These are some articles from my new NEWSLETTER that is replacing my blog. If you would like to see the full newsletter with pictures of kids, as well as some nifty digital scrap-booking, e-mail me at: jilliancomrie@comcast.net. Thanks!
Gently moving the wheelchair of a severely-disabled 16-year-old, Veronica, as we listen to worship music, I realize I unknowingly chose a song with special meaning for the For His Children orphanage. The song “La Niña de Tus Ojos” translates to “The Child of Your Eyes” and talks of God seeing and loving us when no one does. The refrain, “You loved me”, repeating in the background as I rock this child who has no independence and no way to communicate, but is truly a child of Him. For His Children cares for many children with disabilities who will eventually be adopted (over 700
children have been “held in the arms of FHC”, read more: forhischildrenecuador.org). But, some of these children with severe disabilities are not easy candidates for adoption and it's beautiful to see how FHC cares for and loves these children as representatives of their true Father.
My first “classes” in a normal day at FHC are with the babies. I sing to each one, play games and finger plays, and help them move with music and instruments. The next is with three children in wheelchairs, probably the least-responsive to human interaction. I've enjoyed coming up with crazy ways to help one boy, Zacarias, stop make continuous sounds and listen, like hiding behind a chair and pretending a stuffed monkey is singing (I tried that after matching the pitch of his sounds on my recorder didn't work). Next is a class with three more high-functioning children who love dancing and play instruments and games with unrestrained joy. Then, several classes for toddlers and pre-schoolers that have little or no disabilities--six of these children I knew as babies when I volunteered at FHC in 2009. Last is a class for younger children (ages 5-8) with disabilities--a joy as the children all respond to music in their own ways. Leslie is just learning to walk, but she's a talker and narrates like a 40-yearold; Sofia runs around the room or fixates on things like hair bands and when guessing what something is, she always guesses it's a hair band; Flor has a developmental delay but loves music and after learning the “toe song”, points at her feet and claps every time she sees me; Joffrey and Vilma are in wheelchairs, but love trying to “dance” with hand movements and they get huge smiles during music class...
