It is Monday, our first day at the Malnutrition Center. At first, some of us that had not been to Guatemala before didn’t know what to expect. It was an unusual kind of a day in that there was a birthday celebration for three ladies on the trip: Sarah Lynch, Cynthia Gunter and Olivia, one of the translators. It was certainly a time of celebration and love!
THE BIRTHDAY GIRLS, OLIVIA, SARAH AND CYNTHIA
What was noticeable was the extraordinary teamwork that was demonstrated in the Center. There were teams assigned to different areas, and some people were asked to help out when needed in other areas.
We were also overwhelmed by the generosity of others through the donations given to the Center.
One last thought was that God orchestrated this entire mission trip to absolute perfection. There are different people with various circumstances that uniquely brought each one of us here.
We began thinking of all the gifts that were given to make today special and came up with 10 (though there were more!):
1. Our (Hartness sisters) grandparents were generous to give us this trip to Guatemala as a present. Without their support, it is unlikely all three of us could have gone, and we wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for anything! They are leaving a legacy by investing in us in this way.
RACHEL, STEPHANIE, LESLIE
3. Many donors contributed gifts of diapers, wipes, medicine, and vitamins to Florida Baptist Childrens’ Home which were brought by the team in 50-lb bags.
COUNTING AND TAKING INVENTORY
4. Connie Amy’s aunt made dolls for us to give to each child.
5. Olivia, one of our translators, who does a phenomenal job, was given a beautiful book of photos of the children and past teams to the Center. She was so surprised and excited to see some of her favorite people and memories.
THE KIDS LOVE SEEING THEMSELVES AND THEIR FRIENDS IN OLIVIA'S BOOK
6. Sarah’s birthday was made special by a gift sent in secret from her husband through another team member. Her surprise in seeing the card with the picture of her little girl on it was priceless!
ESTUARDO HELPING SARAH CELEBRATE HER BIRTHDAY
7. The ladies who work at the Center pooled their resources to buy a gift for Ron and Cynthia. They were very proud of their presentation and effusive in their love for our wonderful team leaders.
BEAUTIFUL GIFTS
8. The ladies of the Center put on a birthday fiesta for Ron, Cynthia, Sarah Lynch, and Olivia, after the children went down for their naps. There was so much awesome food, and they gave gifts to the birthday guests. There were two piñatas, one for Cynthia and one for Ron. All participated in the dive for candy (especially the workers!. The workers put in a lot of work and effort into the decorations and food to make it a special time for everyone.
A FEAST!
BEAUTIFUL DECORATIONS
WORDS OF LOVE AND PRAISE FROM THE WORKERS
THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG
BLOW OUT YOUR CANDLES!
CYNTHIA'S PINATA
HIT IT, GERSON!
COME ON, WE'LL DO IT TOGETHER!
EVERYONE ENJOYS THE DULCES!
YOU CAN DO IT, MIKAELA!
YOU'RE GOING TO EAT THAT MUCH?
YUMMY STRAWBERRY CAKES
TAKE A BITE, RON!
9. On behalf of our team, Nancy presented a gift of lotion to the ladies of the Center. They were very grateful and appreciated the devotion Nancy gave them and the songs which Cameron sang for them.
CAMERON SINGS, AND NANCY SHARES THAT GOD TAKES CARE OF US!
A CLOSING PRAYER WITH THE STAFF
God has given us every good gift. Every child we met today was a reminder that children really are a gift from God. As we watched a mom and dad bring their baby today to leave at the Center for her own well being, we were reminded of God’s ultimate gift of His own Son.
OUR NEWEST GIFT, IRMA YOLANDA
The following lyrics from a childhood song sum up our thoughts pefectly:
"What can I give to the King,
Give to the One who has everything?
Give Him a heart that’s faithful and true,
'Cause He’s given it all to you!"
by--Stephanie, Rachel, and Leslie Hartness with Jackie Fauth
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