Today was our last day in Calderon. We finished up as much of the construction that we could and shopped for our adopted Ecuadorian family.
Life is funny. How is it that time can pass so quickly yet you meet people and instantly feel like you have known them forever? That is how this week can best be summed up. The people that we have worked with have become like family. The children whose lives we touched have stolen pieces of each of our hearts. Those are things you cannot put a price on. So if anyone has ever wondered why we would put all of this time and money into something that creates more work for us, that is your answer. Relationships.
You cannot build a relationship by giving someone money.
The best part of our day was seeing the looks on those kids' faces when the bus pulled up and we got off. Joel had tears as he saw the food and clothes being unloaded. Each child hugged us and was more excited about getting food than anything else. To see the excitement that we brought them rice, beans, milk, and many other things brought tears to our eyes. It was so very hard to tell them goodbye. Here are photos from our visit:
We are definitely going to miss everyone here, but rest assured that we will be back.
I am going to leave with this note tonight: children can make the best out of any situation. They have nothing and know no difference. The innocence of children is amazing. Hopefully we can help this family as much as we are able. Those people touched our hearts in the most amazing ways. We will pray for them every day.
Tomorrow, we have fun!
