Bolivia-Part 2

Aside from doing medical type things, we were able to spend some time at a few orphanages.  One was specifically for boys and one was for babies and toddlers.  It was a little weird because I was enjoying playing with the kids and snuggling the babies so much that the import of the fact that they were orphans didn't hit me until much later.  The kids we saw were happy and seemed well taken care of and it just didn't register that they had no family.  And when it finally clicked, it broke my heart.  

Each one of those children was beautiful and unique and full of life and working through the milestones of growing up without parents to enjoy them, love them, teach them, or celebrate with them as they accomplished those milestones.  Don't get me wrong, I think the caregivers were doing a wonderful job, but that's not the same as having a family.  I imagined what their lives would be like as they grew older and prayed that God would preserve the wonder of childhood for them and provide them with families to belong in. 

There's not a whole lot else to say, but a picture is worth a thousand words.