Bringing Gifts
12:38 PM
From Haley’s Eyes
Today we brought in Christmas gifts for the kids at the orphanage. Apparently they had been asking H2H staff where their presents were for a while, so they were really excited to get them today. They each got backpacks full of socks, beanies, gloves, toys, crayons, coloring books and stuffed animals. All of the kids like to color and love stuffed animals, even then older boys. They all wore their backpacks around the rest of the day, protecting their new gifts.
Sometimes I think it is fun to not speak the same language as the kids. It really forces you to be creative in thinking of ways to connect with them. Today I got to go on an adventure with a 9-ish year old boy, Marius. He grabbed my hand and said “Hai de” (come on), so I did. We then walked around the whole orphanage, finding different treasures. He taught me words in Romanian, and I taught him in English. He picked up every stick he found and stabbed the ground with it. The orphanage is covered in trash in the back, and he found every dangerous scrap of metal and glass that there was! He found two wooden slats and handed me a matching one, which we then used as swords to chop up snow and break pieces of trash on the ground, chattering all the time; what I assume was commentary on our scene we were acting out. I was taken back to playing with my little brother (who I love to pieces, and still kind of treat like a little kid!) I felt like Marius let me into his world; the life of an adorable, tiny, boyish-boy who likes to play adventure games like any other kid in the world. He let me spend time with him and be a part of his life.
After our adventure, I asked if he wanted to “read” books with me. He and Vic, one of my favorites, sat on my lap to read. Vic flipped through the pictures rapidly, starting in the middle, and moving from book to book, while Marius savored each page. He wanted to read each word on the page. I don’t think he can read in Romanian, and I told him the book was in English, but he didn’t care. As I went through and read sentences aloud about the underwater creatures, he repeated each word and pointed to them with his finger. At the end of each page, he was so proud of himself for reading. It made my heart melt to know that even though he is already behind in his academic skills, he wants to learn and likes it!
Truly, God let me experience and enjoy an afternoon with a precious boy, and I walk away feeling more blessed than I deserve. I later learned that Marius’ (who’s little sister is also living there) parents died some time ago, and their aunt sent them to the orphanage when she couldn’t care for them. So, a boy who lost everything, opens up his 9-year-old heart to play and read with someone he will eventually forget. Yet, somehow, he has felt loved enough over the years by H2H staff to still have the innocence of a child. This can only be the grace and mercy of Christ, and Amen to that.
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