I did promised to get back to you after the weekend. Thank God, I still have great access to internet. Though unpredictable, we've had connection here almost every day or every other day.

We had a great weekend; watched a movie and more pictures, few singing with drums.

Sunday morning, I was up at 6:00AM and tried to help get everybody ready for the day: a morning prayer service at 9:00AM, some little shopping and few meetings. I really put them under pressure with my American notion of time. By the way, when I am in US, I am often African with time. When I am in Africa, I really struggle to be African because I try to stick to the American way (hit and run, drive tru, etc.).

Anyway, I managed to get all the kids and few staff to the Church we had planned to attend. I had to make two trips within a distance of 10 miles one way. The older kids had to curry the younger ones on their laps for more room; this helped us make two trips instead of four.

When we got there, the first prayer service was still going on and we had to wait somewhere for 45 minutes. Instead of 9:00Am, we started our service 45 minutes after 9:00Am, African time!!

We had good time any way, and went back. We had to drive to the main city for fuel since we were running low. This was a big blessing to the kids; a long ride to the city, bingo! We drove and everybody was trying to look around and enjoy the buildings, people, the airport and others.

Four kids were asked to refrain from going to Church because they were sick. I tell you these little fellows were miserable and most of them cried. We thought we were done with chicken pox, but just got new cases. Three kids are sick since last Saturday and we are aggressively trying to go ahead of this px with antibiotics.

Betty is the young and bright face you see here in the picture; she came back to us after spending few months of intensive care at a local hospital by nuns. She was having tuberculosis and was extremely malnurished. She is looking so much better than before, but still battling Tuberculosis with a long term treatment and it is working well so far. Sunday, she got quite sick and was throwing up a lot. She wanted so bad to be held (she is so much in need of affection); lost her mother when she was still a baby. She was given some special attention, was fed, held and talked to. She asked me to pray for her and I did right there with some other kids who joined me. Within few hours, betty's fever was gone and she was doing better. Betty is one of the fascinating stories we have around here. She is cute, funny and can get away very well with her techniques for affection; needs a mother's warmth a lot.

We had some games, boys dressed up like soldiers or police and I had to stay away from being an army commander or chief of police. Enjoy the blog and let us know how you all are doing and what we can do for you in this end.

We are still working very hard on water problem, 4th grade, desks and nurse office/station. Will be sorting out some few items from the container stock tomorrow.

Keep the prayers and best wishes going up for us here! TO KO ZONGA....find out what it means or ask Paul and Doug!

Well, the weekend is here and everybody looks forward to some fun time; we are under pressure because we made some big promise: spend the weekend with them for another great movie time. Fr. Gabe completely forgot to bring some nice kids movies. Tomorrow... no idea!!!! Praying... you guys can't overnight we guess... will let you know.

Taking you back few days ago is not too bad; Fr. Gabe has really been trying to work on some special projects and organizing meetings and spending time with the kids. Many people around know by now that he is in town. Now and then, he tries to walk by very fast, ignoring or hiding from the onlooking neighbors; somebody will shout: Father, is that you? We know you are around; come say at least hello to us. They say it in local language, very respectful, loving and... Apology and amendments are the way to go. One of our strategic plans for a safer neighborhood is to try and develop some friendship with our neighbors. Most of our employees and volunteers come from around. You will not believe it, some of them are seriously learning English from a local teacher after we encouraged all to consider English as a fourth, fifth or even sixth or senven language, especially all those working with us.

Two days ago, Fr. Gabe was moved by a grandma, probably in her seventies. She asked him to stop by as he was galloping his way to the orphanage. She was begging, she had not eating since morning and it was around 3:00Pm. After a quick investigation she sounded genuine, really struggling. She emotionally begged and lamented saying that she was not a "thief" and knew Fr. Gabe was a man of God. She was given something like 3 dollars, sending Fr. Gabe forth with lots of blessings. It is very painful to see how many like this old woman and many kids are left to fend for themselves. Fr. Gabe was moved with pity and sadness. How long is this gona last? In Congo, 7 to 8 children and adults are either malnurished or severely undernurished.

