In San Carlos, there is a malnourished children center that
is run by religious sisters. The center provides care to children from newly
born up to the age of 5. It is a pretty well-known place because there are some
babies that are from the city of Santa Cruz which is 2 hours away. San Carlos
is a quiet town. The malnourished children center is located at the end of a
paved road on top of a big hill, so the scenic view it overlooks is really
nice. It’s a great environment for the kids. Connor and I like to volunteer
there on Mondays. I do not spend too much time with the newborns, I like to
play and help with the kids that are just beginning to walk, the toddlers. They
are the funniest and you can really see their unique characteristics and personalities
that make them different from one
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| that’s the walking toddler Belen with his baby face |
another. There is the one toddler Yoselin who
likes to give the girl babies kisses but does not get along well with the boys.
Alejandro who bites and pinches the other babies. Franco the very shy baby with
the crying quivering lip. Erlinda the baby loving to strangers. Esperanza, the
baby that is scared of strangers. Belen, the toddler that still has a baby
face. Fabiola the smiling and very happy baby. This is the time of their lives
when they think they are invulnerable. Sometimes I will be sitting down with my
hands literally full with babies and I can see across the hall a daredevil
standing precariously on a bench or worse a swing taking the world/nursery into
view. I think to myself “If you fall, I will not have lightning speed and be
able to catch you” Don’t they know that they have only 2 months experience of
standing on their own and that they don’t have reliable enough stability to be
doing those things?! Gosh! Crazy little minds! You know back in yapacani I just
finished translating a letter from a Bolivian mother who is asking for funding
for her 10 year old daughter who is in a wheel chair and is going through
therapy because she fell off of something onto her back when she was 5 years
old. So ya the little toddlers’ decisions now can actually impact their future.
Guardian angles stay nearby!
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| They love to climb on things, you name it benches, tables, each other, and me. Whats great though is that some engineers invented these wheelie chair things that the toddlers can be put into and my level of alertness can go down like 70%! |
I love to see them happy. The other day a bird flew into their
play area and was just walking around. The expressions on three of the toddlers’
faces were like.. What.. is.. that?! The bird brought so much happiness,
pointing fingers, and smiles to their faces. I think that’s why I love going
there. Their genuine happiness and discovery of new things, brings me happiness….and I am not even related to them. The more time
I spend with them, the more I want to meet their families, the souls that love
them the most
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| Leido calls me Tio (uncle) so when the women that work there see me approaching they say to the toddlers “look Tio is coming!”… Leido was giving rides to the toddlers on his moto. |
Unfortunately for me the kids have to leave the center eventually.
They do have parents and so this love for me is on loan. I asked one of the
sisters who helps there if she becomes sad after the children leave. I mean
getting to know the children for a couple of months, learning their names,
playing with them, feeding them, etc,, one’s heart becomes bonded to theirs.
She said that she has gotten use to them coming and going. She reminded me to thank
God that they do get better and that they get to go back home to their families,
healthier than they were before. A Catholic book author Father James Martin
says that love is freely given and freely accepted. Love is not necessarily ours
to keep forever. Sometimes God entrusts us with the gift of being able to love
one of his children for a limited amount of time. We take turns with His works
of love, teaching each other and building each other up. This give me peace and
keeps me looking forward to the new souls I will be getting to know in the
future here at the center and back at home in the USA.
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| The kids love Madre |
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| and they love Connor too! |
Almost all of the kids names mentioned in this blog have completed
their treatment and have gone back to their homes. Muchas Gracias a Dios!
