Forgotten Angels

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat . . . We must find each other." -Mother Teresa

Today I experienced something I would have never expected. As much as I was to say I was prepared for this month in Ecuador I always knew that it was going to be difficult at times. Today was one of those times. Let’s forget the fact that a group of roosters who apparantly frequent our street woke me up at 5 AM. Some of the girls and I spent the first 30 minutes of the day plotting their demise for if we ever came within close enough range. Then, in a matter of 6 hours I was thrown up on, drooled on, slapped, pinched, pooped on, hugged, kissed, cuddled with, and loved. There was no way to explain the emotioanl highs and lows that I went through in such a short amount of time. As much as I wanted to be impatient and give up after the 35th diaper change before 10 AM, for some reason I found myself falling in love with 13 little angels. Both of my shifts today were spent at the CUNAS orphanage. The “cunas” are children ranging from newborns to 2 years old. Starting at 7 am the children and volunteers were on a very strict schedule. Within the first 4 hours there are 3 changing times, 2 activities, and 3 feeding times. As one of the few Spanish speakers I receive all of the directions given by the nuns and I’m held accountable for relaying everything correctly to the other colunteers and making sure it gets done. The workers in the Catholic orphanages lack sympathy for those who do not speak English. I’ve often found myself having to defend the other girls and insist that they show more patience with us. It is very difficult to find a medium between the cold and efficient methods of the native workers, and the loving but less experienced ways of the volunteers.
Stress and frustration is inevitable when you find yourself working harder than you ever have before in a country you are completely unfamiliar with. I’m blessed with the opportunity to have discovered motiviation after only the first day. While we changed diapers and played with the kids in the “sala” this morning, one of the long term volunteers started telling me stories about each individual child. To give you an idea of what kind of angels I’m spending my days with, I’ll introduce a few of the kids to you. Due to Ecuadorian law, however, the volunteers only have the opportunity to take pictures in this particular orphanage once every two weeks so I won’t have any until next week.
Juanito is the first little boy I met today. I caught him right as he was waking up and got to be the first person he set his big brown eyes on this morning. Juanito is the sweetheart of the group. At about 10 months old you can often find him sharing all of his toys with the other children and licking all of the volunteers (these are his besos, aka kisses). Because of his sweet nature and love for people around him, Juan suffers from intense separation anxiety and cannot function when he feels he is alone or unnoticed. This beautiful little baby was found when he was 2 weeks old abandoned on the side of the river. His parents will never know what they missed, but I’m so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to love this little angel.

Paul (pronounced pa-oool) is the comedian of the bunch and I also refer to him as “mi amor”, which he loves. At almost 2 years old he is bursting with personality and spends his days doing anything he can to get a laugh out of the volunteers. His hair is often slicked back and he wears a giant moviestar smile! He is credited with being the child most often placed in time out haha. He’s a hitter and a biter, but also a smooth talker. He can charm his way out of anything and after every scrath or bite he gives kissesand hugs me. Regardless of his antics, he has got to be one of my favorite little boys and he is going to take this world by storm someday  Paul Is the only true orphan in the CUNAS orphanage, meaning both of his parents have passed away. Only one month after he was born, his parents were killed in a car crash. It was heartwrenching to see a child so full of life and indoubtedly so loved by his own parents, living in an orphanage. For a brief moment I felt like I understood just a piece of what he was going through as I thought of my own Dad who never wanted to leave this Earth or me. I just wish that Paul had known his parents long enough to have remembered them. Paul is an incredible example to me and his love for life at only 2 years old is a constant reminder of how close these children are to the Savior in their mindsets. I’m so grateful for the atonement and the knowledge I have that families can be together forever.

There are so many kids in this one orphanage alone that will make an incredible impact on my world while I am in Ecuador but one little girl in particular today made me feel like I had a purpose here. She made me recognize that what I’m doing here truly matters and that’s just what I needed to find on my first day of volunteering here. The work is hard and often discouraging.

