Friday morning, I woke up to the sound of excited little boys sliding down the banister. I rolled out of my hammock and looked into Chacho's excited chubby face. "Buenos dias Teacher!" It wasn't long before all the boys were awake and playing on a blanket in the middle of the living room floor. I love their little morning hugs!
Before long, Chacho was fighting with the other boys and was upset. I distracted him by asking him what he wanted for breakfast. "Chocolate oatmeal!!" Was his excited response. He happily stood on his tip-toes by the stove as I cooked.
After breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen and Carlo supervised the boys' chores. By lunch, the house was ready for Sabbath! Carlo had to head into town for some work, so I started meal prepping for Sabbath as the boys entertained themselves. Treson also took them to the river. Then they played peacefully together for a long time, which was a great accomplishment! By evening I was thinking, "I don't remember why the last time I had them on a Friday by myself was so difficult! It must have just been a weird day." I thought too soon. As soon as it was time for them to clean up, shower, and get dressed for worship, chaos ensued. Chacho didn't know where his clothes were, Benjamin lost his flip flops, Diego had a fever, Angel was in timeout for hitting Diego, and Juancito was having a temper tantrum because he didn't want to clean up his mess in the bathroom. I ran all over trying to get each kid dressed and their hair combed. Just as I was deciding Juancito needed a good talking to by the director, Carlo got home. Thankfully! He took Juancito and I was able to get the rest of the boys, except for Angel who was refusing to apologize to Diego, out the door to worship. And then it was Sabbath. Carlo sat with Angel during worship and by the end, he apologized to Diego.
After an evening of making pizza (the boys' favorite Friday night meal), baking pineapple bread, and taking care of a 13 month old with a respiratory infection, we prayed for, hugged, and kissed each little boy goodnight. The other student missionaries then brought over our Christmas boxes that had just arrived from Southern! We spent a very happy few hours going through the thoughtful gifts from our friends.
Sabbath was quieter again, with us having Sabbath school in our houses. I played the ukelele and the boys and Carlo sang, followed by a story from My Bible Friends. Then we had outdoor church, which was beautiful. Lunch was a big event, with the girls' house next door, the other student missionaries, and our house making tacos together and having a big Sabbath meal. We also realized right before it that the kids were coming down with Chicken pox. Diego, Angel, and Benjamin were all covered with spots and two boys from other houses were as well. In Bolivia, they don't usually vaccinate against chicken pox, so it's best for the kids to get it when their young when it will only effect them mildly. So the lunch was still on, now as a chicken pox spreading event as well!
In the afternoon, we put the boys down for a nap. It was more of a quiet time after only Chacho fell asleep, but it was a peaceful afternoon! Carlo and I took the boys into the front yard and all climbed onto a picnic blanket for sundown worship. Zoro and baby Jose joined us, and we sang and read another Bible story. The sunset was beautiful.
After supper, we decided to have a Christmas movie night with the boys. They were so excited getting to watch The Grinch! Long after their usual bedtime, we took them upstairs and tucked them in. As they fell asleep, we said a prayer, begging God that Chacho and Benjamin's dad would follow through on his promise to them and take them home for Christmas the next day if it was His will. It was so sad to see the hurt in their eyes each week when he left them against his word.
The first words I heard Sunday morning were once again from Chacho. "Is my papa coming to get me today?" "I don't know..." Was all I could say. As they all ate breakfast, I walked over to Melissa's house to ask her about Benja and Chacho's dad. When I explained how important it was to them she called him and had a thorough conversation. He would be coming in the next few hours!
The rest of the day was very busy. I was leaving for home Monday morning, so on top of packing up Chacho and Benja, I was doing laundry, packing up my own stuff, and doing some meal prep for the boys for the next couple days. I also cut Katie-Jane's and Emilianne's hair and altered one of Lisiane's dresses. Quite the flurry of activity! I was grateful for Treson, who came over to help with the boys for the afternoon since he knew I would be busy.
In the afternoon, Chacho and Benja's dad arrived. Carlo picked up their bag of clothes and we walked them out to the taxi. When we got there, their dad said "Go back and pack up everything, I will be keeping them permanently." We were stunned. Carlo mechanically started walking back to the house and I tried to keep from crying as I followed with the boys. We rapidly sorted everything--clean laundry, dirty laundry, toys, bedding, shoes, trying to keep on cheerful faces for the little ones. Soon we were hugging them goodbye, our hearts hurting. Melissa was speaking with the father and turned around to talk to us as she finished. "They will come back after Christmas. He just doesn't have the heart to tell them he doesn't want to keep them." Such a tornado of emotions! We were so relieved, but sad for them at the same time. So glad they would be coming back, but they aren't old enough to realize the neglect they would experience at home, so sad for the fact that they would feel so abandoned upon return.
Josh and Julianna, two of my friends from Collegedale, had packed all the supplies for sugar cookies and decorating for the boys in my care package, which was brilliant. Since there weren't a huge amount of boys, we invited the girls' house and the other student missionaries over for the evening and everyone baked and decorated cookies. The table was filled with sounds of Christmas music, laughter, and the little ones' squeals of delight as the activity progressed. I made popcorn too, and decided to teach the kids to throw the popcorn up in the air and catch it in their mouths. Such a fun game to get to show kids for the first time!
I tiptoed around the house hugging all the little boys goodbye in their beds early Monday morning. Their sleepy little faces looked up at me, asking, "Are you coming back, Teacher?" "Yes!" I replied, "I'll come back in January, in 5 weeks." They nodded and whispered "Ciao!" very loudly as I went down the stairs. And with that, I hopped in the car and headed to the airport. Hermano Juan and Hermana Emi would be back soon to take care of them again. I was already missing them by the time we drove out of the driveway.
Zoro and I flew to La Paz that morning, and spent the day there helping Lisiane get her carnet, as she had arrived their by bus not long before us. In the evening, we waved goodbye to her and went to one of the biggest cathedrals there, where we listened to a traditional Bolivian band play for a special mass.
After sleeping in the airport until 2:30 a.m., we struggled through immigration, unexpectedly had to pay quite a bit to leave the country since we're residents now, and boarded our plane to Colombia. The next two flights went smoothly, and soon we were in Dulles!
Being home has been so nice. It is freezing, but it's also pleasant to cool down after 4 months of extreme heat without air conditioning! I miss everyone so much too though and am so grateful that all of us student missionaries stay in contact each day. I also still get a call whenever someone gets hurt or sick, so that helps. :) God gave me such a blessing when He allowed me to go to Familia Feliz! I won't be blogging again until the week of January 16, when I arrive back in Bolivia. I will be home for a little while and then traveling through South America with my SM family over the next month. I hope each of you have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
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