Day 16

6/22/2013

Day 16

Today we visited Nathalie at Magaly's house in the morning, as the whole family had plans that kept them away. Since Naty's sick and this culture is as beautiful as it is, I've gotten to meet more of Andrea's relatives and friends-of-family than I could possibly keep straight. I like some of them more than others, of course, but over all, they're good people. After spending time with the freshest batch of visitors, we took our long-awaited trip to the south of Quito to meet up with the Matute family. We went to the mall where we'd agreed to meet for lunch, where we grabbed some simple toys from the toy store near the food court before calling the mom to find each other. Seeing Josue, Jonatan, Ariel, and Julexi today was absolutely wonderful. Though I'm sure I'm an obscure resurrected memory, they didt recognize me-- as I approached, Josue begin pointing and telling his family, her, her! They look healthy and happy, and the family situation seems overall positive. Their faces have all matured over the last three years, except for Jonatan, who looks exactly the same, slightly taller, but shorter than his non-identical twin brother. They're struggling in school-- Jonatan David in particular is having trouble with basic skills (Mom says he can't read :/). Their mom works two jobs, but after a recent bad school report, she cut back on her work hours to be there with the kids, which means things are really tight financially. She looked like she was about to cry when I told her I wanted to pay for a daily tutor/homework helper. We talked about their time at the kid's home, and Josue in particular has really distinct memories of our times together, which is so encouraging-- that my work here had an impact on them and the others that I worked with, and will continue to impact the kids at the orphanage, despite their young age. After lunch, I gave them the gifts from the bag that they'd been eyeing the whole time we met up-- those gooey animals on a stretchy string that stick to walls and stuff, and mitts with velcro balls to play with at home. Mom got the camera I first tried to buy for my trip, but found that it was so particular about lighting as to not be adventure gear. It's great for still photos, though. Her face lit up when I gave it to her-- apparently she'd wanted one for awhile. In general, I think she was really overwhelmed today, but in a positive way. It is a weird thing to happen, and a redemptive thing. Those eight months that the boys were in the orphanage were really tough, though she had visited as much as she could. I really hope that it's becoming a positive, that the kids will now get the help they need because God brought us together in that unfortunate circumstance and kept them on my heart ever since. I really want to give them a chance at health, wellness, and success. I encouraged Mom to get plugged into a church that has good children's programs and good support for her-- it's tough enough doing it alone, and I'd really love to see the kids surrounded by people who will pour into them spiritually. We took them back to their house so they wouldn't have to bus-- they live in a very poor area, but the house looks adequate from the outside at least. It's painted a ridiculous shade of neon green, which kind of made me happy. On the way home, Andrea and I also talked about paying for a therapist for Jonatan David, as his school problems seem to be related with a general emotional unhealthy-- he always seems sad and disengaged. Her uncle is studying child psychology, so he can probably help us with his connections. We agreed to meet up in two weeks to take the kids to a pool or some similar kind of diversion, and I'm really excited for this. My weekends are filling up really quick, in the best way. I just hope I don't run out of time for everyone!

Tonight we're leaving to go to a river with Petato and his family. The little overnight bag is all packed and I'm very excited! As always, check back for the update!

~Ely