Maria Los Angeles is the oldest baby in CUNAS at 2 years old. Uniquely, she is also the smallest. Maria suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome; the result of her birth mother’s selfishness and irresponsibility. To describe her, she truly looks identical to a beautifully flawless porcelin doll. To put scale into your minds, her hands are only slightly bigger than the cap of a water bottle. I was told before I left for my shift this morning that this little girl is very independent and often keeps to herself. She has yet to mutter a single word and rarely answers yes or no questions with the movement of her head. Eye contact with her is both a rare and coveted opportunity amongst all of the volunteers and few long term volunteers can think of a time when it has happened. When I got to my shift I was informed that Maria was feeling sick already and I was given the low down on her already existing condition. Because of her birth defects, when overly stressed or during crying spouts, Maria will occasionally pass out. First day on the job, this is exactly what happened. As she slipped into her seizure-like state, I frantically ran to the bathroom and threw water onto her face to get her back. After drenching her, she came to and began to sob. The way she cries is different. There’s no sound and her face stays unusually composed. For over a half hour she lay in my arms with her eyes closed and I watched as tears streamed down her tiny cheeks. The entire time I was holding her I desperately wished that her mom could have come and comforted her. That’s when it clicked. She had never experienced the comfort of a mother.Nobody was going to come to her rescue and pick her up from “day care”. I was it. Her tiny body lying in my arms was her only comfort. Just as tears started trickling down my face, I wiped some of the tears from hers. At that exact moment she looked up and stared me straight in the eyes and held her gaze for well over a minute. It was easily one of the best moments I’ve ever had in my life. The tears continued for another half hour but she fell asleep eventually and we stayed in the corner of the “sala” in that same position for another hour until my shift ended. It’s strange after only one day to feel this way, but I would give my life for that little girl. I have fallen in love with Ecuador <3

Red Suspenders

I made it! Yesterday morning I arrived in Cuenca and I can’t even put this place into words. My expectations have been exceeded by far. The long journey started at 5:50 am Tuesday morning. After only 2 hours of sleep (clearly the consequence of procrastination) Shanna and I met the other volunteers departing from SLC at the airport. Our first flight took us to Houston, TX where I experienced quite a bit of nostalgia after finding an ice cream shop that sold “Blue Bell” ice cream in the airport. I can’t even count how many times my mom and dad would talk about this ice cream when I was little after we moved from Texas to Colorado and it lives up to the hype! After a few hours spent in Houston, a group of about 6 of us boarded our first of many in a series of international flights. We boarded our plane for Panama without a hitch but fears of losing our luggage weighed heavily on our minds. The funniest part was that I only brought one suitcase which was incredibly valuable to me because it was filled with oreos, peanut butter, and cereal. I take comfort foods very seriously when I take off to 3rd world countries!
Regardless of all the worries I had on my mind, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people on the flight. While we waited in line to board the plane to Panama the woman standing in front of me spontaneously whipped around and asked if I was going on the connecting flight to Quito, Ecuador afterwards. I said that I was and after she asked what my plans were there I replied with a description of OSSO and some of the orphanages that we would be visiting for a month. She was so sweet and attentive, but I knew that she was bursting at the seams with some news of her own. I relayed the same question to her. Beaming, she enthusiastically pointed to a man at the edge of the gate’s service counter. “That’s my father-in-law. He is 87 years old and he’s on his way to see his family after over 30 years.” Fascinated by the idea of someone returning home after being away from family for so long, I quickly made eye contact with the older man and shot him the biggest smile I could muster after the long day of traveling. He was the epitome of someone you might see in an issue of National Geographic. There is no other way to really describe him. As he sat in the wheelchair, a sturdy cane pegged with tennis balls at the bottom of each end was clasped in his hand. He had the most defined wrinkles I have ever seen, however, when he smiled back at me, only the wrinkles right above his brow were visible from that distance. The only thing that made me smile more than his overenthusiastic thumbs up directed at his daughter and I was his bright red suspenders. Without even speaking with him I knew that this man had more personality in his little pinky than most people probably have in their whole body! The daughter-in-law continued to tell me about the history of his family and for the entire flight I couldn’t get his story off of my mind. I knew at that moment that I was going somewhere amazing; somewhere special. That man knew something I didn’t about Ecuador. I promised myself right then and there that I would find out exactly what that was.
The third flight of the day went from Panama to Quito. When we arrived in Quito, we all held our breath at the luggage claim. Luckily every one of the six girls sharing the same connections was able to find their luggage! Our last flight wasn’t until the next morning so we spent the night in the volunter house in Quito. After a 7 am flight to Cuenca, I finally made it to the place I will be calling home for the next 4 weeks. We were greeted at the small airport by the Rodrigo’s who are the directors of the Cuenca OSSO. I have never met a sweeter couple and I have felt so incrediblly loved and welcome already. The house is far above any expectations I had. It is a sweet little home located in a middle class area of the historical village. As I walked in I saw that it was immaculate and so well-organized. Quotes and Spanish labels cover the walls and other random objects all throughout the house! It is such a positive atmosphere and I’m so grateful to be participating in a program like this. There is so much I could write about, including the 2 hour walk we took through the city today, however, I may not want to disclose some of the things I saw today because I don’t want people to worry about my safety ;) To put you all at ease we are heavily instructed in safety procedures, our keys to the house are accompanied by pepper spray and I’m taller than almost all of the men so I feel safe with the knowledge I’ve been given from the directors 
Tomorrow morning I will meet some of the children for the first time and begin my first shift of my 50 hour work week! I am scheduled to go to work in the CUNAS orphanage for both of my shifts. CUNAS is the baby/toddler orphanage in Cuenca and I can’t wait to see those beautiful babies in the morning. I have no idea what to expect, but I can only hope that I can make some kind of a difference with the time that I will be putting in tomorrow. I couldn’t ask for a more amazing experience and I haven’t even met all of the children I will be serving yet! Wish me luck 

