~Kaychi (Kaysey)--
Well, the Interns have made it back to the States and
are looking at pictures and laughing about how they
totally capture the personalities of certain children. It's hard to believe that
our five weeks in Guatemala are over! A little over a month ago, I had no idea
what exactly I was getting myself into when I got off that plane. What I found
waiting for me were 146 little hands reaching out for hugs and 73 mouths
offering kisses. Once we got into the daily routine, Center life became normal
life for us. The kids and staff became our family. We laughed together, cried
together and even got to go to the fair together! I am so grateful that this
summer was a part of God's plan for me. It's hard to believe that in the morning
I won't wake up to children calling me “Kaychi” and running towards me for hugs.
I won't spend the afternoon trying to sneak a nap on the playground, and I won't
be putting 13 girls into bed at night. It's time to get back into the routine of
work and school, but I will be doing my old routine with a new perspective about
what really matters in life. I may have left Guatemala for now, but it will
always be a part of me.
For the past five weeks I have had the privilege
every morning of being greeted by the sound of “Manana, Manana”. The sight of
fifteen little boys toddling from their pots in the bathroom, reaching for me
with one hand and holding their pajama pants on with their other hand is one
that will be instilled in my memory forever. I will always be grateful for the
generosity of the kids that so graciously gave me bits and pieces of their meals
along with “good morning” and “goodnight” kisses. Pieces of yesterday's
tortillas were a favorite gift, almost always occupying my pockets along with
many other treasures. So tonight, I sit here and reach in my pocket one
last time to find a little piece of red wire, and my heart is full--full of the
memories of these last five weeks, full of the love of the children and workers
at the Malnutrition Center; full of God's grace and mercy for giving me the
opportunity to visit this little corner of heaven.
How do you sum up five weeks at the Malnutrition
Center? LOVE. Actually, you could spend just a few hours there and feel that.
It's incredible how much joy God can place in your heart while cleaning dirty
potties, washing dishes in a sink that was definitely made by men who don't do
dishes, chasing down runaway kiddos (occasionally naked escapees), and singing
the SpongeBob song (Sarah's version) 17 times a night. God made us to love. It
is so easy to love these beautiful, sweet children and they give so much love
back. It has been such a privilege to serve our God by serving children in
Guatemala. My hope is that when I return home I will be more aware of ways to
continue to serve others in the name of Jesus. I don't have to leave the country
to feel this way; I don't even have to go on a “mission trip” to serve the Lord.
It is a daily decision to walk by faith and seek His will. That said, this
teacher is looking forward to another school year to love on more of God's
precious kids.
~Raquel, Quel, Anquel (Rachel)--
These last five weeks have been amazing! I have
spent most of my time with the Canaries, and it has been such a blessing to be
able to get to know them so well: everything they like and dislike, who eats
well and who doesn't, which kids are going to get into trouble. Of course, I did
venture out of my “Canary Cave” as the other interns called it, and spent time
with the older kids. I absolutely loved walking into the Squirrels' room and
hearing them all scream “Raquel, Raquel!” (or “Quel” or “Anquel” depending on
the child) or entering the dangerous territory of the Ducks' bathroom and
finding a few running at me for hugs (with or without clothes on) or finding the
escaped Bunnies and Chicks running through the Canary room after their morning
baths. Every moment is so precious to me: every laugh, every hug, every bath,
every diaper change, every feeding, every tackle, every story, every song, and
every time Walter escaped. I will cherish them all forever. God has blessed me
abundantly in allowing me to serve Him and His children in Guatemala and
experience so much with these kids. I am so thankful to have met all of these
fantastic kids, the outstanding workers at the Center, our awesome translators,
all of the teams who have helped us this summer, and my fellow interns, and I
will miss every one of them, but they all remain in my heart forever.
Are you curious about how a certain child at the
Center is doing?
The interns decided to give a brief update on the life of each
child. Check out all of the incredible things our kids are doing!
Ducks
William- Likes to grab people's cheeks before a
hug! He's so affectionate.
Billi- Becoming more vocal, loves to look at any
and all books, whether in English or Spanish. You have to keep a close eye on him, or you may just find him in the laundry room helping Don Gonzalo!
Domingo- Loves to visit his little brother, Santos
at the Canary window while we are on the playground.
Erwin- Loves to give lots of kisses, especially at
bedtime.
Andres- Always on the look-out for insects,
especially spiders!
Gerson- Has moved to the big boy toilet instead of
his pot. He also loves to be outside. Yesterday we played a game with a balloon
and he was always the first to go down the slide to bring the balloon back.
Abelardo- Really enjoys brushing his teeth.
German- Loves to have his picture taken and always
asks to see it aftwerwards.
Sergio- One of the best eaters in the group!
Danilo- Is very vocal but we aren't sure which
language he is going for.
Erasmo- Loves to sing and state the obvious. His
favorite thing to say on the playground is “El caballo es malo!”
Carlos- Adjusting well and smiling more! :) He is
helping our new “new kid” adjust as well.
Abelino- He has come out of his shell and become a
jokester! He always loves to sing before bed, especially the Spongebob song.
