Day Three-The Orphanage

6/21/2011
Just a heads up-I'm a bit delirious and am not in a writing mood, so bare with me.

This is a beautiful place, on every level. The orphanage is a huge stone house with either wooden or tile floors. Outside is a large fenced in yard, covered in berry bushes, a playground, two dogs and their three baby puppies, flowers, two cows living in shacks made by the kids, large rocks good for climbing, and exotic foliage all over the place. There are 24 kids, all of them beautiful and scarred. I'll post a blog about all of them later. Dave (23) and Deb (26) are the owners. Deb has lived here for years with her parents, who left a while ago to take care of their sick mother in the States, leaving their newlywed children in charge. Dave met Deb when he came on a mission trip here. They talked nonstop, and he came back a year later. When he left, he knew he made a mistake, and was about to call Deb’s father but received an email from him instead, telling him to come back. Deb had also emailed him, quoting “since you’ve been gone, it feels like the prince has left the palace.” So he asked her father permission to return and start a relationship with her. They’re celebrating their 2 year anniversary July 4th. I think that’s adorable! Josh (21) and Donna (22) are also a married couple who are living here for two years. The teachers of the kids’ home-schooling program will only be living here for a few months, which is sad because they’re a huge help with getting the kids out of the house in the mornings and afternoons.
If you’d like to know the atmosphere-well, with 24 kids, 5 dogs, 2 talkative cats, 4 adults, and 3 volunteers, it’s bound to be chaotic. It is also extremely loving. On the first night here, Dave explained that these kids are not orphans. They call Dave and Deb mom and dad, because they are their parents now. Even though the kids were born in the lying and cheating Guatemalan society, they’re being raised to treat each other with respect. It is also so very accepting, as every kid here has their story.
It amazes me at how young these 4 people are that decided to take on the raising of 24 kids, 8 of them below the age of 4. It makes me scoff at people who are too afraid to give up their lives to God, because here are Dave and Josh talking about shooting people in a computer game while changing 7 diapers in a third-world country.