Adventures in Latvia: visiting orphanages

Over the last week we went and visited three orphanages. The first orphanage we went to was in a town called Irlava. We got to see a couple kids from our camp there and we made some new friends as well! We stayed for about three and a half hours and just played in the sand box, tag, and made bracelets. We didn't do anything exciting but the kids didn't care all they wanted was to be loved on. At first the kids were so shy and wouldn't really look at us but as we kept talking to them in the ten Latvian words we knew it was amazing how fast they warmed up to us! Once we broke down those walls with them all they wanted to do was talk to us. I swear they thought i understood Latvian because they would just talk and talk and i would just smile and nod and they loved it! All they wanted was someone to listen to them. It was so hard to say goodbye to these little faces that we only got to spend such a short time with.

We had a woman and a young girl who she was adopting join us on our trip to the orphanage because the girl was from that orphanage and she was getting the rest of her stuff for her final move to the states with her new family. Adoption is a great thing but we witnessed a truly heartbreaking thing that day. This teen girl had a younger brother and because of this adoption they were going to be split up and possibly never see each other again. Our whole team was brought to tears as we witnessed this little boy clinging on to his sister and sobbing thinking he will never see her again and knowing that now he is all alone at the orphanage. I tell you this story because you only really hear about the positive side of adoption and not realizing that there are stories like this one that happen all the time. Please pray for this little guy and all the other orphans out there because i can not imagine a greater heartbreak than to lose the only family member you have left.

The last orphanage we went to was awesome time hanging out with a couple kids we had at camp and making new friends to. As we pulled up to the orphanage the kids had been waiting for us and i was one of the first ones to get out of the car and all i hear is this shriek and my name "Vitneya! Vitneya! Vitneya!" I turn around and one of the little boys from our camp Dillans came running and jumped into my arms. This little guy made tear up and to hear the excitement in his voice melted my heart! The kids wanted to take us to a park down the street so we walked with them and played with them for a couple hours and then it was time for good byes again. And this part never gets any easier it actually just gets harder and harder every time. We are actually leaving tomorrow for a one week road trip to travel to most of the orphanages all around Latvia. I ask prayer that the time we get to spend with the kids is blessed and that they will feel the loved and that they do matter to someone, even if we do just get a short time with them.

"You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more."

Psalms 10:14,17-18