Coat

We’re in rainy season right now. In fact April is the rainiest month of the year here. The mornings often start off with sun and then there is a downpour in the afternoon. This past week our house was struck by lightning. All this to say it has been a little chillier than normal.

Last week one of the Tias (caregivers) at the orphanage came wearing a puffy coat that looked like it would be worn in a snowstorm. I commented on the fact that she looked very warm which was interpreted as I also would like a jacket like that. The next morning, I opened my front door to find a big gift bag with my nice new winter puffy jacket. I wore it the other day and was very thankful for its warmth!

                                                              Yes, I do live on the Equator!

Over Easter week a youth team from Red Bluff, California came to volunteer. This church has been a long supporter to For His Children and I have had the privilege of spending time with members of this church both here in Ecuador and recently on my fundraising trip in California. They are a wonderful group of people and I am always so encouraged after being with them.

Since they were here on Easter, we all went to church together. Then we got to go to a professional soccer game. Tickets were $2.50 per person! Then everyone came over for a brunch and we did an Easter egg hunt for the teenagers and then another one for the kids at the orphanage. It was a great day!

During the week that the team was here, they went to the local market to buy fruits, vegetables, and meat for the For His Children. They had to barter and figure out what each item was that they needed to purchase. One of the items was a cow leg! They also served at the local dump and at a soup kitchen. The teenagers did a fantastic job working with our kids. Thanks for a great week!

One of our babies searching for the eggs

The toddler girls showing off their colored tongues after eating candy

My roomates on Easter - Isabel (Germany) and Kathryn (New York)

Viviana’s Adoption

Viviana came to FHC one day after I brought Jennifer home from the hospital in 2011. I got to visit the province she originally came from. I watched Viviana grow since she was 8 days old. I saw her learn to crawl, walk, and eat at the “big kids” table. In March, Viviana met her forever family. They are an Ecuadorian couple from a city about 1 ½ hrs. north of Quito. They spent a week at FHC with Viviana before taking her home. I got to spend some time chatting with her family and they are such a sweet couple. Last week they came for her despedida, goodbye party. Doesn’t she look like a little princess?! She has adjusted really well to her new home and family and when she came back for her goodbye party she was all smiles!

Viviana (R) with her mom and Jennifer (L) at Vivi's Goodbye Party

Sunny Days

Hanging out with one of my boys

The founders of For His Children are Clark and Melinda Vaughn. They are a huge reason as to why I decided to remain in Ecuador and specifically at For His Children. They have been a source of encouragement to me over these past three years as I seek out what God wants for my life. It has been amazing to be a part of what two people have started and to see how that has grown exponentially; reaching far more than the kids who are cared for at FHC. Everybody who comes into contact with the ministry, adoptive families, volunteers, and visitors, are all changed in some way. Clark and Melinda moved to Ecuador with their two small children back in the 80s after they heard God calling them to care for “His children” in Ecuador. They left a successful and profitable life in California behind and moved to Ecuador. Around 800 children have passed through For His Children from the time it began.

Last year Clark was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. Within a short period of time he went from being an active, healthy man to a person confined in a wheelchair and who had difficulty speaking. As I traveled around the States to do fundraising for For His Children, I was even more touched by the amount of people that Clark impacted. People who only spent a short amount of time with him on a missions trip to FHC or time when he came to visit their church, would talk about him like he was an old friend. During my time of traveling, I received a phone call telling me that Clark had passed away. Condolences came from around the world. A hole has been left but we are comforted in the fact that he is no longer suffering. It is truly incredible to see how God works when we truly give Him all of us; when we commit fully to His will for our lives. Clark’s life was a wonderful example of this.

Clark with Rosa who was adopted last year

English Classes

This past week I began teaching English to two little girls who will be adopted in the very near future to an American family. These girls are so sweet and I love having the 1:1 time with them. Their personalities totally change when they realize they have my full attention and are not competing with 10 other children. To make it even more special, they come up to my apartment. I speak in English the whole time, and one of the girls (6 years old) repeats everything that I say – even though she really has no idea what I am saying. Sometimes she will even start making up her own language. We sing, read, play, and do some activities on the computer. It’s also really great for them to have time together as they will be sisters in the near future. We’re going the full immersion route for 45 minutes each day – we’ll see how much they can pick up in this next month before I leave for the States again!

Baby Books

One of the amazing things about For His Children is how so much attention is given to the little details for each child. When a baby enters FHC, photos are taken from that first day until the day that he leaves with his forever family. When the baby gets his first hair cut, locks of hair are kept and safely placed in an envelope. The clothes that the child arrived in are washed and placed in a plastic bag. For every birthday that the child celebrates with us, the candles and any other mementos are kept. The caregivers write two pages of notes on each child each month. These notes include what the child likes, what he doesn’t like, anything new that he learned that month, etc. Any time a child goes out on a fieldtrip a report is written up about where he went, what he did, what he liked about the field trip. The newspaper from the day that the child is born is purchased and put away for safe keeping. Each child receives an embroidered stuffed animal bear with his name on it. When a child reaches school age, art projects and report cards are kept. Finally the child meets his forever family. Pictures are taken and mementos are kept from that day. Part of my job is compiling all the photos and all these keepsakes to place into a LARGE memory book. Volunteers who are here help to create a scrapbook with the photos that have been taken. The ending result is something quite precious. When the families receive this book they are normally blown away. It is an amazing gift for both the child and the parents. As the child gets older, he is able to look back on his early years at For His Children and piece together some of his past. His parents are able to have many picture of him as he grew throughout his years here. This is a fun (and time consuming!) project, but so worthwhile.