Today was super fun...like Chad mentioned, we went to Mundo de Adeveras and did a bunch of soccer stuff. At the last minute, I paired my sweet little one Niercas, 6 year old girl, with a high school student who didn't have anyone to hang out with. So, I ended up tagging along with Jessica, who had Jose who is 4 years old from a new orphanage called Rayitos de Luz (or Rays of Light). The first time the B2B team went to visit this new orphanage it was shocking. There are 18 kids there and they had only 2 beds for them and an empty refrigerator...literally. Perhaps even more shocking was that this was extremely better than the conditions the kids came from. The oldest child is 10...and is the oldest by far. So most of these ninos (children) are 7 and under.
Jose is a ball of energy. He has a belly laugh that can melt your heart. Jessica and I spent about 4 hours with him, playing on a soccer-goal-type moonwalk, giving piggy back rides, and kicking the ball back and forth. The rest of the "big kids" (from other orphanages) played organized games of soccer and did some drills. We ate dinner at Mundo de Adeveras...cheeseburgers and papas fritas (french fries) and COKE!!! It's been a long time since I've had that! Afterwards, we did a soccer ceremony where each child ran down a tunnel and they received their own soccer ball. They also got a waterbottle and a t-shirt.
Jessica and I found out we had the same circle of friends at Miami. She was 2 years younger than me and we were often in the same company. She is awesome - someone I have really connected with this week. She lives in Cincinnati so I'm excited to see her after the summer as well. We're finally getting beyond the surface with a lot of the team. That's been a little challenging not knowing people and having to have the same conversation (specs -where you are from, what you do, why you are here, etc.) with loads of people. But Chad and I have finally built some relationships here with John and Corrie (who we ran with) and myself with Christy (married two years like us and here for a year) and Jessica from today. The extrovert in me has an insatiable need to have depth in conversation with others. Alice Daniels, a CHCA teacher from the elementary school, is also here...who I know from when I taught Kindergarten. Her sweet face was so refreshing to see when I got here. She is one of those people that is so excited to see you every time you walk into a room. I can't get enough of this lady...
Gosh, I am longwinded...okay...time to run - t-minus 7 minutes until worship, baptisms, and debriefing!
1 comment:
I finally got to take a look at the blog and it is super. The pictures are great and the descriptions make me feel like I am there. We miss you guys, but what you are doing is very important. I look forward to making the trip with you when I retire in a couple of years. Love you both.
Dad
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