Rumah Bapaku Orphanage

Hello! It's been a while since I posted my last entry and now that I'm in a crazy mood to write a blog, so here you go! Haha

In this entry, I want to share what I've learned from my little visit to an orphanage called 'Rumah Bapaku' in Bali. It was an honor to do a little charity there. My friends and I had so much fun playing with the kids, they were all so happy, eager, and excited to see us, which makes me even happier to meet them. There were around 60 students (including me) from Tunas Indonesia High School that were divided into groups of five until eight. 

Each group had to pick three kids from the orphanage so that we could interact and play with them. I was looking for three kids but they were all already got groups. By the help from our group's mentor, Miss Linda, we finally found three little girls named Desy, Joly, and Sari. They were all still in elementary school (around ten to eleven years old.) I had an incredible time with them. They were very sweet, funny, and inspiring.

It was dinner time and when I finished my food, Sari took a hold of my hand and showed me a beautiful drawing of a girl, it was anime and she did pretty amazing. I thanked her and she just smiled sweetly yet innocently. Then came Joly with a piece of paper in her hand and she gave it to me shyly. It was a painting of a room, with pink walls and it was so pretty. The owner of the orphanage, Natasha, called all of us to the living room to watch a short film of how did she decide to build the orphanage. I watched closely as I kept recording the whole movie on my mind. 

Apparently, it all started from Natasha's father who cared so much about her and used to take her out from a village to another so that they could interact with other people and spread the words of God for them. Natasha grew up in a religious family because her father was a reverend. As a child, she told her father that one day, she wanted to make a big house so that other children that didn't have any place to stay could stay in her big house. She grew up into a very successful lady but despite all the wealthy and success she's got, that didn't make her break her promise to her father, which had passed away. 

She even came back from where she worked in Los Angeles and made an orphanage in 2009 and had thirty-six children lived (and still are living) in there. Her husband, Bram, was a very generous man and he helps her through everything. These husband and wife seriously inspire me. 

Until now, there are still thirty-six children in the orphanage and they live happily there. I made friends with Desy, Joly, and Sari. When it was time to play, i took them outside to give them something. Bit before that, I told them that i had a story and they were actually listening to me.

The story was basically about my life. I told them I was a failure because of a stupid mistake I had and I thought my life would be ended *snap* just like that. But no. Instead, God had other greater plans for me. I got accepted in Tunas Indonesia Senior High School and my principal, Mr. Charles, offered me to join the accelleration study program, and guess what? I made it. Yesterday, I got an announcment saying that I passed my national final exams and graduated. How cool was that. Graduating at such young age (seventeen).

Back to the story. I told them to never stop dreaming, they nodded their heads understandingly. This was actually my first time ever to tell people about my life story, not that I'm complaining though. I asked each one of them, "What's your dream?" Desy and Joly wanted to be a reverend, Sari wanted to be a doctor. I told the kids that my dad is a reverend and they were actually quiet surprised. "No wonder why you can tell us such inspiring stories, just like other reverends out there." Joly said. I literally just laughed.

I also told them to never give up. This one is pretty mainstream I know. But they seemed hopeless back there, they wanted to have a perfect life. They even envied me for being in a family. "You will have one too, soon. Don't worry." I reassured them. I told them to be grateful and thankful for Ayah (the way they call Bram) and Bunda (how they call Natasha) for accepting them there in Rumah Bapaku Orphanage, i made them promise not to disappoint their guardians, because Bram and Natasha were the only parents they had.

They were getting really interested in our conversation because they kept scooting closer and closer to me like I was their older sister. It was a great feeling having three sweet girls around me, two of them were hugging my sides, and laid their heads on my shoulders as I kept telling them my stories. 

I made them promise not only to never give up, but also never be afraid to imagine extraordinary things. They were just kids and it wasn't illegal to imagine crazy things like... I don't know... Have a private yacht? Buy an insland? Go to the tallest building on earth and watch every view around it? Have an enormous house? It was all their decisions in which to imagine.

I gave them bracelets as a promise to never break our promisses. They gladly accept them and hugged me saying a sweet thank you. I cried, I couldn't hold it anymore. Knowing that maybe I'm not going to see them again hurts. 

Maybe, just maybe, one day I would see them again in different situations... being popular, success, and wealthy. Who knows?