Hailey's Going Back

Here's Hailey Crawford with two friends she met in March 2007. She's responsible for giving me the nudge to take a team of youth back to Costa Rica.
Hailey was a super team member. She never flinched at any task she was given. Kids were around her all the time and she had smiles and hugs for them all. My concern is ... will she be disappointed when she returns? Is she looking for familiar faces? The children who were close to her in 2007 may not be there in 2009. How will she feel if she recognizes one of them but they don't remember her? How will her role as a team member in 2009 be different than in 2007? What was she thinking about when she said she wanted to return?

Hailey is in for a great surprise. The orphanage is a bit different today. The children are housed in family groups rather than age groups. Each "casa" has multi-aged chidren living there...more like a real family. Possibly with a few more children than most of the families we know. What is really special about this huge change is now siblings will be living together. Each house has room for about 12 - 15 children. The older children can now assume some resonsbilities for caring for the younger children.

I know that Hailey will find some new "amigos" this time. We have been told that there will be about 120 children at the orphanage this year (about 50 more than in 2007). They may even be ready for another soccer game. Get ready Hailey. Your group from Noble County may need to practice a bit as part of their preparation for the trip. Who's bringing a soccer ball? I can keep score. Bonnie