The Adventures of Cambria: Photos!

Here are some of my favorite photos from life in Panama.

Unfortunately, I cannot upload photos of any of the orphans faces or write their real names...until further notice. (The government has some rules for the protection of the kids...which is good, but a bummer for me) :)

We stayed at an orphange for 3 days...it was such an amazing time to get to know these kids and show them the love of Christ that they are so in need of.

Though the basic needs of the children are met, they lack the special care and love that comes from a real family. They are neglected and often suffer abuse. They suffer symptoms of institutionalization and if they are never adopted they will most likely end up abandoning their own children. It is a cycle in Panama that we are trying to break by coming alongside Matt and Misty (directors of Hearts Cry Children's Ministry) and helping raise awareness of the orphan problem and promoting adoption and foster care.

Most Panamanians dont know there are orphans here. There are VERY little adoptions that take place. As things are now, the odds are against any of these kids ever having a family.

Since orphans are looked down on...the chances of these kids ever having a normal life is slim unless they one day find a real family.

These are the things the publication we are making addresses.

He is 2. I especially loved him and I like to think he liked me too :)
He has three siblings in the orphanage with him, and we found out their mother is a prostitute.
By Panama's definition he is not an orphan because his mom is still alive...

We saw a sloth at the orphanage. It was cool to see, but my favorite part was how the kids reacted to it! They were fascinated. Almost as much as me.

She is the oldest in the orphanage, and everyone knows it :)

....she is the sister of the boy before...and the oldest of the clan. She was quite the personality, but when we took the cameras out she got very shy