Today began like the others. A bright light shining in my face as Kyle flipped the switch inside our dank, smelly room. Breakfast consisted of eggs, beans, and bread with our new friends. Work assignments were given out once again and a good portion of the Joshua students ran to the vans to go down to the local elementary school, still in desperate need of attention.
Following yesterday’s work, there was still much to do at the school as we were split into three crews: tire painting crew (the tires are used as a boundary for the children’s playground), a rock picking crew, and a window washing crew. I was assigned to the rock picking crew, where we went through the dirt lot the kids called their playground and gathered all the rocks we could find to dump them at one end of the property. This took up all my time from around 10 AM until 1, when we returned to Colina de Luz for lunch, but not before Manuel, Caleb and I stopped for some Coke and burritos from a shop down the street.
After lunch, we were able to hang out and play with the children and have fun once again. It was a blast and we have loved every minute with the kids, who have an unceasing amount of joy. They never stop laughing and talking and trying to have fun with us, even though the majority do not speak a word of English.
Dinner with the children is always hilarious as Maddie, Jessy, and Lynsey agreed to not speak in English, as long as the girls they were sitting with didn’t speak Spanish. The result of this should’ve been televised. I was absolutely rolling. After dinner there was Church, where a band played music for us and we got to listen to a sermon, translated by Nathan (with a little help from Amy).
Each day seems to be more and more fulfilling as I know that I will be so sad to leave this orphanage and these kids. I’ve come to love them and their smiles and have learned what love looks like, regardless of where you’re from or what language you speak. These kids have done far more for me than they will probably ever know.
Written by Chad