Change A World

Today was an incredible day, just like it always is in India. I was given the opportunity to attend the "Moot" leprosy colony today. This colony is known for its remote location and lively occupants. Medical attention is not something that is too necessary there, however, the company and human interaction is what they long for. Twelve of us took the hour bus ride to the colony. We all had our own expectations we had gathered from past visitors descriptions of their experiences. As excited as I already was, I never anticipated all of the wonderful things I saw today.

The first woman we met was Saroja. This tiny woman has suffered from the affects of leprosy for almost 70 years. The disease has stolen so many things from her, including her right eye, one leg, and all of her fingers. Her petite stature and frail bones force her to pull herself on all fours from one place to another. Saroja has spent her life in the same 1 mile vicinity with a husband who has beat her. Although they no longer speak, she still feels the need to care for the man that she once loved. She is given a small amount of beans and grain each month from Rising Star, but every day you will find this small woman crushing this food in metal bowls and leaving it out for the birds. It takes her 30 minutes to move 20 feet to the well in order to collect water for these birds. Saroja has hardly anything, but chooses to give everything to the only creatures that have less.

Jayraj was the second friend I met in the small colony. By far, he is the happiest human being I have ever met! He is so funny and is always laughing. He loves to dance and always made sure everyone else had their smiles on. He is an incredible example to me of how possible it is to find something positive in even the most difficult circumstances.

After we got to know everyone we started playing music, jenga, and dominoes! Everyone in the colony loved it and I couldn't stop smiling :)

Saroja was the bomb at Jenga! Every time I'd go for one she'd move my hand because she knew I was going to ruin it! haha


Codiserie threw dominoes at everyone's towers that we made in order to make sure that hers was always the tallest. She had the best sense of humor :)

Moot was my favorite colony. I learned so many things in such a short amount of time. Because of their example, I'm hoping that I can find happiness in my life like they have in theirs, no matter what the circumstances may be.

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The theme for Session 6 at Rising Star was "Change A World". For three and a half weeks now I have had this phrase on my mind, trying to pinpoint what that really means. What does it mean to change a world? I know. I came here thinking I would make an incredible impact on these children's lives, but the changes I saw weren't what I expected.

