They Are Not Forgotten

Blog post written by Alli Tomita

Orange, California

Today our team went to two special needs homes, one for kids and one for adults. At the adults center, I met a lady who couldn’t communicate much with words. She had conversations with many people including me through her facial expressions, hand motions, and especially her eye contact. I spent the majority of my time with her simply looking into her eyes and smiling, which I didn’t think was too important. As time passed,, I realized that she was looking at me and longing for connection, probably because she doesn’t get enough attention while living in an orphanage. It made me wonder how lonely she feels, and how lonely the other people at these centers feel day after day. These thoughts were overwhelming. Thinking about living in that sort of situation is something that I could never have imagined before this trip.

My good friend Justin Takiguchi told me before our trip that it’s one thing to hear about the poverty and struggles in the world, but actually seeing it with your own eyes is something completely different. When he told me this, I really didn’t get it. But today was incredibly eye opening for me and I’m sure it was for the other team members too. Although it was hard to see so many children and adults growing up in orphanages, it was such a blessing to be able to make them happy and to remind them that they are not forgotten. He knows their names. They are not only loved by our crazy group of Gringos, but more importantly, by their heavenly father, who pours out His love on them in so many ways. It was awesome to see how well these residents know their Bibles and understand the hope of the Gospel through the ongoing work of Sus Hijos at their centers. I’m so glad that I got to be a part of that today!