A different sort of Hospital

On Sunday afternoon I was asked to visit with a little boy who was at the hospital. He has been in the hospital for at least 5 days and the tia had been with him the entire time! They never leave a child at the hosptial alone so she had not left him. I was very excited at the opportunity but still the experiences never cease to amaze me!

How could I, a white girl from America, be given such a wonderful opportunity? There is honestly nothing I would rather do in the world than spend my afternoon with a child who bares the title of being an orphan. If only you could have only been with me! If only you could have only looked into his sweet and weak eyes. If only you could have only seen what I seen I know you would feel the same way. Orphans have a way of changing your life forever... they are so innocent that they don't even mean too, but you know you will never be the same.

For them it's their life...for me it's a passion!

I found myself being dropped off on a street corner with directions to the bedside of a sick little prince charming (and did he ever win me over!). I followed directions and a kind guard showed me to cama 23. Lets just say it is an amazing feat to make it through an Ecuadorian Hospital with my Spanish skills and get where you need to go...obviously God was going before me.

I walked into a bare room! Coming from a small town hospital in the States..... to here...(I don't even think I will be able to take anyone's complaints seriously anymore....) I practically swallowed my tongue! I walked in the room and seen enough violations to get me fired! But miraculously this little boy is on the mend. It's amazing all the things that we "think" we need that apparently people can really live without.....

 He has had a blood transfusion a few day's earlier, he was very weak and wasn't up to talking very much, so I did the talking and he just nodded his head...I used my limited Spanish and read to him. I smiled and told him my Spanish needs some more practice... to which he rewarded me with a small smile. Dinner came and interrupted us.... he sat up, with one arm curled up next to him and the other armed with a HUGE soup spoon. He ate up his soup then attacked his pile of white rice and jabbed at his chicken leg. Somehow we got his chicken leg cut up into eatable bites for a sick boy and he ate what he could then collapsed back into bed and curled up for the afternoon. So I sat and studied Spanish.....

He dozed in and out...you would have thought that it didn't matter if I was there or not....

I didn't do much....

I helped him eat lunch, I read him a chapter from his book and talked to him a little. I shut the window and tucked him in. Then I sat their waiting and praying for this sweet little boy....

The question that swirled in my head.....What will the rest of his life look like?

Eventually it was time to leave...his caregiver had not returned yet, so I tucked him in, whispered in his ear, and kissed his cheek...and I swear...there were tears glistening in his eyes...but I didn't mind, because mine were glistening right back....

I don't understand why God allowed me to live the life I have..... I used to think I had it so rough...wait, sometimes I still do....what is wrong with me? When I look in the mirror tonight I only see a girl who has been so blessed that she should be the first in line to give up anything that is asked of her.....I want to be that girl, God make this self-centered person into that girl...