Yesterday, the taxi-bus fr. Gabe boarded was stopped by the traffic police and a fight broke between the two police officers and the driver and his assitant. They all fought for two things: the control of the vehicle and the driver's license; it was scary! Fr. Gabe and some passengers tried to intervene, but no way! all had to leave the vehicle and its owners at mercy of the police officers who definitely wanted a bribe they are acustomed to. Fr. Gabe shook his head and exhorted the officers to some honest and kind way of dealing with the driver and his team. The next vehicle Fr. Gabe boarded, one passenger came out of it with a bleeding finger; he had cut himself inside the vehicle. Most of these public transport vehicles are survivors of many accidents and cosmetic makeover that they have sharp metals around waiting to cut skins or tear clothes.

It is another world when you are out there and it is another when you get to the orphanage; find peace and joy, I don't know about quiet! Those little guys are naturally and supernaturally noisy mos the time.

This should be enough for today. I plan to bring you some personal stories of the kids; quite fascinating stories of surval. Stay with us, stay tuned...

Please, wish us a nice, fun-filled weekend! Same to you!

Greetings from Congo!
Fr. Gabe is doing fine and staying very busy, stressed up, frustrated now and then; public transportation is a headache and big risk; being pushed and kicked while trying to board a bus or a taxi, time consuming, a lot of fume and dust in the air; but also joyful and fulfilled especially when he says his prayers and stays focused, when he thinks of the children and you. Two reasons he gives: very tough living conditions here and trying to achieve a lot within this few days. However, do not worry about him; just pray and stay tuned. And it will not be the case when you come for a visit because we will have a vehicle for transportation and you’ll spend most of your time away from fume and dust; nobody will push or kick you unless you elect to go for an experience among the common people, the poor who wrestle every single day for a living; Fr. Gabe has a strong devotion for the poor and can handle it just like one of them. One of his favorite Scripture passage is Phil. 4:11-13.

Able to go online, thank God! It also works as stress release tool. Chicken pox got the best among the kids and most of them have recovered from; our nurse is a hero; just with very basic means, she got all of them out of it; some of the drugs are those we brought last year. You heard the stories of two older kids who got sick because they courageously offered to watch over those who were sick and in isolation; they attended to their needs and everybody here was moved by the heroic love these two showed to their younger brothers and sisters.
Fr. Gabe’s presence is a joy here; knowing that you are there for them is even more joy and hope. Holding lots of meetings for evaluation, training and building them all into one family, children and staff. Biggest needs and tasks: the school/4th grade/more desks, expansion of the water thank, more beds and basic furniture, a playground, nurse station/dispensary, and more. We are working on, but funds might not be enough since we have to always make sure there is something for food and medical needs.
We definitely need some big money to get to the next level, especially with school, water, furniture, medical clinic or at least the dispensary; trusting in the Good Lord we all love and serve.

You will not believe it, Fr. Gabe projected last year pictures and pictures of friends like you, pictures of USA; it was a joy, a celebration and a great movie time. They were screaming and naming all those who visited last year, blowing kisses (Congo way); we had tears in our eyes; a laptop and a projector, a real movie theater, never seen before!

Since Fr. Gabe got here a week ago, he has ran into some exciting stories to tell; warmly welcome by the kids and the entire Community; songs and drums were so beautiful. They love to sing and we hope to teach them two English songs this coming week.
The next day after first visit, a very long staff meeting and evening meal got delayed. A boy softly let us know that he felt like eating the house roof. Fr. Gabe felt so guilty that he went to the kitchen for quick serving. By the way, they often have two meals a day; now and then we try three meals, but the budget is not strong enough for three meals.
Available clean water is our daily worry until fixed; not enough! Fr. Gabe went shopping last Saturday; bought a cassette/CD player, two big water containers and one drinking water “reservoir” he plans to re-engineer for quick access to drinking water; wait and see his engineering skills; also bought some door locks. It is really “fun” shopping here; come and find out!
Last Sunday, we had a very nice prayer service. Before that, Fr. Gabe took around 15 kids for a ride as he was looking for some prayer materials for the day. It was jubilation for those who were selected and real mourning for those who were not; you know, they don’t go out that much and always long for a chance to see “outside”; we can’t afford frequent outings/field trips; we are trying to work on this and actually trying to come up with a program that will help us sponsor activities like outings, field trips, picnics, weekends at families.
After prayer, we had a meeting with some parents and legal guardians who were invited; all of them were either grandmas or mothers. We had a nice meeting and they left after visiting with the kids. Some kids of course have nobody at all to come for them; we try our best to keep them less troubled.

