May 31, 2013: Day 5

We just left the Sākiai orphanage - our first kids on the trip. Right now, they have 37 kids, from 4 months to 17 years old. When we went, most of them were in school, but we got to interact with the younger ones for quite some time. I made a couple of really cute friends, one who was about 7-months-old (super active, smiley little girl,)

and another little girl who was about 3. (She's the one sitting closest to me in the picture below.)

She looked a lot like my curly-haired friend that I met last year:

and she was the right age, but the director said that she knew of the girl (pictured above) who I was speaking of, and said that she's been adopted by a new family! Praise God! In fact, the new friend I made today has also been adopted, and is waiting for her new family to come and pick her up. Another moment of praise! As hard as it was to put her down after cuddling her and rocking her, I take comfort in knowing that someone else will love her and make her their priority - her future is bright, and so leaving her is not difficult. 

Tonight is an exciting field trip: Concordia University's a capella choir is singing in Riga, and Caitlynn, both my roommate on the trip and at my apartment this summer, sings in the choir, and will be joining them for her final college-career concert. I'll also get to see my friends Steven and Natalie, fellow Improv actors with me at Concordia, and I'm so excited to see them! They're like older siblings to me, and I can't wait to heart hem sing and then give them a gigantic "Steph hug."

Today has been (and promises to continue to be,) a good day. All previous stresses from airplane travels and airport woes are behind us - we're off to a great start! :)