Day 4

I really miss Caleb. Our Skype wasn't working yesterday and our phones ran out of credit after only a five minute conversation. There is so much I want to share with him.

I spent most of yesterday playing with Octavio the little boy I bonded with the day before. We played a made up card game with a few superhero cards he had. We climbed into a club house on the monkey bars and scaled a tree. I gave him lots of piggy back rides and pretended to be a horse. He loved it so much. I was also invited by one of the boys, Alex, to partake in his family lunch. On Sundays, the kids who have families sometimes get visitors. I found out that Octavio is Alex's cousin and he has 9 brothers and sisters. His mom's in a wheelchair. Octavio asked me yesterday if I would adopt him. He's six years old.

I gave piggy back rides to the little boys until I was filthy and so tired. They never have an adult play with them like that. They loved it and had I had the energy, I don't think they would have tired of it for hours.

I got a little crazy yesterday. It was a really cold, drizzly day. Probably mid 50's. Octavio was running around in shorts and a tee shirt, so I made him go back to his dorm and we found some sweaters for him. When I was in his dorm, I checked the bathroom again, and it was even worse than before. Then I saw Octavio tear a page out of a book to blow his nose, because there wasn't even toilet paper in their bathroom. I just got so infuriated. I marched back to my dorm, found one of the older girls, told asked her if she could help me and told her the little boy's bathroom was filthy, had no soap or t.p. and that it was unfit for animals. She went and talked to another of the girls in charge of the little ones. I grabbed some t.p. from my room and a wet wipe, went back outside and made Octavio blow his nose, and wiped his dirty little face and hands. He had to go to the bathroom so I urged him to use the one for the older boys in the main building. He didn't seem to want to, but I said it was ok. He came out crying because an older boy scolded him for being in there. I explained that it was my fault and consoled little buddy. One of the girls (I'm still learning names) that helps with the boys came to talk to me about the bathroom. I think she was saying that the little boys don't keep it clean and that it was difficult without any running water. I tried to explain that I understood that it wasn't her fault specifically and that it was Hogar's fault for having the little ones in a place with such a decrepit bathroom, but that it was necessary to keep it clean or the kids would get sick.

The amazing thing is that by mid afternoon as I went back to the little boys quarters, that same girl having some help from one of the 11 year old boys, had cleaned the whole place. Upon first entering their dorm it now smelled clean, not like urine. She even had me check the bathroom to see if I approved. I thanked her profusely, told her she was an angel and gave her a big hug. There was some ( a little) t.p. and soap. Better than nothing.

So here's what I propose for my time here. I want to raise the funds to redo the little boys bathroom completely. I also want to raise money for more toys and books for them. If anyone is interested, Caleb and I have a Paypal account and we can accept donations that way. I want to check with the director of Hogar first to see what the protocol is and what the estimated cost will be. However, I feel really strongly about this. These little boys deserve better.

Also, while I'm at it, let me put this out there: Does anyone know of a yarn company or a store that would be interested in donating a whole heck of a lot of fun, soft yarn to the kids here? They love knitting and crocheting, and the yarn I brought lasted about 2 days at the most.

I spent some time in the Chapel on the grounds yesterday. I find myself talking a lot to God here and thinking a lot about how much it breaks His heart to see his children suffer too. I'm rereading John and just being reminded of the fact that Jesus has conquered the evil in this world and our hope is in Him. I find this tremendously comforting. Isaiah 58:7, 9-11 talkes about true fasting. Of our responsibility it says,

" Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-

when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. "

This to me is hope.