Behold the Little Ones

When I went to Ecuador in 2001 to volunteer in the orphanages, I couldn't have imagined the impact that those short months would have on the rest of my life. I went to Ecuador to help them, to teach them, it was for them. But somehow these little beings, who couldn't talk, or even express themselves, taught me more about life and love and God's Plan.

Heidi and Maria Jose (9 years old)

One of the hardest principles for me to grasp was how is it fair that a child could be born with severe disabilities, be put in an orphanage (in Ecuador of all places,) and spend 90% of her day in a crib or wheelchair, never to be adopted or have a family? How is that fair, when I was born healthy, to a family who loved me and wanted me and in America. I suddenly felt really really selfish. Why would God put a perfect soul in such a horrible place? How was this God's Plan?

In the pre-mortal realm we learned that the body was part of God’s great plan of happiness for us. As it states in the family proclamation: “Spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life." In fact, we “shouted for joy” to be part of this plan.

Why were we so excited? We understood eternal truths about our bodies. We knew that our bodies would be in the image of God. We knew that our bodies would house our spirits. We also understood that our bodies would be subject to pain, illness, disabilities, and temptation. But we were willing, even eager, to accept these challenges because we knew that only with spirit and element inseparably connected could we progress to become like our Heavenly Father and “receive a fullness of joy."

[Susan Tanner, Ensign 11/2005]

Edison, Heidi and Simon

When God said that we would come to this earth to gain a body and be tested so that we could live with him again, even if that meant that we would have to suffer pain and sorrows-we couldn't wait. Now, some of us would only go down if we were given perfect bodies and perfect lives, and others (the truly perfect) said, "I'll come down and be a handicapped orphan in Ecuador, even if that means I will never live a full life, or a life with family or friends."

Daniel and Edison (8 years old) doing paint therapy

When I left Ecuador the first time, I cried and cried and cried. I cried for months after I was married, and cried more when I found out some of the children had died. I cried when I found out that a baby was adopted in Ecuador-why couldn't she have been adopted to a U.S family? I cried because for the first time in my life I was closer to heaven than I had ever been before, and I missed them terribly. And I still cry because I know that unless I am lucky, most of them I will not see again on this earth.

Lucia Cecilla (Lucy)-with paint on her face from therapy


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But I was lucky, and I got the chance to go back. And when I walked through the doors-there they were, the perfect angels I had left behind: Edison, Maria Jose, Simon, Martin and Lucy-"Los Pequeñitos de OSSO."

Martin Javier and Edison
(Martin was appox. 1 month old, and Edison was 2 years old when I had last seen them.)

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For more information about OSSO go to their web page at www.orphanagesupport.org