holding babies...

Monday we visited Hogarcito San Juan Bosco for the second time since we have been here.  This place holds a very special place in our hearts already and we know that our love for the tias and children there will only continue to grow.  

We began our correspondence with Diana, the director at Hogarcito, through email.  I painstakingly constructed an email of introduction in Spanish.  It is very difficult for me to write in Spanish because I generally think in more complex sentences then my limited spanish vocuabulary permits.  Unlike Hogar de Vida, no one at Hogarcito San Juan Bosco speaks English.  We emailed back and forth and Diana invited us to come and meet her and see the facility first hand.  

Again, we nudged the kids awake for an early morning drive for that first visit.  We still had no expectations and only hoped to learn.  

Hogarcito San Juan Bosco is not as large or grand as Hogar de Vida, but it is bright, colorful, clean, and full of love.

We pulled up outside the gate and little eyes slowly started to gather to look at who has come to visit... I am not sure if they rarely have visitors or if they rarely have children as visitors.  Either way, their curiosity definitely had the best of them and they watched us carefully.  

Diana welcomed us warmly and Kyle and I began to describe the best we could what ROOM does and ask her about how her program works.  

She showed us around the facility and went into a room where a sweet girl, no older than 4 months, was sleeping.  She reached down and picked her up and handed that sweet, sleeping baby to me...I was toast after that.  Oliver Jack was smitten and could barely do anything else besides hold her tiny hand and kiss her cheeks.  

While we held that sweet baby, we listened to Diana tell us about Hogarcito San Juan Bosco.

She told us that PANI provides monetary support and that support covers the cost of the salaries of the 6 tias that they have to have there at all times and a large portion of their operating costs and food.  PANI's support is 60% of their monthly budget.  After that 60%, the tias use their own money for whatever needs the children may have.  

We asked her how she covered the remaining 40% and she responded that is was "por la gracia de Dios" and that He somehow made what they have grow and grow....They depend on Him to for daily bread to feed the multitudes.  

She also told us, with a twinkle in her eye, about a room that she was trying to build.  She talked of the room like someone speaks of becoming a doctor or owning a sportscar...like she knew it could be a possibility but also like she is slightly embarassed of having such a goal...but she bashfully described the room to us.  A local architect has already donated the plans for the additonal space that is truly necessary for this facility to be a healthy space for the kids there...they have a list of supplies.  They know the contractor that they will hire to complete the job.  They only need the supplies.

We asked her if she had any supplies yet and she lowered her head and told us no.  

They never have money left over.  And when it comes to buying food or building supplies for a dream addition, they make the purchase that any responsible person would make and they buy food.  

We asked her what her biggest need is month to month and she told us food.

We understand that!  We only have 6 mouths to feed in our home and food is our biggest expense outside of our home...I can only imagine the cost of feeding 17 mouths!

After that initial meeting we left and purchased chicken, baby formula, apples, and then Harper insisted that we also purchase Tang for the kids...Tang...of all the things :)

We left that day feeling a sense of purpose.  This is what God had put in our hearts...these are the faces we saw in the corners of our hearts.  We only wanted Diana and the others there to know that we are truly here.  

Those are the relationships that take work.  

We are all grateful when someone offers help, but help with relationship is much more powerful.

So Monday we visited again.  

This time, Harper and Calvary not only brought bracelets to distribute but they also brought rainbow loom bands to teach the kids.  All of the children were so interested in the bracelets last time that Harper thought they would love a lesson.  

We went and purchased more chicken and formula and headed to Hogarcito.  Even though we had made the arrangements with Diana to come again, her face when she saw us was so different than the first time we met her.  It was not like the face of someone that is suspect of meeting a new person.  It was the face of someone that was genuinely happy to see a friend.  

I am so thankful for that greeting.

The kids immediately set off to play and we immediately started talking with Diana.  

We immediately started find our place in the middle of their normal day.  

One little girl reminded me so much of a friend's daughter at home and we just giggled as we watched her live.  She was spunky and fun and everything she did was with a little smile.  She grabbed my sunscreen and began telling me, "pintarme! pintarme!"...how could I deny her?  

Harper, unsuprisingly, became the best rainbow loom teacher the world has ever known.  

Calvary, suprisingly, jumped in and did his best to teach a little girl how to use her fingers to make the bracelet.  However, his fine motor skills delay make that a more difficult job than it would be for most and he pointed her the way to Harper for further instruction.  Although he was exactly succesful in teaching her, I was just so proud I could pop at the effort.  

While we were playing with the kids, Kyle as working.  Calvary joined him and loved working hard sweeping and scrubbing the sidewalk.  

Finley and Jack...well, they played.  They raced.  Boys laughed uncontrollably at Finley's blue tongue.  They looked at books.  And they climbed and played on the play structures.  

Mostly, we were just there.

I noticed, much like at Hogar de Vida, the immense amount of love their.

Every little girl had their hair lovingly brushed and tied up in little ponytails.

Every child had outifts that were put together with care.

The boys would make bracelets and then run off to give them to their favorite tias...and then come back and say, "2 mas!".

While we were there, a few of the children had to get ready for school...they disappeared for a while and returned wearing perfectly pressed school uniforms.  It was funny to see these boys that were just moments ago laughing and roughhousing suddenly turned into proper students.  

It was sweet to see.  Every child that would come and sit beside me and listen to me speak my slow, Southern spanish was so full of life.  It was like I was looking into the face of hope.  

Our heart would be that each one of these children would have a home.  We, as members of ROOM and as Christians, would love that there would be no need for orphanages at all.  Our goal, in the meantime, is to help these programs run as effictively as lovingly as possible.  

We are so thankful for places like Hogar de Vida and Hogarcito San Juan Bosco that are doing their very best to love on these precious children.  

My personal hope is that ROOM can help make the room that Diana dreams of reality.  As Kyle and I continue to work on translating the list, we plan to offer those materials as an opportunity for everyone to bless this program that is already doing so much to serve and love these kids. Each item that is crossed off that list, even as simple as a box of nails, has such a profound impact on these kids but also on the workers that sometimes feel so alone in their service. 

Harper helping the children make rainbow loom bracelets...

Calvary helping....

Calvary working hard...

the biggest room for the kids.  

Meet Diana.  She is kind, warm, and hopeful.  We are excited to be partnering with her.