Put Me in a Trash Bag

Tia is aunt in Spanish. We have taught the children to call the ladies who work at the House of Dreams ‘Tias’.

This little one came up to one of the tias last week with a sincere question. She asked with please and was very polite. She said, “Tia could you please put me in a trash bag and throw me out so that my papa can find me?” Our tia took the time to find out why she would ask such a thing. It turned out that her father is a trash collector.

Her mother died and her father has many children with many other women. For some reason he was not able to care for her, even though she knows who he is and what his occupation is.

Please pray that Lizbeth would see herself as a precious, loved child and not something to be thrown out. Please pray that God would help us to love her and the other dreamers unconditionally. Please pray that these children would have hearts that are soft, yet strong. That thought they are scarred they would know the healing hand of our Good Father.

~ Angie

New Little Sisters

One of the toughest decisions we make is how to answer the multitudinous calls we get from social services requesting we accept children. In the light of recent adoptions and tired of saying no we decided to accept a sibling set. The circumstances surrounding these little girls arriving at our home would indicate that they are going to be with us for a very long time.

They tell us that their ages are 2 and 4. That is a guess. They are the size of a small one year old and an average two year old. They both have big appetites so we are hoping they grow. Speaking of growth, we are hoping their hair grows too. It is very short probably due to a recent bout with lice.

Marta is the Spanish equivalent to Martha. She is independent. The look in her eyes leads one to believe she has seen more than she should have. She smiled once; it was beautiful! Her raspy whispers and darting glances lend a mysterious aspect to her being.

She has begun to make friends. An especially attentive older girl, Carolina, noticed that Marta had an accident. She brought her by the hand to me and told me that I needed to get her new pants, because these were wet. At the moment I had a child on my back, a child in my lap and another in front of me. I asked Carolina if she might be able to help Marta. Carolina’s face lit up as she carefully led Marta up the stairs and into the girls room to get her clean clothes. This was near dinner time. Everyone had sat down, prayed and begun eating. Others began to ask where Carolina was. Still holding her new friend by the hand she led her into the dining room and sat her down. Instructed to pray over her food, Carolina did so calmly. They both began to eat.

Melisa is content to be carried around by the older children. She is so tiny! It seems that she is happy to have other children and toys around to keep her occupied. Her personality is docile compared to her strong sister. I wonder if she has been cared for mostly by this girl who is barely older than she is. To think that these two little ones were left on the curb in a small town just outside of Cochabamba breaks my heart.

I have added their pictures to our Kid Pics page: Marta and Melisa. Here are some random shots:

Melisa chewing on a sock

Melisa and Jhoselyn

Marta and Mayra ... feel the love

Marta unsure about the camera

Melisa 2 years old

~ Angie

Dreamers Praying Video

~ Angie

Reinaldo’s New Home

As I mentioned in a previous post there is a network of care givers here in Cochabamba that make dreams come true for our Dreamers. It is an honor to be named among the long list of social workers, lawyers, volunteers, missionaries, etc. that work hard for these kids. Sometimes there is even collaboration between the various homes to provide the best care for each child.

Friends of ours run a home for kids that have immune deficiencies or extremely special health care needs. Our little guy Reinaldo was in and out of the hospital for a few months. Our friends heard about his case and contacted us to find out if it would be a fit for the baby to be moved to their care. After presenting the idea to social services and meeting all the requirements for a legal move Reinaldo has found a new home.

Thank you for all your prayers that have been made on behalf of Reinaldo. We hope that this change of care will provide for him the extra attention that he needs to remain healthy.

~ Angie