The Center according to Izzy...Part 3

We wake up at different times. All of us drearily prepare for the day. Clothes are put on, packs are packed, and morning TV is watched. Wake up calls make their way around all of our rooms. We are set. Breakfast looks especially delicious this morning. All of us choose what we would like to eat. Chants of “no gracias” and “si” ring throughout the breakfast bar. We make our way to the dining tables. Food slowly disappears. Devotions are next. Abbi leads them. She talks about the Good Samaritan. After devotions, we take pictures and marvel at the visible volcano. Smoke slowly rises from its peak. We have 15 minutes of free time after the photo frenzy is finished. We eventually have to leave. Our group trickles through the lobby and to the outside area. The bus pulls up to us. We hop in and choose our seats that we will have to ride in for about an hour. We’ve seen the land that’s passing by 2 times now. It is being imprinted in our heads. The Malnutrition Center finally approaches us. A switch turns on in our heads, and we go to the break room to set down our stuff. It’s to our stations after that. We go down 2 hallways and round 2 corners. There’s something about 2s today. We change and clean the kids from their breakfast. They play shortly afterward. We hug them, entertain them, love on them  and play with them. That’s the HELP acronym of taking care of children. They smile, laugh, and cry. The behavior has become familiar, but we don’t get tired of it. The children’s snacks are distributed. They play some more after that. A poopy diaper is detected. Mrs. Mahan takes care of it. We ask Howie if we can bring in the toy workbenches and kitchens. He replies with a yes. Before that arrives, we take the children outside. This is the first time they’ve been outside with us. Edgar holds on to the end of a jump rope and won’t let go. A blanket is brought out so that some of the children don’t have to sit on the damp grass. Some of the children play on the slide. Mrs. Mahan, Lilly, and I help them so that they don’t hurt themselves. Whistles are given to the children. Some attempt to play, some pretend to play by humming, some just hold it, some just blow carelessly, and some just want someone else to play. We also blow bubbles for them. Lilly gets stung by a wasp. She briefly goes to the clinic. When they have to go back inside, it’s lunchtime. Lilly’s back. The kids point to the toy workbenches and kitchens that had arrived while we were outside. We help some of them eat. After eating, we brush their teeth, change their diapers, and put them down for a nap. All of us travel to our dining area for lunch. We eat the awesome food. Team projects are waiting for us.