Monday is park day. That means every Monday at 4pm, we round up all the rowdy hooligans and walk about a mile through muggy heat and fields of gnats to go to the local park. Ironically enough, the favorable activity at the park is a full out brawl style soccer game, gringos vs. kiddos, even though we have a soccer field at the orphanage.
It was a good game and I even outsmarted my little pal Jose a few times. His moves were fancy, but not quite fancy enough (or I just got super lucky). After about a good hour it was apparent that the gringos weren’t going to win and Jose had had enough of our joking little duel.
As we started our trek back to the orphanage for cena (dinner in Spanish for you newbs out there), I found myself in the midst of a really special moment. I was walking with two of the children that have really touched my heart this month (although they all have) and just so happen to be brother and sister. Coni is 11 and is quite possibly one of the sassiest little girls there ever was. She has a deep raspy voice and an even deeper capacity to love. Noel is 5 and has the most adorable little pudgy belly I’ve seen in a while. He also is the only 5 year old I’ve seen worship with such passion and enthusiasm. He loves to raise his hands and belt it out from that pudgy little belly of his.
So we’re making the trek back to the campus for dinner and I have Coni holding my left hand and Noel holding my right hand. The path is only lit by the faint light of a slice of moon and countless fireflies buzzing around our heads. We’re joking around and having a good time when the conversation slowly turned to family. They asked about mine and I was overcome with joy as I realized just how much God has blessed me with my family. It was the first time I truly realized how much of a gift from God each member of my family is to me.
I continued to ask Coni and Noel more about their family. Their older sister, Anielka, lives here at CICRIN as well but I’d yet to learn about the rest of their family. Coni told me that they are living at CICRIN because their mother is too poor and can’t afford to feed them or take care of them. She lives in San Jorge where their older brother, Julio, is studying. Julio is 16 and goes to school in the day and works at a watermelon farm at night. They also have another older brother named Christopher. They like CICRIN but miss their mom and brothers. My heart melted more and more every time I looked down into each of their beautiful and innocent eyes as they proudly told me all about their other siblings.
You’d have needed a set of steel pliers to get me to let go of those sweaty little hands gripping mine. Be normal, Jess, don’t freak em out.. was all I could tell myself to keep me from scooping them up into my arms and high tailing it to the nearest airport to bring them home with me. I’ve fallen in love with these little ones and I am already dreading saying goodbye in just a short couple of weeks.
The biggest blessing in all of this is being able to take comfort in God’s plan for their lives. It is so great and so apparent and I’m thankful that even as they grow up at CICRIN, they are blessed with the beautiful gift of having a family.
Coni asked me later in the night if I had a boyfriend. “No! No tengo un novio!!!” I said playfully and bashfully as I covered my hand with my mouth (shocked, as if every other girl here hasn’t asked us the same exact question.) We laughed and she affirmed me that she doesn’t either, but that Jesus is the love of her life.
It was a special moment. A moment of praise and thanks and glory to God that Coni and Noel are in His hands. You can feel it in their presence, in the way they carry themselves and love the others around them. It is an incredible experience to get to witness such a beautiful testimony to God’s provision and love for His children. Please keep these two in your prayers!
Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91:14-16
This week I am working at the school on CICRIN’s campus. Yesterday was my first day and I was in charge of the first graders. Today I was in charge of the 3rd and 4th graders. The school doesn’t have enough classrooms and it’s proving very difficult to teach a class when there is another class being taught at the same time in the same room… More on this chaos next time.
And until then…adios!
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