Lost Dreams

Recently, as I have had the opportunity to work a little more closely with some of the children that are preparing to leave the orphanage and those that have already left, my heart has been broken as I look at the dreams they have had to give up and the position they find themselves in today. Here are some stories I have recently heard.

I still remember a conversation I had with a boy at Saramoldaeva orphanage a couple years back in which his eyes lit up as he told me about his dream to be in the military. He has been attending a military academy (high school level) for the last two years and will graduate this year. On Sunday, I asked him if he was still planning on being in the military. He told me that he had changed his mind and wanted to work at the railroad station (menial labor). When I questioned him a bit further, he told me that this had been decided by someone other than himself and he still dreamt of being in the military. Hopefully, he is going to come by our office to talk with Olya and see if there is any way for us to help him reach his goals.

A couple weeks ago we were talking about health and nutrition in our Youth Impact session. We were looking at the food pyramid and talking about what food each girl ate each day. As each one built a pyramid with what they ate the day before, I realized how little choice they had in what they ate. Even those that purchase their own food, have a limited budget and are unable to buy fruit and vegetables, especially in the winter. Their only food group that they were close to fulfilling was grains. After the session, we decided to start purchasing fruit for the youth participating in our program each week.

A young girl didn't come to the birthday party we held for children at Saramoldaeva this month. She was waiting to see her mother for the first time in nine years, but her mother never came.

As I think about these and many other things I see on a daily basis, I continue to be thankful that I am here and have the opportunity to try to build some hope into their lives. If nothing else, they learn that they can trust our word and that we love them. We continue to develop ways in which we can impact the lives of these children not only now, but as they grow into successful adults. Seeing the smile on a child's face is one of those things that renews my hope when I am faced with all their challenges.