Life in the Jungle

10-28-11 

            It’s Friday night, the week is finally coming to an end.  It’s been a trying week, but I feel in this last week I’ve grown a lot.  I am becoming more and more accustomed to a different way of life.  Usually on Friday mornings I make Granola for the whole orphanage, it is a special treat for Sabbath mornings.  No granola today though, because we are out of oats.  Since Familia Feliz is on the outskirts of a very small town, most of the food we order has to get bused in from La Paz.  Roadblocks, rain, bus problems… there are unending reasons why the food doesn’t show up when expected.  Erin and I enjoy our mornings because they are the few short hours of quiet in the day.  The boys are all at school except for Miguel because he is too young to go to school.  Miguel has to be coaxed and coaxed to talk or smile or show any emotion.  He is one of the most puzzling children I have ever met.  It’s been good to have some one on one time with him in the mornings, I have noticed him beginning to open up.. just a little.  This morning I sat outside on our step, eating bananas and “talking” with him.  Talking with Miguel is still mostly one-sided but hopefully that will change in time. 

            At lunch time we found out that three of our boys had skipped their last classes and snuck down to the river to go fishing.  These boys LOVE fishing, they are constantly building new contraptions and fishing pole type things in hopes of catching more fish.  Erin and I were not happy to hear they had skipped school though.  During lunch we brainstormed extra consequences than the norm.  When lunch is over the kids have siesta time, we decided that Ivan, Kevin and Emmanual would have to stay in their beds and not talk for a long time after the other kids got up and had free time.  We had the boys do some Friday cleaning, pick up all the trash around the house, fold their clothes, straighten their rooms and beds ect.  For the three who skipped school, Erin decided that today they were going to get some physical punishment.  We had them line up outside in the hot sun and run laps.  At first they acted cool about it, running around easily and playfully.  Little did they know how many laps Erin had planned for them!  They had to do laps, push-ups and to top it off they had to do the “duck” walk across the field beside our house.  Erin and I learned the “duck” walk in soccer conditioning in high school, I vividly remember waking up and not being able to get out of bed because I was so sore after those days of conditioning.  Seeing those three waddle across the grass was a hilarious sight.  I could tell they were getting the picture – it is NOT a good idea to skip school!  I’m guessing their soreness will be a reminder as well.  After the kids all finished their chores we gave them some bananas and they scampered off to play for a while before worship.                                                                                                                                                                     


            Some of the boys wanted to play the “Nuevo juego” that I taught them – Dutch Blitz!  It’s quite an adventure to play with these kids, they get really into it and they’re pretty fast!  Before dinner time we took all the kids up to the big house to play because Erin and I were going to help Jamie make a birthday cake for one of her girls birthdays.  It was an interesting experience.  They don’t really have measuring cups around here, cooking is a guessing game and unfortunately we are very unexperienced guessers.  We will see how it turned out at the birthday celebration tomorrow!

            This evening brought some extremely sad new.  It’s been rough. As I was gathering the children for dinner, a motorbike came roaring past the house.  It all happened so quickly, but before I knew it Emmanuel was on the back of the motorcycle and zooming away from the orphanage.  It was upsetting because no one talked to us, and we had no idea where he was going.  I went over and talked to Missy, she speaks fluent Spanish and since she is the founder of the orphanage most parents tend to talk to her about things.  I was shocked to hear what she had to say.  Emmanuel’s father died yesterday.  Ugh.  Kick in the gut.  Not what I wanted to hear.  So sudden.  I don’t know if Emmanuel’s father was a good man, I don’t know if he was abusive toward Emmanuel… it’s possible… but he was still his father.  Emmanuel hasn’t seen his father for a long time, but he obviously had an attachment to him.  He melted to pieces when he heard the news.  So many tears.  My heart aches for Emmanuel… I can’t imagine how he is feeling… I wish so much that I could hold him and comfort him somehow.  They whisked him away to the funeral before I could even say goodbye. 

            After worship, I sat with the boys and we all prayed for Emmanuel and his family.  I tucked them into bed and kissed them goodnight.  Guerrmo couldn’t stop crying.  I kneeled beside him and asked what was wrong… he was sad for Emmanuel.  I asked him if he wanted to talk and he nodded his head.  I took him to my room and he sat on my lap, crying in my arms.  These are the times when I wish so much I could speak fluent Spanish.  I want so much to be able to comfort my kids, but I don’t have all the words to express myself.  Yet really, what words are there to comfort someone when someone they love has died? I held him tight and told him I love him.  He said he was friends with Emmanuel’s dad too.  We prayed together for Emmanuel and his family.  There’s no water again on campus.  It might mean we are taking the boys down the road to the river to bath… drinking, dishes, we’ll figure it out as we go. It’s been a long day, and a long week.  I sat with Erin and we ate a papaya together, trying to unwind.  

          Each day definitely brings its challenges here. I strive to find the courage to face them.  Often by the end of the day I feel mentally and physically dead from all the exerted emotions and energy.  Despite the struggles, I am learning and growing in so many ways.  I know that God is here at Familia Feliz, and that is a huge encouragment.