This evening I witnessed something that both upset me and made me realize where I am. Gilbert brought two 2liter sodas for the kids after football practice. Imagine. Fifty children sharing a fanta and a coke. Fights broke out (children fights), children were upset, it was very sad to see. I just think about how we have dozens of cokes for a 10 person birthday party. Earlier a child asked me for my empty coke bottle so they can carry water from the well with them. Every child envies having a water bottle like the ones we either throw in the trash or the recycling bin.
Scola asked me if I wanted to say bye to all the children. My response was, "they're my friends, my brothers and sisters. I cannot leave without saying goodbye!" We went into the home where the children were having their dinner (ugali). Scola collected everyone in the court yard and gave me a chance to say goodbye. After I said my goodbyes, she gave the children a chance. Many very touching things were said, but I'll point out one in particular. All week, my friend Simon (photo below) would wear a collared shirt and a tattered corduroy jacket. The collars would always be messed up, so I'd walk over and jokingly fix the neckline saying, "there are ladies around! You gotta look sharp!" at the goodbyes, Simon pushes through the crowd of children walks up to me, tears in his eyes and fixes my collar. I couldn't hold back the tears. This is just one of many goodbyes. After giving all 50 children a hug, I began to walk out. Minnet runs over and jumps into my arms crying. I told her it would be ok and that we could all Skype every week. A community without running water, yet they have 1 computer with Skype.
It's hard enough to see one child cry, let alone 50 at once. I'm not going to be shy about it. I'm still crying over the goodbyes as I write this. I don't really have much to say right now being upset, so I'll leave it with that.
CuraOrphanage.org
Don't be upset about leaving. I know you'll be back!
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of a poem someone gave me when I started teaching thirty years ago:
ReplyDeleteOne hundred years from now,
it will not matter what kind of car I drove,
what kind of house I lived in,
how much was in my bank account,
nor what my clothes looked like.
But the world may be a little better
because I was important in the life of a child.
Think about what you have done for them with this post and what you will continue to do for them with your documentary and testimony.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the words of encouragement! I'm so happy and thankful I was able to go on this adventure. The footage looks beautiful! I'll be posting links to it once it' finished. :)
DeleteIf I'm able to get even one other person to help those children, the work has been a success. :)
All the best,
Ty