Below is a blog post by Molly Deinhart. Molly is 15 years old and from Knoxville, Tennessee. Last November, she visited NPH El Salvador on a Vision Trip. Here's what she had to say!
Now, I bet you wouldn’t believe
that this family wasn’t created through blood or marriage, it was created
through love. We were all different but connected. We were connected through
God and through love. This all happened about a month ago at NPH El Salvador,
not in the United States like you might have thought.
It was a day with warm weather, and
a cool breeze, the sun’s rays were shining upon the ground, and children’s
laughter rang out around us. We were surrounded by family and friends, happiness
filled my heart, it seized my emotions and didn’t let go. On our first full day
at the establishment, we arrived at NPH, and some children came to see us
arrive, and they were so excited for us to be there, beaming in happiness. My
family’s godchild was one of the kids that came to greet us. Our godson is 15
years old which is the same age as me. We talked with him for a while, trying
to convert our minds to speaking Spanish instead of English. It was hard at
first, but the more that I talked, the more easily it came to me. All of us
went up to the soccer field where there was already a small soccer game going
on with a mixture of Pequeños and Americans playing together. There were also
some of the younger girls and boys flying kites and running around, screaming
and laughing. It was truly amazing to see these children having so much fun. My
dad, our godson, and I sat on the side of the field, just talking, for a really
long time. My dad and our godson walked around the field while I went to fly
kites with some of the little girls.
Unfortunately, after that, we had
to leave. However, we were going into the city, Santa Ana, to visit the college
students from NPH. We were greeted with a very warm welcome, receiving hugs,
introductions, a tour, and great food. We ate dinner in an open-air courtyard
and everyone bonded more deeply. My dad and I sat at a table with two young
women and a young man. We sat there for a few hours, talking and laughing.
That week, I got
to meet new people who became part of my family through love. I created much
deeper bonds than I had ever hoped or imagined was possible. That week before
Thanksgiving, I found more and more people to be thankful for and I also was
given more people in my family to pray for each day. So, for my first trip, I
went to visit my family in El Salvador. Then, the next week, was my second trip
in which I traveled to Chicago and saw my aunts and uncles for Thanksgiving.
Both trips were family focused and beautiful in their own way.