And the kid of the week is…. Pauleen!
Actually, her full name is “Queen Pauleen” but usually she is referred to as “Pau Pau” (sounds like “pow pow”). Pauleen is five years old and is absolutely adorable! She came to the NFFCH about two years ago along with the other Marikina Orphanage group (Aira, Jerald, Jaypee, Jessica, and Jan Andrei). She was only three years old when she first came, and spent the first chunk of her time here in the nursery.
At four years old she moved to be with the “big kids” and has pretty much held her own since. And the main reason would definitely be her brother Jan Andrei. Big brother Jan looks out for his sister Pauleen! I don’t think there is a sibling set in the whole children’s home closer than these two! Jan and Pauleen love to spend time together and are always looking out for one another! One of my favorite memories of Pauleen comes from my first month here in Manila. Her brother Jan was being punished and she kept coming into the room with her hands on her hips, exclaiming in her tiny little voice “Where’s Jan?!” She just wanted to make sure he was okay!
Pauleen is in kindergarten at our community school and is working hard to practice her speech, which she struggles with. Her sentences don’t always come together correctly (in English or Tagalog) and often says words that sound similar to the actual word she’s wanting to say, but are just a little off. It took me a long time to even notice this, because she doesn’t talk very much to begin with. Pauleen likes to play! She’s always running around the home, dripping sweat, with no time to slow down and have a conversation.
I guess the best word I could use to describe Pauleen is sweet. She just has a precious face, with an adorable little voice, a darling smile, and a cute little giggle. She is as cute as a button and a joy to have at the children’s home.
Please keep little Pau Pau in your prayers this week. Pray for her speech development, pray for her physical, mental, and spiritual development, and pray that she and her brother would be blessed by a family that loves them and cares for them and calls them their own. And of course that Pauleen would grow to understand the message of Christ and have a relationship with Him.
Enjoy the video and God bless!
Special Note about the Video: Since Pauleen doesn’t speak very much, along with her shy nature, she wasn’t really into the whole answering questions thing I usually do. So instead, the video is mostly pictures and some clips of her playing. I hope you still enjoy!
