Enrichment

As our Dreamers get older, we want them to try a  variety of crafts, trades or skills so that they can discover their talents and have many experiences that will help them to be successful in the future.  This summer vacation our three oldest Dreamers were presented with such opportunity.  My mother-in-law, who is a very talented painter, offered to give the girls classes in painting.

Anne and Estefani working on their handpainted tablecloths

The girls have been taking once a week classes at my mother-in-law’s house, in learning how to paint with acrylics on cloth fabrics.  They’re learing how to handle the brushes, how to mix and blend colors, how to add shading and highlights.

Jhoselyn’s first finished work

In a few years as our Dreamers begin their teen years, we may have a new opportunity for you to participate in their lives through the Projects Link on our site – helping with the costs of specialty classes, such as painting, mechanics, carpentry etc.   In the meantime, check out our Projects link to see where you can take part.

-Marisol

How Your Business can Help the House of Dreams

DaRonn met with a group organized by my sister. She and her husband are part of Florence Christian Church in Omaha, Nebraska. This thriving congregation has adopted the House of Dreams orphanage and helped us in many ways. During DaRonn’s …

A Family Thing

My oldest daughter was talking with her uncle, my brother, earlier this year. Somehow they got on the subject of picture taking. By the end of the conversation a camera was promised to my daughter.

My brother made it happen and now Raimy has a camera. She takes it with her when there are events at school. Since the Dreamers go to her same school she blogged about some of the pics she look.

You can check out her post here: “dreamers” by raimy o. washington

She has also began as a regular volunteer with the Pen Pal program we have here at the House of Dreams. I love it that my kids take an interest in the outreach we do. It’s a family thing.

- Angie

Excitement in a Ziploc

A trail of children follow behind Angie, her daughter Raimy, and I as we walk up the stairs to the House of Dreams. Raimy’s mysterious box full of Ziploc bags cause the children to ask questions. They ask just as many questions about the bag I have in my hand. Some even grab at the bag. I enjoy seeing their curious and anxious faces.

At this point, the Dreamers will do whatever you ask them to do, just to find out if the items in the bag are for them. Today, the answer was yes. Whatever was in the bags was solely for the children.

Not too long ago, the House of Dreams began a Pen Pal program. One of our Dreamer’s Pen Pal, Sophie, decided to send her friend, Shirley, and all of the children some gifts. Not all of the boxes arrived as of yet, but we disbursed the smaller items so that the children can enjoy them today. The Dreamers were so happy as they ate their candy and played with their stickers and fake tattoos. Yes, you can find excitement in a Ziploc!

Shirley passing the goodies out to the others

 

Shirley enjoying her bag of treats after sharing with the others

As of now, all but one of the Dreamers have at least one Pen Pal. Some of the older children have two. They enjoy the letters and anticipate the responses from their new friends.

We want to send a big thank you to Sophie and to all of the Pen Pals. You are appreciated!

Our newest Dreamer, Juan Daniel, is very interested in receiving a letter from his Pen Pal. Would you like to be Juan Daniel’s Pen Pal? If so, leave a comment or fill out this form. Thanks!

-Melinda

The Great Imitator

“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.” – Anonymous

Joel imitating my pregnant belly

This is Joel. Some of you may recognize him from previous posts. He’s a funny kid. He likes to mimic people in real life (like in the picture to the left) and characters on tv.

After watching the kids show,  “Power Rangers”, he would begin kicking and punching the air, imitating his favorite ranger. If he has just watched “The Lion King” you would hear him roaring like a lion. He’s presented himself to us as  Spiderman, a Fireman, a Musician, and a dog. Needless to say, Joel likes to imitate and he is great at it.

Children are natural mimics. Impersonation occurs in every child and is a process of learning.  I’ve seen some actions and heard some words repeated by the Dreamers that have made me wonder, “Where did they get that from?” Based on some of their actions, I knew exactly who they were mimicking. I began to think about how much the children learn from me, my good and not so positive actions, or reactions.

The question is not whether or not they will imitate us, the question is what will they choose to imitate? It’s our responsibility to teach our children through our actions and give them something great to imitate. Let’s do it!!!

“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Please pray for the House of Dreams and the staff/volunteers, that we challenge ourselves daily to be people we won’t mind the Dreamers imitating.

Do you want to play a role in teaching/training the Dreamers? Come visit!

- Melinda

City Life

As most of you already know, the House of Dreams has changed locations.  The kids have settled into the new place and are absolutely loving it, especially their bigger rooms.

As we all have experienced once or twice in our lifetimes, the house isn’t the only thing that changes with a move, but the neighborhood as well.

At the old place, the Dreamers were in a secluded, slow-paced neighborhood. Most of the neighbors were older couples. Some were retired and cherished the Dreamers as if they were their own grandchildren.

At the new House of Dreams,  the neighborhood is more fast paced. It’s a half of a block away from one of the busiest intersections in the area. The kids absolutely love looking out of the window and watching all of the cars go by, and calling everybody to the window when there is a motorcycle.

During the day while the older kids are at school, the younger ones go for walks around the block or to the park.  Every day as they walk, they are fascinated by all the cars and towering apartment buildings.

The youngest Dreamers pausing for a picture on their way to the park.

The street vendors and police officers guarding the bank light up with excitement every time the kids walk by.  It’s good to know that not only do the Dreamers welcome the new environment in their life, but that their new environment welcomes them as well.

Interested in getting to know the Dreamers better? Fill out this form to get more information on visiting!

Romon

Carolina Returns for Her Birthday

Carolina was adopted a few weeks ago by a lovely family. (You can read about her adoption here). She and her family are still in Bolivia and won’t be returning home to Spain for another few weeks.

