starved for human attention. So, donât let it bother you if the younger ones want to be carried or touched.â
Bethany and the rest of the team looked at each other silently, trying to imagine what it would feel like to go through such horrorsâat such a young age.
âCan they be adopted?â Bethany asked when she found her voice again.
âWell, technically the true orphans can. But it is pretty hard to do in Mexico,â Maggie replied. âPeople ask that all the time though, and some really find their hearts going out to a particular kid and want to take him or her home. But it canât be done easily or with most kids.â
âSo, what happens to them?â Kai asked.
âAh, thatâs another tragic part of their story,â Maggie said sadly. âThe parents usually come back to claim their child when the kid is old enough to work in the streets. We often run into the kids on the streetâ¦itâs not a pretty sight.â
âThere ought to be a law against that,â Monica said from the other side of Bethany.
âWell, you will find that things are done a lot differently here than they are in the United States,â Maggie said with a sigh.
No kidding, Bethany thought. Even though the team had been through an orientation meeting before going on the trip, nothing had prepared them for thisâfor the cruel realities of children living in the grip of poverty.
The orphanage was nestled in a residential neighborhood. The two-story, bright pink building was surrounded by a large wall, the top of which was imbedded with glass and barbed wire.
Looks more like a prison than an orphanage, Bethany thought with a bit of dismay as the taxi parked in front of the door. She also noticed Kaiâs tight grip on his ukulele as he studied the hand-printed letters over the entrance that read, âEmmanuel Orphanage.â A small frown was forming on his face.
âThe kids are expecting us,â Maggie said with an encouraging smile as she opened the door of the taxi. âThere is no school today, and they rarely get something as exotic as a hula show, so they are really excited.â
As if on cue, dozens of small black-haired children rushed out to meet the group as they emerged from the taxi. They tugged on Bethanyâs shirt, laughing as they grabbed the teensâ hands and pulled them toward the gate of the orphanage. Bethany felt her heart melt as the few that surrounded her studied her missing arm with concern, whispering to each other in Spanish before turning back to her with wide, compassionate eyes.
They have it so much harder than I do. How could they feel sorry for me? she thought with amazement.
Maggie bent down and quietly explained something to the kids in their own language.
â Tiburon ?â One of the little ones asked in disbelief.
âSÃ, sÃ, tiburon,â Maggie replied patiently.
Mouths gaping wide, the children passed the word on to the latecomers, each of whom stared at Bethany in awe.
âI explained to them that you are a surfer who lost your arm to a shark,â Maggie said almost apologetically. âTheyâre just curious, and they really donât mean any harm by it.â
âSure, thatâs okay,â Bethany said, smiling at the little group before she turned back to Maggie. âIt always makes kids curious when they see someone missing an arm.â
âThey all want to hear what happened, but you donât have to talk about it if you donât want to.â
âNo, I donât mind at all. I like it when my story encourages others to learn more about God,â she said smiling shyly.
Maggie gave her a grateful smile. She turned back to the childrenânow gathered in a thick group around the teamâand explained that they would hear the story of the shark and see something special right from Hawaii.
The children squealed with delight and hurried to lead the team through
Roland Green, Harry Turtledove, Martin H. Greenberg
Gregory D. Sumner Kurt Vonnegut