My family is doing fine and sending warm greetings. Keep us all in your prayers!
Let me keep something for tomorrow or the next days. Stay with us for more…

Yes and thanks to Paul Pickle, we are back blogging! This time is Fr. Gabriel alone; he left USA Monday early in the morning for the orphanage mission in Congo. He made it very safely and is already on the run with visits and meetings.
We are a little bit behind at this point and promise to catch up on this lone ranger mission trip.
One thing we want to quickly share with you and ask for your thoughts and prayers is the health of our orphans; around 6 of them are having chicken pox; we are monitoring the situation very closely and fighting back with antibiotics. Fr. Gabriel is prepared ot be next; possible!
60 kids all together, not easy to control this situation without it going from one kid to another.

UUh! The weather is not too bad compare to last year, and lest dust.
Fr. Gabriel lost his nice camera, forgot it in Ethiopian flight from Rome to Addis Abbba; will try with some very little cameras.
We killed quite a big snake today near the kids dormitory as it was trying to go across the land. Want a picture of it? Tomorrow! Animal control could not be reached and they have never been reached by the way....
To ko zonga lobi!

Toko Zonga

11-9-2008

Today we stopped at the market to try and get the clippers for the kids; we really don’t want to leave without getting them. Fortina runs up to us each morning, first to greet us, and then tell us that he doesn’t want a haircut. We must get the clippers.

While stopped at the market, Paul and Gabi were browsing and the rest of us were in our display case on four wheels. Of course a crowd gathered and a military officer offered his assistance; again to make us more “comfortable.” Frank was a real character and a bit erratic – he was very excited. Doug managed to get out of him that he was a Sergeant in the Army, but it was really hard to tell from his uniform – aside from the stripes on his sleeve, there weren’t many badges.

So Paul and Gabi came back to the Landcruiser and Corrinne decided that she wanted Frank’s necklace. She pointed at it and he gave it to her, which of course means that her Father is indebted to Frank not only for the necklace, but also for the protection! Paul wasn’t the happiest as he was running low on Francs and the smallest USD was a $20. Paul pulled out what little Francs he had and Frank seemed okay with the $4 in Congolese Francs, and then proceeded to celebrate the payday by yelling; drawing even more attention. He then insisted on taking a picture with Corrinne – at which point Corrinne said, “he’s a little creepy.” Shannin said it was alright and Rin got out of the Landcruiser for the photo. From the picture you can tell she is a little apprehensive and Frank is definitely showing his unique character.

Well, the photo certainly made Frank celebrate louder, drawing an even bigger crowd, so we quickly shoved everyone in the truck and sped away before it got more out of control. As we were speeding away Corrinne said, “okay, that was creepy.”

The building is nearing completion – I’d say we’re 90% of the way there. The electric tested out fine and is finished except for the replacement of a couple of bad switches. The painting is close to done as well, but no murial – this was too lofty a task, and will have to be saved for another day…or trip rather.

The kids actually spent their first night in the new building, tonight.

Since today was our last day, the staff prepared a special treat for us in dedication of the new building…traditional dancers. The whole community showed up and the cooks had roasted peanuts this morning for a special treat. John also carted in a freezer (with 4 other young men), hooked it up to the generator, and then loaded it with Orange Fanta and Coke – it was indeed a special day. These poor guys had to carry a 300lb. deep freezer for a mile just to have cold sodas. They were so hot and tired that they just sat down and put some of the remains of ice, from the freezer, on their heads.

The traditional dancers were absolutely amazing!! I have never seen such a performance; it was intoxicating. Doug and Paul filmed the whole thing so our friends and family can see it back home.

