Translate

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Compassion

"Compassion means to see the suffering of another, and to suffer with them. It’s seeing someone in pain or despair and having the desire to relieve it."



I have been rereading a devotional on my bible app to prepare my heart for the medical mission. I am so excited to be there and contribute my Spanish skills :) 

Let me share a little bit of what we do:

On Thursday we have a meeting about what we will be doing and we get a "job". I typically end up being a translator for triage (this is where the patients are being asked about their symptoms). 

On Friday we mostly see the children and their families of a school that Hope Worldwide Guatemala opened in the poorest of the poorest community. I love seeing the kids and how much they have grown these past 2 years. This school has students from first grade all the way from 6th grade. The children live in homes made right next to an old railroad. These families are very poor and the neighborhood is so dangerous that even the police don't even go through there. Well, this is where the Hope school was built. The teachers do their best with the little that they have. At the medical mission the children are taught to brush their teeth, fluoride is applied to their teeth and thy get to do arts and craft while their parents wait in line.

Saturday we see the remainder of the families from the school and we start seeing people from the church as well as from the community. Saturday evening Hope Guatemala throws us a little dinner party where we can share our experience, eat a Guatemalan dinner and have some fun dancing. 

Sunday we go to church, then we are at it again. We mostly see members of the church. This is a shorter day because some of the volunteers and doctors leave by this day. 

I would like to share a story of a man from the past trip this summer. The man brought his 2 grandchildren to be seen by the pediatrician and he also wanted to see the doctor. As he shared about his and his granddaughter's symptoms, I could see this deep sadness in his eyes. I truly cannot explain it. I have seen that before and I honestly felt God's Spirit prompt me to ask. So I did! I told him that I see that he was sad and asked if he would like to talk about it. This old man, who has probably been a macho guy raising his family, broke down. His body posture changed completely and he said that several of his brothers have died within a year and his ailing mother is now bedritten and non-responding. As he continued to share, my heart felt so sad. I had no words, to comfort him. As he finished I got out of my seat and I hugged him. I truly cannot explain the experience...it was like God was in the middle of our hug. It was so beautiful. I could not change this man's situation or even say anything that would bring comfort, but that hug was so much more than what I could ever say. 

In less than a month I will be out there again, translating. I pray that God can use me to bring His love to those who need to feel it. 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Day On Hope

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

This scripture makes my heart move. All of the churches that we have in the U.S. (Part of the International churches of Christ) are having a "day of service." This means that we are all going to serve our community one way or another. Every year in Martin Luther king's birthday we all serve. Some pick up a broom and start cleaning a local school. Others serve at a homeless shelter or at a local food bank. Tomorrow I will be serving at a food bank in Santa Ana. We will be organizing the food and preparing them to be donated to needy families. I believe that  we are all called to serve. I'm so thankful that I don't have to wait once a year to serve. We are His masterpiece, created to do good works. There are so many opportunities to love our neighbor. 

Want to join us? 

Today I went with a friend to visit her mom who is living at a convalescent home. It really moved me to want to volunteer at a place with elderly people. This is something that will be a work in progress. To be continued...

Let me know if you have any recommendations. 


Monday, January 13, 2014

Serving others

"In recounting your own times of need, be spurred to help others. Bestow upon someone else an act of kindness that could bless their day. The Lords favor is upon you to bring good news to the poor!"


The past couple of days I have been reading a devotional on the Bible app. This morning it sparked a memory from my childhood and would like to share it with you. 


My mom's side of the family live in a village in Michoacan, Mexico. It's a beautiful simple life filled with cattle, pigs, chickens, dirt roads and a beautiful view of the small towns below the mountain. My grandfather obtained a small piece of land and my uncles build their homes within that lot. I love going there because my family are all neighbors. Some of my family work in the strawberry fields down the road, one of my uncles is a musician so him and his buddies play wherever that can. 


When I was little I remember going and visiting my family. Someone had come back from the U.S. With a huge bag of clothes. I remember people gathering around the bag looking for something for them or their family. I was sitting on a chair observing it and not really understanding what exactly was happening. Later my aunt took out 2 shirts and handed them to me.  I felt so special and I loved my shirts. I think I wore those shirts all through elementary. 


When I go to Tecate and to Tijuana I feel like it's a complete circle for me because I'm returning the love that people gave to my family. I will say, I'm not perfect or have perfected the act of giving, however, I learn so much about myself when I'm there. 


Here are a few pictures of my last trip to Michoacan in 2012











Monday, January 6, 2014

Tijuana Orphanage Trip, 1-4-14


This past Saturday a group of us made the 2 hour trip to Tijuana to visit an orphanage. It was such a gret trip. There are a lot of little kids and they love being held, kissed, tickled and played with. This was a special trip because my boss and her church group donated A LOT of toys. The kids were so happy to be able to get a doll or a car. The small Lego pieces were also a huge hit with some of the older boys. 

Coming back is a little hard because you kind of want to bring kids back and give them the loving home that they deserve. 

If you would like to contribute for the next trip (sometime in March) let me know. The main necessities are food, toiletries and diapers for ages 2-4. 











Thursday, January 2, 2014

New Year


2013 was an exhilarating year for me in many ways. The ending was a little challenging due to the death of my friends dad. I honestly never know how to "be there" for someone, but I know that the best thing to do is continue to offer my love. 

Christmas was amazing with the family. It's really nice to be in the same room, drinking wine, singing and eating my mom's food and my sister-in-law's sweets. 



The New Years party was a hit! My friends worked so hard and the end product was phenomenal. "Meet me in Paris" was the theme. 



The biggest and most memorable time was when I went to Guatemala. I miss it so much, but I need to continue praying and working hard to make the big move. 

Here are some posts regarding my adventure.

I was able to spend quality time with Diego. Read more about him and how we met.

I was able to be a part of something so beautiful with my sweet friend Lilly. She started a new program for teen girls who were abused and abandoned children.