Medical Brigade, Guatemala

It was such a great weekend being able to serve at the medical brigade. It all started with a meeting on Thursday evening to welcome all of the volunteers. There were general doctors, OB-GYN, pediatricians, dentists and nurses. It was so great being able to see the group as well as Daniel Roditi who is one of the ministers where I live. Friday we seviced the children at a nearby school. There are about 200 students from kindergarden to sixth grade. The school was opened by the same organization as the medical brigade, Hope WorldWide. The Guatemala chapter. It was so great being able to see the faces of some of these kids. Saturday is when I invite the children from the orphanage who are sick to come so they could be seen by the doctor. I woke up a little sad to think that Diego would not be there. I had to pray and journal regarding my emeotions and allow God to transform them to joy. My heart felt heavy, but once I got there and started to serve, I felt more at ease. Sunday was our last day and we saw mostly members from the church.

I don't have the stats of how many people we saw this past weekend, but I'm sure it was probably 200+ a day. 

One of the moments that impacted me the most was on Sunday. A grandfather came with his two grandchildren. He seemed very down and when it was his turn to give us his symptoms it was very evident that he was very worried and depressed. I asked him what was it that was worrying him and he replied that six of his siblings had died and his 91-year-old mother is now deaf and blind and does not get out of bed. This man obviously has had a tough life. As he was getting up to leave to get vitamins and Abendizol for anti-parasite I went to him and told him to go to God in prayer so that he can get strength from God. I also told him to have courage because God is with him through this tough times. I gave him a hug and I felt a warmth inside of me and it was as if God's love was in the center of our hug. It was a beautiful a moment. 

Here are some pictures of the past 3 days 

Goodbye to Diego

Our last dinner together

Yesterday was a very emotional day yet it was such a blessing to be able to spend time with little Diego before he left. I was able to play with him and he actually played with me longer than he normally does. We had such a blast playing with a pink balloon, of all things! He kept throwing it to me and I kept throwing it back to him.  He thought it was the funniest thing every time I would knock it off of his hands. I took him inside the kitchen for dinner and he was pretending to feed me. He later gave me the spoon so I can feed him and it was such a special time between him and I. It was so difficult for me to hold back tears so I just let myself be in the moment. Prior to all of this I was helping one of the nannies gather clothes and shoes for him to take with him. I felt so heartbroken. All I wanted to do was crawl up in bed and cry but I decided to just enjoy him while I had the opportunity.

Diego. Top right was when we first met

His family had to leave a day early to the city to be able to be at court at 8 o'clock this morning. Diego is not the most social kid and it takes him a very long time to build that trust. All I could think about was him seeing these strangers taking him. I could picture him screaming and frightened. I had a very difficult night but this morning I decided to rejoice and have joy in my heart. I know that he will be missed and prayerfully I will see him again. It was love at first sight, he was not even 2 months old and I thank God for him because this little soul has inspired many things in my heart; to live in the path that God has planned for me. 

My journey...His journey

"My Journey" This makes me laugh a little because is it really my Journey? I feel as if God is saying, "This is my journey for you." He has definitely showed Himself to me through many people I have met and served along with as well in the hearts of these little kids.

Along this path I have encountered so many beautiful people and have witnessed their distressed. There are so many people who have suffered so much and yet give so much of themselves to serve and give love. Last week one of the workers from the Hogar, Rosa, her father died. I think he fell and had severe injuries. Today we found out that one of the other nannies, Liliana (Lesbia), her mother died. Three days ago she had asked for us to pray for her mother because she was ill. My heart felt so sad thinking, "what if that was my mother?" My prayer is that I am able to love her the way Christ loved the sister's of Lazarus.

We leave the Hogar on Saturdays to stay in the city and go to church Sunday morning. Last Saturday I was talking to one of the weekend nannies and she expressed her heart to me and shared some deep rooted things regarding her life. I was taken back at her trust to share with me the depth of her heart and I had just met her. I gave her "homework" First I asked her to pray for the situations that she had shared with me and make a list of things that are positive and blessings in her life. I saw her again today and she shared with me that as soon as she went back home that Monday, situations started to change. I got so excited for her and told her that God has heard our pleas. I told her to continue with her list :)

Please keep these ladies in your prayers so that God, who is a God of all comfort will comfort them during this time (1 Corinthians 1).

