this is it. ten months of blogging and here we are, at the end! i felt like i needed to post one more time to wrap things up, and to say thank you for being a part of this.

what a year. at times really hard, at times (most of the time) so much fun. i had the best job ever - i got to love on 35 kids who were desperate for constant, unconditional love and attention. as i was pouring into them, they made me feel awesome!

God changed me in ways i never thought possible, and that i'm still realizing. he taught me the importance of time with him every day...reading my bible, writing in a journal, and finding an incredible devotional. he taught me that there are reasons to be thankful in every situation, it's just that once in a while it takes me a little longer to find it. he taught me the importance of trusting him. not just trusting, but along with that, worrying less because he has got it under control. he taught me to calm down with my type-a-high-strung-control-freak personality and be more laid back and content with the way things are. he taught me the beauty of being accepted and immersed in a third world country, and that i have a lot to learn from his people.

the kids taught me a lot, too. alex and tonio taught me how to pray without words. teddy taught me how to laugh. marcos and jose taught me patience and helped me learn what it means to love unconditionally. nene taught me how to communicate in different ways. ruben and pilar taught me to appreciate hugs and kisses, and give them more freely. josue taught me the importance of an uninterrupted conversation. sergio taught me how to have fun. ely, chely, and sonia taught me how much you can say with a smile, and to be thankful. jaime taught me what it's like to love someone.

and you, all of you reading, wherever you are...you taught me to keep going. you taught me that there will always be a safety net of people loving, praying for, and encouraging me. i knew you were there, and for that i am so grateful.

i'll be back. but until then, i leave you with this:

love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. love never fails. - 1 corinthians 13:7

well...i left. it's not like i didn't think i would. but still, it's weird.

hanna and the boys made me the most awesome stuff...a sign that they put on the fence that says we love you hilary, and then a book of cards that 1st grade and preschool made, where each kid has their own page. it's adorable. and then sidney got the fingerprints of every kid and made this thing...there's a picture of it below. it was really sweet. it was so good to be able to say that i'll see them in 2 months...that made such a difference. alex and tonio were crying before i left and that was hard. i hope, but i also know, that they're going to be okay. they need lots of prayers whenever there are big changes in their lives, and this is one of them.

i'll post again later this week to wrap things up :/

on a happier note...i'm at krista's house in san diego! it's red tide tonight, which means there has been a rapid increase in the population of algae in the water, or something like that. what happens is when it's dark out, the waves look fluorescent as they break. literally like there's a light show happening on the ocean floor. it's incredible, and doesn't happen that often! they're packing up - krista and her two sisters - to go on a two week mission trip to haiti tomorrow. it's a bummer they're leaving so soon but i'm really excited for them...and also to hang out on the beach for a few days!

we had lots of fun playing outside today! it was a nice warm day so all the kids hung out outside until lunch time. in the summer, everyone's outside all morning, but it really hasn't been warm enough yet this spring to bring them out. crazy!

here's a cute video of josue and his bike.

they had a little surprise goodbye party today! it was really sweet.

jose helping feed, as usual. he gets so much joy out of helping...i've learned a lot from him.

hanna has been going up to the boys' room at night to read a chapter from charlotte's web to them and pray. it's so awesome, and i'm so happy she's doing it. it's such a sweet, family type thing to do, and i know the boys don't get a lot of that. i went with her today to give the boys their present...i printed out an 8x10 picture of all of us in front of the bus with becky's welcome back sign in the background and put it in this big frame that someone gave me. it adds some nice color to their room! it was great to spend family time with them. hanna and i read to them for a little bit and then we talked about what happened today that we were thankful for, and then everyone prayed...such a sweet way to spend time together. i am so, so, grateful that hanna is here. she loves the kids here so much and they know that. it definitely is making it a little bit easier to leave.

some videos:

jumping!

nene

darrell's back! and we have the perfect chair for him...thank you Lord! a friend of mine donated a bike and this chair a few months ago after his 3 year old son died of cancer. i have felt kind of bad that we haven't been able to use the wheelchair (the kids love the bike)...but all in good time. yay!

i think i accidentally got nene hooked on chapstick. she discovered it awhile ago and asks to use it, and usually i'll let her...now it's the first thing she looks for in my pocket whenever she walks up to me. oops.

this morning we had story time! kids were out of their seats and in bean bag chairs, on the floor, i put ely in the armchair, and we read for an hour. it was AWESOME. what's better than someone reading to you? not much, i can tell you that.

and little miss nene did wonderful, and no one was forcing her to read with us! she listened intently, asking to see the pictures on each page, for a book and a half. and then she looked through a book ON HER OWN while i read with ely. oh man. monumental. love her, and i love watching the change as she grows up!

i said bye to pastor cande, angelica, eliseo, caleb, and rocio today. gahh. the good thing is i'll see them in less than 2 months! it was not fun though, that's for sure.