Who is my favorite?

Well that’s easy to answer. There is Immunati.  He is a two year old boy who has been here since November.  He hasn’t said a word since being here and the reason may be because he doesn’t speak English or Afrikaans. He requires a lot of attention and love.  I love just holding his hand to comfort him while crying.  But then there is Karan.  She is 1 1/2 years old and is very tiny.  She has been at the orphanage since a birth.  She has a smile that will melt your heart.  Also, there is Bradley.  He has the biggest personality.  A smile that lights up the sky and when he cries it hurts your heart.  He loves playing with my rings on my necklace and making them disappear into my shirt.  Wait, what about the twins, Asher and Aiden?  They love to play rough house and get each other in trouble. Everyone gets them confused even though I can clearly see the difference.  Both of them love it when I read the “dog book”, constantly screaming “DOGGY DOGGY!”  Cecil (Cee) is my little angel from above.  Most will say she is too much of a handful because of her autism.  With a little tender love and care she is incredible. Don’t take your eyes off her, because she’ll be standing on a windowsill.  I can’t forget about Tatium.  She cries a lot, but a big hug and a push on the swing usually brings a smile to her face.  Lastly Pearl. Pearl keeps to herself.  She is very quiet; but, also very sweet.  If you haven’t noticed, I can’t just pick one child.  Each child has a very special place in my heart and adds character to the class.  They teach me how to love and smile no matter what.  They also teach me it’s okay to cry sometimes as long as you get back up.

Until next time Jill

My heart is heavy

The orphanage is not a place for the weak at heart. I have so much love and compassion for each child that lives at Christine Revel Orphanage. The staff takes wonderful care for the kids and there are many volunteers that come from all over the world. The kids that live here are either abandoned, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, neglected or the family could no longer afford to keep the kids. It’s heart breaking seeing and experiencing it first hand. Each kid melts my heart with their smiles and laughs,then when they cry because they need to be comforted. My group is one and two years old, they truly don’t understand what is going on, but simply have fun. Christine Revel does its absolute best to find a host/foster family, adoption, or any place for the child to go before they are five and head to another orphanage. Once they head to another orphanage it is difficult for them to leave the system. The thing is these kids can grow up to be anything they want, the sky is truly the limit. I try my best to instill love, hope, and patience into each child while dealing with him/her. I can not change any system, or way things are done, but I can impact one little heart. That one heart can then impact another and eventual the world starts to change. Now on my second day I am heart broken, but I have to be strong for the kids. I want to donate, or help the orphanage out in some way,. I am not sure how just yet, but a plan is now in the works.

If you, or a company wants to help sponsor a gift towards the orphanage at the end of my four month stay. I.E. Gloves, there are many kids that are HIV positive, there are not enough gloves to go around for the staff or volunteers. Please email me at ExperienceSomethingAmazing@gmail.com

Until next time, Jill

P.s. My cousin TaTiana is amazing for uploading my post for me since I cannot hook up to the Internet here.