Hogar de Vida

Along with working in the EMI office several days a week, I volunteer weekly at a children's home called Hogar de Vida, which means Home of Life.  When I started volunteering, I was helping out with physical therapy, doing early stimulation on the babies.  Last fall, I felt the Lord leading me to focus more on just being a helper in one of the three houses on campus....just be a "tia" which means aunt in Spanish, but is also what all the kids call the workers.  The model of care is set up as a home simulated environment.  Each home has a house mom that lives in the home along with 2-3 other ladies and up to 12 children in each home of varying ages and mixed genders.  So, I started working weekly in house 1.  Since starting there, 2 (soon to be 3) children have been adopted or returned back to their families, and I've seen children that were 1 when I met them turn 3 and grow right before my eyes.  The last two weeks have been such a blessing.  There are several of the younger children who I take care of on the mornings I am there that have just stolen my heart.  Today, as I walked into the house I heard them running from the back of the house with an exuberant "ALLI" and a big hug around my legs.  Then, as I was leaving today, my little sweetheart Brenda had my hands and asked if I was leaving.  I told her yes, and she said I couldn't go and held my arms around her in a hug.  It was so sweet and just melted my heart.  Sometimes I wonder if the Lord is going to use one of these children to show me it's time to adopt.  Josh and I have always talked about how it would be a possibility, but it would truly be a pleasure to bring one of these little precious ones into our family.  I feel sad when I see them growing up...years, going through the red-tape process of adoption in Costa Rica when they could be spending those years with a family who loves them.  It's just been such a blessing to spend time with those children, and the ladies that work in the home.  I consider them my friends and confidants.  I pray the Lord will continue to grow these relationships and work through them to show me more about Himself.