Wow moments! 11-02-10

Our second day was a good day. We woke to a typical Guatemala breakfast of poached eggs, beans, salsa, plantains, sausage, and sweet bread. We are fed very well as we go out to our mission field.

The children were glad to see us this morning which made for big smiles throughout the group. We jumped in with bathing, dressing, fixing hair and normal morning routines. The children are like any others. They love to climb in your lap, be tickled and just want you to forget everything else and give them your time. The morning flew by with constant activity. There were Bible stories, singing, crafts and just playing.

There were lots of light bulb moments. At one point this afternoon all the ‘chicks’ and ‘bunnies’ were on a blanket outside. A little girl who is new to the Center named Marta was playing with a ball, pointing and smiling. She had not smiled before today. Earlier in the day while the older children were in their school room with their new teacher, some of the children were given puzzles for the first time. One of the boys, Cesar, got it after a couple of tries and he started clapping after each puzzle piece was placed correctly. To see a child light up so brightly was a beautiful thing to experience. It was as if God kept shining a light on these precious babies, and we got to see them in the spotlight moments.

Today was a holiday called ‘Day of the Dead’. The Guatemalan people go to the cemetery to honor their loved ones who have passed away. They put flowers on their graves and as a celebration they fly kites to remember and to feel closer to the ones who have passed by flying kites up high toward Heaven. We bought kites and took the older ones out to experience the kite flying. It was quite comical without much wind, but the kids loved it. There was a lot of laughing, running and playing.

There were a lot of little projects going on in the middle of all of the activity. Whenever anyone had a moment they would clean windows, clean toys or chairs, mow grass, pull weeds or whatever was needed. Everyone wanted to make the most of the moments. We will be back at it with full speed in the morning. We want to be used of God to do all that we can do for the precious children in the 2 days we have left to serve at the Center.