The kids also prepared some skits and performances for us. As Father Emery says, “the kids are going to animate now.” – he means perform, but his translation is more appropriate.

One of the skits was about where the kids came from – the streets. It featured them smoking (with real lit cigarettes although they didn’t inhale) and fighting while dressed in tattered clothes. It ended with them being redeemed by an authority figure and accepted into a much larger family which is the orphanage. We’re going to have to subtitle the film as most of the adults were laughing – it must have been quite good!

One of the pictures drawn by one of the orphans - to be used in the skit – was of a small child sent out in the morning by his menacing looking parent, to earn money. The script on the drawing indicates that if the child came back without earning any money then he or she wouldn’t get to eat. This is the picture that most of the kids came from.

I thought this picture, showing a united Africa and America through Christ, was neat as well.

It’s kind of sad…today we attempted to get some of the background stories on some of the kids, but there is so little information. Even when we asked the kids where they came from or who brought them, they couldn’t tell us. For most of the kids, we don’t know exactly how old they are, who their parents are or were, or what they came from. It would seem important for their sense of identity, but I suppose the most important thing is that they are truly in a better place.

As the day was winding down, the villagers left to the tin roofed and mud brick walled homes after having enjoyed the cold soda, peanuts, and entertainment. Some of the workers were hanging around as most knew this was our last day at the orphanage. We elected to distribute the last of what we had and gave our coveted shoes to those most deserving. The boys also parted with their shirts as we prepared to say goodbye.

It’s with a heavy heart that I try to describe for you what happened next. The sun had set, the dancers gone, and the kids and us milled about in near silence afraid of the wave of emotion that seemed to be welling up inside of us. The kids were uncharacteristically listless as they searched for an understanding of what was happening.

In this culture, those that cry are made fun of, and crying is reserved for only the hardest of moments, but Bala and Kiesse (two of the boys) had tears rolling down their cheeks knowing full well that we were about to depart. Amongst the hugs and attempts to console each other, the well of emotion just could not be held back any longer and we all sobbed – literally sobbed. You would have thought that we were attending a funeral as the kid’s cries were the only thing that could be heard in the still dark night.

Gabi tried to cheer the kids up, but they would not be comforted. Boys, Girls, and Adults all had tears in their eyes as we held each other. Gabi tried to get us to walk the kids over to the kitchen as it was time for the evening meal; once there the kids refused to eat. Paul gave a traditional African promise in which he drew a line on the ground, brought his finger across his neck, and pointed at the sky swearing by the earth, himself, and to God that Toko Zonga (we will return again). This did nothing to ease the pain and Gabi thought it best that we go after a brief word of prayer.

We started walking and despite that the kids had been ordered to stay and eat, they refused and followed slowly behind us. As we walked down the moonlit sandy road the crys of the children slowly faded away – it is so hard to leave them!

John and Yvonne also walked us out and after we crossed the river we stood there in a circle holding hands. Two countries represented, and despite an inability to communicate, we had become family. John held our hands and raised them up saying, “America in Africa.” Doug then started to sing They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love in which we all joined in. Then, Yvonne and John sang an African prayer for us as well – it was beautiful! John walked around the group hugging each one and began to sob. This was the first time that John hugged as Africans don’t do this. There is a traditional African greeting or farewell in which you touch heads 3 times alternating sides – if it’s truly heartfelt you will touch foreheads afterward for a brief pause.

Yvonne and John are such loving people and really care about the children; we know that the kids are in good hands.

This evening will not soon be forgotten. I've seen some who have little or nothing, and yet are happy; while those who have much, seem so miserable. The problems seem so big and insurmountable that we can't possibly make a difference, but in the mean time we’re going to just try and make sense in a senseless world – if only in a small way. We’re going to do our part with random acts of kindness and attempt to help just one. What if we all…

We came to Africa to make a difference in the world, and while we’ve done what we could, and will strive to do more, it is our lives that have been changed forever.

