When one of the boys had his birthday, the supervisor decided that a celebration at Jollibee (Filipino version of McDonalds) for him and all of the children who were old enough to participate was in order. The team was so excited for the children that it was hard to keep it a secret! Sophie, a volunteer from New Zealand who had been at Ruel for six months, and the children made a robot-shaped cake for the boy, thinking they would celebrate at the base that night.
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| The Birthday Boy |
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| ...and his cake |
Around 5 o’clock, the children were loaded into a van, unable to hide their excitement and expectations. We got to Jollibee ready to celebrate, but we had a little obstacle to overcome. There was already another birthday party going on at the time, and seating was VERY limited. After talking with the staff at Jollibee, we were able to get enough room in the reserved section to seat all of the children.
The children were so excited to get their fries and coke, and then their chicken and
spaghetti – a traditional Filipino birthday dish. The team and I chaperoned the kids and made sure to take pictures of their happy, spaghetti-covered faces. Everyone seemed to be having such an awesome time – except one.
One girl at Ruel is a little older than the other kids. She was sitting towards the end of one of the tables. Due to the limited space, we sat next to some of the families celebrating the other birthday. The girl was seated next to a mother and father and their daughter who was close to her age. She kept glancing, then staring, at the family. She is old enough to understand her situation and what she is missing by not having a family. While the supervisor, the other workers, and Mabry, Hannah, Candace, and Katherine can love the children with all their hearts (and they do), the children know that they are not family and they long for that connection with people.
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| She stares at what she wants so badly |
Some of the children at Ruel are there for temporary care. Some are malnourished or sick in some other way, and once they are better, they will be sent back to their families. Others don’t have the comfort of knowing that their family is waiting for them to come home after they are healthy. Some ask the supervisor whether or not she will find families for them. What a heart-wrenching question! Please pray that God will lead people’s hearts to adoption in the Philippines. No child deserves to grow up without a place or people to call his own.
The children were so excited to get their fries and coke, and then their chicken and spaghetti – a traditional Filipino birthday dish. The team and I chaperoned the kids and made sure to take pictures of their happy, spaghetti-covered faces. Everyone seemed to be having such an awesome time – except one.
