One Child

We are proud to announce that we have taken photos of all the children atSagrada Familia! We finished much quicker than we had expected, and God granted us time to simply love and play with the kids! To start showing the world their worth, each of us want to introduce you to the child at Sagrada Familia who made the biggest impact on us. The question: If you could introduce one child from Sagrada Familia to the world, who would it be and why?

Carter

I would have to say Saúl. He was in a wheelchair, but he had more joy that I’ve ever seen before in my life. We have little problems that don’t even come close to comparing to his, but he has

such overflowing joy! It’s humbling to see his joy. We have so much and we’re so unhappy, while he is in a situation that most of the world would consider terrible and he has unbelievable joy. His joy rubbed off on me and on the other children at the orphanage.

Darden

Samira, definitely Samira. At first when we were hanging out, she wouldn’t smile at all. It was like she didn’t want my attention or love. She rarely smiled. I loved her, but she didn’t really love me back, at least in the way that I loved her. It reminded me of our relationship with God. The fact that we don’t always love Him doesn’t affect His love for us.

Ellen

Johana. What affected me most about her was that she just sat in her highchair without any instinct to reach toward me or desire to be held. You could tell that she felt like one in a million, like no one cared for her. After I played with her and loved her all day, she went from no smiles to only smiles! She knew that she mattered to me, and that she was my priority.

Greg

If I could introduce you to one person at Sagrada Familia, it would be Andrea. She is somewhere around eight months old and she is precious. She is very quiet and loves to be held. Her eyes are beautiful and curious at the same time. The warmth of her cheeks

and sweat in her hair would bring you joy. She can stand up but cannot walk on her own. When she sleeps in

your arms she is at peace. She never begs for attention, but when she gets it you can tell she

feels safe and loved.

Jordyn

I would have to say Fresia. She’s four years old, and I would say that she’s the epitome of Sagrada Familia. She’s happy where she is. She loves her home. All she wants is someone to love her. She needs physical and emotional attention. God loves her so much and she has no idea. I want her to know. The children of Sagrada Familia are content where they are, all they want is someone to show them they’re worth something.

Sam

When we were at the orphanage, I met this one boy. He was a lot quieter and shier than other boys. I sort of connected with that since I’m pretty quiet and shy. I began playi

ng with this boy and attempting to talk to him. I was even able to get him to l

augh and smile. This young boy’s name is Angel. I want the world to know about Angel because I was able to connect with him only a couple of hours.

Sandy

Daniella attached to me the minute we got to her house. She held on to m eand played with my hair, water, and bracelet the whole time we were taking pictures of all the girls in the house. After we finished, I showed her the testimony that I had made (each of us had our own that

shared a part of our story) and asked her if she could read it. She read the whole thing out lou

d, drawing a small group of girls to us, and then said, “Is this true?” I said yes and she gave me a hug. Then all the little girls sitting with us wanted to read it! One by one they took turns, proudly showing me how well they could read and loving the attention. Oh, Father God, let those words become truth in their lives!

Sarah

If I could introduce the world to one child from Sagrada Familia, I would hand you a precious 7-year-old who thrives on my hugs and kisses. This precious girl hung onto my legs the first night at the orphanage as I tried to walk away. I treasured the moment, expecting to never see

her again. She is 1 in 922. But God blessed me. The next day as I walked up a sidewalk in the orphanage she ran to my arms. I spent the rest of the day holding her, tickling her, loving her. She didn’t cling to me because she wanted a picture; she made me put my camera away. For those two days I gave her love, but she gave me so much more. She opened my eyes to the children who stand with their arms wide open, looking for love.

Sydney

Alvaro. Alvaro was only fifteen days old. He was so young and weak and sick. He deserved so much better care. He needed to be in a hospital or at least seeing a doctor. Orphan care is not something that can wait. Alvaro can’t wait for the treatment he needs.

Tori

Last year, I met and fell in love with a little girl named Carmensita. She is five years old, and she had a disability that is very similar to cerebral palsy and something wrong with her eyes. All year long, I yearned to see her again. I prayed for her every day. I sent money to have her eyes examined. Words cannot express my joy at seeing her again. Tears streamed freely. She remembered me. I made her laugh. I held her. I loved her. No matter how far away we are, or how little I get to see her can ever change how much I love her. Seeing her is what I look forward to every day of the year.