Yesterday was Carolina’s 7th birthday. She celebrated her birthday at the House of Dreams with all of the children and workers.  Carolina’s parents brought cake, snacks, drinks, games, and a piñata. The children especially loved the party favors, which were small boxes full of toys and candy.

After they were sugared up, they danced to the music playing on the radio, chased each other around,  played catch, picked up the left over confetti on the floor and threw it at each other, etc. I kept looking at Carolina, her older sister, and her family. I could not help but notice how happy they truly are. It was such a beautiful sight.

I was reminded that, as much as I enjoy spending time with the children, loving on them and teaching them, re-insertion or adoption is the ultimate goal for each Dreamer.

Please join us in praying for our Dreamers. Pray over the re-insertion/adoption process for the Dreamers.

Also, if you are interested in adoption, click here for information on how it works here in Bolivia.

- Melinda

Music Everywhere!

The children love music. You can find the youngest child, Bridgit, dancing alone in which ever room music is playing in. You will also find her throwing a tantrum if she is not allowed to touch the CD player  to increase the volume or change to a song she prefers. Then we have some children who don’t rely on the CD player at all for musical entertainment, Joel creates his own.

Joel learned how to play the recorder and how to annoy everyone in the house

If you’ve been following the previous blogs, you know by now that the House of Dreams is in the process of moving. Therefore, most of the children’s toys have been packed away. It’s a good thing they still have the CD player. One of the newer volunteers, Robert, quickly organized a game of musical chairs to prevent chaos in the house. Organized events are always the way to go. It was so fun to watch the children break out of a routine and play something new.

I can’t express to you how much of a difference it makes in the lives of the children to have volunteers. Here are just two examples:

1. The CD player they enjoy so dearly was a gift purchased by a volunteer. They can’t get enough of it. We’re finding some of the children have a talent for dancing and some for singing.

2. On Saturday, the Christ Nation Church youth group, all volunteers, took the children to the movie theaters to see “Tangled”. Not something you would imagine an orphanage has the privilege in doing.

These are simple things but all play a role in providing the Dreamers with a normal life. Thank you for being a part of their lives.

If you would like to become involved in personally effecting one of the lives of our Dreamers, consider coming to volunteer, sponsoring a child, or helping with one of the action projects. Your contribution, great or small, will have lasting effects.

- Melinda

Rafael the Great!

Most of the time volunteers come one by one. The end of 2010 was a great time at the House of Dreams because there were a total of 6 volunteers at once. Hence, we were able to do a lot of activities, and a variety of activities during these months. 2011 has arrived and there are 4 of us left. By February 1st there will just be 2, but we won’t be going anywhere for a while.

One of the remaining 4 volunteers is named Rafael, here in Bolivia they call her Rafaela. The children think she is the greatest. They anticipate her arrival so much, when the door bell rings, they run to the door and scream, “It’s Aunt Rafaela”.

Brave Rafael taking on finger painting with the Dreamers

Here is a little more about her:

Where are you from?: France

How long is your stay?: 3 months

How did you hear of the House of Dreams orphanage?: Through an organization here in Bolivia.

What made you want to visit?: I wanted to do volunteer work in South America and chose Bolivia first because it is the poorest country in South America. Also, because I wanted to learn Spanish.

What has been your best moments here?: I experience greater moments everyday with the children. I enjoy knowing that they are learning things that I am teaching them. For example:

1. When I purchased the radio for the children and the little one’s started dancing.

2. When I leave for the day and the children tell me in English, “See you tomorrow!”.

3. When I taught them “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and heard them repeatedly singing it a month before Christmas.

Would you volunteer here again?: Yes, definitely.

What’s your advice for anyone considering volunteering at the House of Dreams?: Know what you want to accomplish. Come with a plan and bring material to accomplish those plans.

Roberto excited to show off his art work.

Rafael has been such a joy to have around the house. She absolutely loves being around the children. She enjoys teaching them English and showing them new things they have not experienced. Likewise, the children enjoy having her around. It’s at times sad to see volunteers go, but regardless of the amount of time they’ve spent here, they leave an impact on the Dreamers.

Come and volunteer in 2011! You can make an impact as well. We need your help and the Dreamers will be waiting to welcome you with smiles and loads of fun.

If you can not visit, consider helping us spread the word by sharing the volunteer link or this post. Thank you!

- Melinda

A 6-year-old Card Champion

Hey! Have you met Roberto yet? If not, here are a few simple facts to get to know him better:

How old are you?: 6

What grade will you be entering in February?: 2nd grade

What do you want to do when you grow up?: Drive fast cars

What’s your favorite movie?: The Lion King

What was your favorite Christmas gift this year?: My Transformer Robot and “UNO”.

His last response struck me as odd. When you think of children opening Christmas gifts, you imagine that their favorite toy would be the most expensive one, or even the coolest looking one. Not for Roberto. It was obvious to me and everyone else, that his favorite gift was this deck of “UNO” cards. Yeah, a gift that possibly didn’t cost more than $5.00.

“UNO” lead to other card games. Now, one of his favorites is the “Memory Game’”, where you lay the deck of cards out, face down, and find pairs. Whoever has the most pairs at the end of the game wins. Can you tell by this picture who wins a lot? Yep, he is the card champion.

Roberto counting his cards even though it was obvious he won, again.

His competitor refusing to show her face because she lost (It's Carolina, don't tell her I told you).

A deck of cards makes for hours of fun and great for teaching life skills like how to win, how to lose, and how not to cheat . Such simple things make these children  happy.

What small (or big) thing can you do today to make one of our Dreamers smile? Visit our projects or sponsor pages to see what interests you.

Thank you for following the lives of our Dreamers on our blog!

-Melinda