a very special night :)

So I have been waiting for tonight to come for a very long time. Previously, the orphanage here has been one floor and has had the capacity to house 40-50 kids. Without adding on to the orphanage, there would have come a time when we would have had to turn kids away. However, about two years ago, work began to build a second floor on top of the orphanage. About two months ago, the building process was complete. When Graystone came down in June, they painted the inside, Dominican workers painted the outside, and Terry built custom cabinets for each of the boys. This past month, last minute work has been down to prepare the second floor to house all of the boys that are currently living at the orphanage. Tonight there was a ceremony, complete with the cutting of a ribbon to mark the completion of the orphanage. I cannot begin to tell you how exciting that was! The boys were all walking around with the keys to their new closets hanging around their necks :) The orphanage has essentially just doubled its capacity! It brought tears to my eyes to see the kids so excited and to see the progress over the past couple of years that I have been coming down here. And tonight, there are going to be some Dominican boys chattering happily as they fall asleep in their new rooms.

Leonel - sporting his new closet key!

Everyone eating dinner on the new roof after the dedication of the building.