Liliana

Rosa 

New child at the orphanage; the journey continues

The journey so far has been incredible. Today I witnessed how a child was dropped off almost at 9pm We had just sat down to have some dinner when we heard a knock at the front gate. They brought a little guy in their arms as he had fallen asleep on the way to the Hogar. The people who brought them mentioned that the little guy had fallen asleep after he had been crying, wanting to go home with his parents. His clothes were changed into comfortable pj's then taken to a bed. He is only 4 or 5 years old and he is so beautiful! One thing that I appreciate about Lilly, the director, is that she makes sure that there's always coffee. The people who brought the boy usually work only until 4pm and they said that they sometimes will work till 1-2 am depending if there's a rescue and a little boy needs a home. They were given their cup of coffee and some bread. They love this Hogar because it's clean and the kids are well taken care of. I told them that it's because of the nannies and the great guidance of Lilly. I am looking forward to getting to know the little guy and show him love. I'm pretty sure he will be scared, but there's nothing better than to love him and show him the love of Christ. We had the opportunity to pray for him after the social workers left the hogar. It was so neat to have all of the nannies there around the table and pray for this beautiful soul. That was such a special moment.

Today Lorena and I went to the market to have some breakfast. We had a good time walking by ourselves, taking pictures of the beautiful town of San Lucas. We went a different way thinking it was closer, but we were...wrong. I think God wanted us to go that way because He wanted to show us something. As we were walking we saw a man laying on the side of the road. My heart started to beat a little faster and all that kept running in my head was "compassion". What happened next will be a something that will stay in my heart.

 Tonight I was finally able to connect with my parents. It felt so good to see them and show them around the Hogar. The kids were having dinner so they were really busy filling up they tummies. There was something with the sound, so I was not able to hear them talk. This made me a little sad because I really wanted to hear their voices. Towards the end I was able to read my dad's lips saying "I love you." This is one thing that I would have to put on my list of things to consider if I decide to move to Guatemala to help with different organizations. 

Diego:

 

Here is a video I was able to put together for little Diego. I hope you enjoy it

To learn more about Diego:
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Journey with a Friend. The love for the children

It's Wednesday night and I feel tired, but uplifted by the journey so far. I love seeing the kids and how they have slowly, but surely, warmed up to us. I would like to share a little bit about my friend Lorena. She has accompanied me on this Journey to Guatemala. I was super excited when she expressed interest in coming with me, but it was even more exciting when she finally bought her ticket. We stay up late almost every night talking about the day. I feel so blessed to share this experience with someone.

Lorena has made a little Friend at the Hogar. Her name is Larissa and she started calling Lorena "mama" We all thought it was a little funny, but later we found out that Lorena looks a lot like Larissa's mom. We keep reminding Larissa that Lorena is "Tia Lolo" and not "mama" She follows Lorena EVERYWHERE! I was observing Lorena the first full day we were here and it reminded me of something very special; that's how God wants us to be like. Always with Him. 

I am going to miss her very much when she leaves in a few weeks and I will have to make an extra effort to stay connected. One thing that I have enjoyed is staying up late talking about our day and telling our life stories. I don't like being by myself so I'm going to have to convince one of the workers to stay with me or better yet, stay with the kids in their room :) 

Serving in Guatemala all the way from Alabama

 

Yesterday there were these beautiful people who came to the Hogar to serve. We are super grateful for them because not only did they come to play with kids, the came to fix the sink!!! One thing that has been brought to my attention is that there are things that break down and the women here don't know how to fix these things. Only one knob worked, but even then it was not easy to open. The pipes from under the sink was also leaking and who knows for how long. Well God sent these beautiful angels all the way from Alabama to serve. The men fixed the sink while the gals held baby Amy, played with the kids and helped by hanging some laundry :) the men had to leave twice to the store to buy the necessary things for the sink and let me just say that it was not an easy fix. He said "I don't know how, but it's fixed" it was God guiding his hands, for sure!!! They also brought diapers and wipes. Wipes here are gold and the one thing that they run out of, so we felt super blessed to get some wipes. 

 

Proverb 22:9 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."

 

They will for sure be blessed! Thank you friends for what you have done here in this Hogar. 

 

Update #2 on Diego

My sweet little Diego is getting so big. He is such an independent feisty little guy. He's 18 months and he eats by himself! I have noticed that he loves a rocking horse. He rides that thing as if he is trying to go somewhere. He has to be reminded to slow down. He is walking, but I have noticed that his right knee turns inward due to the unnecessary surgery that was done on his knee when he was rescued. I was informed that he is still having problems with his stomach :( A lot of testing  has been done, but no true diagnosis. 

On the 15th of August he will be going home to his grandparents. I think it's phenomenal that he will be reunited with family. They are from a remote village which indicates that they are very poor. My heart is troubled by this fact. Will Diego be safe? Will he be taken care of? Will he  be able to see doctors and be provided medical health? I know that I am not in control, God is! I get sentimental just thinking of scenarios, but I need to remind myself if God's promises, Of His mercy, of His grace. He will not abandon Diego. His story is a miracle! He survived being thrown as a new born in a septic tank! The odds were against him, but God was there watching over him and here is, 18 months later. He won't let me hold him, but I'm hoping that he will meet me half way before he leaves and I can get a good picture of us together :)