Birthday at Redeemer's Home

I must be getting really old because I've reached an age where I'm not very fond of big parties and noisy crowds anymore. So for the past 2 years I've been spending my birthdays with kids from Redeemer's Home. Redeemer's Home provides shelter and care for abandoned kids and infants. I've been visiting the kids since college and unfortunately some of the kids then are still there.

David is turning 12 and Patrick is 8. I talked to Kuya Bernard, the one in-charge of the place and the person whom the kids call "daddy", and found out that not very many people are looking to adopt kids who are as old as David as Patrick. I guess would-be parents want to avoid the complication of the kid knowing that he's adopted. There are also infants in Redeemer's and they get adopted more quickly.

Here's David.He's gotten so big!

Patrick!

If people only knew what great kids Patrick, David and the rest are. Haaay. I also like visiting Redeemer's because they're not as popular as other institutions like C.R.I.B.S in Marikina, thus they get less volunteers to play and bond the kids. And so I try to visit them as often as I can and I especially reserve my birthdays for them. They remind me of the kind of person I truly want to be.

Together with Ana, her boyfriend Leo and my other friend Jaypee we brought the kids Chicken Joy and Spaghetti from Jollibee. Ana brought books and we did a lot of running around, laughing and reading.

We didn't eat much before going to Redeemer's so you can just imagine our hunger at watching the kids enjoy spaghetti and chicken. I love pastas but I especially love Jollibee's.

The kids really know how to strike a pose. That my girl, Victoria!

And Patrick again. I don't mean to play favorites but I do feel a special affection for Patrick. For one he looks like Calvin! Second, he reminds me of me. Quiet and stubborn.

Here are some more shots of the kids!

That's Jonathan, I think.

Here's Jaypee with Jacob! Thank you Jaypee for finding time in your busy schedule to meet the kids.

Here are the kids reading some picture books Ana bought them. But man, that Virgilio Almario book was, uhm, weird. So we didn't have time to read the books beforehand, we had to read them first time with the kids. So we had no idea what was coming. There was this story: Once there was a god who fell in love with a mortal. So he went to her and stalked her in her dreams. Then they really got together and got married. But the mortal woman's sister were jealous of her for marrying a god. So she started to despise him. To save their relationship the god and the mortal left for heaven. The way to heaven is dangerous for mortals and true enough while crossing a rainbow bridge, the women fell to a pit of fire. And she died. And the god never loved anyone ever again. The end.

Imagine my face when we got to the ending.

Here's Ana mocking me.

Ana practicing her mom skills.

And here's Leo practicing his daddy skills!

I wouldn't have spent my birthday any other way.

If I had the money, I would adopt any of these kids, especially David and Patrick since they're the oldest of the bunch and have the least chances of getting adopted. But Kuya Bernard tells me that adoption procedures in the Philippines are more complicated than that. You go to DSWD, give them the kind of kid you're looking for and they choose for you. They choose from any institution any kid that matches your description of what you're looking for. Which means, if I do decide to adopt, I'm not gonna be able to choose David and Patrick. I get why the system's like that. Just sucks. Someday.

If you wish to help the kids of Redeemer's Home please text me at 09209267759!

Merry Christmas everyone!