Friday and Saturday in Guatemala

Yesterday evening I was watching a Beth Moore DVD and she talked about how some of the best writers will never write their greatest works because they do not have the discipline to finish what they start. Now, I'm not claiming to be a great writer, but it did hit home. I will finish this series (tonight!) ... and I will keep writing.

In my defense, a little something called Staff Training week interrupted life by bringing in my summer staff and 9 straight, long days at work...Anyway, back to Guatemala...

On Friday we finished up our stove installations and pouring concrete floors. That evening we went to "The Feeding" where the ladies of El Camino prepare food for the people who live in the landfill. Rice, beans and coffee are doled out from the church building in the landfill based on how many people from each family are there. If a family member is unable to come, a church member goes to visit them and to guarantee that everyone gets their fair share. The line stretches way down the alleyway as people wait for the good, hot food. It was a blessing to watch the church reach out and meet an immediate need for so many people.

Afterwards, we went to the construction site for the new school and prayed for the ministry that will happen there. By providing Christian education so close to the landfill, we hope to be able to break the cycle of poverty in the lives of many children. In the words of Pastor Saul's daughter Olivia, we hope to show them that there is life outside the landfill. Two years ago, the team sat and patted the dirt as they prayed, not knowing even if the permit to build would be granted by the city. And then, this year, we laid hands on the first story walls, and the almost leveled soccer field and marveled God's provision. He is so good.

On Saturday, we loaded up and headed back to the airport for the flight back to Atlanta. It was hard to say goodbye to the many people I had bonded with so quickly. It was an amazing experience to be a part of the global body of Christ at work in Guatemala and to experience the love and connection that come from a shared love of Christ. And, because the team and I were only a small part of that body, we know that the work goes on, even though we had to leave. I also know that I will see those people again, at least in heaven. However, if God chooses to answer Ingrid's and my prayers in the way we hope, it will be sooner than that.

Thursday in Guatemala

I fell off the blogging wagon a week ago Thursday. So, now I'm dusting myself off and am going to get back on to finish posting about the Guatemala trip... We'll pick back up on Thursday...

On Thursday morning, I went with the team that was doing VBS in the landfill. We teamed up with some of the ladies from the local church and gathered about 40 kids into the small metal building the church had constructed in the landfill. As the kids were filtering in, I wandered around the building saying hello and talking to the kids as much as I could. During this time, I saw three kids whom I will never forget.

The first was Christian. He was eight, vivacious and quite talented at shooting marbles. He attempted to teach me to shoot two different ways and enthusiastically chased down each one of my misfires that ricocheted around the building. We had many laughs as he patiently corrected my technique and had me try again. After about ten minutes of this, he sidled up to me, placed his four precious marbled in my palm, closed my hand around them and whispered in my ear, "It's a gift!" And my heart broke over his generous spirit. As much as I wanted to honor his gift, there was no way I could walk off with what was possibly the only four marbles this kid owned. I stumbled through a reply of how I wanted him to keep them in broken Spanish as I placed the marbles back into his hand, praying that he would understand how much I appreciated the gift even though I could not take it with me. Sometimes generosity at its finest is in the smallest gifts.

Then there was Juan. He was ten, had a great smile and the eyes of one much older. David, one of our teens, sat next to him and they taught each other different words in English and Spanish. As I watched their exchange, I couldn't help but notice Juan frequently scanning the room with a watchful eye. It made sense when at one point, he sat down on one of the benches with three smaller children beside him. When I asked who they were, he told me that they were his two younger siblings and his nephew. As I watched them throughout the morning, it was obvious that Juan was responsible for all three and he took great care of them. At the end of VBS, he gathered them up with all of their crafts and headed home. The next time I saw him, he was once again taking care of the younger kids. Still watching and still smiling.

Lastly, there was a little girl - I didn't get her name, but wish I had. She was no older than ten and was of a slight build. Strapped to her back in true Guatemalan fashion was her younger brother. He must have weighed fully half as much as she did, but she carried him with a smile on her face. And as she sat on the floor making her macaroni necklace, she tended him with a smile. When he fussed, she bounced him on her knee and when it was time to go, still smiling, she hefted him up and worked, with the assistance of some of the church ladies, to bind him to her back once more for the trek home. Great love, it seems, can also come in small packages.

These three will forever have a place in my heart and I pray that they will come to fully know the great gift and the great love that Jesus has to give them.

Wednesday in Guatemala

On Wednesday we traveled to the beautiful city of Antigua. We spent the afternoon there exploring and shopping among the vendors who all have a "special price, just for you" (and everyone else)! But, first, we spent the morning at the special needs hospital.

This hospital is home to over two hundred people with special needs, from children to senior citizens. Since I've worked with people with special needs in several capacities, I was curious to see how the facility functions. It is funded completely by donations and while the environment is sparse and reminiscent of the mental wards portrayed in old movies, it was obvious that the caring staff and volunteers did all they could with what they had.

We were there during Holy Week, so the people who were at the hospital were those whose family could not afford to come get them or who had no family at all. For a while, I hung out with Jessica, a young teenage girl with a beautiful smile. I pushed her wheelchair around the courtyard for a while and then we played catch with a ball. Jessica smiled and laughed from time to time, occasionally focusing her eyes on my face.

When she had to go with one of the nurses, I wandered over to visit with Andrea and her new friend Roberto. When Roberto tried to scratch his head but had trouble reaching, I scratched it for him, and in the process discovered that he loved to have his head rubbed. Everytime I stopped, he would grin and lean his head towards me until I started again.

Andrea also introduced me to Lionel, a 14 year old boy who weighed only 40 lbs. He looked only ten or so and had severe physical disabilities. He was brought to the hospital from a rural area by one if the volunteers. His family could not feed him and was under pressure to let him die because the other people in the area did not understand what was wrong with him. Like many of the others, he would not have a home, the care he needs or possibly even his life if it were not for the hospital and the dedicated people who keep it running.

Matthew 25:40 ESV
"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "

Tuesday in Guatemala

As I look at what I wrote down about Tuesday, it just doesn't have the same spark that Monday did. Honestly, that is a good thing. Too many days like Monday in a row and I'd be wrung out. Don't get me wrong - Tuesday was good. That morning we returned to the preschool and did another day of VBS. Then, that afternoon we traveled to the Malnutrition Center near Antigua and loved on some kids there. These kids range from infants to young children and are brought to the center because their families cannot afford to feed them and so they are starving. The Center takes them in and puts them on a special diet to bring them back to health when possible. It is a unique partnership between the Lion's Club and the Florida Baptist Convention that keeps this center running and fulfilling this vital mission.

Many of the kids at the center are too young to speak and certainly don't understand English. However, that did not stop them from soaking up every ounce of love that the team had to give and then returning it with smiles, hugs and giggles. Sometimes love doesn't need words.