July 11th...meeting Marvin & Ronaldo

Day 4 ~ July 11^th~ Meeting Ronaldo and Marvin

I have to say this was probably one of the best days of my life so far. I was picked up at the hotel by Sergio and Jim around 9:30 am along with Carl and Diann. We headed out to visit my sponsored student Marvin’s home and also attend the annual All Kids Birthday Party in Agua Escondida.

It was about an hour drive to where Marvin lives and where the party was going to be. Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit Marvin’s home. When we arrived at his house we discovered the structure had collapsed and there was nothing left but the base of the home. It was a very small home; you had to walk a wooded steep path to get there..it was literally in the middle of nowhere…there was not even any neighbors. It had been an extremely small home, I am gonna say probably one room, possibly two.

After several phone calls Sergio was able to track down where they live now. We arrived at the house to find they were not home. They were already on their way for the party.

So we all headed to the party along with two other members of the Mayan Families Staff; we weren’t there long when Marvin and his family arrived. His mom and him and his brother and sister came up to me. I tried talking to them but no luck because of the language barrier…of course Marvin hid behind his mom’s back haha. He had the sweetest little spirit about him though.

Not too long after Marvin and his family arrived Ronaldo and his family showed up. And of course I had another shy one on my hands, which I fit in well with because I am so shy sometimes.

Every so often I look over and Marvin or Ronaldo would be standing not far from me just smiling...they are both just so adorable.

It was amazing to be a part of the birthday party and to witness how excited the children and even the adults were. There was a clown and also two piñatas, one for the boys and one for the girls. Even the adults raced to pick up the candy. It was funny to see but also sad in a way.

This birthday party is something the families look forward to every year. Each of the families receive a food basket to take home with them also. I can’t tell you how many kids and adults came up and hugged us and thanked us. They were so grateful over such a simple birthday party. We forget way too often how blessed we truly are.

After the party we walked down to where Ronaldo lives so I could visit his home. We got to his home around 3:30, it was already dark in his home and you could barely see anything. So just imagine how dark it is at 7 or 8 at night. It is a sad situation but Ronaldo and his family are happy and they are full of joy..and I plan to do everything in my power to make life a little easier for them