Kevin- Loves to help out whenever he can. Singing
must run in the family, because he loves it too!
Santos- Still adjusting to being back at the
Center and learning the routines again.
Squirrels
Gladys- Always has a smile on her face, especially
when in front of a camera.
Maria Elena- Her favorite thing to say is her
name. She has been playing mom to baby doll for the last few days.
Odilia- Loves to get her picture taken and will
always wave and say “Hola!” when she sees the picture. She loves being outside
and running around.
Micaela- A natural leader, she always stands out
and takes charge.
Flor- Loves singing “Ay yi yi yi” and is beginning
to do the movements for "power" and "love."
Wendy- Always interested in an adventure.
Vilma- Loves running with the boys on the
playground.
Madelin- Just celebrated her third birthday and
began going to school with the big girls today!
Mayra- Always looks out for her younger brother
and keeps him in line. She ALWAYS asks for more tortillas at dinner and is
usually the first one done.
Yoselin- Loves her little sister and shows
everyone the picture of them on the wall. Piggy-back rides are her favorite,
next to being held in someone's lap.
Sandra- Loves to learn English. Right now her
favorite words are “It's okay!” and “ticklish!”
Julissa- Always makes sure the younger girls are
doing what they are supposed to.
Ana Lucia- Always looks out for her younger
brother, German, and helps him out when needed.
Chicks
Ana-Becoming very independent and is smiling and
laughing.
Hilda- Gets friendly during potty-time. She has
been spotted hugging Mauro while sitting on the pots.
Luis Fernando- He is learning to talk and is
learning several words like “good morning” and “hola!” He loves playing with
balls, especially kicking and throwing them.
Manuel- Is very stylish and loves to wear the
puppy dog hat!
Mauro- Becoming more independent and adventurous!
Always loving, even during potty time!
Samuel- Has been found several times taking a nap
on top of a beach ball! What a silly boy!
Victoria- Loves picking out her own shoes out of
the bin each morning.
Telma- Great at communicating! She is very smart
and loves to open the gates.
Elias- Enjoys playing on the see-saw toy in the
Chicks area.
Maria Ascunion- Got new shoes and recently and has
been walking with help so much! She loves to walk. When she's not walking, she
crawls very quickly!
Eswin- Has a fabulous smile and loves to growl.
Always loves to help tell people which bed the other Chicks belong in.
Cindy- With Telma, loves to open the gates and let
out all of the Chicks! Very adventurous and loves to play.
Bunnies
Angel- Is very expressive. He is always smiling
and laughing, and just like his brothers is always giving out kisses!
Daniel- Loves to dance everywhere he goes and
likes to growl, just like any boy!
Jamilet- Very helpful and loves to give things to
people. She has a great smile and loves to laugh.
Julio- Very easygoing. He is a great eater and
loves to give surprise hugs.
Lesbia- Sweet and very quiet. Very big, beautiful
eyes.
Marta- There is no description of her. She likes
to be in charge and do things her own way. She is a great example of child-like
faith.
Sucena- Loves to hold hands with her twin sister,
Marta, as they walk and play.
Maria Josephina- Always happy. She loves to wear
the doggie hat around as she plays.
Rosa- Is the best eater of the group. (Nom nom nom
nom!)
Dairin- Has learned to open the gates so she can
explore more of the Center.
Vilma- Loves to have a friend to snuggle with or
just hold hands with.
Alex- He has only been a Bunny for a few weeks and
is learning what life is like with the bigger kids!
Canaries
Rosa- Has adjusted well to life at the Center and
loves to take care of the other children and her babydolls.
Josue- Learned to stay sitting instead of
falling over!
Maria Fernanda- Has gained over a pound in 12
days! She is now over 4 pounds!
Ovidio- Learned to stand up on his own! The next
step is walking!
Santos- Loves to see his older siblings, Sandra
and Domingo at the window when the Ducks and Squirrels are outside!
Edwin- Can now crawl and sit! He is one of the
fastest crawlers in the Canaries!
Mayra- Is teething and beginning to learn how to
walk.
Carmen- Has learned to sit and even sit-up on her
own without any assistance.
Kimberly- Can hold her own head up now!
Keicy- Has recently learned how to roll over. She
will be crawling before we know it.
Adalin- She has recently gotten over an illness
and is learning how to walk.
Irma- Has been very happy and laughing all of the
time.
Walter- Our little escape artist has learned to
get out of his crib and the gates in the Canary room. Hopefully, he will become a
Bunny soon!
Jeferson-
Another one of our Canaries who has begun to learn to walk. He enjoys the
rocking chairs.
Jose Miguel- Loves to play on the mats on the
floor with the other children.
Vilma- Walks very well, especially when her sister
Yoselin, is waiting for her at the window.
Elizabeth- Always happy and independent, she loves
to feed herself.
Cristian- Has learned to drink from a sippy cup
rather than a bottle.
Marvin- He is always happy and has developed a
great appetite recently.
Jorge- Very sweet and is happiest when he gets to
hold his favorite rattle.
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