For most of you that know me, you know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…Babies. My team and I have been working three different ministries while in Bolivia. Working with Ken’s Boys, who had been street kids and now go to University, and live at Ken’s house. Talking to street kids, to build up their trust in us, and trying to get them off the streets to a better life. Last but not least has to be my favorite ministry thus far. That is working with young children at El Jordan, while their mothers go to class’s that are held at El Jordan to learn how to cook, clean, learn the basics, and learn how to make stuff the sell them so they could have an income.
My favorite room is, you guessed it, the baby room. The ages rang from 6months to 3 years of age. Playing with the babies, and toddlers feels like second nature to me. I have always been a baby person since I was young, and have no problem with crying, spit-up, and messy dippers. Getting to know the little ones and playing with them makes me never want to leave. If I thought it was hard enough to think about leaving Bolivia, what came next makes me want to stay forever.
The baby room! We change them twice, feed them a bottle, and give them a snack if they can have it. We watch them from 3pm till 6pm, Monday- Friday.
Rachael
Rachael with her brown eyes, black hair, and light brown skin took to me right away, once her mother placed her in my arms. This little girl, who would be turning 1 on November 17th, just took my breath away. Never wanting to let go of me, and would cry when I would leave her to quick get a toy or a tissue broke my heart. I would have her on the floor, with her little butt always touching me so she would know I was there. If I would move backwards she would turn her head and look at me with those great big brown/black eyes and put her little hand on my thigh, and try and climb up to get to my arms. If she didn’t pull on my heart strings so much, I would just have sat her down by the toys to play, but she had me wrapped around her little finger. Her smile just melted my heart and at the end of the day I never wanted to give her back to her mother. I pray Rachael will have a better life then her parents had, and grow up to be a happy little girl, and then a happy young adult.
Rachael would do this thing with her head when she would eat, and it would just make me laugh.
She has the cutest smile!
Reanada
Reanada with black hair, black eyes, light color skin, and a smile to light up the whole world became my best buddy the whole day on Friday. Reanada, is 6 months old and has already had a hard life. She is malnourished, and had been abused by her mother’s brother who abused not only her but her mother, and other sister which made them run away from home. Reanada’s mother is living with friends, but they don’t have anything at all. Even with all of this, Reanada is a very happy baby. She has to be held all the time, because she can’t support herself to be able to sit up, she is starting to turn herself over on her stomach, but she has to be watched because she can’t pick her head up to crawl. Again even with all of this, she is a very happy baby. Likes to be held and loves to be loved. She loves to give me slobbery kisses on my nose, face, fingers anywhere she can put her month on for she is getting her first tooth. I don’t care at all, for I never wanted to let her go. I never wanted to put her down, I never wanted to give her back to her mom, but I had too and it was hard. I will pray for her every day, for Reanada has stolen my heart forever.
I was feeding her and she feel asleep in my arms in the morning. In the aftternoon, we played with toys and it was hot so I took off her little dress. She was happy to have it off.
Reanada will forever be in my heart!
These two little girls will always have my heart. No one thus far has touched me as much as they have. I will miss them both so very much!
