A Day at Little Hands of Hope

It has been a busy week, but it's been a good one. Sometimes it feels like there's not even time to think, but there's always time for lots of laughter and hugs from the kids. A wonderful friend of mine suggested that I write a little about how the day goes here in Meanguera at Little Hands of Hope. So here goes!

My day starts at 5 (a lot of the women in Meanguera are already up and on their way to the mill) and the first thing I do is wash the corn. It is cooked the day before in lime and it soaks in its liquid until the next day. The lime and liquid and the bugs need to be washed away. :) I am very excited because we now have a hand mill so I don't have to wait in line at the mill in town! Once I have the corn washed, I take it outside to the hand mill to grind it. It probably takes about 15 minutes to grind the corn in the mill. I set the dough aside for Gloria to knead and pass over the stone to make tortillas when she comes later in the morning. Then it's time for me to eat, wash the dishes, shower, sweep, and set up the tables for the kids. The day for the children is set to start at 8am, but they almost always come earlier. Sometimes they are here before 7am. :)

Stone used to pass over the corn masa to prepare for  making tortillas. 

The hand mill!

The masa (dough) coming out of the mill. 

The corn cooked and soaking before it is washed and milled for tortillas.

The best part of the day is when the children start to arrive and I get to play with them, laugh with them, hug them, and love them. As the children trickle in, Gloria and Matia are close behind them. There is a lot of making things out of play doh, building things with blocks and duplos, and toy cars. Matia and I are always laughing at the silly antics or funny things the kids say at this time and Gloria likes to come out and catch some of the fun when she can. Rosme will usually get mad at someone for "fighting with him" and Olman will usually manage to fall over without anyone touching him. Anderson will start clamoring that he's hungry and Dayana and Lorena will usually get jealous over our attention. Ezequiel will usually try to take someone's toys several times and pretend like he doesn't hear when we tell him he has to share. Josue will work very quietly on whatever he is doing and randomly insert a comment about whatever is going on at the time. There is always something with a bunch of 3 year olds, but we have an awesome time and we get lots of hugs, smart comments and questions, and overall just have fun being together. When I get frustrated with the kids acting up, I start to think how God must feel about us adults when we act up. :) He shows us so much mercy and grace and sometimes we are worse than the 3 year olds!

Usually a little before 9, we all wash our hands and have a yummy snack that Gloria has prepared for us. The children are usually pretty hungry by this time. Some of them have been up since 6am and walked several miles just to be there! After snack, we practice English. It is hard with little kids because there is hardly any such thing as sitting still with 3 year olds. Josue is the most focused, but he is the oldest. They love to sing "If You're Happy and You Know It." "Head and Shoulders" is also very popular. They make me laugh because I always start out by asking them if they are ready to practice English and they all repeat back, "Are you ready?  Are you ready?" They are certainly good at repeating the words right now. :)

Attempting to practice English. The flash cards are very exciting. From left Josue, Ezequiel, Anderson and Lorena (on my lap), and the back of Rosme. :)

After English, we play ball, give piggy back rides, have races, or whatever kind of game we feel like that day. A little after 10 it's time to go inside and try to rest for a bit. Some of the very little ones are starting to get tired and just want to sit in our laps at this point. Sometimes resting is just a thought and the kids come in giggling and wrapping Matia and each other up in blankets, playing chase, or whatever comes to their mind. At this point, we try to settle them down and share a Bible story with them and try to teach them about God's love. They love the felt figures, but it is hard to tell right now how much they are understanding and there are some days when it's hard to tell if they even paid any attention. :) Olman usually roams around during this whole process and we have to keep him busy to keep him from running into another child or getting into something he shouldn't. :) Ezequiel is easily distracted and Josue answers all the questions from stories from days back. It is a little comical. God knows what He is working in their hearts. After our story, we practice our Bible verses. They are all very good about their Bible verses (a little piece of candy goes a long way!). 

Olman, Ezequiel, Josue, and Lorena (back) playing a game they made up all on their own. :)

After the Bible verses, it is time to color. They love to color and make up all kinds of things. Matia and I have to draw a lot of cars, houses, and flowers. Matia is famous among the children for drawing roses and buses and they usually squeal with excitement when he's finished and take their picture around to show everyone else. Olman is usually the first one finished coloring and he likes to eat and is ready to get right to it. Sometimes, we will sing or play a little game, but a lot of times lunch is more urgent to the children. :) They all wash their hands, pray, and eat. As we are coloring, some of the older children start to show up and wait outside the gate, calling at us to let them in. Sometimes they are out really early from class. Once we are ready to eat, they join us.

Some of the children eating lunch. 

After lunch, the little children start to leave and a few more older children come in. The play doh, blocks, cars, puzzles, and toys all come out again. There are usually quite a few more children in the afternoon and they are much louder than the younger ones. Matia and I spend a lot of time mediating fights between the girls and trying to teach them how to share. The boys have less of a problem with this. :) Kember, Gerson, and Ariel will usually stare quietly for a couple of minutes and then join in the fun. I don't think they get a lot of interaction from others outside of the center and they don't really always know what to do with themselves. William and Guillermo will usually start a building project with the blocks or play doh. Cesia, Delmy, and Rosmeri like to form their own group and create works of art with play doh admist a lot of disagreements. Keyla will play quietly with Verenisse who proudly displays everything that she makes. Johanna will very loudly pipe up with whatever comment she has at the moment. Iseyda likes to make herself jewelry out of the play doh and Erika will go back and forth between playing with Kember and Gerson and the girls. Erika plays very well with everyone for a little while, but she has to fight over a toy or play doh at least once before she goes home. :)

Ariel (left) and Kember coloring. Erika is in the background.

Once we have had a chance to play, we talk about a Bible story. The children are all pretty good at listening and asking questions and get very excited about a story that they can remember from before. After the story, we practice our Bible verses. They are a very smart group when it comes to their Bible verses. Then it's time to color. Matia is again in high demand for his artwork. They all have a wonderful imaginations and love to show off what they draw. It is hard to pull the kids away from drawing, but once we do, they are practicing English with all they have. They like to repeat everything like a bunch of little parrots - it's very comical sometimes! Some of the kids are shy, but most of them will say anything without any shame. We always laugh a lot when we practice English. After English, we sometimes have a few minutes to sing, but then it is time for the children to go home. 

Cesia (left), Delmy (Center), and Rosmer very seriously working on their play doh operations.

Gloria leaves after the children with her son, William. After all the constant activity, it suddenly feels very quiet. Matia and I clean up the mess and start working on the administrative side of Little Hands of Hope. Sometimes, I head to church for one of the services that they have during the week and sometimes there is too much to do. Sometimes, the neighbors pop in and out just to say hi or to visit for a little bit. Once we have things wrapped up, it's time for dinner. Then I start cooking the corn for the next day and start preparing the lessons for the next day. I like to think back on the day when it's quiet and think about the best ways to help each child. It is hard to keep up with all of them sometimes, but I pray that God will work in the hearts of each one of these children and their families. I'm usually more than ready for bed by the time I get in it! It is a joy to work with these children and I love every one of them. 

Keep us in your prayers! Thank you for always supporting us with your prayers, words, and finances. This would not be possible without you and these children need to be loved and fed and to hear about the hope they have in Jesus. "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to Me." Matt. 25:35-36

I hope that you have enjoyed hearing about a typical day at Little Hands of Hope and I have not bored you with too long of a post! You all are a huge encouragement and blessing to me!