One of our major jobs here was to do shoes for the kids like we did yesterday. Toddlers are SOOO excited to get new shoes. The first room we went to jad 6 2 year olds in it. I got to put a pair of shoes on a little boy about Teddy´s size, and the shoes ended up being the exact orange and white pair that Teddy currently owns! I got some cute pictures (though I will probably need to add those to the blog when I get back to the States). Anyway, after he got his shoes, he crawled up on my lap, put his arms around my neck, and asked me if I was there to be his mommy. I lost it right there! I had to leave the room because I was crying so hard! All I wanted to do was scoop up that little boy and tell him "yes, I´ll be your mommy! I´ll take you back to the big United States and you´ll have a brother, 2 sisters, and another baby soon!" ... But I couldnt. I couldnt even tell him no... I just had to leave.
From there, I went to find the little ones.- the ones who couldnt beg me to take them home with me or give me pleading looks. I went into the baby room with kids age 2 months to 10 months and spent the rest of the time at the orphanage there. I held babies, I rocked them to sleep, I helped feed them their bottles, and just loved on them. There was a little girl, GLoria, who I held for a long time. She was 2 months old and the worker there told me that because she was pretty, she´d likely be adopted.
There was also a little 4 month old named Sergio who was 4 months old and weighed about 20 pounds. He was the happiest little guy, and giggled the whole time we were there :-)
There are two little girls that I would like to mention especially because they are becoming my new project. The first is Miraba (means miracle in Spanish). She was born normal, but began retaining fluid around her brain around 2 months old. The pressure of the fluid began to cause paralysis in her limbs and now, 10 months later she is almost totally paralyzed. She needs a shunt to drain the fluid, but they can´t afford the operation there. She needs to come to the States for medical treatment or she will be dead in the next few months. At this point, she is living 24 hours propped up in a stroller because if they lay her flat in a crib, she will aspirate and die. The staff at the orphanage told me that they´re just "taking care of her until she dies". Our doctor on the team agreed to speak to one of his neurosurgeon buddies in Grand Rapids about doing the surgery, and we have a team member who is interested in being the host home for her, but I have to do the paperwork to get her a medical visa and raise the funds to bring her to the US. Unfortunately, Peruvian law does not allow you to request a specific child to adopt- so someone couldnt sign up to adopt and then say that they wanted her.
The other girl is Maria. When I first saw her, I thought she was a week, maybe 2 weeks old- no muscle control and weighing about 8 pounds and about 20 inches long. It wasnt until later that I was told she was actually 7 months old! She was born several months premature and only brought to the orphanage 3 weeks ago (and she had gained 2 pounds since being there!). She also desperately needs medical treatment in the US. I know many of my friends are familiar with the risks premies face- PDA heart issues, retinal issues, respiratory issues with improperly formed lungs, and upper GI issues not allowing them to get nutrients from food correctly. She needs a feeding tube and probably 3 or 4 more surgeries just to have a chance at life, but they can´t afford to do them there. She desperatly needs to come to the US, or she will also die soon. When our medical team saw her, she was battling a fever of 104- which can be deadly for a premie....
I hope to post pictures of them on here soon. I really wish you could have seen them! Maria was small enough I could have fit her in my jacket and brought her home, and believe me I wanted to!
That afternoon, we went to an orphanage for special needs kids. Picture 105 kids with Downs Syndrome, Autism, and various stages of mental retardation, and trying to do a program of music, puppets, and games with them. It was very frustrating, mainly because the kids wouldnt respond to direction and we had a real problem with kids stealing things. I ended up going and working with the medical team- taking vitals and helping occupy the kids with a puppet while Dr Scott looked in their ears, etc. A lot of the kids had some major medical issues that hadnt been addressed at all in the past, and it was good to be part of the team treating them. I have been asked to go back and help them again tomorrow (I´m the only one who can take vitals and speak spanish at the same time :-)
We went out for Chinese food tonight (excellent!) then got to walk around the mall area on the ocean front (boardwalk type place- very touristy). I am happy to report that I found a Dunkin Donuts and enjoyed a "Boston Crema" :-)
I think that´s it for now. Tomorrow we go to a teenage boys home for boys who have been taken off the street.
Keep Praying!
-Elizabeth
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