Prisoners of War…Almost

11-8-2008

Tim: Yes, we can indeed ship to the orphanage. Mercy For Children is arranging their first container containing clothes, tools, supplies, and a vehicle. Anything you would like to donate would be welcome.

Bob P: Good to see you on the blog…just wanted to say hi.

Today was a good day as we woke up to electricity. In fact, right when my feet hit the floor, it came back on, which means we can have toast for breakfast!! Unfortunately we came home to no power which means that we won’t have a fan for going to sleep; not for the noise in order to drown out the music that people like to play into the wee hours of the morning, but for the movement of the stale, humid, hot air on our perspiring bodies. Oh well…at least we had toast.

We arrived at the orphanage expecting the usual mob of children running out to greet us, but today…nothing! It was a ghost town and Zach started whistling the famous Wild West whistle (can’t think of the movie) expecting to see a tumbleweed roll through. We hunted for the kids and discovered that it was bath time and everyone had gone down to the river for their bath. It seems strange that while the new bathrooms have showers, the children and staff still elect to go to the river to bathe. It’s probably more fun that way, but for health reasons, we should attempt to get them to take their last bath of the day in the shower.

Progress is moving along on the building, but we’re a little behind schedule. The concern is really the wiring as we’re missing some supplies needed to complete it. 2 rooms have tested out fine and hopefully we can get it close enough for the locals to follow some simple directions to completion.

Ashton slept most of the day as he has not been feeling well. Hopefully he’ll do a little better tomorrow as his “team” is waiting to play. This is a pic, right after he woke up, with his guys.

We had a staff meeting with all of the orphanage workers to try and bridge the gap and uncerstand the concerns that they have in caring for the kids. Yvonne (the caretaker/teacher) said the most beautiful thing. She said, “Your visit here has taught us many things. It is like the brightest light making everything clear.” She pledged to be praying for us as we travel back home. Perhaps our example has caused them to think about the possibilities of what could be.

(Paul filming Bati)

We also discussed that this orphanage is going to be a place of international gatherings and that each culture would have to learn from the other. One example is the trash; although trash here in the congo is simply disposed of outside the door, culturally speaking we feel that most Americans would see this as the locals not taking pride in their orphanage. While this isn’t the case, we probably can’t afford the “bad press” and have elected to have them dispose of the trash in a mini-landfill.

We also asked the staff for their needs. With 52 children, the one cook, the one laundry lady, and the two care takers are feeling the strain. It’s no wonder that the clothes the children wear are dirty when you have 52 kids playing in the dirt all day and then 1 woman to wash the clothes by hand. While it would be simple enough to send them a washing machine, there is no way to plug it in. We going to need to bump up the staff.

Making sure the staff is well taken care of is also our concern. How could they possibly have the energy to attend to the individual needs of the kids if they themselves are worn out? We’ve got to get this place running more like a well oiled machine, but we’re still in the early stages.

It’s interesting to note that I’ve seen 6 Albino Africans while I’ve been here. I probably pass that many in the U.S. in the course of a week, but they don’t quite stand out the way that they do here. One guy grabbed an albino as he was walking by our parked Landcruiser, and shouted that “Look! You are the same.” Funny.

(A fun dancing game we played with the kids)

Today we were stopped at a traffic stop. The two military guys demanded the car registration and the driver’s license then ordered us to pull over. Gabi got out of the car and walked back to them to discuss what was wrong. Panic started to come over a few of us as Paul used his phone to get a fix on our GPS coordinates and readied to call the Embassy’s hotline. Doug pulled out his hidden fanny pack and started to shove his money into in case they rifled through our stuff. We stowed our memory cards in case they took the cameras, and then sat poised, ready for any contingency.

