Last week at the Hogar de los Niños it was confirmed for me that the majority of the boys who live there are not exactly orphans. They have parents who either cannot take care of them or decided to put them in this home for boys for some reason or another. I discovered this last Tuesday afternoon when one of the boys I tutor had a visit from his mother. Last Monday was a national holiday in Argentina, Dia de la bandera (Day of the flag) and they were having a celebration at the Hogar on Tuesday. Pedro, pictured below, was so excited because his mom surprised him with a visit for the celebration. After about 45 minutes she had to leave and Pedro just couldn’t handle it. He kept hugging her and pulling on her, pleading her to stay. When she left, he stood at the front door bawling for about 15 minutes. I was working with Nahuel at the time and it was all I could do not to burst into tears as I listened to Pedro wail. I gave him a big hug and told him that I was sure he’d see her again soon. Nahuel told me that his mom comes to visit sometimes too but that it doesn’t matter to him anymore whether or not she comes and that he has grown out of crying when she leaves. He said that all of the young ones cry when their parents come and go and that some of the boys actually get to leave the home sometimes and spend the weekend with a family member.
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| Pedro, 11 years old |
I cannot and do not pass judgment on the families that send their sons to this home but I cannot help that it breaks my heart. I don’t know their current situations or whether or not the home is a better option for their children but nonetheless I hate it for the sweet boys that I have met. It kills me that at age 13, boys like Nahuel have grown hard and numb to the harsh reality that their parents cannot take care of them for whatever reason.
That evening, I rode the subte home, holding back tears the whole way. I got home and Bibi, like usual could read all over my face that something was wrong. Standing in the doorway to my bedroom I tried to fight back the tears as I explained what had happened that day. We sat down in the living room and I told her about Pedro and Nahuel and what I had seen as I choked back sobs.
Later Bibi brought me some plastic cups, galletitas (crackers), and a couple of monedas (coins). She explained that she wanted me to take the boys some milk and crackers for an afternoon snack the next day and that her heart goes out them. I took her advice but knowing the boys, I decided that a big Coca Cola and bag of assorted cookies would be a more popular choice! They LOVED it. I did use the meriendas (snacks) as kind of a bribe to focus on learning English for an hour…but still, they loved it.
Man, I feel really blessed to get to spend a little bit of time with these guys. I pray and would be humbled that if they feel unloved at all, the Lord would use my little bit of time with them as encouragement and that they would feel showered with God’s love. I hope that they do not grow so numb to love or lack thereof that they lose all hope for this world that they live in.
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| Nahuel, who is REALLY good at drawing made this for me! |
Con todo mi amor,
Katy
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