Guatemala, October 11th-17th, 2014

Orchard Hill Community Church, Victory Life Church & Friends

It's Tuesday! I'm still feeling completely overwhelmed with a roller coaster of emotions! I'm pretty sure I've never felt so many conflicting emotions simultaneously before. One moment I'm smiling, the next, I'm so choked up I can hardly keep from bursting into tears. Leaving my family and country and all familiar and coming to a foreign place that is so different from what I know is very overwhelming! I'm a homebody and have mostly been a stay at home mom for the past 21 years. Just traveling up here in the mountains is a stretch! Such beauty! Amazing! 

This week, I'm working with the "Dolphins" which is the group of babies and children that come into the center who are in most critical need. They are usually the newest to the center, and the ones who have the most sever cases of malnutrition. Yesterday when we walked in they were just finishing their breakfast and beginning baths. My first exposure to them was taking a freshly bathed little one and dressing them. I've never even changed a preemie before, let alone a child who is 18-24 months and yet still in a size 1-2 diaper. The skinny little legs and tiny fingers make me cry as I type this. One little guy is 4 months old and yet I'm dressing him in clothes that are preemies and still hang on him. Such precious children! 

The children I'm with are all developmentally delayed but oh, those big brown eyes! You can coax smiles out of a few of them, which is truly rewarding. We did get a smile out of the baby today who yesterday he just stared at us! 

The children here are so well behaved. They sit and patiently wait for their bottles or their food or to be changed. They love to be held and do not like it when you put them down!!  It's fun working with them on leg/arm strength. I know them all by name now and what's special about them. The nannies are fantastic and care very much about them. I honestly don't know how they can do it each day out without help. It's crazy enough with 3 extra of us in there helping! 

My biggest take away so far? LANGUAGE doesn't matter! Those babies love to look at you in the eye and have you smile and talk to them. It matters NOT that you speak English and they don't understand it. They understand LOVE and that's what matters! The nannies too! Between pointing and a few basic words, we understand each other. 

These kids, let me tell you, they have distinct personalities just like our kids! They don't like their noses wiped or their nails cut! They don't like being hungry or dirty. But they DO love to be held and cuddled. They do like to be tickled and laugh. They feel the love and THAT is why I came. To be LOVE to them! It humbles me as nothing else has in a very long time.

-Jodie Koster