This past Thursday as we were getting ready to leave the orphanage, I passed a teenage girl, an older lady and a baby. At first I had no idea what was going on; all I could see was all three of them crying and the baby screaming "mama." The baby looked to be around two and was hysterical. I have never seen or heard a baby cry that loud or hard. We finally realized that the teenage girl was being dropped off at Casitas Kennedy and the baby was hers. As I watched the mother and baby give each other one last hug, the grandmother leave with the baby still screaming and the young teenage mother walk off with a orphanage worker my heat began to break. I have never seen anything like this. Since Thursday, my heart has been heavy for this girl and her family. I am not sure why she came to Casitas Kennedy, but if I had to guess it would be for protection. It is my hope that we are able to minster and love on her these next two weeks and share with her the hope and comfort that comes from knowing Christ.
On Friday I was able to meet four of the men who are responsible for bringing the children to Casitas Kennedy. Kimberly, Luiz and I spent about 45 minutes talking with them and asking them questions. One of the men told us that he had lived a rough life much like the kids in the orphanage when he was younger, but now lives a completely different life for the Lord. He made sure to tell us he is the person he is today because of God's grace. From talking to them I learned that most of the children in the orphanage are social orphans, which means that they have at least one parent living or other family members. I would say the majority of the kids are in the orphanage due to abuse, neglect, or poverty at home. When talking with the men, I had a lot of questions about how they find out/ know about the children's living conditions. They told me that a lot of the time that the government will get phone calls from neighbors and the government then calls them to go and check it out, or they will see children on the street and start conversations and try and find out about their home life. One thing that was very encouraging was that the governments main goal is to try and educate the parents in order for the family to stay intact. However, when the situation is to severe the children are taken from the home and put into a government facility (Casitas Kennedy). In order for the parents to gain back custody of their children, they have to go through a government program which includes many processes. They are required to meet with a psychologist, a social worker and many times an economist. The psychologist assesses the mental and emotional aspects of the situation. The social worker, the physical aspect and then the economist often tries to help them find work and a way to support their families. After the court believes the parents are in a place that they are able to take care of the child physically and emotionally the child, the parents gain custody. From Caitlin and Mary Elizabeth working at Casitas in San Pedro Sula last year, I knew that many of the teenage girls were there for protection. I asked if it was the same situation with the teenage girls at Casitas Kennedy, and the men told me yes that many of them came voluntarily and involuntarily in order to protect themselves. I have so much respect for these men and what they do. I know that I could not see the things they see on a daily basis. They told us that it was hard what they see, but they also know that they are helping these children. One of the men actually holds a church service for the kids on Monday nights.
Knowing now that most of the kids at Casitas are there because of abuse or neglect it makes me even more excited to get to show them the attention and love that they did not know at home. I ask you to please pray for these kids. They have been through more than we can imagine and pray for their parents as well. Also, pray for the teenage girl who came to Casitas Kennedy and her little girl. Pray that the Lord would comfort them both. I cannot imagine what they are going through.
- A funny story that has nothing to do with what I posted above. The other day we were driving to the orphanage and all of a sudden we saw a truck with men in black masks. At one point in my life I was obsessed with watching Gang Nation (embarrassing I know), so I was convinced that they were gang members. My heart was beating fast thinking that I was that close to "actual" gang members. As I was taking a picture of them, our translators informed us that it was not gang members, but the Honduran Swat team. Although I was a little sad they were not who I thought they were, it was still cool. It is safe to say that the swat team looks a little different here in Honduras than in the good ol' United States.
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