Happy Halloween!

For the first Halloween in my life, I don't think that anyone gave me candy today. :) I definitely didn't miss Halloween, probably because I got to play with cute little kids.

The last few days have been really fun for me. I've been spending time doing orphanages with Heather, but also time at the Talita Cumi orphanage by myself. I work almost completely on the boy's side of the orphanage, because they seem to need the most help there. The boys are wild and don't always listen, but they are really cute and usually are quick to help.

One little boy was especially nice to me today. His name is Juan de Dios, but the boys sometimes call him Juan de Diablo because he's so naughty. Today as we were walking to a field to play soccer he told me, "I'm bad! If people don't do what I say, I fight them! I'm bad!" He sounded kind of bad, but you have to see the whole picture: Juan de Dios is the smallest eight year-old I've ever seen, and as we were walking he was holding my hand with one hand, and in his other hand was a water bottle that he brought that he kept asking me to drink out of so I wouldn't be thirsty. I told him I was pretty sure he wasn't bad and that he was quite the gentleman.

I hear these kids trying to be so cool so they can make it on the streets or even just in the home, and my heart breaks in a way. I don't want Juan de Dios to grow up thinking that they have to have the reputation of being "bad, real bad" just to get some attention or to get by. Pray with me that they see what our Savior has planned for them. He wants us to live lives that are so good that others may see our good works and believe (1 Peter 2:12). He gives us attention not because our behavior needs it, but because He loves us with a deep, unconditional love. I'm not sure how to teach this to kids, but I sure hope my actions speak louder than my poor Spanish.

Tomorrow we're going to cook lunch for Mi Gumi, a home for 12 girls. I will try to post pictures later.