway knew what he was doing.

There's Luisa, one of the oldest, who is the mother of Pedro, and kind of a mom to everyone at the house. There's Yenifer, who you get the idea has been through a lot. She's only 14 but seems much older. She's a bit of an instigator and likes to play rough with the other girls. Wherever Yenifer is, there is usually some hair-pulling, pushing and loud giggling going on. There's Ivon, who is also 14 but looks much younger. She always seems to be looking out for the younger kids. I remember when we went to the pool, there were a set of sisters who had just arrived and Ivon spend a lot of time with the little one, trying to help her in the pool and taking care of her.

Norma is super affectionate with me, and more reserved around David. When they were doing the dance practice the other day, Norma's partner was M.I.A. so David jumped in to dance with her (okay, maybe I pushed him in to dance with her) and she was sooo embarrassed. When we took Norma to the mall, she kept a tight grip on my hand and/or arm the whole time, interrupted by random tight hugs. She had her first ride on an escalator, her first ride on an elevator and saw her first movie in a theater.

Norma's little sister Brenda is teeny tiny and also super affectionate. We think she has fetal alcohol syndrome. They've both told me about their littlest sister who died not too long ago because of "stomach pain."

We get little glimpses now and then of some of the kids' sad stories -- abuse, neglect, malnutrition, prostitution, poverty -- and to be honest we don't really want to know all the details. It's easier to go and play with them on Saturday afternoons, see them laugh and try to ignore the fact that they live in an orphanage for a reason.

There's Nilda, who is a tomboy, or marimacho (as in a macho Mary), and who adores David. The feeling is mutual.

There's Stefani, who is quiet and a little shy and combs her hair constantly. A few weeks ago Stefani and some of the other girls dragged me into their room to show me their stash of posters and laminated key chains of a Korean boy band they're all obsessed with. It felt like some sort of initiation, like we reached a new level of our relationship.

Roxana was also part of that group. She's 11 now, I think, and raising her baby son Mateo, with a lot of help from the two women who work and live full time at the orphanage. Roxana is always quick to find me for a hug whenever we arrive.
 
Then there's Berta and Elena, both sweet, sweet, sweet. Elena is another one I'd love to bring home. Sometimes I bring embroidery floss and we make friendship bracelets. Elena churns out 3 or 4 of them in the time it takes most of the others to make half of a bracelet and then abandon it for something more exciting. She's always making bracelets for other people -- me, the women who work at the orphanage, little girls she meets at the park. So sweet.

The orphanage is basic and runs on a ridiculously low budget, but things are clean and organized, and the kids are clearly loved. Their faith in Christ is a big part of daily life, and even the littlest kids will sometimes say things that take us by surprise. It's not every day that a four-year-old sends you off with a hug and a "may God bless you." They get down on their knees and put their faces to the ground when they pray (which is often). At first it threw us off, but now it seems respectful and genuine.

For the last 15 years they've been building a second house in another part of town, and it's almost ready to open. They need $350 per month for the salaries for two women to live and work there. If you want to help out, let us know and we can give you more info.