esperanza: full heart.

Sometimes I start feeling restless if I can't just jump in a car and drive somewhere with good music and a large cup of coffee. It's a little more difficult living somewhere where I don't have a car and where, even if I did, I'd be scared half to death to actually drive it. So yesterday, instead of hopping in a car with a large cup of coffee, I grabbed my ipod and caught a bus to Jaibon, a place that always has this special way of making my soul feel more alive.

I sat in the kitchen with a dear friend while she made lunch for her family and I curled up in a chair with coffee in my favorite mug and we talked about life and what had happened the past couple of weeks. I made the familiar walk up the long, dirt road that leads to the orphanage and hugged precious little ones that have stolen my heart and spent time with the older boys who have grown up so much and remembered a time I treasure when I used to live there too.

And by the time I got back on the bus to head home, my heart felt so full. I found myself staring out the bus window, with a smile on my face that I couldn't hide. Some moments when things are really hard and I'm missing people from my other home, I forget how much of a gift it is to live here... but in other moments, I can't contain my smile because I'm so blessed to be here and walk through life with these incredible people. So there I sat on the bus, all by myself, staring out the window, with a silly smile pasted on my face.

And it was even more refreshing than my own car and a large cup of coffee.

...

Here's a glimpse of life around here...

Ari, one of the twins, who has grown up SO much! Ari's tooth has now grown in, so unless you know their personalities extremely well, it's even harder to tell them apart :)

One day last week school was dismissed early and all of our students ran out of the gates in one giant stampede. This picture was taken after the running stopped :)