There are only 5 actual male children living at the hogar, but there are a number of ‘first generation’ young men living with them, both because the home is a safe place to continue their higher education from and to help out with the younger kids. There is a good handful of these guys, and they’re pursuing a wide variety of career paths. One’s in school to be a nurse, another is quitting his job in June to study business administration full time – you get the idea. They’re all convinced that the best thing to do with their lives is to break out of the cycle of poverty and abuse most of them were rescued from and to pursue careers. Miguel in particular is really taking it seriously – he’s a great positive influence on the boys, and Bob has repeatedly expressed how grateful he is that Miguel is sticking around to help out. He’s been invaluable to us as well, from taking us out to the great pupusa joint in the neighborhood to helping us navigate the buses downtown to get to the zoo.
Kevin is 18, so he’s technically not actually part of the orphanage part of the home, but he lives with everyone just the same. He’s a very good student – he spends most of his spare time in advanced math – and is a quiet, easygoing guy. He’s also very helpful – he’s guided us around the neighborhood and on a number of shopping trips elsewhere. Kevin is just plain a nice guy, and he’s a great example of the results of raising children in a Godly, caring household.
Juan Carlos and Irving are the two older teens living in the house, and I have to honestly say I haven’t gotten to spend much time with them. Because they’re older, they spend more time in school and doing homework, and because they’re teenagers they’re of course way too cool to hang out with us (or they are if they’re anything like I was at that age, haha!) I know they’re great kids from the small interactions I’ve had with them, but it’s just been the way things work out that we haven’t been able to spend too much time with them.
Javier is, quite simply, the bomb. He plays a wicked air guitar – I had no idea it was possible to literally shred the air. He is a real ham in front of the camera, and always having fun and playing around. He’s got the potential to be quite the athelete if he wants to be as well. Yes, we have a secret handshake, and no, you can’t learn it.
Nestor is a really truly sweet boy. He’s got the most wonderful smile, and a disposition that never cracks. He tends to sometimes get overshadowed a bit by the more outspoken Javier, but he really enjoys what he does for the sake of enjoying it and not because it’s just something he sees other people doing. He prefers to stay in the background, but that doesn’t hide the excellent man he’s going to be in just a few more years.
Juancito is actually 7, but you couldn’t tell to look at him. He grew up extremely malnourished, more so than his sisters Rosita and Ceci, and he really looks more like he’s 4. His shoes are so incredibly tiny – we’d all be completely heartbroken for him if we couldn’t see the rest of the kids growing up with three square meals a day and outstripping the slow start they had before they came to the home. He’s got some behavior problems, so I can’t say he’s the best kid to hang out with, but he’s certainly capable of being sweet and loving just like the rest of them. He’ll turn out all right – just loook at that smile!
So there you have it – my family this month! I’ve experienced the strangest bonding with these kids – they’re all so open and excited to share their lives with us that it really almost feels as if they’re blood relatives. I don’t even want to think about how hard it’s going to be to say goodbye tonight. I think I’m just going to have to come back!
Don’t go away, folks! There’s more coming, so stay tuned for updates about the cool things God’s been doing with me this month!
