Day 3 at the Center

Day 3 at the Center
Guatemalan time has turned 3 American days into what feels like at least a week here in Central America!

The group’s plotting to celebrate and pamper the Center’s staff began early this morning! It was as if we were giving an Appreciation farewell to long term coworkers and friends. Our gift: a personally crafted in-house Spa treatment. Our team (the women!) began by gathering flowers, lighting candles, hanging curtains, decorating tables, fixing hot tea, and preparing a selection of nail polishes. After lunch we invited the workers in two by two to receive a foot washing, lotion treatment, pedicure, and back massage. While they relaxed to local artists’ music, Angie shared scripture with, prayed over, and spoke blessings to the staff. It was a time of affirmation and encouragement that left the staff refreshed and inspired with the purpose and security of God’s watchful and present Spirit. One mother, Maria, whose twins stay at the Center, continues to spend her time volunteering with the Center’s staff. One of her sons suffers from a Hemangioma that covers more than 50% of his face. But over the past three days, due to a new drug treatment provided by our team’s visit, progress has already been seen! And as his mother Maria sat in a chair having her feet washed, tears ran down her face. And she praised our team’s presence as a miracle of God. Soon there were no dry eyes in the room!

The neighboring daycare provided ready patients for the dentist chair this morning. Our puppet team entertained the children that waited with song and dance and lyrics that praised God and taught the simplest of truths. We even had a brave, 13yr old soul—Frederico—join the puppet pros behind the curtain and participate by throwing a puppet on his hand and singing along! He’s a natural!

We transitioned to bottles of bubbles and played with a giant parachute where the children yelled, “uno, dos, tres” and ran under the brightly colored fabric, giggling with amazement! In addition to teeth cleanings and games, the daycare children that shared the morning with us at the Center were treated to new shoes and shirts from the clothes closet. No wonder many of us were confused by their continuously repeating the word “zapatos” and pointing to their feet!

Before their lunch break the toddlers made their way down the hill for an afternoon fieldtrip. They trotted down and planted themselves on a large blanket where their care givers greeted them with ice cream treats. The Center’s staff not only showed their care and dedication to the children under their wings this afternoon, but treated our group member Francoise, to ice cream as well!

Some teenagers joined the Center’s work, and our mission, by preparing a piñata extravaganza for the kids today. After the excitement, one group member had a chance to engage in conversation with one of the Catholic teens about her faith. Their discussion and sharing of hearts led the girl, Lucia, to add a personal commitment and relationship to her childhood faith. She left with renewed understanding of what it meant to be a child of God.

We finished painting the laundry room a bright yellow today! It’s fabulous, and we plan to decorate one wall with a fun mural that may just help the process of laundry be a little more exciting from now on!

There was a genuine sense of joy at the Center as we packed into our over-sized van to leave. The children’s faces were bright, and words were abundant as they yelled, “Adios, Hasta manana!” Not as if the workers EVER stop smiling, but they wished us farewell while they grinned, seeming a little more refreshed and ready to take on the tasks before them with new hope and energy (thanks to the spa!). We promised to join them, again, in their work and mission tomorrow!