Solomon Klein

Wow. Yesterday I wrote…God only knows what tomorrow holds. Well “today” was that “tomorrow” that I wrote about yesterday and what a day it was. I took a break from the construction site today to spend time with other members of the team from my home church of Holy Cross.

It was a truly heartbreaking amazingly beautiful day.

The highlight of the day was the afternoon we spent at a very large orphanage called Solomon Klein. The team had already spent time there the last few days but they keep going back. Today I joined them.

This is a seriously huge orphanage. There are so many kids. We spent the afternoon with just the 3 – 5 year olds and I promise there were at least 50 of them. Not counting our team there were about 6 workers with them. For 50 kids.

The workers do a tremendous job but you can imagine the difficulty with that many kids.

We arrived just after nap time was over and the kids simply mobbed us. We sat inside with the kids for a little while and they watched some TV. Then we hit the playground with them. These kids are so thirsty for love and affection. They are starved in fact. They just want to be held and shown love. They eat it up.

I sat down on the floor and I immediately had about 5 kids hanging on me. We all did. We were all swamped with kids. They were playing with my watch, asking me why I didn’t have more gum (I was stupidly chewing gum), taking things out of my pocket, playing with my hair, laughing at me, laughing with me. You name it.

I have been to a good amount of homes for kids now and at most places the kids call you “tia” or “tio”. That is Spanish for “Aunt” and “Uncle”. Well, I have to tell you that this is the very first orphanage that I have ever been to where the kids call you “Mama” and “Papa”. I don’t think I have to translate that for you. I think you get it.

Can you imagine how your heart breaks when you hear a kid you just met call you dad? That’s starving.

My heart broke for them today. But I don’t leave depressed and dejected anymore. When I first experienced orphanages I was so completely overwhelmed emotionally that I left so down and out. Not anymore. I leave these places so joyful now. Because I stopped thinking about how to rid the world of orphans and I started thanking God and rejoicing in the fact that for two hours I got to show unconditional love to some kids who need it the most.

God helped me meet my hug quota today.

Hugging orphans and looking up into the sky with them and talking to them about how God is a God of love is something that I will never get tired of. But I admit...it is heart-wrenching stuff. Especially your first few times. I can speak Spanish with the kids so we can get a little deeper in our conversation. One little girl told me that she was going to go to a different place tomorrow. Her mommie told her.

I wonder if that is true or if her mommie is even alive and wants to have anything to do with her.

Kids just want to be loved.

And God showed love to some kids through me today. All I know is that when kids were hanging around Jesus I bet they mobbed him just like they mobbed the five of us today.

And I bet He loved every minute of it just like we did.