Guatemala, January 25, 2011

What can we say about another incredible day in Guatemala, but Praise God! Many exciting things happened today to both teams. At the Malnutrition Center, one little girl, Veronica, got to go home. Her mother and father arrived early because they were so excited that their daughter could come home again. But, they waited until after lunch to take her so they sat with her little sister in the lobby and walked around the center taking in all the activities. Her father’s face glowed with joy and happiness. The family will take with them enough food for the entire family for 15 days. They are asked to bring Veronica back every fifteen days and each time, will receive enough food for another 15 days. They also received clothes for Veronica and her little sister. Even though Veronica is now healthy, there are always more children needing care. Two month old Daniel and his mother arrived today. Please pray for Daniel’s mother, it is a heart wrenching thought that she will have to leave him. She loves him so much and is so proud of him. She is a single mom with no family to support her. No one knows exactly where she has been living, but she has no home. Now, that her breast milk is no longer nutritious enough to support Daniel, she came to the center for help. The director took compassion upon her and will allow her to stay at the center for a while and work as a volunteer. It is hoped that during this time, she will learn about nutrition, proper hygiene and baby care. Our small, but valiant group of five women was challenged today as the staff had a meeting and left us in charge of ALL the children! We spread out throughout the building and managed to keep everyone alive and relatively safe during that time, but it was a long meeting and we were very glad to see the workers come back. It was a good lesson in how much work they do and we made sure to tell them how much we admire them. Some of our favorite memories of today include: Sandra’s rapt attention to the story of Moses and the baby in a basket she made with Play Doh, realizing that many of the children remembered us from yesterday, watching Gerson and his twin race each other in the walkers, playing ball with Manuel, seeing Marta finally smile, having a worker thank us for bathing a baby when she bathed three in the time it took us to do one, hearing the children sing along to a video, more of Hugo’s High Fives, and laughing with the workers at the children’s antics even though we can’t speak each other’s language, the laughter is the same. The men also had an amazing day. They are racing the clock because they have heard so much about the center, they want to be done by noon on Friday so that they can see for themselves the miracles happening there. Today, they finishing the remodeled house and one new one, poured two slabs and framed a second house to finish tomorrow. In the meantime, they continue to carry on with much laughter and practical joking. Each evening is spent hearing hysterical stories of the practical jokes that they pull, puppies or rocks in tool belts, water hose baths, dropped hammers, wheelbarrow races and sprints to see who can get the shovel first. Neither Howie knows what to make of them, but they manage to get a tremendous amount of work done despite the fun. The highlight of their day was dedicating the remodeled house and seeing the owner tear up and thank them profusely. A great day to be in Guatemala was topped off by a trip to McDonalds for ice cream and more laughter. We’ll be back at it tomorrow. Please keep praying, especially for Olivia whose mother was buried today and Daniel’s mother who is making the hardest, but best decision she can make for her son.