Through the Eyes of a Child- Part 3: Love Freely

On Wednesday the children said their goodbyes to Nicole, who just moved. It was a wonderful send-off as Eduardo read the card Tia Violeta so carefully read. Today, as they said there prayers, they prayed for all the volunteers and Ricardo asked if they could say a prayer for Nicole.

 

The thoughtfulness touched me and I was reminded again at the love these children willingly give without a thought. What  would the world be like if we gave  love as freely as a child does. How much more warmth would reside in the world.

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit." ~Peter Ustinov 

I couldn't have defined love any better- Think if we lived in a world with endless forgiveness, tenderness and mercy. This is the world those kids see, the colorful view they have not yet dimmed by grime people bring into the world with such hate.

This world, is the world we should strive for.

Through the Eyes of a Child- Part 1: Influences

I have learned a lot of lessons living here in Peru, most from the innocent actions of children. Never before have I been so amazed at what these little ones can teach me. Their eyes are filled with a different view, their gazes have not yet hardened by dreariness that exist in the world, instead they see this colorful perception of the world. A world we outgrow as we realize that the bad sprouts as fast as weeds in a garden.  This week I was taught something from these innocent angels.

 

At our arrival on Wednesday the kindergarteners were playing on the playground. 

I learned two things on that playground that day.

The first was from Ricardo, a loving yet angry little boy.

While making my way around the playground greeting each smile with a smile of my own and chasing a few around, I noticed Ricardo sitting by himself, filling his pockets with rocks. I went over to see what he was just doing but he just grinned at me although to his credit he did try to hid that he was grabbing rocks. I walked away but watched unnoticed as he sat down, summoning his friend Angelo to do the same. Soon little Anderson had joined them and now all three of them sat conspiring.

l watched with amusement as he talked down to them giving them orders, pointing things out to them. Willingly and perhaps innocently they listened It too only a few moments before their plan was set, each one agreeing to act with the nod of their heads A few minutes later Laura and l watched as they carried out their plan.

 

 

Soon rocks were flying at us and the other children. While Laura held a bemused expression as the scene unfolded I was more distressed at the turn of events.  A lot of people would say that they are troubled, or bad kids. It's true I was uncertain about the scene but never did I once think that they were bad kids. Granted Ricardo came up with the scheme and Angelo and Anderson willingly went along but none of them, are bad kids. 

 

Instead I thought about the role models these kids had in their lives. What kind of things had these innocent young children seen to make them act in such a defiant way? At a young age, children are easily influenced, pliable, able to be molded by what they see and hear from others.  What children do directly mirrors something they have seen.

 

"Our heratige and ideals, our code and standards- the things we live by and teach are children, are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange our ideas and feelings." -Walt Disney

 

Labeling kids is wrong, no matter what they have or haven't done. No child deserves to be labeled by a choice he or she makes before she fully knows what she is doing and that they are accountable for their actions. So before you call someone bad, think about their influences. Everyone-even a four year old has a back story, and everyone has influences in their lives, both bad and good.

 

 Don't label, don't judge. Be a positive influence, and always remember, you never know who's watching.

 

 

 

Last Saturday

March 20, 2014

  

Weekends are spent having fun, relaxing, hanging out with friends, and sometimes rolling in the dirt. In my case last  weekend had all  of these elements.

Saturday, March 15th we got a van, squished inside and drove up to Westfalia Orphanage. Ten of us went on Saturday to play with the kids. Nicole brought sidewalk chalk and some outside games for the kids to play and we all divided and made stations. The kids loved it- and so did we! 

The chalk got everywhere, and I mean everywhere. We came home covered in chalk dust from head to toe. I got some in my hair too. It was fun though, I don't think most of the kids had ever seen sidewalk chalk before. 

Emily and Melissa

Julia getting her hair done.

Eduard with Victor

 

 

Marcus tried his hand at pin the nose on the clown.

 This pretty much sums up how Julia and Emily acted the whole day.

Nicole and Dallas

Nicole being her usual happy self (:

More Julia and Emily.

Dallas dressed as a big blueman. The kids loved it.

More Nicole.

Eduardo and Victor.

Dallas could barely see with the suit and glasses on.

Brothers Eduardo and Victor fighting and loving being carried around.

