Experiences. Mangos. Laughter

            I walk into the older girl's room in Kelly's house and find Hannah getting frustrated because she cannot communicate clearly with Brenda. Brenda is a 41 year old woman who lives in Kelly's house. We do not know her story but we do know that she gets very nervous and uncomfortable with people because of the past that she has had. She does not talk, she cannot extend her legs, and she has no expression. She is just Brenda. I walk over to where Brenda and Hannah are sitting and plop onto the desk next to her bed. I sit there and study Brenda for a minute or two. It is not her fault that she cannot communicate. She cannot help how she looks or acts because of the disease that she suffers from. God made her this way and there is a reason. Brenda does not get much attention either. Usually when groups come in they will want to hangout with the younger children that are more talkative and spontaneous.
             We decided to take Brenda for a walk around the house because she literally stays in the same spot every single day. Both Hannah and I grab one of Brenda's hands and help her stand. Her feet are so swollen because the blood cannot circulate properly in her legs. We walk slowly to the boy's room and tell them hello and then lead sweet Brenda outside. Brenda cannot talk but she can coo and say "oh". While we were walking, we could clearly hear her cooing which was a good sign. We walked for a few minutes and then took her back to her room. I sat on a stack of foam puzzle pieces while Brenda sat on the edge of her bed where she always sat. I held both of her hands and talked to her. I felt like I needed to pray though and I definitely could not say everything that I had to say in Spanish. I sat there and prayed aloud, in English, for Brenda and when I was done I looked at her and she shook her head as if she understood everything I just said.
         Here at Hope of Life we have very little fruit. We are lucky if we have it once a week and I have been craving it every single day. There is a mango tree between the elderly home and Kelly's house with some ripe mangoes on it. A few days ago I stood there for ten minutes throwing rocks at one measly mango but had no luck. Today I NEEDED to get that mango. I had a pair of tennis shoes in my backpack so I switched them with my flip flops and decided that I was going to climb that tree and get it. I climbed the tree and got as close as I could to the mango and started shaking the branch as hard as I could. My three coworkers were laughing hysterically at me but I was determined to get that fruit. I tried using a stick, a board, a rock and my flipflop but I could not get that mango to budge. After fifteen minutes the doctor was walking through to Kelly's house and saw me.
"I can get that" he said confidently.
I let him go right ahead. Apparently I was doing it wrong the entire time. He climbed way higher than me while only clinging to one branch. After one shake, two juicy mangos fell.
            After we finished eating our mangos, Hannah and I started to head back to our room which is a good ten minute walk up the mountain. We get so burnt out and tired here during the day that we do not want to walk that enormous hill unless we absolutely have to. We stopped to think and then decided that we were going to flag down some people on dirt bikes, or at least try to. Two minutes later two different men drove up and we had to run and wave at them to stop and turn around to get us. We begged for a ride up the mountain and the two men agreed. It was honestly the funniest thing that happened today. You see, we witness people and children here go through their daily lives solely depending on others for the rest of their lives. When you fall in love with these people and see how helpless they are it is completely heartbreaking. Little things like mooching a ride from two strangers was a much needed adventure. Looking behind me and seeing my best friend laughing her butt off while holding on to a random guy made me so happy.
              Do not take advantage of what God has blessed you with. He has blessed each of us in different ways with our own talents and dreams. I encourage you to spend some time with someone you would usually never hang around with. It may be awkward or weird but it blesses YOU more than it blesses THEM, believe me.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 
 -Galatians 3:28