Costa Rica...Wednesday "Really God? More Boys?"

Let me start this off with my love of babies...I used to play "orphanage" when I was a little girl, lining up my dolls in our guest room bed and taking care of all of them.  I never thought twice about what I would be doing in Costa Rica...you would be able to find me, with the babies.  Feeding them, rocking them, changing them.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on each and every one.  And I did...the first day there.  I stayed in the baby cottage holding and rocking and even feeding them.  I was the only one in there for a long time.  Just as I had planned....that is the part I need to re read "I had planned"....But God,  He had different plans.  And we had been praying that God would use us as He desired.  And WOW did he ever.  But not with babies.

It's Wednesday and we are tired, I mean T-I-R-E-D.  The heat is growing hard, at least for me. Last night we were blessed with "letters from home", how fun to open up letters from each of my boys back home.  To feel rejuvenated and loved and prayed for.  It's been hard to stay in touch, the time difference, the wifi not always working for facetime...just hard.  So the letters felt like a connection to home.  

Today was our last day in the orphanage, tomorrow if pool/beach day.  We had lots of projects to finish up.  Some of the kids were in school and missed the journal project, the pillow project...today we also had play doh to make and canvas bags for each child to decorate.  

Getting off of the bus this morning we were met by an onslaught of kids...most all of them were down to the bus as soon as they heard us coming.  I love to watch them run down the hill towards the bus in the morning.  I love to see the teenagers casually looking cool as they walk towards us, or wait for Drew and Seth to come out with balls to play more soccer.  I LOVE that time of day.  This morning we were greeted with lots of hugs...in particular lots of kids really wanted to be held.  And held they were. I watched Tatiana, who seems to have attached herself to my friend Makila and  her son Seth, another girl for them...they are so natural with  her and she "pretended" to fall asleep in Makila's arms...for a LONG time.  And Belinda, she attached herself to Bre, one of the single young women on our trip...she called her "Gringo Mama"  or American Mom.  Ugh that about tore your heart out.  She had tears in her eyes as Bre held her for a very long time.   We had planned to start out with a game, but that wasn't what God had planned.  He had it planned that kids would get affection and love.  That's what they were wanting this morning.  

We then headed towards our activities for the day, and I started printing pictures at a tiny kids table in one of the houses.  The kids who didn't get journals done yesterday had their pictures taken and I printed them for the cover of their books.  These journals are SUCH a hit, the kids carry them around and treasure them.  Who knew?  God.

After lunch we had a bible story  and skit about Jesus healing Jairus' daughter where our friend and team member Kim shared a very personal story that tied into the bible story.  She shared how her father had prayed that God would reveal himself to him...and long story short....she was run over by a car at age 2 and God healed her and he showed her dad that He is real.  I didn't do the story justice, but it is a captivating story that makes me tear up thinking about it.  And you could have heard a pin drop in that room, those kids listened to every single word.  

The afternoon consisted of me taking more photos and printing photos...pretty much all afternoon long. I missed the sidewalk chalk, the nail painting, the make up session, the hair do's....the girly stuff...and I missed holding babies...and it dawned on me as I stood in the hot kitchen surrounded by....boys....and several teenage boys...one in particular, Maykol...my friend who helped me paint the day before. He didn't leave my side all afternoon long. Could God have me here for something completely different that I had expected?  YES!  Really?  God really?  Boys??  Daniel, Maykol, Agustin, Kevin, Eddie...more boys? God has me here to be with boys...to love on boys who don't have Moms with them.  To laugh with them.  To give them the "mom" eye when they aren't being kind to each other, to show them how "Guapo" they are (handsome) in their photos, to use my love of photography to bless them with photos.  God has me here to connect with boys.  Never would I have expected that.  

Our friend Steve wrote a powerful blog post title "Power of a Mother" at the end of today, and I posted it earlier.  Go here to re read it.  And good luck not crying.  

Knowing we wouldn't see the babies tomorrow at pool day, they don't bring the littlest ones there.  I went to the baby house to say goodbye.  I found Morgan and Emma there as well as our friend Tammy.  I was so choked up.  I had hardly spent time in there yet my heart broke.  I thought of the HOURS I held my boys, rocked my boys, napped with them....and here were kids all over the room, some sleeping on the sofa, some in pack n plays...some crying, some not.  Ugh...heart ache.  In my pretend "orphanage" growing up all of the babies were happy and loved on....this hurt.  And sweet Edmond...a 2 year old boy who was there last year so several of our team members are attached to him from their visit last year...he had an ear infection so he wasn't allowed outside that day.  And all he wanted to do was go outside.  The door was wide open, it was hot...and the Tia's wanted him inside all day.  Ugh...at one point he was placed in a high chair as a "time out" for trying to go outside...and sweet Morgan (13) looked at me with tears in her eyes and SO full of compassion....and asked me if she could get him out. Once I realized he wasn't in the high chair to eat, and knowing it was our last day, and knowing how very much those Durick girls adore him I told her YES take him out.  I wish I could have captured the look in her eyes, and in her sister Emma's eyes when we were in there.  The compassion they have towards these children is FAR beyond their years.  They hurt for these babies, they hurt watching them be woken up by Tia's in a way that wasn't terribly nurturing.  In defense of the Tia's...these women are wonderful, they leave their own families to work here for 5 days in a row and 2 days off...they do love them.  I don't want to misrepresent that...but when you are used to having Moms who sweetly and gently wake up up, or ooze nurture like their own Mom, my dear Jen, in particular...it's hard.  It was a tough Good bye for all.  

 posted this for the background...my spot in the kitchen with Maykol and Agustine