As I sit here in the middle of a tile floor, I'm struggling to see my computer screen through the cloudy haze of tears welled up in my eyes. I spent my last few hours tonight, playing with the children and tucking them into bed. The little ones go to bed at 8 so I saved just enough time to hug each and every one of them before I had to say goodnight. As I hugged each one, the memories of my time with them ran through my mind. I began sobbing as each one looked up at me and said "I love you" and kissed my cheeks. When I got to one of the last girls, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You remember me?". At this point the light tears turned into a steady stream of sobbing, but I managed to release a few words between sobs. "Of course I'll remember you. I'll always remember you." Sweet little Ramia placed both hands on my cheeks and wiped the tears from my face. These little girls probably won't remember me even a year from now, but I will remember them for the rest of my life. I pray for each of these girls every night. I pray for their safety, their future, their education. I dream of the lives that they could have and what they are capable of. Although I'm not a mother and won't be for a while, I truly felt that tonight I knew what it felt like to love a child more than life itself. I wish I could describe the sweet spirits that have touched my heart for the last 21 days. I came to India to do something. My job here was to make them smile. Whether it was swinging them around, reading stories, or dancing with them, I was here to make them laugh when the world was falling apart all around them. Someday I won't be able to fix things so easily for them, but for now I can. Each smile was a victory in my eyes. I did my job and they did theirs. A world was changed, and that world was mine.

Unexpected Masterpiece

It seems that for as long as I can remember, teachers and parents have drilled it into my head that "Anything is Possible". In all honestly, even though that phrase is used for encouragement, I have always felt that it was overused and not really true. However, I now sit here in a tiny village in India and put those doubts to rest. Anything IS possible.

I saw these words in action this morning when the bus pulled up to the Bindi Art School. I desperately wish that I could truly describe what I saw in front of me. I watched in awe as men and women sat at small desks and mats on the floor. Right before my eyes, these people were living their dreams. One by one, each student put their lives on canvas. In the heart of this leprosy colony, were India's best artists. Despite their disease, they were painting. Leprosy has left these people with awful sores, mangled hands and feet, and sometimes missing limbs.



I continued to watch each artist paint. Each one had their own style and I could pinpoint which of the hundreds of paintings they had done. I couldn't believe that their mangled hands, which have little if any feeling, were able to create something so beautiful. At one point I was able to sit with a man while he explained one of his paintings to me. He literally explained his fears, goals, and dreams on this small and simple sheet of canvas.


It is truly a blessing that those who are leprosy afflicted are able to support their families by doing something they love. The money raised from each of these masterpieces is put into one pool that is given to the artists equally and supports the rest of the colony as well.

If I learned anything today, it is that everyone has a story. All you have to do is listen. I'm grateful for the chance I've had to listen. I can't tell you enough how many people I have met here that the world has overlooked. The world will never understand that they didn't just shun the leprosy affected. They have shunned artists, enginners, doctors, mothers, fathers, teachers, and the most humble people I have ever met. I hope that after my experience here, I will be able to remember how important people's stories are. My job is to listen.

My Seven Wonders of the Weekend

This last weekend, many of the volunteers and I had the amazing opportunity to fly to New Delhi. Our man purpose in going was to see the Taj Mahal. It is common knowledge that the Taj Mahal is labeled as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". This means that universally, it is considered to be incredibly beautiful, meaningful, and fascinating. After seeing it, I do agree that it is all of those things and more! I created my own personal list of "Seven Wonders" while traveling through New Delhi and Agra.

Shannon's Seven Wonders of the Weekend (in no particular order):

1. The Taj Mahal...of course it made my list!



As I walked through the north gate I couldn't believe how beautiful this building was. It truly took my breath away. It took 22 years to build and 20,00 workers to artistically created inlaid marble that would last a lifetime. I could have stayed there all day just staring at it and thinking of the incredible love story that went along with it's creation :)

2. Old Delhi


This falls mostly under the "fascinating" criteria. There were so many electrical wires and people and monkeys. So random but so fun to go through!

3. Elephant Ride

The funny thing about this is that Indian people don't ride elephants and before doing this, I hadn't seen one the whole trip. It's strictly a tourist thing, but I loved it! Kristen and I set the mood by singing songs from Aladdin the whole ride! :) haha


4. The Jaypee Hotel


It's the largest hotel in India and so pretty! It was so great to have real showers and normal bathrooms!

