truth #15: i had two kids

Yes, for one day I understood what it would be like to have an 8 AND 9 year old boy! The kids of the foundation for children that we have been working with does not sent their kids on field trips very often. So last Friday, Lennart (the director of all our work with the Foundation) planned an outing to the IMAX and a park for all 31 kids. In doing so he have around 18 volunteers. 15 of us were attached to two kids apiece for the entire day. My kids were Miguel and Joel (in the photo above). Before this trip I loved these kids, or I thought I did, but now I think I have a small understanding of how parents must feel towards their kids.

So we arrived at the orphanage around 10am. I went into the kids main room where they were all everywhere trying to get ready for their mystery outing. I couldn't see my boys but I began saying hello to the kids. Evidently someone had already announced who belonged to who because the first set of kids where asking me "which kids are yours today?" or saying "I want to be with you today!". I would just smile and ask who they were with and then say something like "wow that is so cool you are going to have so much fun with them!" Then I saw a little head running around the corner at full speed. He came right up next to me and slid his little hand in mine with a little shy smile and said softly "I get to be with you today". It was 8 year old Miguel. He was happy for the next few minutes to stand quitely beside me just holding my hand. Then sure enough the word had got out that we were there and here came Joel. He headed straight to me and in almost the exact manner he slid his hand into mine and said "I get to be with you today!" I have never seen them so subdued! I don't know if it was the awe that someone specifically was theirs for the whole day or what. I told them that because they were mine for the day that they had to listen to everything that I said, the nodded very seriously and when I gave then their nametags they touched them with respect and awe.

We headed out to the bus and were going by 10:45. On the drive I would point out buildings like the airport and bus station, We even saw a plane (they found that so exciting). Lennart had his camera to take photos and my Joel would say "Professor Lennou, take a photo here!!" and it would just be a car intersection. He was so cute because he would be so serious about each picture. Miguel hardly spoke at all because his eyes were glued to the passing roadside. It made me wonder how often these kids actually get out of their little building! I learned on this trip that 9 year old Joel wanted to be a laywer when he grows up. He is so intelligent and cares deeply about little kids. Miguel is the youngest of 5 or 7 kids and none are with him at the foundation. We saw so many cars going by so I asked them if they could own a car what it would be and what color. I gathered by the way that they looked at me that no one had asked them this question before. They sat and thought for a while then as we were passing some cars Joel stated "I want a car like that one but white!" Miguel still being shy said he like the same car but wanted it to be red. While they would stare mesmorized by the outside world I would just watch them, praying that they would have a chance in their future to see their dreams come true. I am not normally a very emotional person but I had to fight to not cry then and there. How can people misuse kids like this? How do they tell them "I don't want you!" How can they not care?

We made it to the IMAX and the kids were in awe of the huge theater. Miguel calmly told me that he had been to one before. Joel said that he had been there too but only on the outside. The movie about fish started and we were zooming across the landscape of South Africa. Joel was holding tight to my hand the whole time. He said several times during the movies "ITS LIKE WE ARE FLYING!!" When the sharks showed up he jumped several inches and grabbed even tighter to my hand (ok yes I may have jumped to...). Miguel was just sitting there calmly and every now and then would lay his head on my arm. It was a nice movie.

So then we had an hour to explore the park that was a could of km long.. Ok, let me tell you something about my boys, they want to see everything! and they want to be the first ones there! So the second that they said we could go they took off running (with me handing on to their hands). Now, I will say that I am in enough shape that I can outrun an 8 and 9 year old so I was just running easily betweeen them. Another set of kids/their person was next to us so we began to sort of race (3 against 3). We just barely lost and I heard to my disbelief Joel saying "Well we would have won except for the girl" Haha the pride of guys shows even at a young age. It was funny whatever the case. Then came the tough job of keeping an eye on both of the kids. Miguel was fairly easy to watch (sort of) but Joel wanted to see EVERYTHING and figure out how it worked. Once I lost Miguel for a couple of minutes but someone pointed him out to me as he was laying on the walkway about 100 feet away. Then I lost Joel for a while! I was beginning to get nervous and started to think "Great, I am the first one to lose a kid." Then I saw him way off in the distance with another adult holding on to his shoulder and I ran up behind him grabbed him in a huge hug and said "WHERE WERE YOU!" He kind of did that shrug like "aww, I'm too cool for this" but I could also see that he was a bit taken aback that someone actually cared where he was.

Everytime we passed by water I had to keep a firm hand on each of them, several times if I was not hanging on the the back of their pants they would have gone headfirst into the water! As it was they were having so much fun dipping their whole heads into the water. One kid, went a bit far and as he was falling into the water his person grabbed the back of his pants, holding him mid air with the kid wildly waving his arms and legs. It was a funny sight. I decided that the next trip we make it should involve water in some shallow and fenced in place (to keep them from drowning or running off!!) as they loved the water so much!

Everyone was exhausted by the end of the day including the kids! This is the first time in the last 4 months of working with them that i have seen them fight so little. I think it was because there were tons of other things to do other than fight. They acted like normal kids for a day! For those of you who know me, you know that I don't just love kids. I have never been very sure if I would ever have kids but I think that day changed my mind. It is hard to explain but sometime considering the lives of these kids is overwhelming. I try to take in just one of the stories of these kids then I realize that each of the 27 kids has a story equal or worse, then I realize that there are thousands of more kids like this in Guayaquil, then in Ecuador so many more then in the whole world! It is overwhelming to see how I can help when the problem seems so big. ADOPT KIDS! LOVE KIDS! We can't do enough. How many kids are going to go to sleep tonight knowing in their head that no one wants them, no one cares? Pray for peopel who will commit full time to work with kids like these. They need people, good people who will not abuse them and who will love them to show long term commitment.

Standing in line once we made it to the park/IMAX

My boys