Now that I have seen...

Let me introduce you to the kids at the Isaiah Center through Forget Me Not Ministries:

Below is little Florica, being held by Rachel Ross. Rachel first met Florica in the baby hospital, I believe, and she has since met Florica's family in the village and brought her to be a part of the center in Tinca. Florica's family, as are all of the center kids' families, is also supported by receiving food monthly. Florica is sneaky, and she knows it! I think a few times I caught her pushing the toilet flusher over and over and it made it overflow...Once I think I caught her trying to drink out of it or playing with the water. She likes to be involved, but because of her background sometimes gets overwhelmed and just wants to be cuddled.

Below is little Simona, who is Florica's cousin (I hope I'm remembering this all correctly...). Simona is 23 months old and is a precious little ball of joy. I'm hoping later on that I can post a video I have of her from the last night when we went out to eat. She has the cutest smile and is a happy, cuddly, little baby girl. Coming from a family that does show love, but just doesn't know how to appropriately show it, she has been molested even at her really young age.
Below is me holding little Samuel (Samu), who is about 3 years old we think. He and his older brother Abel are part of the center. Samu is totally ornery, but he's also totally adorable. I mean, seriously, do you see that smile? He has the cutest little giggle on the face of the earth, and I can't tell you how happy that little squealer can be. Rotten as he can sometimes be, I was blessed with about an hour of some good cuddle time w/ him one day, and I loved every minute of it. I am actually deciding to sponsor Samuel w/ $30/month to cover the costs of him being at the center. Each child needs at least 9 sponsors for them to be completely covered, and currently each only has 2-3. So if you're interested, let me know!

Below is Samuel's older brother, Abel, who is 4 or 5...look at that grin! It must run in their family. He is the little boy who actually walked to the center 3 times during the week before we were there when they were closed for some construction. He wanted to escape his home so badly that he walked over a mile to get there only to find out he had to go back home. Abel has a scar on his head that is from an axe, probably used in abusing him. He is a playful, outgoing little boy, but he has a pretty fair temper as well. It's sort of inevitable considering the background he has come from. He has progressed sooo much from the stories we've heard since he has been at the center in its first 2 months.

Below is little Maria, who is just as sweet and ornery as the rest of them! She is 2 or 3, I believe, and is just a really fun little girl. She loved to color and paint and be involved in everything the other kids were doing at all times. She has the funniest little belly that sticks out, and you can't help but just pick her up and tickle her and give her kisses.

Below is sweet little baby Alex, who I think I previously wrote about. Alex is 2 and 1/2 years old, but he appears to be about 9 months old. He has Downs Syndrome, and because of neglect he spent the first 2 years of his life just laying in a stroller and not being allowed to fully develop by being held or played with. When alex first came to the center they thought he may be blind because he wasn't following anything, but in the past 2 months he has started chattering, following all kinds of things w/ his eyes, eating lots of food, and sitting up on his own. He was really mad each evening when our group would leave and there wasn't someone to hold him constantly, so he kicked his legs a lot! He is really getting used to being loved on! He is soooo sweet.

And of course below is little miss Izabella. She's technically not one of the kids in the center, but she's a precious little princess who you need to know! Rachel first met her in the baby hospital when she was 3 months old, and she took her home when she was about a year old. Now that Iza is almost 5 this summer, she has only about 6-9 months until her official adoption to Rachel is complete. Praise the Lord and continue praying that this process will happen smoothly! She is one of the funniest little kids and could not remind me more of my niece, Maddy. She love love loves to play monsters and hide-and-seek and imagination games.
And here are a few more of the kids just being entertained by us crazy Americans!

This final picture is of them praying before they have their snack--yogurt. They sing a little prayer song every time they eat and it is the cutest thing ever.

More pics to come...that's just an introduction.