5. Ghandi's Home



This was a surprise stop while on our way to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. This was where Ghandi spent the last 144 days of his life. He was also mardered here. I got to walk alongside the path of the last steps he took. He has always been a hero of mine and said one of my favorite quotes. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

6.The Spice Market


It was so crowded and I felt a little uncomfortable, but it smelled amazing!

7. The Unknown Indian Woman

This woman is my Seventh Wonder. I saw here from the window of our bus as we drove down a dirt road. Something about her just seemed so incredible. She is beautiful and you can tell she is a hard worker and so humble. I realized when I saw her that I got lucky. I didn't earn the life that I have. I was born in the United States and live comfortably without having to worry too much. She works every day just trying to get by. I admire her for so many reasons. I saw her for two seconds, but for some reason I kind of felt like I knew her :) I absolutely love the people of India. I can learn so much from them.

What the World Needs Now

My eyes were locked on Dr. Kumar as he told his story. It all started as a simple conversation to pass the time on the long ride to the different colonies. Somehow the conversation shifted to why he became a doctor. Dr. Kumar told a story of how he visited his dying grandfather every day in the hospital and realized that being a doctor could help save others from that kind of heartache. In India, anyone can be a doctor but few are given grants from the government. The top 1,000 students recieve a grant taking tuition from 200,000 to 200 dollars a year for medical school. Dr. Kumar recieved a 99.97% on his final test and still placed 247th. He is incredibly intelligent and had so much to teach us.

Our first stop was to a preschool where we needed to test some of the children for leprosy. These children were absolutely beautiful. None of them spoke english, but a smile was something they could understand. I couldn't believe as I looked at these children that Indian society had pushed them aside. They have parents afflicted with leprosy and therefore, are forgotten about. The world has no idea what they are missing out on. I am lucky to have met them and the hour I spent with them will leave an impression on me forever.


After we left the preschool, the medical van made its way to the leprosy colony where we washed the feet of those afflicted. I was in charge of diabetes testing, which meant I had to see each patient wince as we pricked their fingers. It's sad to see them in pain, but Dr. Kumar showed us all of the before and after pictures he has taken of their wounds and ulcers. It's incredible to see what kind of progress and healing has taken place due to the care he has given. When we dropped Dr. Kumar at his home afterwards, one of the coordinators talked to us about the kind of sacrifice Dr. Kumar has made to work for Rising Star. As an Indian doctor, he is going against all stigmas toward leprosy in society. He recieves standard doctor wages, but in the future will most likely be turned down for any other jobs he applies for. He is truly doing acts of service as he helps people that society has told him to forget.


Dr. Kumar said something today that really caught my attention and made an impression on me. He said, "Leprosy does not kill them. It kills thier self-esteem, family life, and everything else." I now know why it is so important that I am here serving these people. They are in physical pain, but my job here is to prove to them that they deserve to be loved. The world has pushed aside incredible individuals that I am honored to know. People will never know what they have missed out on, but I will.

WATER WARS!!!!

I've learned that giving kids hundreds of water balloons and full access to the water faucets is recipe for a fantastic disaster! Today all of the kids and volunteers had a water balloon fight after school! Along with the balloons, we had a 3-man sling shot that continually launched them in the air! I managed to stay fairly dry for the first half, but as soon as kids started filling up buckets I was done for!


The kids were ecstatic! They all had free reign to dump water on their friends and teachers so they were in heaven! Every kid was given one water balloon and it was so funny to see that some of the kids actually saved them in their rooms to use another day! I had so much fun today and can't even think of how I could possibly leave all of them in 9 days! I haven't made set plans by any means yet, but I am considering coming back for all of next summer and actually being a teacher here! We'll see how this next year works out! I can't imagine not coming back to see these kids again!

After a long day, I went to tuck my girls into bed and this is what they had written on the chalk board....



Some days their english is better than others! Haha! I was laughing so hard that I got tears in my eyes! They are so adorable!