Guatemala - March 5

So today was our first day at the Center, and I don't even know where to begin! I suppose I should start off by confessing that Savannah and I (once again) arrived at breakfast an hour early. I'm pretty sure the hotel workers (who are actually incredibly nice) think that we're kinda crazy, showing up at 5:45 for "desayuno". Anyway, we had time to just go back to sleep for a bit before the real fun began.

We all loaded into the van along with the translators (Olivia and Alejandra, also incredibly nice) and drove for about an hour through some small towns (San Pedro, San Luco...something like that) until we reached San Juan (I'm sensing a trend with these town names...) and the Malnutrition Center. Our first impression was how bright and sunny the place was and how welcoming the workers were. We got a tour and were immediately enraptured with los ninos pequinos all over the place. They were quick to smile and wave and we were chomping at the bit to get to sit down and play with them.

Thankfully the tour wasn't too long, although it did allow us to see all of the many ways that God has provided for this place. All of the donations of diapers (panal?) and wipes and clothes (ropas!) and food were encouraging to see, especially after hearing how they had started out with nothing.

I got to work with the toddlers (most were one to two), and let me tell you... what a bunch of cuties they were! They had the most beautiful brown eyes and the sweetest smiles. Needless to say, I wanted to take them all home with me-- they weaseled their way into my heart within the first minute. Much of our time was spent just playing with them. Holding some of them up and helping them to walk, playing with the toys with them, carrying them around and holding them.

We also helped to feed them at lunch. Most of the older toddlers could feed themselves, so I got to help feed the younger ones, which, to be honest, is an experience that I will treasure in my heart forever. Just thinking about how without this place and the food that they get here, these children may not have survived infancy. It was truly a blessing! We also changed diapers, put them down for a nap, got them up from their nap, changed some more diapers. Lots of diaper changing, actually!

Another favorite thing was simply being with the kids. There were several moments when I would look around and realize that there were maybe five or six kids near me or on me, touching me in some way, whether they were holding my hand or leaning their head on me. There was this one nina, Vilma, who was always by my side. She LOVED being held upside down then flipped back up. Her giggle and smile made the room seem brighter. And then there were Gerson and Andres, twin boys who seemed to have a knack for making you just fall in love with them. Gerson was actually born with some sort of growth on his face and through all sorts of miracles they were able to get him medicine that made it fade and almost go away. He's the quieter of the brothers (hermanos!) and Andres is actually quite the fire pistol. He also liked being flipped upside down and tossed up in the air. Precious Hilda was determined to bring every single toy in the room to me, and Thelma was never far with something for me to toss to her. Eswin loved playing with the balls and to be held up so he could see outside.

In talking with the rest of the team, this seems to be the general consensus. When we first walked in there we had the idea in our heads that we would all rotate through the different ages. Well, after today, about half of us decided to stay with the group we had today. We just couldn’t leave them!

 We were at the Center from 9:00 to about 4:30, and let me tell you, it was the hardest thing to put those sweet children down and leave. I can't even imagine what Thursday is going to be like...

Finally we went back to the market for a little bit, where I made a slight blunder in my Spanish speaking. All day I had been saying what I could in Spanish..."Tengo los pantelones para una nina! Vilma es bonita, es hermosa, es preciosa. Vamos a comer!"  Naturally, I was beginning to fancy myself to be an adequate Spanish speaker, until I found out I had been walking around the market saying "solo morado," which means only "only purple," when I meant to say "solo mirando," which means "I'm only looking"! It definitely explained why a lot of the venders kept saying "tengo muchas colores!" as I passed. 

As we were driving back to Antigua from San Juan, I was reflecting on the day and found that my heart was really broken for these children. I was so frustrated with the brokenness and tragedy, and I was feeling a little discouraged to be honest. But I was listening to "It Is Well With My Soul" on my iPod, and it came to the last verse (which goes):

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

And the Lord revealed to me that one day there will be no more sorrow, no more hunger, no more tears. He shall descend and make right everything wrong here on earth, and His glory shall be known to all peoples. His coming is our hope, His presence with us now is our joy. Someday, these kids may realize how much He loves them and everything that He's done for them, and hopefully they will respond to His love by giving their lives to Him. And then I will see them again, perfect and whole before the Father, just as the rest of us will be. It was a beautiful revelation and one I'm not likely to forget.

And with that I must leave you all. Hasta manana!