Have you ever invested yourself so wholeheartedly into something that when it comes to an end you almost feel like a piece of you stays behind with it? I had never encountered such a feeling before until this summer. I went on my very first missionary trip to an Orphanage in Mexico with my church. Needless to say it took me ages to convince my parents to let their fifteen year old daughter cross the boarder to Mexico without them, but soon enough they came around. I stayed out in Mexico for a week, it felt like years, yet at the same time it wasn’t long enough.

It was such a quiet, peaceful little town, so different from ours. By the end of the week the people felt like family and the place felt like home. Everyday we set up a vacation bible school in the park for the kids from the orphanage as well as the neighborhood kids. Each morning we set off to the park, jam-packed into the bed of a truck, drowning in crafts and bouncy balls. Everyone had their designated area to work at, and then there were group leaders, I was one of them, the leader of the blue group. After assorting the kids into different groups I finally had my group intact. The first kid that caught my eye was a little boy who was wearing a big green straw hat that just screamed out at you. He sat down next to me as close as he could and quirkily said, “Hi! My name is Alan.” we were attached by the hip from then on out. After meeting all of the other children there was one other little boy that caught my attention, his name was Daniel. He walked up and sat down and just smiled so big I couldn’t help but smile back. There we formed, the three musketeers. That day we played, ate snacks, made crafts, told bible stories and all throughout the day the boys never let go of my hands. It was as if we were one, depending on each other to get from place to place. As the day ended we said our goodbyes with the biggest bear hugs I had ever received.

When I got back to our guest house I looked into both Daniel and Alans back stories, Daniel was left at the orphanage with his little sister by parents who couldn’t raise him. Alan, on the other hand was brought to school, just like any other ordinary day by his parents but nobody ever came back to get him. So he was sent to the orphanage, a few years later he was adopted. Then his new parents brought him back to the orphanage just to visit his old friends, at least that’s what they told him. Turns out they let him play with his friends, and left him there without a word. After reading this I was completely heartbroken wondering how someone was capable of doing these things to such wonderful kids. I felt closer to the boys after discovering their stories, I fell in love with them even more.

Each day we grew closer and closer, we were truly inseparable. Alan took his claimed seat on the left of me and Daniel on my right clutching on to my arms as if holding on for dear life. As we were making our transition to the craft table Alan pulled me down to his eye level and told me he loved me and before I knew it plopped a kiss on my cheek, blushed a little and continued to the craft table with no care in the world. For a second I stood a bit shocked trying to comprehend the fact that an eleven year old boy just kissed me on the cheek, it was quite comical to tell you the truth. The day carried on and we were now at the snack station chomping away at our goldfish crackers like there was no tomorrow, when Daniel leans over and tells me that I was his sister, reaches over, taps my forehead and says he loves me. As the words came out of his mouth I could feel my eyes starting to water. I had never encountered people who were so loving all of the time, from then on it almost became a game we played each day, we’d tap each others faces and confess our love for each other, we were a little family. I now began to realize I wouldn’t be there forever, and that soon enough id have to leave my little boys and head back to reality. I started to cherish the days more and more.

Before I knew it, it was my last day and we were heading to the orphanage for a barbeque with the kids before we left. The boys and I made every last second count, we had a blast. We played on the swings, with bubbles, hula hoops, soccer balls, we sang songs and played tag, we danced until we couldn’t feel our legs, ate all the cookies we could find and just were completely happy with each others company. After all the fun we had, that dreaded time had come, it was time to say our goodbyes. The boys gave me all the crafts they’d made me and told me we were family and that we always would be, they told me how much they’d miss me and how they hoped id come back soon. I broke, everything they were saying just completely touched me and I began to feel tears run down my cheeks. The boys wiped my tears and hugged me almost like a parent would do with a child. I tried to pull myself together, for them, and right as I thought I could go on without sobbing both of the boys began crying, as if we had taken turns to let our emotions run a muck. No matter how hard it was, we had to leave. I gave them my last hug, Alan on his claimed right side and Daniel on the left, and that was it. I walked to the truck and climbed into the back and was ready to cry some more. We drove a couple feet and then all of a sudden I saw all of the kids running after our truck, and Daniel and Alan screaming my name. It was the most bittersweet moment in all of eternity, and before I knew it, I was on my way. By the end of that trip, the people did become family, and the place became home.