27 Baptisms and 2 Baby Boys

Last week, we 27 of our children were baptized into the Catholic faith. Each of them was dressed in his/her finest, all the little girls in dresses of white. They all had a godfather and godmother. I was asked to be Natalia’s, but was unable to because I’m not Catholic. I was really honored to be asked, however. The baptisms were done by Padre Cheche, a Mexican priest and my favorite of those who give mass here, and Father Luta, a visiting priest originally from Uganda. Padre Cheche gave a really interesting explanation of baptism. He said the purpose of baptism is to wash one clean of original sin. But, he asked, are these little ones capable of sin? No, but they come into the world sinners regardless. He gave an example of a baby born with HIV. It’s not the baby’s fault, but the baby still has the disease. And we do everything in our power to help that baby cope with the illness. Similarly, he explained, these little ones are born into sin through no fault of their own, and we do everything we can to help them, which means we baptize them. I’m not sure if I’m explaining it or translating it well at all, but it was something that stuck with me. It was fun to see the kids’ different reactions to water being poured on their heads, from laughter to tears. Henry, one of our special needs boys, really wanted to play in that pool of water. I really love how steeped in tradition the Catholic church is, and it was special to be a part of an important moment in our NPH Honduras family.

In other Ranch news, our newest additions are twin 3 month-olds, Alan and Ricardo, and their 3 year-old sister Berenice (it sounds so much prettier in Spanish). They come from the nearby town of Talanga and were part of our comedor project, but have now come to live at the Ranch. The boys look like two little old men. I had my first up close and personal encounter with them today. I went up to the clinic where all new kids stay for a few weeks, and Tiffany had just prepared a bottle for Ricardo. I had the pleasure of giving it to him, which brought back my Connor nanny days. He fell asleep in my arms like a little caterpillar and managed to nuzzle his head right under my chin. I know exactly where I’ll be spending all my free time for the next six weeks.