Bringing Hope to Children

I ALMOST DIDN’T GO

When I first visited Misioneros del Camino, I almost didn’t go. I had just gotten out of surgery, and the doctor told me I shouldn’t travel. But I wanted to be there so badly that I went anyway—with a cast and crutches. From the moment I arrived, the children surrounded me with hugs. They laughed at my broken foot story and asked me to tell it again and again, even wanting me to explain how surgery worked. Their joy in something so simple made me feel connected to them instantly.

Each day with them was full of energy. We played soccer in the field, ran around, and played hide-and-seek. We made bracelets, drew, and spent hours just being together. In the evenings, we gathered in the chapel where they sang with such passion, even adding dance moves to the songs. What touched me most was how much they remembered. On later visits, they would bring up details I had told them the year before. It showed me how much every small moment mattered. Leaving was always the hardest part. They cried when it was time to say goodbye and chased the bus as it drove away, waving until I couldn’t see them anymore.

One of the most meaningful encounters I had was with a girl named Dashlin. When I first met her, she had only been there for two weeks. When I asked who her friends were, she told me she didn’t have any. I told her I would be her friend, but at first she stayed quiet. Later, I learned her story. She had left home to pay a bill, and while she was gone, her mother’s boyfriend killed her mom. When she came back, she heard her little sister screaming and saw what had happened. She blamed herself for leaving. After that, she and her sisters went to live with an uncle who neglected them. She had never been to school and was malnourished when she arrived at the orphanage.

In the beginning, she was withdrawn, but by the end of that first trip she told me I was her first friend. When I returned the following year, she had changed—she had made friends, her sisters felt more comfortable, and they had begun to participate in chapel services, school, and therapy. Over time, I saw them grow healthier, happier, and more hopeful.

That experience changed me. I loved those girls so much, and every time I returned, I felt joy seeing how much brighter they had become. They taught me that even after the hardest experiences, healing is possible. They showed me that with love, care, and hope, children can recover and find happiness again. That is what sparked my passion for helping kids—being part of that healing, bringing hope where it feels lost, and reminding them that they are deeply loved.