Iona in Mission (IIM): Bolivia Day 5

Hogar Maria Auxiliadora

Today, our lives changed forever. We entered into a home where 45 abandoned and orphaned girls of the city of Cochabamba live together, have made a family out of strangers and finally have a safe place to come back to at the end of the day. We learned today that the mere presence of compassion, love and kindness do more for tortured souls than any amount of money or toys. We saw five year old children wash their own clothes with dirty water carried from the orphanage well. We saw precious children find joy in our smiles and hugs. We saw the sisters as the mothers to 45 girls whose parents left them on the street. We saw girls 5-18 years old use makeshift notebooks to educate themselves and come prepared to school with their homework. This experience opened our eyes: what can we do to take back that light from their beautiful brown eyes?  What can we do to continue to make a difference in their lives, what will we bring home with us to share with the Iona community to tell their story? 

-Christina DeCrescenzo, IIM Moderator, Admissions Counselor  ‘08