Thursday, February 25 2010
Thursday was a lovely day. Several of the team went to paint the school at Flor. The guys and I went to SBV. I painted the pipes that will hold the fence up. It was very windy and they dilute the green rustoleum paint so it was a little runny. So there you have the perfect storm – drippy paint, wind, and… me. Another way to imagine it is the “greening of Amanda.” I had drips of paint all over my paints. Paint that soaked through my pants so now it looks like I have a bizarre green rash. I had merianda (snack) with the younger kids. They handed me a mango whose peel I elected not to eat to their amazement. It was wonderful but I had mango hair in my teeth all day long! I also spent a lot of sweet time with the children. Evelyn, in particular, grabbed my heart. Her story is heartbreaking. She came to us when she was 10. (Hunter and I were at SBV for her very first day.) I learned this week that she has a recurring illness. One that no one would want but one that a young girl should NEVER have. She is sad most of the time. So I spent time with her, just sitting together. After a while a small tear rolled down her cheek. It took a while for me to find out what was wrong but finally she whispered to me, “No tengo una Madrina.” (I don’t have a Godmother – sponsor in our terms) I promised her I would find her a Madrina and then assured her that I am also her Madrina.
The team has had a number of conversations about the children. At the beginning of the week there were 3 teams here so lots of people. Many of the children had their Madrias or Padrinos here. A couple had more than one. But…some children didn’t have anyone. (except me cuz I am everyone’s Madrina) As a result, we decided that when we get home we are going to create a “shadow sponsorship program.” We will find a Madrina or Padrino for every child. This will be about relationships. If the person is moved to provide financial support also, thanks be to God. But the focus is on a sustained relationship with the child. The sponsors don’t have to go to HN but they will need to make a committed to connect with the child. They can send small gifts, cards, pictures of the child’s “American family”, pray for the child, etc. We can be surrogates for them when we come down on trips and deliver the mail and gifts. I hope people in the Atlanta area embrace this idea. Valerie and Suzy both thought this was a terrific idea.
Last night was Ladies Night Out. It is really so hard to express the joy it brings us and the CAP ladies. This was our third annual dinner so now we all look forward to it all year long. Several of the ladies wore the outfits that they had made this week! They made a skirt, a blouse and a matching scarf! They were so proud of their new clothes. Rosangel let a group game to reinforce team work. It was a hoot! We stood in a big circle holding hands. She put a hula hoop around my neck and the next of the woman next to me. We had to send the hula hoops around the circle without letting go of our hands! If the hula hoop dropped, we had to start over. By far the best part of that fun exercise was the reaction of the woman on my right. The belly laughs coming from her were wonderful. I just love seeing these women relaxing and having fun. They lead such hard lives – to see them laugh and smile is truly a gift from God. We served them a lovely dinner. Margot, Short Anne (Patrick), Leamarie, and Jan had outdone themselves with the planning and decorations. A very sweet but bittersweet scene was Young Anne( Rackley) holding Elvira’s 5th child, Abram, who is 2 yrs old. Elvira is a deaf mute who lives in La Cantera. We have her 4 older children at SBV – the oldest Elias,8, is my child. Social Services is scheduled to come get Abram this week and take him to SBV. It is absolutely clear that Abram needs to be with us but it is sad to think that Elvira will lose yet another child. We take her to get birth control shots every 3 months and worry that she will refuse after Abram leaves so she can have another child. Sigh. Please pray for her. Young Anne fed him and held him in her lap all evening. Soon he fell asleep and she held him and rocked him. So very sweet.
After many pictures and hugs, we said good bye to the ladies and stumbled into the vans. It was a very long day but such a blessed day.
Today is our last day at SBV. I hate that. (posting pix later. late for the van!)
