I got to meet new people who became part of my family through love...

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! 

 

This fall, I went on two trips. The first was to see friends and family, and to meet new members of my family. Once we arrived, we ate dinner, talked about new and exciting things that had happened in each of our lives, and waited in anticipation for events that would come later in the week. My family ate a large meal and was entertained. We danced together, we played ping-pong against each other, had a small soccer game, flew kites together, and ate delicious food as one big family. We opened up to one another and celebrated grand events together. We celebrated mass as a family and sang songs together. We showed our love for each other in various ways, such as teasing and complimenting each other, sharing experiences, and smiling together.

 

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.