Last Saturday, Kurtis, Alan, and I traveled 40 miles south of the border to visit a Mexican orphanage,
Casa de Elizabeth. I feel privileged that I got to go and photograph some of the children who live there for the newsletter and website that Proyecto Compasion (Project Compassion) delivers to keep readers and contributors informed on the happenings at the orphanage.
This place is a home for, at the time, 98 children of many ages. The 98 children share quarters, food, chores, clothes, toys, and attention; a skill they make look easy, but sharing should not be underestimated. Can you imagine?
These little children don't really have a lot of choice in their circumstances, but they do have a choice on their attitude and I am quite impressed with the good naturedness, hospitality, and joy that they displayed to perfect strangers who came and visited, some with very sparse Spanish-speaking abilities.
After arriving, I shock myself because I begin to meld all of the kids together and to think of them as one collective mass as though they are each the same. But I quickly snap out of that ridiculous notion because, in truth, just because I can’t communicate readily, doesn’t mean that each and every one of these children isn’t special with individual qualities and a unique, one-of-a-kind personality. How dare I? He knows them each by name. “Como se llama?” need not be asked by Him. Each child is unlike any other person on the entire planet. Remarkable. I began to wonder what each of these kids dreams of and hopes for, prays for. What does she want to be when she grows up? Does he have great aspirations? I wish I could ask them... in their language.
For now, the language I have in common with them, besides the few basic phrases that we exchange in either Spanish or English, is the language of love and the message of a smile. They smile back. Their smiles speak loudly, that's for sure. I’ll try to crack the code. Some smiles innocently show contentment. Some smiles beg for excitement. Some smiles say shyly, "Don't take my picture." Other smiles cheese it up for the camera. Some smiles shout, "Watch what I can do!" Some smiles ask, "What did you bring me?" Some smiles are suspicious. Some smiles say, "Ooh, someone new." Some smiles show a hint of recognition. Some smiles are purely for the soccer ball or the bicycle with the metal wheels. Even that bike without rubber tires warrants a smile. Some smiles yearn to show off their home. Some smiles await lunch. Some smiles tease each other. Some smiles are modest after a violin concert in the office. Some smiles barely show at all. Some smiles take up half of a face.
I hope that my smiles speak the volumes that their smiles do. I hope my smiles adequately say, "Wow," "You're special," "You beautiful creature of God," "That's awesome," "Good picture!" "Thanks for sharing," "I admire your spunk," and "Keep up the good work," which unfortunately all sound like stickers one would get on a homework assignment. While I know that many of those kiddos would take a sticker with gusto (even in English), that doesn’t seem good enough! There’s so much more I want to ask and say, so much they each deserve to hear, which I believe they do all receive – share - on a daily basis in their home at Casa de Elizabeth.
Despite our language barrier, I hope they saw the compassion I feel for them and the strength I see in them. I pray they recognize the love around them and the love from a few people across the border.
With Hope,
Dawn
My how they've grown! Nathan has quite a pouch there in his mama! Believe it or not, Gayle doesn't have any stretch marks yet! This was about a week ago, and the due date is March 4th - less than a week away! In fact, Gayle has had some contractions already, which is crazy! Her stomach gets really hard for a few minutes and then relaxes again. Her body seems to know what to do. Amazing! More info to come!