Turns out they were traffic cops and claimed that it was illegal to have our cooler on the front seat. Hmmmm, in a country where we have seen people riding on the outside of the car at 50mph or riding on the roof – literally the roof, this seemed ridiculous. The 2 officers held their ground, but claimed that the whole mess could go away if we paid them a little money - therein lies the rub. Gabi told the two that they were nuts and to give him a ticket and he would fight it in court. Eventually, they let him go and we went on our way – a little sleepy from the adrenaline rush we had just been through. Situations seem so much larger when you don’t understand the language and only here the shouting. I think Zach soiled himself. :-)

Medicine For The Soul

George: None of us are medical professionals! Although, Shannin and Paul did take a year off of college to go through EMT school – it’s more of a “pack-n-go” though. What little we know seems to be going a long way. The Pierro’s leg (the one that was filleted) is healing wonderfully. While Mercy For Children has no official church affiliation, the eight of us are indeed Adventist and attend the Florida Hospital Church in Orlando. The pastoral staff there is awesome and employs true Christian principles; one in which an individual is challenged to think and form their own conviction about what is presented. There are two services there and we go to the contemporary one; sometimes leading out in Praise. Father Gabriel is obviously Catholic and the local Passionists are also Catholic. We are a multi-faith organization though, with Jews and even Muslims in the mix; each following the whispers of God to do what he or she can. If you’re ever in Orlando, we’d love to see you and put you up.

Teri: thank you so much for your encouraging words! They come as such a blessing to us and really fill our souls! Teri, Shannin says she could really go for “coffee time”! Love to the Maksoudians…Tell Noelle & Chloe the kids say hello and miss them!

David (Sunshine): Thank you for your comments…What happened to you? We haven’t heard from you in a couple of days!

Adrian: Livy lost a tooth, have you lost any yet?
Vickie: There are other orphanages, but few are taken care of and Gabi says that some of them resemble a concentration camp – in fact, some of our kids have come from other orphanages very malnourished. There are a couple that have asked Mercy For Children to take them over, but there simply isn’t the funding yet. We are looking into it for the future though.

(Zach and Fortina)

Mom P: Yes, there are dogs here, but we have not noticed any particular breeds. All of them are skinny and medium to large sized mutts. Perhaps, the fat ones get eaten.

Ape: Yes you made Shan laugh…all of us! We love you very much and we really enjoy your comments…see you are funny! Very funny!!

To all of you: We love you all very much and your comments are truly just the encouragement we need for each new day. We serve an awesome powerful God, and we are humbled to be here serving him in the DRC. Today is a good day! It is our Sabbath, and what could be a better way to spend it!

With the fighting going on in Goma we have noticed an increased military presence. I failed to mention yesterday that, while coming back to Kinshasa after our lovely lunch in the mountains, we passed through a military checkpoint. The military in the DRC is seldom paid and quite frequently the soldiers will ask for a “gift” for keeping everyone safe. Sounds a bit like paying the Italian mafia for protection from the Italian Mafia. We paid them the equivalent of $0.75 which they accepted and we went on our way. It is quite common for Gabi and Father Emery, but it does make the Americans in the group a little nervous. No worries though, we’ve had no problems.

The military do not like their picture taken and this photo was shot from the car as we passed by. Didn’t really mean to take it as I was shooting something else, but I continued to click away as we passed them.

David A: Nyesha’s shoes came from Samantha in Collegedale, TN. We learned that she had to save up her money for 4 months before she could buy them, but chose to sacrifice and give them to an orphan in Africa. Special girl and her shoes also went to a special girl. We hand carried these rather than pack them in the crate to make sure that her sacrifice was fully realized. Nyesha is eternally grateful.

Nathan: Christian says that he plans to pump up the volume (in the classroom) when he gets back.

Luke: Christian says that he’s in chapter 15 in FE.

====================================

We’ve found a little 600 sq. ft. modern grocery store that we have nick-named “Publix.” They have a lot of the usual junk we’re used to like Peanut Butter, whole grain bread, yogurt, and yes potatoes chips. We’ve elected to start bringing our lunch to the orphanage so that we can save the time of getting shuttled to a nearby monastery for the noon-time meal. Since we arrive around 11A, it doesn’t make any sense to leave 45 min. later to waste another 2 hours for lunch.

We’ve noticed that the little boy that received the haircut, the day before, now has a lot of infected soars on his head. Too bad he didn’t get saved by Mama Shah-neen (Shannin) before he had to endure the razor blade trim.

