It had been too long since I'd been to Cradle of Love, and we have a temporary volunteer at Joshua for 3 months who hadn't been, so we went this past Sunday. I usually go with Sarah, so I knew they'd ask about her (which they did), but they were glad to see me, anyway!
We timed it so we were there when they woke up from their afternoon naps and stayed till suppertime, playing, reading, cuddling. Even the older children (up to 3 years old!) don't mind just sitting in a lap for hours at a time, and I was so happy to oblige! A friend from Perimeter was there visiting along with Jenny, my friend from Imara, and another couple of ladies I knew from church, so there were plenty of laps! Carolyn, from Perimeter, got to talking to Lazaro. He's 3, and has such wonderful English you can have real conversations with him and his twin sister Hope. Lazaro told Carolyn he'd like to go to America, and she said, "Would you like to go back with me?" He said, "No, I'll go wth Miriam." Since I've always said I would one day come home from here with children in my suitcases, that sounded great to me!
There's this really sweet younger little boy named Paul. Not sure how old he is, but he should be walking and talking by now. However, he rolls everywhere he goes, and he only stands if you support him. He also has something wrong with his eyes, as he never really quite looks at you. In fact, Grace, our Joshua volunteer, thought maybe he was blind, but he's not. Several times ago, I started playing games with Paulie where I put my fingers on his mouth and tap while he makes sounds. He got to where he'd take my hand and place it on his mouth, so we could play. Or I rub his tummy or whatever, just always touching him so he'd know friendly touch. Even after all this time, when I saw him and sat down beside him where he was lying on a mat, he pulled my fingers to his mouth! I fed him his dinner later and he started a new game, because he's really old enough to feed himself, too, but can't without making a huge mess. He would reach for my hand and I'd let him help me feed him. Or, he'd hold his hands together, and I'd put mine over his, then try to get the spoon in his mouth! I'm sure he's a very bright little boy, but I wonder what will happen to him once he leaves Cradle. (Children are supposed to leave when they turn 3.)
Peopple have said they thnk t must be the saddest thing to visit an African orphanage, and I'm sure that's true for some of them. But I've been to places of such love and hope and Cradle is definitely one of those! As they came back after dinner, washed and dressed in little pj's, I just thought, "I wish all Tanzanian children were this well cared for." My heart is still all about the children!
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