A Little Piece of Heaven
We packed our bags and set off on our journey to San Felipe. We stayed in San Felipe for a week and during our time there we had the opportunity to do various volunteer jobs and work with many inspiring people. There was one day in particular that touched our hearts, all in different ways. We went to an orphanage, Casa De Fe- which means Home of Faith. There are 9 little girls who live in this house, ages 2-11, all with touching stories of how they got there. From the moment we walked through the gate the kids were taking our hands and welcoming us. They played with us, sang to us, and enjoyed wearing our sunglasses and taking pictures of themselves with our cameras. They were like any other little girls in the world, with their hair in little braids and wearing immense amounts of pink. They were in a place where they were happy; it was kind of like their own little piece of heaven, a place where they could be kids and do what kids do. Each little girl living at Casa De Fe had a smile that could brighten anyone’s day and a laugh that sounded like the most magical music in the world. There was nothing else we could have imagined doing on that sunny day, it was the perfect way to spend it. After hanging out some laundry and doing some yard work we spent our day playing soccer, swinging on the swings, and helping the little ones go down the slide. It felt like we were kids again ourselves.
Casa De Fe truly felt like a home, and all these little girls were sisters at heart. It was such a happy place to be and even though it is an orphanage, it’s a home for them and a place of serenity and security, something they never had before. Despite the past violence, abuse and neglect these little girls have gone through all their lives, they were happy and smiling; they soon became the toughest, bravest, little people I knew. It made me sad to think that no one wanted these precious children and their parents didn’t bother to try as hard as they could to be able to be there for them. Parents, the people who should be there for you through the thick and thin and always be the two people who will never let you down, but these little girls were let down by theirs. They will never have the relationship they should have with their biological parents and some may never even get the opportunity to meet them.
One adorable little girl had a story so heartbreaking it was hard not to tear up when I heard it. This little two year old girl came to Casa De Fe when she was just one year old. Her parents did not treat her how a little baby should be treated; she did not receive the nurturing, love, and safety that a child should receive from their parents. Instead of tending to the sound of their daughters cry, they would hit her until the sound disappeared. As a result, this innocent little girl’s body was left bruised and her baby teeth were all chipped from her gums- all because her parents did not want to hear her cry, or pick her up and hug her, to show her love and care for her. They left her in her crib, hurting, on the inside and out. No child so young and frail should have to endure the pain that this little girl did. Casa De Fe saved her, in so many ways, without it who knows where she would be today. Yet, after going through all that she did, this little girl had the most beautiful smile and the most magical laugh because now, she is loved and now, she has a home.
When it came time to leave I really didn’t want to go. All of these little girls taught us so much and showed us what it’s like to really be a family and love each other. Casa De Fe is a place I will never forget and an experience that I will hold dear to my heart. I won’t ever forget the smiles of those little girls, the toughest, bravest, little girls in the world.
Chey – LiveDifferent Academy Student 2012