Progress on the building is moving along. Painting is about 50% completed on both the inside and outside. Electric is slow as Paul and Doug try to show them how it should be done before they move onto something else. Later they return to survey the progress and then need to correct some of the mistakes. Probably would be better just to sit there and watch, but no one likes to sit around. Paul has started drawing the diagrams in the dirt in order to try and make it clearer.

Today we brought the kid’s clothes to the orphanage that we had brought with us. The kids were extremely excited and lined up at the door to the multi-purpose room by youngest to oldest. Since Americans are generally on the “healthier” side and African have a tendency to have a minimal body fat percentage, we’re running into an issue with sizes. We’ve got a dozen pairs of husky pants and no one to put them on. Some of the clothes, and there larger waist bands, have puzzled some of the locals. So let’s just call it what it is, we’re fat and could probably lose a few.

Each kid would proudly pick out his new clothes and go through a quick fitting session, march over to John (the orphanage worker) so he could write their name on them, and the do a little fashion show strut to Shantel’s singing. They were so proud of their new second-hand clothes and immediately proceeded to put them away for a special occasion; putting their old clothes back on.

Once they discovered that we had shoes, a frenzy broke out. Shoes are a very coveted item here and the order that we had previously maintained, with them marching in two by two, was transformed into chaos. While the clothes were divided up over the span of an hour, the shoes took all of 5 min!

Near the end, we kind of left the left-over clothes unattended and the kids proceeded to grab as many of them as they could – even ones that didn’t fit – and horde them away. It’s easy to criticize this behavior and the apparent lack of discipline, but I guess this level of poverty just simply creates or programs the behavior. It simply cannot be overcome even though we tell them that there is plenty to go around or we’re sending lots more. It’s sad, but a product of the conditions.

Every single thing of value in this country has some sort of lock on it or protection around it. Whether it be a home (it will have tall wall around it), car, or shoes. If it is unattended, and freely accessed, then you must not want it anymore. The old government (before the 1997 war) erected a tall monument of National Pride, and put a sample of the most valuable natural resources this country had to offer: silver, gold, diamonds, uranium, copper, and iron ore. The government thought this monument would be impossible to scale as it sits at least 300 ft. tall. Guess what? Someone climbed to the top and stole the goodies. Several others died in the process. It feels like a total lack of respect, of other people’s property, when in fact it starts as a product of the environment and then quickly becomes a way of life. It’s similar in Honduras.

Sadly, Fortina was crying that he didn’t get any shoes. His feet were just too small for the shoes that we had. We loved on him and he was smiling in no time.

It’s interesting to note that Shantel was much more affectionate with the kids today. She gave one of the kids a piggy back ride (like we’ve been doing) and has been joking around with the kids; even singing them songs while they strutted in their new clothes. One of the women (Annie), commented to Nellie on how much we like to hold the kids and was marveling as to why. Father Gabriel thinks that we have made a silent impact with just our example…we’re hopeful.

I know I gave a little background on Fortina in one of the earlier posts, but can’t remember if I mentioned that when we first arrived he was one of the new kids at the orphanage; having only been there a couple of months. Gabi has been worried about him as he has not been very interactive and hasn’t gained much weight. In the few short days that we’ve been here, he has absolutely blossomed. Earlier, Zach has been carrying him around everywhere, but now he is bouncing between all of us, always ready and willing to flash a smile when his name is called. While Gabi’s original concern was that perhaps he had a medical condition, turns out, all he needed was a little TLC. He is the neatest little guy.

Honore’ and Paula (the new arrivals) seem to be responding well with the affection and new surroundings. Paula is very interactive and we got Honore’ to smile today with a little tickling game.

We had a new orphan dropped off last night. We don’t have the background yet, but will fill you in when we do.

Some of you might wonder…all of the kids at the Mercy For Children orphanage are screened for various diseases including HIV. The sad thing is that if they are found to be positive, they will be forced to leave as there is no care for them and they will endanger the other kids. It’s a true death sentence and the thought sending kids away to die is unconscionable.

Honore’ and Paula have yet to be tested for HIV, but if found positive, they too will have to leave.

(Honore’s and Paula’s Mom)