We can do no great things
Only small things with great love
Mother Teresa

In Juchitan, Mexico, there is a paradise that offers love, compassion and safety to children of southern Mexico...
It is an orphanage called Pimpollo.
Our One World group stayed in Pimpollo for two weeks.
We were greeted by many children on our arrival.
They have never met us before neither do they know our names,
but they called us "Amiga", meaning friend, and asked us to play with them.
I didn't speak much Spanish, but it didn't matter.
Language didn't prevent us from being friends.
These kids came from broken families.
Their belongings do not even fill a drawer.
They have to share their room with 10 other kids
They don't have much education
They don't know much about this world
But they know happiness.
They know the beauty of sharing.
They hugged me, held my hands and told me "I love you"
It didn't matter why I am there
nor did it matter how long I am staying…
We are friends

Tototepec is a small village up the mountain away from the city.
The only way you can get to the village is by a pick up truck that comes by every hour.
Toto has a population of about 3000 and basically everyone knows each other.
The village is a farming community. Each family owns land where they grow food for their survival.
Lives are difficult...They spent their day making sure there will be dinner on the table for the family
In order to earn a living, many men have leave their family and work illegally in the US.
So it's a village that consists mainly of elderly, women and children.

Knowing how little they earn… their hospitality was just amazing.
They greeted us and took us into the best houses in the village.
They served us fresh eggs and chickens while they ate beans and chili
They gave us their beds and slept on the floor
They carried water from the river and boiled water for us to shower

They even gave us handmade gifts…

On my trip…I saw lots
I saw kids who do not have their parents.
I saw children running without shoes.
I saw villagers that depends on river and wells for drinking water.
I saw families who use wood for fire.
I saw people born into a system that prevent them from meeting "standard of living".
I saw poverty.

Yet,
I saw children standing up and caring for one another.
I saw children having hours and hours of fun playing hopscotch in their bear feet
I saw families sitting happily together at a tipsy table enjoying a simple meal with just tortillas and beans
I saw people living for each other
I saw love and unity between people

Happiness does not come from how much you own,
Happiness does not come from what brand name you wear
Happiness does not come from how big your room is
Happiness does not come from how full your wallet is.
Happiness comes from how much you are willing to give.