Leaps and Bounds

The young men and women at Mensajeros were fabulous today. I arrived just as the other volunteers were leaving, and Teresa ran out the door to give me a hug! Teresa and I colored all morning while Maria tossed crayons around the table, laughing all the while. After about an hour I brought out the new ball, purchased yesterday afternoon, and Maria spent the next hour in the hallway bouncing it off the walls and ceilings, thoroughly enjoying herself. She throws it up or down or sideways, but doesn't watch it, so it's always a surprise when it lands back on her head or bounces down the hall. She's a character.

Pancho was in much better spirits today, too. He ate all of his lunch without a single fuss, and after lunch he came over to hold hands and stand beside me while I watched Maria finish her food.

And Teresa continues to amaze me. She was eating an apple when I arrived, and she took me into the kitchen to show me how she could cut it up with a knife. I'm starting to realize that she really can do almost anything, and they trust her with many of the things that I am weary of. She can sew, she folds the laundry, she busses her dishes, she helps change Pancho's diaper, she can sweep, and I think she generally likes to help out around the apartment. She is the angel in disguise.