today was by far my favorite day, well out of three. we went to The Good Shepherd Children's home in a town i don't remember the name of, but it was definitely way out there (an hour and a half ride on the school bus, my favorite!) when we arrived, the children (there were a total of around 200) came in droves to the bus. it was a barrage of "hola! hola! hola!" and hand grabbing and hugging. they were adorable!!! we started making toys for the kids, and i had to use my spanish right away...i was so excited!! of course after the hour and a half bus ride i really need to use the restroom. i asked one of the girls who clung to me right away, "puedes indicarme al bano?" (can you show me to the bathroom?) so she takes me by the hand and leads me into her casacita (the dorms) and shows me the bathroom...when i come out of the bathroom the girls are sitting on one of the bunks whispering, no doubt about the fact there was a peliroja gringa (red-headed white girl) using their bathroom. the girl took me out again and introduced me to her best friend. i took out some candy i had brought to give away, and as soon as i brought my backpack around to the front, a flock- no a mob- of kids circled around me. it is rather hard to give things away, because they want so much, and they'll lie, like, "y uno para mi hermana" (and one for my sister), a request i replied to with "donde esta tu hermana?" (where is your sister?) the girls i was with were very good at interpreting my spanish, and helped me tell the other kids what i needed them to do. the girls, the two in most of the pictures, were 9 and 10... their names were Astrid and Leslis...i couldn't understand them until i asked them to spell their names...only then can i really know how to pronounce them! the girls were so sweet and led me by the hand everywhere. they told me they had been there two years. i also happened upon the most vivacious 9-year-old boy ever...Marvin. he is SO small for a 9 year old...probably due to serious malnourishment and failure to thrive, conditions arising from his situation before coming to the children's home. we played "futbol americano" for awhile, and then got our food. while we were sitting there eating, another girl came up, stared for a little, then turned to Astrid and Leslis and muttered something. i asked, "hablando sobre mi?" (are you talking about me?) and she gave a bashful nod of her head and said, "si, sus ojos." (yes, your eyes) my blue eyes bring me more attention than ever, along with my red hair. paul said that he had told Marvin to come find me, and he didn't know who his sister was, so paul said "la peliroja" and Marvin knew exactly who he meant. the children were so good to me when i spoke spanish, which was all day. i told them that they were going to help me with my spanish, and they most certainly did. i learned so much from them, and i only felt slightly stupid stumbling about with my limited vocabulary. the kids were all so loving and eager to hug you and play with you. i also got to play around with a 2 year old boy named Alejandro, who was also very very sweet. while i was talking to Astrid and Leslis, they were joking around alot, telling me crazy stories, and then when i told them about my brother being here, Astrid said to me that her and Leslis were sisters. I responded in disbelief - Leslis looks part African-American- and Astrid flashed me a smile and said, "Si, somos hermanas de Cristo", or yes, we are sisters in Christ. i about cried. these two best friends, who no doubt had been through so much, were best friends and found an even greater bond in Jesus. like i said, i learned so, so much from these girls today. when it was finally time to leave, i reached into my backpack and realized i had little to give them...so i gave Marvin a small container of Pringles, and a pack of crackers each to Astrid and Leslis. i wanted to give them so much more. i think another group will be going back while i am here, so i plan to get them some clothes to give them and definitely tic-tacs for Marvin (he loves them!)....poor Leslis was wearing a velour and lace long sleeved shirt in the blazing sun today. paul also had many admirers today, mostly 2 and 3 year old boys who hung on him like monkeys. so adorable. i wanted to take so many of them onto the bus....what an amazing day. when i said my final goodbye to Astrid and Leslis, i told them that the three of us were "hermanas de Cristo, siempre" (sisters of Christ, always)...i teared up when i waved for the last time out the bus window. i will never be able to forget the beautiful hearts i encountered today. Thank you God for this amazing experience. hopefully the pictures will upload today...if they do, then i will upload the ones i referred to in the previous post...until tomorrow!!! God Bless.
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