Day 8

I slept in yesterday morning until 8am. I skipped breakfast and just rested. I felt great all day. I had another language class with Rafael and he also showed me the pigs. It's his job to tend them. There are 7 (I think) big pigs and 6 little pink piglets. They were very cute. I can tell he works hard to keep the place clean.

A couple from a church in New Jersey arrived today with 89 pairs of shoes for the kids. It was a huge donation. Kyla and I helped keep the order and distribute them. It was quite the process and took hours. Each kid had his feet sized and then tried on several pairs of shoes. They all got individual cards from someone in the States hoping that the kids would enjoy the shoes. They also got little New Testaments. About 6 kids didn't get shoes because they ran out or didn't have their size. Gary and Betsy (the couple) are going to Tuxtla tomorrow to buy the missing shoes for the remaining children. What a great gift this is! The kids are so happy to get their new shoes and really touched to get individual cards. It was wonderful to see them prancing around and showing off their bright white tennies.

It was a beautiful sunset. I grabbed Kyla and Osayries and Marta (two cute 11 year olds from out dorm) and we raced up the hill to the water tank to watch the sky. It was so fun, dangling our feet over the side, gazing at the breathtakingly beautiful, changing colors, and hanging with the girls. They loved it too. Lots of mosquitos, but totally worth every bite.

The littlest girls Dania and Kristel, chased me with a bottle of water on my way to the main building. They said something about dousing me for my birthday even though that's not until March. I ran down the path but must have slowed down at the end because suddenly my head was drenched. They threw a whole bottle of water on me. I tackled Kristel immediately and she went down and then I sprayed Dania with what was left of the water. What facious little twerps!

Kyla and I attempted to put together a puzzle before dinner with some of the kids, but finally realized it was several puzzles mixed together. Dinner tasted so good to me. I actually made it there early and my beans were still hot.

Afterward I played tickle tackle with the little ones and eventually one of them fell asleep in my lap as I rubbed his back. I carried him to his cabana and laid him in bed. He woke up a little and was so happy to be carried to bed. He had a little smile on his face the whole time. I tucked him in to his sheetless bed fully clothed and gave him three little kisses on his forehead. He looked so content. I helped get a few more little boys to bed, some of which had fallen asleep on the floor or in the wrong bed. I loved this so much that I think I'll do it more often. They just need a mom. I tear up thinking about these little boys. I love them so much already.