I Can't Leave Yet

For some reason this week I have been crying much more than usual. Maybe it's because I'm only staying here for one week, or maybe it's because I prayed that God would break my heart for what breaks His and He has fulfilled that prayer as completely as possible. But either way, I told myself today would be a fun day. We were going to go to one of the special needs orphanages for older kids, and then off to the boys orphanage for an afternoon of soccer and Bible stories!

Instead, I cried everywhere. I cried at the special needs orphanage because I was sad that they had to live in smelly rooms. And also because I could only dance with them one day. Then we found out we could not go to the boys orphanage so we went to visit a family Sus Hijos built a house for in March. They built the house for a woman and her grandson that she takes care of who is 15 and weighs about 20 pounds. No one knows why he can't gain weight, so we don't know how to help them. It broke my heart. I cried thinking about the fact that he would never get to play sports, I cried about how happy I was to have met him because he and his grandmother loved God so much. I cried because I take everything for granted and they do not. I cried because I want to spend my summer building houses for families like that. I was just so extremely heart broken. And I thank God that He sent us to that family today.

For dinner we had a special treat: we were the first to eat at The State's Diner! It's restaurant Sus Hijos is opening to give jobs to kids in halfway houses. It has been amazing to see God give them this restaurant and I was beyond excited to be the first group to test the food! After dinner, my amazing boyfriend set it up a fake birthday party for me which I loved. You see, this will be my first year in 6 years to not spend my actually birthday in El Salvador. On top of that, my boyfriend will be on a cruise on my actual birthday so I won't even get to see him. Soooo he gave me a fake birthday tonight with him there AND all of my Salvadorean friends :) And that made me cry happy tears.

It was an amazing day full of God things and God's love. I cannot believe my time here is coming to an end. I literally am not at all prepared to leave. In my mind I still have a few weeks left. But I thank God for the time He has given me here and I simply pray that He uses us as fully as possible tomorrow!

There has been nothing more fun than me getting to see Colton enjoy each orphanage! Here is him dancing with one of my favorite guys from this orphanage. He stole my dance partner, actually. 

Claire and I fell in love with Eduardo, the boy who Sus Hijos built a house for in March

Getting to be the first to eat at The State's Diner! 

This picture is actually from yesterday, but it's just a little happy because I was finally able to fulfill my dream of making a pupusa in an El Salvador home kitchen :)