LEX

poverty meets paradise

ok, first i must admit that i stole this title from summer staffer Byron. but i like it so i'm using it.

on monday afternoon we took a group of the older kids to the beach. this picture here captures my high for the day. i was standing at the water letting the waves hit my feet while i chatted with Chris Freeman (the Freeman's are a family from Westlake Bible Church in Austin, and our group for this week). all of a sudden this little boy comes up and grabs our arms and starts pulling us away. "Donde vamos?" i asked. "Where are we going?" he didn't answer, but i soon realized what he wanted us to see. he had drawn this picture in the sand. he was more excited than i have ever seen any little boy, and even more pleased with our oooo-ing and awe-ing over it.

today we took the younger kids (those who didn't get to go to the beach) to the park. while we were in chichigua this morning we let them know of our plan. on our way to pick them up this afternoon it began to rain, so we weren't sure if we would actually make it to the park, or just play with them in the village. however, after we arrived, we quickly realized we had no choice. these precious little children, who are usually running around in just barely more than their underwear and rarely any shoes, were dressed to the T. they ALL had on CLEAN clothes and shoes. they were ready to go, and there was no way we could not follow through with our plan. this was my first high for the day.

and i'm so glad we did not. the smiles on their faces and the laughter i heard this afternoon was just enough to wet my appetite for more. i wanted to say it was enough to last me a lifetime, but no...it was just enough for me to know i cannot go a lifetime without seeing those smiles and hearing that laughter again. if i can find a picture of this, i will post it asap.

posted by Alexia & Jeffrey @ 8:21 PM