Four of our children at Hogar de Esperanza chose to be baptized during the service September 13 at Larco Presbyterian Church in Trujillo after several months of attending discipleship classes. Pastor Jaime dipped his hand in water and placed it on Rocio, Milagritos, Roxana and Yulianna (shown) with a prayer of blessing. When asked, Rocio said she chose to be baptized because the Bible commands her to. She was nervous to be in front of everyone, but excited to know that she was taking one step further in following Christ.
A group of students from Berry Creek Middle School in Edwards, Colorado created and sent bilingual books to the children at the orphanage. Each book includes a photo and information of the student author. This simple gift created with imagination builds a bridge of friendship, education and inspiration between two different cultures and countries. For some of our newer children, these books were the first books they’ve actually held in their hands.
Jacky Gavy Zamora, a student at the National University in Trujillo, has been interning with our social worker since May of this year. One of her responsibilities includes implementing Saturday morning trainings for the biological families of our children who are under our protective custody. This month, she shared training on self-esteem and taught the families how to evaluate personal motivation and actions. Her trainings are vital to the future and well-being of our children who will possibly return home.
Last June Sebastian, age 4, entered the orphanage with a serious eye infection. We were able to take him for medical exams and found he suffered from an underdeveloped tear-duct system. At his age, the only way to cure the over-abundance of tears and infection was to have surgery. This past month, Sebastian had a silicone tube placed in his tear duct to stretch the tear duct, prevent blockage and prevent excess tearing. The surgery was a simple procedure and thankfully, Sebastians tears are dry!
