This morning we all piled in the van and headed to Puebla to visit the Esperanza Viva Orphanage. It was a tremendous experience, and I know that it really impacted many of our students. It took us close to 3 hours to get there, as it was a good distance from Mexico City. The drive was truly beautiful, as we headed through the mountains and admired the city in the distance. We even got to see a snow-covered volcano in the distance.
Once we arrived at the orphanage, we first took a tour and then set up our stuff to put on an hour-long program for the kids. It was amazing how much the ministry here does with what they have. Their facility is large, but in pretty rough condition. Yet, they do so much for the kids that live there. The girl who directs the group visits is actually from Minnesota and spent some time in Duluth (small world!). There are over 80 children, ranging from toddlers all the way to 18 year olds. Most have either been removed from their families because of abuse or have no other family living. I felt a lump in my throat for most of the day as I interacted with the children and saw how they lived. We used about everything we could in our program for the students, several songs, puppet shows, 3-4 dramas, as well as testimonies by Corinn, Andrew, and Anna. Even when we finished, the kids kept asking for more (otra, otra = another, another...)
One drama that the students learned and performed this week is called "Everything". In it, we're given a picture of Jesus, as our creator and all that we need, yet, so often we allow other things to come into our lives and distract and empty us. The drama is a powerful example of what it means to run back to Christ and just what he did for us to make that possible.
We had the rest of the afternoon just to play with the children. Every one of our students found themselves surrounded with kids as they played basketball, paper airplanes, or just simply sat and talked. We also handed out some small gift bags to the children before we left. It's so hard to look at a child and comprehend the idea that he or she basically has no one in their life to care for them. It makes you want to grab them, hug them tightly, and take them home with you. I know they are loved at the orphanage, but it is still hard to see their lives and think of them in comparison to our own. Very challenging.
We had the rest of the afternoon just to play with the children. Every one of our students found themselves surrounded with kids as they played basketball, paper airplanes, or just simply sat and talked. We also handed out some small gift bags to the children before we left. It's so hard to look at a child and comprehend the idea that he or she basically has no one in their life to care for them. It makes you want to grab them, hug them tightly, and take them home with you. I know they are loved at the orphanage, but it is still hard to see their lives and think of them in comparison to our own. Very challenging.
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