March Hermano Pedro Update

With all the traveling we’ve been doing, I haven’t been at Hermano Pedro nearly as much as I would like to be. There have been many volunteers coming to the orphanage, as schools around the US and Canada begin their spring breaks. Two visitors were friends of Dave Black, who took some of the kids out to Camperos for lunch. Here, pictures are worth a thousand words:

Miguel Angel

Beverly

Brenda

Bobby really enjoyed the food--especially the ice cream cone. . .

We also had a team of high school students in from Bayside Church in Florida. Many times these groups become spectators, rather than participants, with the kids. This group was different, however. They dove right in and loved on the kids, and accepted the love that the kids gave them. When the doctor would not let us take kids to lunch (it was too cold; 64 degrees, but cloudy) the group decided to postpone their own lunch and stay to feed the kids. After their lunch, rather than going shopping for souvenirs, they decided to spend even more time at the orphanage. They were a great group and the kids thoroughly enjoyed their time with them.

Dick's boys helping with activities



Benjamin Mooney with Ervin
You can see how much he loves the kids. . .



Ervin wearing Benjamin's cap. . .
Que guapo (Looking Good!)

More and more I’m finding myself investing time helping the volunteers and explaining the kids to them, helping them find more to do with them. When people will only be here one or two days, it sometimes seems like more trouble than it’s worth to orient them. However, I’m finding that telling the kid’s stories is of value in itself. I love to see the faces of the kids when we stop by their beds and talk with an about them. Hopefully it touches the hearts of some of the visitors, too.

I still spend time working with the kids, but seem to have to sandwich it in between the times we are flooded with volunteers. I’m trying to process how to best invest my time. Some of the kids receive a type of schooling from the orphanage, as well as the ones who are being educated by Nineth in the Bethel Ministries classroom. Then, there are the ones who are most disabled, and the least responsive, who receive little if any attention. Somehow, these are the kids that pull at my heart the most. When I see how they come alive with just a little attention, I can’t help but think that doing sensory stimulation (like you would do with a baby) is invaluable. I’m having a hard time that accepting that I can’t do it all.