It’s Christmas in the Dominican Republic! Well, not really, but it took a little explaining for Annabelle to understand that we were presenting the boys and girls (and adults) with the Christmas gifts that people in PA bought for them. All of us gathered in the multi-purpose room in eager expectation. Ed led some Christmas songs/carols (Silent NIght didn’t go over very well–too slow. But Feliz Navidad was a hit!) to set the mood, and then Bartolo began reading the names off the bags. Each name drew a round of cheers and handclaps as the gifts were distributed.
I’ve never had the pleasure of being here for this day. Let me tell you, we may have more “Christmasy” weather in PA, but there was certainly a feeling like Christmas morning at the Rose of Sharon orphanage and school today. All the gift bags were held unopened until the last name was called, then the mayhem ensued–just like your living room on Christmas morning, but multiplied by about 10!
Team Sublet bought gifts for Juan Ulises, Rubelisa, and Bernardo. The first 2 scooted away to their rooms to open their gifts, but Bernardo stayed put in the room with me and Levi. He pulled out each gift: clothes, games, toys, school supplies, candy, soap and shampoo (ugh, right?!), an envelope of letters and pictures, until he got to the pair of shoes at the bottom of the bag. Then he proceeded to careful look each piece over as he put them back in the bag. He saved the letters for last, and didn’t read mine or Levi’s in front of us. He questioned the validity of the underwear (just like all kids do) but was curiously drawn to the Fuzzoodles. I think he’ll have fun with those! After we spent some time talking and playing, he said, “Thank you for the gifts. I love them.”
It gets me, even now, sitting here in the hotel room.
One of the best moments for me was watching the McCash family and Blaudio sharing Christmas together. They’ve been buying his Christmas gifts for years, but this is the first time that they’ve ever met. I overheard him introduce Olivia to another boy as his sister! I’m pretty sure that the Clan McCash will be making a return trip to see Blau in the future…
We’ll be finishing up our work here tomorrow. There’s a lot of painting left to do. Things always seem to take longer to get accomplished here than at home. But it’s all good. There are a lot of boys and girls who need to be hugged and held, loved on and played with. That trumps painting any day.
The boys know that our week is almost over. Several of them began the customary “You will cry tomorrow” talk with me today. They know that it’s difficult for us to leave. Most of us do cry. I try to put on a brave face and tell them that there’s no way I’m crying, but who am I kidding? I’ll be a blubbering mess tomorrow. These boys and girls have found their way into our hearts. Their pictures are on our fridge. We pray for them by name, and think of them all the time…
oh my…
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