What I Found in an Orphanage

A little over a year ago, when I was telling people about what my next year was going to look like, the response after a few times was pretty predictable: "what a beautiful thing you are doing"; "that is going to benefit your future so much"; "I always wished I did something abroad when I was your age." I wasn't going down there for any of those reasons. I went down there because I heard a call from God and I listened to it.

When I arrived to Casa Buen Señor in Santa María, Cuernavaca, it was not what I expected it to be, quite frankly. I expected to find sadness, brokenness, and those who needed repairing. I mean, isn't that what you imagine what you think of an orphanage? We've all seen the heartbreaking commercials from the 90s: donate now and your money will go to an orphan in need. 

Instead of sadness, I found joy.  
"Oh, I could never do that, it would be so sad," was another very common response I heard when preparing to come down to Mexico, and honestly, I figured there would be a lot of sadness as well. I remember one day when I was telling my grandma a story of one of the kids, she said "they seem really happy," and that is when I was reminded of all the people who said how sad my next year was going to be. The kids, in general, are very happy teenagers; of course not every single one of them is and not all are consistently happy. They haven't allowed their past to define them, instead they are moving or have moved forward and found joy. A day or night at the home is one that I would find anywhere else working with teenagers: laughter, games, playful teasing, and casually hanging out. 

Instead of brokenness, I found hope. 
These kids have been through a lot, some more than others. I give them credit, it's not easy to go through what they have, but to come out on top, with good attitudes, and smiling is even more impressive. I found courage that even when life is not easy you have to keep on going, you have to never give up. This year was uncomfortable. It was hard to be away from family for a year, it was hard to lose my grandpa at the beginning of my time there, and it was not fun being submersed in a place where I didn't know the language. But I learned that being in an uncomfortable season of life isn't always bad. It's messy, it keeps you on your toes, and it has you questioning at times. But it is when we are uncomfortable that we learn so many lessons; lessons of trust, timing, how to be content but not complacent, and where our hope is found. 

Instead of those that needing repairing, I found love. 
One of my favorite things that my teenagers have taught me about is love. A truly amazing thing that I saw nearly every day is sharing. These teenagers don't have a lot, so when I first saw how much they loved to share I was shocked. For example, if they have two cookies and six people are in the room, they will split it so that everyone gets a piece. As I write this I am wearing a tshirt that two of the kids bought for me with their Christmas money that was a donation from a foundation in the States. I said in passing while shopping one day that I really liked it, but that I didn't have money on me that day to buy it, and they gave it to me as a going away present in addition to four beautifully hand made flowers. I was floored, they only receive money twice a year and they chose to spend some of it on me. While they didn't always show love perfectly, they showed it like we all do. We don't love one another 100% of the time, but we find our way to say sorry, to ask for forgiveness, and to learn to trust that individual again. 

But, most importantly, what I found in an orphanage is what I hope that everyone finds one day. I hope it fills you and gives you hope even in the darkest of times... 

What I found in an orphanage is God.