Mixed emotions

Wow…I sit here tonight in the hotel with so many mixed emotions!! It is always so hard to say goodbye to my 31 angels….with tears in our eyes, we hug and kiss goodbye … They will be in school tomorrow when we go to the airport so our goodbyes had to be tonight…I know I am coming back in 7 weeks….but just seeing their little faces as they kiss me and say they love me is so heart wrenching….

BUT…this has been a fantastic day!! We started our day at Mt. Oliveras (the poor community) meeting with the priest and the lawyer about improvements we can do to the land…you see…the Catholic church owns the land right now…but as the village develops and the families who are there have proved themselves as hard working…community serving citizens…the church will give each property to the families who have built their homes there.  The property can never be sold and will be in their families forever.  It is very exciting to see these families come together and work to build their village. As they acquire the funds…they will work hard to build their homes and some type of business to help them be self sustaining…so part of what we will do this summer is help them build their village!

They are now building a Latrine (community bathroom) with 3 toilets and 2 sinks….They needed a few more pipes and sinks to complete the project…so today…Shelton and I took Dinno, (this is the man from the main family who is the spokesperson for the community) to the hardware store and we were able to purchase what they needed.  I must tell you that he was so humble and was so careful about what he was spending. I tried to buy some extra stuff and he said “ no…it is enough”…”another day”….I am always amazed at how the people here try to NEVER take advantage of you…I always feel like I should do more…but they are so grateful for ANYTHING you do!! I get so excited just thinking about what Mt. Oliveras will be like in a few years…

There are about 15 ladies who work at the orphanage doing different jobs like cooking, laundry, ironing, spending the night, bathing the kids…etc…and I always get mad with myself after I leave because I feel like I should have done just a little something for them….So today…my brain kicked in early and I bought them all a bottle of “good smelling” lotion.  It wasn’t much…but is was something just for them…they were all so excited!! These ladies are so sweet to the kids.…and the kids just love them.  I know they don’t make hardly any money…they are there because they truly love kids…they look at them with eyes of moms…they definitely deserve to get something special every now and then!

So…as I leave here tomorrow….I will leave with a sense of urgency to return to finish the work we have planned!! We still have a few spots left on the July 12 – 19^th trip if you know anyone who would like to come and serve…your heart will be forever softened and you will be blessed because you have served others while you were here!!

I thank God everyday for the opportunity He has given me to serve these precious people! They teach me so much more than I could ever teach them….