Orphanage Visit

I know I haven't talked about where I'm deployed to and what is going on here.  And I won't -- not the where and what anyway.  But I will talk about my experience here because I think it's important to capture that.  So here I go...

The camp is small.  Really small.  If you get lost, it better be your first day because otherwise you're not that bright.  LOL I kid, I kid.  But seriously, it's tiny.  The days are long and repititious.  There aren't many things to do, so people have to get creative.  While being here, I've learned how to play chess, pool, poker, and spades.  I've gotten the yellow belt in martial arts - WAAAA!!!  And I've picked up Crossfit and boxing.  Oh and I watch lots of movies.

So, my boss and I try hard to lift the morale here by being more creative with activities.  We're having a Halloween party, play a couple of movies with popcorn every weekend on the big screen, provide the camp with a recess (yes, I said "recess" as in elementary school fun!), care package share time, and more.  One of the big things we've done so far is organize a visit to the local orphanage.

The orphanage houses roughly 50 kids ages newborn to about 8 years old.  The reasons for them being there vary anywhere from surrendered to sexually abused.  And the reasons for them leaving also varies depending on their situation.  The kids are very loved in the orphanage.  Everytime we go there, the children have a spirit of happiness in them and they all act like one big family.  Although the orphanage gets very low support from the government, lots of people from both the local community as well as the military give their best efforts to help.

When we brought some people from the camp, the staff took everyone on a short tour.  We visited the babies first.  The babies grabbed everyone's heart and not one person left untouched.  One baby was found as a newborn hanging in a trashbag with other garbage.  Another baby was dumped off because of her serious medical condition.  All the babies, however, are now in a much better environment than they were in before they got to the orphanage. 

In another room resided the older kids- ages 3 to 8.  These guys brought you out of your sadness from seeing the babies and immediately shined a light on you!  They were incredibly happy to have visitors and almost attacked us with love.  We were climbed on, hugged, kissed and danced with.  We spent the majority of the time just playing with them.

I had no doubt in my mind that these kids were loved by the staff.  They were happy.  They had a twinkle in their eyes.  And although my heart ached for them and I hated that they had to be in an orphange instead of a loving home, I felt rest assured that this orphanage gave them more love than they've ever experienced. 

Watching the warriors from my camp, I knew we did good.  We organized a visit that would not only get them a few hours away from "Groundhog's Day" but also give them the opportunity to have a very rewarding experience.

The next event comes soon-- Children's Festival!!  300 KIDS IN ONE PLACE.  Oh my goodness.  I don't know if I'll be able to manage it.  lol!  Will give updates on that once it happens and after I get some pictures uploaded.

Til next time.  Peace.