February 7,2012

Today meant our last day at the orphanage for this trip. Because of our flight schedule on Thursday, it is necessary for us to head to the city tomorrow.

After breakfast we reported to Fundacion Savacion, ready, actually, to work on a project. One needing attention was sealing the walls of the food bodega (storage). From Brooks we learned that rats could get in and eat the food stored there, like rice, beans, corn, flour, etc. This, of course, meant loss of important food staples. Yesterday John purchased expanding foam sealer, and today he located a really tall ladder and began smearing the sealant in the cracks. Antonio helped with placement and steadying of the ladder in the two sections of storage. It appears that no openings remain for the little varmints to gain access, so we hope that the orphanage will no longer lose foodstuffs.

Since Juanita suggested we hold another movie night to conclude our time at the orphanage, we set out a little early for lunch, to purchase popcorn, oil, juice, and cups for serving. Also, we needed to locate a movie, and we wanted to buy two soccer balls for the kids. The food portion of our shopping list created no problem, but finding a movie proved a bit more difficult. In the end we purchased the Narnia films at a stand in the market downtown. We also found two nice balls, and then we headed back to the orphanage.

Of course, by this time all of the kids had returned from school, rushing to greet us as we drove through the gate. At this point we unloaded our purchases, and a number of those little eyes spotted the pelotas! But we needed to talk to Carmen, Sandra's daughter, as we wanted to let them have one now but for her to hold the second for when needed later. Plus, we wanted to connect with her regarding a project for the baby room.

In the office we discovered that she had just left for a late lunch, but the staff member in charge of the pharmacy needed help sorting through a bag of meds, as he was unsure of what they were. So John began taking them out, one by one, and Antonio marked them so that it was clear as to their use. This consumed a fair amount of time, during which Merrie Beth played with kids.

Then it was out to grab dinner and dash back to the orphanage to set up for the movie. At show time we also wanted to play the video from last summer's trip. Before we could begin, though, the kids thanked us for coming, presented us with a gift, and read a psalm. Then the video began, and the kids really enjoyed seeing the pictures, even if they did not understand the words of the song. Already the popcorn elves began distributing the crunchy snack, and the show began. All of the boys and girls enjoyed The Voyage of the Dawntreader, although we needed to stop about halfway through, because they needed to head for bed. The littlest ones already had been taken to their dorms by the leaders. While this produced some groans, the announcement that they could finish watching tomorrow night made them okay with the plan.

Then began the cleaning up of the popcorn and a little bit of juice that made it to the floor. And we needed to put the chairs away. No matter how many times we go to Fundacion Salvacion, it is never easy to say goodbye. However, we could share with them how much we loved them and that we would be back in August.