Abandoned Gold.

Today was pretty great, especially in the afternoon. All the kids with september birthdays celebrated in OSSO and the Casas kids were invited. I got to take all the kids and have them see the other locations I work at. We all got together and some of the volunteers dances thriller for the workers, them the workers danced to a dong called something like chiuaua, ad finally Zach danced to firework. Pretty fun. Then, after cake and some delicious jello yogurt crossover, we did the piñata, ate candy, and all got sugar highs. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to be there. I just feel really bad for the worker who had do put them to bed while they were all hyped up.

So this past week I've had a very unique experience. Rex, the founder of OSSO is staying in the house. All the people here love him, and after talking to him I understand why. He is such an awesome charitable person, and I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love him. A couple days ago he told some of the volunteers that the thought of no one wanting these orphans is the same as saying there are bricks of gold laying in the street, and no one wants them. But I know that even if they don't have parents here that want to raise them, there is a father for them up above and he will do everything to raise them right here. I'm so lucky to be a part of helping these kids, and I love being with them.

Paradise falls.

So yesterday I went to waterfalls at Girón, one of the most beautiful places in the world, and in my opinion, a place lost in time. Despite the lack of snipes the trip was a blast. We hiked for 3 hours through open fields, dense trees, and high mountains to find huge waterfalls that we could walk under and jump into. If was a ton of fun and I'm so grateful I got to go. Afterwards we went to Negro's house (our guide for all our trips) and he made us some of the best trout I've ever had, and I don't like fish. The fish apparently came from El Cajas, the Ecuadorian national park. That night we got home did laundry, watched contagion, played bang and went to bed. On days we go on trips we don't get to go to the orphanages.

Today made up for all that though and I got to be with my kids from Casas all day both shifts, so I've got my hands full. This morning I went with Whitney and Zacharie, and we had a blast. After breakfast the Hermanas or the Nuns all left for a meeting so we got the kids to ourselves. We took them all to the TV room and took them on walks as the got rowdy. When walking around with Cristian, Pablo, Edu, Karla, and Jasmine I took them all to the smaller and poor Cristian fell fast asleep slumped over in the swing! I've never seen him so tired. So I took him and put him on the bench and let him use my sweater as a pillow. In the afternoon I went with Nico and my mom. It went surprisingly well, the kids behaved great! We gave them baths and basically had play time for the whole 4 hours. Basically today was awesome.

I love being here so much and it seems everyday I love these kids more. I wish I could stay longer. It's so true that the more you serve someone the more you love them, even if you don't want to. The best way to get rid of a bad attitude or turn a cruddy day around is to lose yourself in service. It's such a blessing to be able to do that for 9 hours a day! Miss you guys so much and I can't wait to see you guys again!

Language barrier bathtime.

So today right before dinner the worker Irene asked me to take the kids for baños y las manos. But my language barrier decided to let through the word: bañarlos. You guys could guess the rest. I took all the Casas kids out and gave them baths one at a time, while poor Irene waited in El Comedor togive them dinner. Sooner or later Zach comes into a room full of screaming, wet, naked boys asking why they were not eating dinner. My response: I'm getting dressed I'll be there in a second. When Irene found out she just laughed about it, which is better than the alternative, I just thought that was the strangest thing that happened today.

So Maite and her brothers are now gone to live with their grandma in New York, Carlitos and Linda are leaving to live with their aunt in Guayaquil this weekend, and Wilson and Mercy will in 2 weeks go live with their grandparents in the Amazon. I hope that in the little bit of time I've been blessed to have with them I've been able to serve them well.

I watched Elder Holland's devotional today with the other volunteers and it was amazing. It made me so grateful that I can build my own spiritual haven from the world by living the gospel and having the spirit with me. I love Elder Holland's dream of being caught by Jesus while serving him. I share a similar hope, that any moment I could be caught by surprise, and I hope to be found serving others. I love and miss you guys so much, and I hope I get to see you soon!

House built from a bus.

On the way to the orphanages in the mornings we drive by 3 houses that are built from some odd materials: a bus, wood, and nails. Someone had taken some old vans, boarded up the windows and parked it next to the other houses. I will try and take pictures to post. Other news is that Carlitos and his ñaña Linda will be going home with their aunt on Wednesday. That's super sad news for me and super happy news for the kids. Their aunt is a super nice lady who trust will treat them well. I'm just gonna miss them both so much. Seeing children leave the orphanage is very bittersweet, you are sad to see them leave, but happy to know they will be with family that loves them.

I've though a lot about the verses in the scriptures which say "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." And the more I think about it tue more the answer becomes clear to me. God wants us to be like him so we can become perfect and live with him again, and God wants all his children cared for and loved, so he lets things happen to some if his children and he gives others the opportunity to serve and love those in need. We are serving God by doing what he wants us to do for his children, and we are doing what he would do in the same situation. We are becoming more like him while doing his work. I can't help but feeling so much love for these kids as I try and act as God or Jesus would be for them. Sometimes a particular child can be frustrating, but it doesn't mean I don't love them as much as the others. I'm so glad I can serve these kids and I can't wait to start my next shift tomorrow. I'm gonna be in Casas for 9 straight hours and I'm hope I can leave them happier and that I can find ways to help them all the day.