I was warned ahead of time that the kids living at the orphanage love having their pictures taken, and although it felt like an invasion of their privacy to photograph what we Americans would consider an insurmountable struggle, it was intriguing to catch a glimpse of their world through my lens. I can't wait to print these out and bring them back when I return next. Here are a few photos from my time there that might help you in praying for these sweet little ones:
Here are just a few pictures I took during the bus ride into the village. I had to take them through the window while the bus was driving so I usually missed what I was trying to capture, but they still give you a mental picture of the village.
This fruit stand was actually out on the main road, and from what I could tell it was the nearest "Albertsons". Aren't all of the brightly colored fruits and vegetables beautiful? I was so impressed to find such neatly displayed produce in the midst of such poor surroundings.
Other than the orphanage Andy and I spent time in during a work & witness mission years ago in Mexico, the only orphanages I really knew anything about were those that I researched in China trying to find out more about where Mia spent the first 10 months or so of her life. This was not at all what I was expecting, and I'm not even sure why. Here is the kitchen where Ebu, with the help of some of the older kids, prepares food for 36 children. There was no sink, only bucket of water.
One of the bedrooms:
By counting mattresses and pillows I would guess at least nine children share this room. Kind of makes me cringe when I think of the big, open bedrooms the girls will go back to in America.
I didn't realize how difficult it would be to teach an English lesson to non-English-speaking kids! This little guy doesn't seem to be taking my efforts too seriously, does he? He was much more intereseted in posing so I would take his picture. And how could I resist? This little boy is absolutely gorgeous.
I've taught in several different classroom settings over the years, but teaching in the squelching heat while being bitten relentlessly by mosquitoes on an old front porch with two chained up dogs constantly barking and licking my legs during my lesson, was definitely a first. So glad I have an updated tetanus.
We think (hope) this little girl has the chicken pox, but of course there wasn't a doctor nearby to confirm. I was shocked to hear one of the volunteers mention that another child had the mumps a while back. Makes me grateful for western medicine and vaccines. Poor thing. This is the only time I got really frustrated with the language barrier because I couldn't communicate with her to ask her how she was feeling or if there was anything I could do to help her. She admired my earrings and I just gave them to her because I didn't know what else to do. I wanted so badly to give her an oatmeal bath, tuck her into bed, give her some tylenol for her fever. It was really frustrating not to be able to make her feel better.
None of the kids wore shoes inside or out of the house. However, when it was time for some of them to walk to school (so thankful that they attend school) they would change into their uniform and slip their bare feet into a pair of shoes before leaving. Obviously, everything they have has been donated, but I got a little choked up when I noticed the little boy in the middle wearing mens shoes several sizes too big. These three were so proud in there school uniforms (even though they were for the most part either too big or too small), and I was thrilled to see them wearing them. I had just read about how important school uniforms are to kids in third world countries. I was shocked to learn statistically what an impact it makes on a village community when kids in the local schools wear uniforms; teen pregnancy, pre-arranged marriages, drugs, child trafficking, all kinds of abuse toward women - these statistics all decrease when uniforms are available for kids, because then they can attend their local school. So I guess the bottom line is education. But interesting that something as simple as a school uniform can open the door for a child and potentially make an impact of a their life, family and community.
I was so relieved to see other girls from around the village walking to school. Girls having an education is imperative in poverty-stricken countries. Poor, uneducated girls barely have a chance in areas like this.
We brought fruit with us and helped the kids put the different pieces on a skewer. It was a fun way to teach them about the Fruits of the Spirit! Even though they didn't understand English, they seemed to enjoy singing songs about Jesus and eating fruit kebabs together.
I'm sure you might be thinking by now if Andy and I might consider adopting any of the kids from this orphanage. And truth be told, I spent a lot of my time there thinking about how I could take a few of them home with me. I even imagined how I would explain to Andy that we had suddenly become a family of 6 or 8 or so... but unfortunately these kids are not available for adoption for a lot of different reasons (and of course I know better than to think I could actually just "take" them home with me). Honestly, if you spent time with these kids and saw how they were living, you'd be thinking the same thing. They constantly melt your heart, and then break it in a moment's notice. Each and every one of them. Not sure what God is trying to teach me right now, but I definitely feel stretched. And boy does He pull hard sometimes. As a mother (as a human being), it's difficult to see this and not know how to "fix it". I'm really struggling with that. But for now, I will continue to pray, faithful that God knows what He's doing.
