Lagoon

2006 - I decided to find a mission trip that my daughter and I could go on.   After doing some research I found Mama Tara's Orphanage.   My daughter was 20 at the time and loves children.   They have always been attracted to her as well.   It was the perfect fit.   We get to help children while experiencing a mission trip.   The first day and last day are like bookends of everything that happens in between.

Day One - We arrive and as we get off the plane the pilot says "welcome to this God forsaken place".   I knew then that we had stepped right into a life time experience.   It was hot, muggy, sticky, and the air smelt like burning wood.   When we arrived at the motel we found our room to be very simple with a air conditioner that didn't work.   We were told they were working on it.   We left our luggage, met the rest of our team, ate breakfast, and headed to the orphanage.   As we passed all the little shacks on stilts Jess and I were basically speechless.   The roads were almost impassable in spots.   After about 15 minutes we arrived at the orphanage.   I'll never forget all the little children that came running up to the truck.   Everyone on the truck was yelling olah, olah, and so were the children.   As we pull up one of the team members ask the driver to pull up a little more past the stinch.   As we got off the truck the children came up for hugs and to greet us.   The smaller one's were coming up with their hands held up wanting us to pick them up.

Within 10 minutes I was sitting at the back of the orphanage near Mama Tara and had little boys crawling all over me.   Neither one of us knew what the other one was saying but they seemed to want to play with my silver hair.   It only took a couple minutes of me smiling until they found out I had some gold crowns in my mouth.   Soon I think every child had come by to look inside my mouth.

Jess told me that she had some life savers and gave one of the little girls one.   The little girl she gave it to broke it in half and gave the other half to a friend.   Same thing with chewing gum.   Jess gave one child gum, another child saw her chewing on it and ask if they could have some.   The child pulled it out of their mouth and gave it to the other child.   At that point I knew that we had just witnessed un-selfish children that have a great appreciation for even the simple little things.

When the day was over and we got back to the motel we discovered that the air conditioner was fixed.   That was a big thing to us.   All we had to do was stop up the big cracks around the edge so the bugs wouldn't come in.   It didn't take long for me to realize that making that trip to the orphanage first made it a lot easier to deal with the conditions at the motel.   I ended the day in shock and being in a hurry to get back to the orphanage the next day.

Last Day - Like all the days since day 1, it really wasn't any different except we all knew a lot more about each other and the anticipation of us leaving was growing.   When we came back from the motel after dinner we had gift packages for all the children.   We stopped by a store and Gustavo bought some gas for the generator so we could have electricity to show the pictures that had been taken since we arrived.   After we watched the picture show we all gathered around and Pastor Mendoza said a prayer for us.   During this time the kids were staying close to the adults they had relationships with.   The generator ran out of gas and the lights went out.   It was pitch black.   I think there were a couple candles burning and that was it.   The taxi came and it was time to leave.   Jess and I decided earlier that we would sponsor Vinor.   He was excited and was hanging around me very close.   I think every child came up and gave me a hug to say good bye.   It was a very touching moment.   I heard a lot of sniffles.   After we got in the back of the truck it was total silence.   We had all been touched to the root of our hearts.   The air was so thick.   Even though we didn't know what each other was thinking it was certainly a emotional time.

At the air strip - The next morning we all loaded up and headed for the air strip.   We unloaded and while we were waiting for the plane the children started showing up.   It was raining and they had walked from the orphanage to the air strip to say goodbye.   What a surprise!   I had given several things to the children during our visit.   There were 3 children that brought things back to me.   They thought they were supposed to give them back.   Vinor. the child I am now sponsoring, brought a hat back, another child brought a $1 calculator, and another brought flip flops.   The girl was trying to give me the flip flops back and she was bare footed.   It just blew my mind that these kids thought they should give me this stuff back.   I then realized that there is a innocence these children have that I have never witnessed before.

It was time to get on the plane.   I had to put Vinor down when they called my name to board.   It was another very tuff moment.   While I was boarding the plane I hear them calling Jess's name.   They called it a couple times.   She couldn't get way from the children.   They just didn't want to give her up.   As we looked out the window there they were.   All of them looking at us as we took off.

2007 Day One - Jess was unable to go on this trip so I went by myself.   I flew into Tegus. to meet the team then we flew on to PL.   When the plane arrived there were the children waiting on us.   They were excused from school so they could come greet us.   I was off the plane only for a minute when Vinor came up to me and put his hands up in the air for me to pick him up.   Together again.   Only Vinor was a little heavier this year.   After we gathered our things   we started walking to the motel.   As we walked Vinor started pointing to things and telling me how to say them in Spanish and Miskito.     He pointed at a tree and told me in Spanish, then Moskito, then he would say "in English?".   He is really trying to learn English and wants to teach me in his language.

After we put out luggage in our rooms we proceeded to the orphanage.   The roads are actually a lot better this year.   Some progress has been made since we were here last.   There has been a manual pump installed in the well however it is currently broken.   There has been a solar   electrical system installed that gives enough power to run a refrigator and some lights at night.   The 2nd building has about 1/2 the tin   roofing on it.   Gustavo and I attempted to fix the pump but when we pulled the pipe out it was hard to control and we broke a small piece of PVC.   After walking all over PL we were unable to come up with a 14 inch PVC piece and the 2 couplings that go on the ends.   It's under $20 in America for this and now it will cost $500   to send   Gustavo back with the parts.   There was a silver lining in the cloud though.   We came across a clothing store that has very good quality clothes for the children at a very good price.   By the time the day was over there was relief that there has been progress made   in the last 12 months.

Last   Day - I could tell there was a lot of anticipation.   I noticed that some of the children that I built new relationships with on this trip could sense that we   would be leaving soon.   Several of them payed a little more attention to me than usual.   After dinner we returned to the orphanage   to view the Jesus film, hand out pictures that   took during the week and the goodie bags of things that sponsors had sent.   When we started watching the film several of my new buddies decided to sit near me.   One of the   teenage girls sat next to me and the Jesus film had a big impact on her.   During the film I could hear her making little moaning sounds during parts of the film.   Vanessa,   a little 5 year old girl   crawled up in my lap and went to sleep.   Eventually I put her in a bed.   Several of the other kids were hanging around and I needed to pay attention to Vinor.

As the evening wore on the time came for Pastor Mendoza to say a departing prayer for us.   I was holding on to Vinor as we stood in a circle.   Half way through the prayer I started hearing little sniffles.   It was a repeat of the last day on our last trip.   The air became very thick and the children started coming up to say their goodbyes.   It was time to get into the truck so I went to get Vanessa out of bed because she actually lives next to the motel and had to go back.   One of my team members suggested I get in the cab   of the truck since I was holding Vanessa as she slept.   There was Vinor. right next to my side.   He's a real gentleman.   He never said a word or showed any emotion when I held other children.   I got into the cab, put my arm out to hold Vinor's hand.   He was staring at me with a very sad face and tears.   We held hands until the truck started to pull away which pulled our hands apart.   The ride back to the motel was   dead silent for the most part.   The good thing is that we knew the children would be at the landing strip the next morning to say goodbye once again.

At the air strip - The children were let out of school once again to come see us off.   We had about an hour visit before the plane arrived.   We went out to board and had to wait for the luggage to be loaded and Vinro and I held each other tight.   It was hot and the sweat was pouring but it didn't matter.   When my name was called I put him down and boarded.   I sat next to a window and looked out to see Vinor standing about 15 feet from the plane.   I waived at him, he waived back but his emotions were very high.   He didn't move until the plane started to taxi away.   He was the last one to move.   As we took off, the children were running waiving their hands at us as we rose into the air.