So… there are 75 kids here between the two sites (mas or menos- more or less), which I know, because I am trying to keep the roster updated and it changes frequently! We love them all… but are getting to know some of them pretty well. Here are some that we spend the most time with…
Melany is 4 years old and a FIRECRACKER! She cracks us up!
Alex is 6 and extremely active! He loves to play at the playground with the kids, especially Josiah!
Addy and Kiersen are both 10 and are great friends! Addy speaks English really well, which helps! She is very bright, cheerful and always in a good mood!
Leo is 16. We love him! He also speaks English, so he is often our translator here at Soler. He plays with the kids all the time and will hang out and talk with us a little too. He is very smart!!!
Last year, we fell in love with a six year old girl named Yasmine from Africa:) This year, it is a 6 year old girl named Jazmin (pronounced the same way) from Mexico that we are hugging! She is very quiet and serious, and has just now finally warmed up and decided to hug me too! (Kiersen points out that Jazmin warmed up to her much faster than me!) But now she loves us both!
Speaking of warming up… this is Jose, who is arrived here about the same time we did. He is 14 and had been living on the streets for a lot of years before coming here. When he first arrived, he sat around looking sad all the time and wouldn’t smile for his first picture. After about 20 tries, I bribed him with chocolate. I got a real smile when I gave him the chocolate bar… and since then, we try to give him a Hershey’s every few days. The change in him has been remarkable. He went from not wanting to get near us, to now coming up to us and giving us hugs. A few days ago, he asked me to help him translate the songs he writes from Spanish to English. The love of this place is getting to him, and he smiles, plays, and joins in life around here. He still has a lot to overcome, and we hope he doesn’t change his mind and head back to the streets again… but we are thankful to see some love breaking through his shell!
Belinda, Melany and Brisa… just the three cutest 4 year olds ever!!!
Julio! He is 16 and was working at the border, selling things. He was found by some cops one day when he broke down crying, wanting a different life. They brought him here. He is having some trouble adapting to rules… but he is a cheerful kid who works hard when he wants to! We are trying to figure out how to help him channel his talent for sales into something productive…:) He is a smart kid. We hope he decides to live within the rules so he can stay here and finish school… he has potential!
My girl Estafania… 16… moody as a 16 year girl should be… up and down! I love her… she is bright, intelligent, very mature for her age. She has been through a lot, but after it all, she says, “God is good.” I say, Amen. So thankful for these (and so many more) kids that we have a chance to love here!
