Things that bring me Joy!

Today we went to the Santa Dominica orphanage on the island. Some highlights:

-We loaded a truck full of humanitarian hygiene kits prepared by the Church and delivered them to the orphanage. Having assembled kits at various Relief Society activities, it was touching to see them arrive at their final destination.

-The Navy band came along and played some fun tunes, including “When the Saints Go Marching In” and the hokey pokey.

-The kids had prepared a musical program for us. They performed some traditional songs and dances, as well as a few American songs (including “You lift me up” by Josh Groban and “Ice Ice Baby.” So unexpected!)

-I brought a bunch of stickers to give to the kids and they LOVED them. It was so fun to see their excitement.

-I was surprised that quite a few of them spoke English. When I got there, a group of girls came up to me and said, “Hello? What is your name?”

The whole experience—the kids, the music, the interaction—brought me joy!

Also, someone who was on the island the other day wanted to check out a local paper, so they picked one up, only to find that our friend was on the front page! It was an LDS optometrist (Scott Farrell) from our group performing an eye exam. How fortunate that someone randomly decided to pick up the paper…and how fun that he had a moment of fame!