Emily and Melissa.

Kids drawing with chalk.

Seeing Jael and Anderson sack racing was the cutest thing ever.

Everyone loves sunglasses!

Marcus, who came with us for the first time.

The garbage bags used for the sack races soon became outfits.

Right on Target!

Drawing Lions.

Melissa drawing.

 

It was a pretty great Saturday. I still have a bunch of pictures that I couldn't fit in the post! 



 

*Please Note this was written before it's publishing date.

What Matters Most

We set Valentines day aside to "show our love" for friends, family, and ultimately our romantic interest. This is why I decided that each child needed and deserved to be told how much we loved them- not only by our  actions, but with words, because everyone deserves to be told they are loved.

 

On Thursday afternoon, Zach, Hannah, Emily, Marissa and I created simple valentines from construction paper and wrote the  messages "Te Queremos Muchos" and "We Love You" to hand out to each of the kids. I know that there is a chance that these will be thrown away, ripped, torn, stepped on, crumpled or left as garbage, BUT that doesn't matter- what matters  most is that they know we took time to do something just for them.

 

 

We made one-hundred-twenty-four of these simple cards. We then piled into the car and made a trip to the grocery store Totus, where we bought apples and cookies. Here, cookies and crackers come in small individual wrapped packages because of the humidity. We bought 120 individual packages of cookies for the kids.

 

 

Friday morning, armed with our treats and extra water, we hit the road. We had nine in the van, four in another car, and two come later in the day for a grand total of fifteen  people.

We stayed as a group for the first fifteen minutes before we each went off in different directions to explore and play with the kids.

 

 

I stayed by Milagros, and after she was dismissed from spinning wool she took out a pencil with a bracelet she started working on and led me up some steps away from everyone else. She sat down on the steps, so I sat beside her and she handed me the pencil. I held it while she demonstrated how to do the bracelet. 

 

She was making a llama pattern that was way too advanced for me. She told me that if I brought two soles, the price they sell bracelets for, she would give me material so she could teach me. I think I will, because I would like to know Milagros better. 

 

She also decided that she needed to teach me Spanish. So, we went to Tia Sara's office in search of my notebook and a pen and then she told me to write down all the English words I knew so she could write them in Spanish. We did animals, clothes, actions, days, etc. There were a few times that we had trouble communicating, and she would give me a blank stare while I tried to explain a word, then would get excited when she understood.

 

 

 

Milagros is a great teacher. She made me try to guess what each word was in Spanish before she would tell me the correct answer and was always happy when I already knew a word. When correcting my pronunciation, she would carefully repeat the word until she heard me say it correctly.

 

 I am constantly amazed by the lessons I learn from these kids- not only Spanish, but in more important matters like patience, love, and kindness.

 

Milagros taught me the important of patience, something I lack in my every day to day life. She did not sigh and grumble when I didn't properly pronounce a word, but patiently repeated the word and allowed me to try until I got it right.  She showed me love and understanding when I failed instead of the anger and impatience we often show in our world.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the others in the little lawn space, and having my hair done in a few different ways.

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, they had a special musical number planned because two volunteers were leaving.

It was a lot of fun being able to do something so ordinary with these kids. They had one day where they were able to just be kids, without worries or expectations. It didn't take money, it didn't take planning or preparation, just time. Time is precious, it is priceless- and I am happy to have spent this time with these kids. They are worth the time, because they too are priceless.

 

 

I learned another lesson from these kids on Friday. On the drive home, we each started exchanging stories about our day. Julia and Nicole told me two of the days events  that I will never forget.  Julia was playing with one of the boys, and asked him if she was his best friend. He looked at her and replied, "No- God is my best friend." Later Nicole witnessed another little boys faith. When he was told to join the group because they didn't want him to be alone, he answered, "I'm not alone, God is with me."

 

The faith these two boys showed is something that made me revaluate my own faith. There are so many times in my life when I forget that I can turn to God not only with my troubles, but with my joy. These boys reminded me I am never alone, never forgotten, and always loved.

 

I hope you all had a Valentines filled with love. I hope you expressed your love for someone. I hope you felt loved by someone. And, I hope that you will remember to show your love not only on Valentines day and other holidays, but everyday of your life.  Because everyone deserves to be loved.