Precious faces of those at Grace Farm

It is difficult to describe the joy and trill in my heart that I experienced spending the days with the Grace Farm orphans. We enjoyed several hours and many activites together. Here are pics of some of the ways we spent our days. They were out of school for "winter break" which allowed me to have almost unlimited time with them.



Lazaro was the oldest Grace Farm boy at 15 and spoke excellent English. He served as the interpreter for me. He is doing very well in school but couldn't tell me what he wanted to do for work after graduating. I told him about people who are paid to interpret languages. He seemed interested. He is already very skilled at it. He is also very athletic and competative. He is the one in the air--always managed to jump higher than the other boys...



The children are beautiful. Their clothing is stained and often left unfastened and ill fitting. Their feet are bare and calloused, always dusty in the long dry season, their hair is but short and cut the same for boys and girls. They have little variety in their food. They have only a couple of toys to their name. They sleep with misquito netting to decrease the chances of catching malaria--but it happens anyway. Yet they are full of joy and energy and zest for life. They challenge me with their perseverance and joy.



The left over peanut shells and long dried grasses provided hours of exercise and an opportunity to show me their athletic abilities. The girls played jump rope with the long grasses they tied together. The boys took turns seeing who could jump the highest over the same grasses held by volunteers.



"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." Helen Keller