"Can I have that candy inside your bag?"
I was startled when Alfado proposed that question. Yes I had candies inside my bag, and I didn't tell anybody about it. A hypothesis pops out of my mind, he probably took a peek inside my bag when i left it in the hall of the orphanage. I'm not surprised.
"How did y-" I paused into a smile. "I'll give you some if you join with the others and be a good lad. They're having fun over there, what about you?" I said as I winked at him. With a small groan, he went to join the others.
Alfado was one of the children at the orphanage that was always up to something and resulting a label that says 'keep cautious'. I admit, he was a handful and the others thought so too. But I always knew there was a thing to it, he was trying to tell something through his acts. Was he trying to give a signal that he is unhappy? Despite showing behavior that was somewhat unruly, Alfado wasn't the only one who was trying to send a message. The other children, the toddlers, mid-age children, and the teenagers, they were very welcoming to us, the fellow mission trip volunteers. They cooperated well through the whole activities provided by us and made spectacular outcomes (handicrafts, songs, dances, bible knowledge, team building, etc). Oh and did I mention that they were super talented in playing music? They're very excellent at it.
They smiled! They insisted on helping us when we were tidying up even when we rejected their offer! They danced with us through the dance practice routines! They had jokes with us! They played game with us! They relaxed at the beach with us! They made me nervous, did our team made them happy? I was in doubt because we were the ones who was happy because of them. They made us happy.
I often wonder how the children ended up in the orphanage, where did they came from? do they know what an orphanage means? do their parents know how much worth they have missed by letting their child grow up in a place they did not asked for? Are the children free to be happy?
Previously I have mentioned that we relaxed at the beach with them. Yes, we left the orphanage with a bus, going south to enjoy the sea breezes. It was freedom for them, truly, it was freedom. They played their ball till it deflated, they ran with the strong winds to see who was the fastest, they ate free ice creams from us till we ran out of stock. Hours wasn't enough for them to take loose of their daily lives in the orphanage. Then it was time to go home, of course they had trouble accepting the situation. If it was possible, would they make a boat from the tree branches and sail away to pursue their inner joy? I think they may.
Alfado and the children at this orphanage was only a small part of the 140 million orphans in the world (CAFO 2018). Imagine how many children out there who are trying to send a message, who deserves our love and joy to be shared. They have great potentials, just like every person in the world. I have a dream to see those children be 'alive' and 'free', and I believe that I, you, my friend, your friend, your teacher, your cousin, the person that you passed from the streets, and everybody can make that come true, all we need is, love.
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has the eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
— Saint Augustine
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