Back to Guatemala
I came home from that first trip to Guatemala knowing it couldn’t be the last. Ready and restless to go back, I already wanted to move there, buy a big farmhouse and take in a bunch of kids. Sure I knew that taking in kids and playing homesteading pioneer woman, while attractive in the imagination, was neither practical nor possible in reality… still it seemed a crime to have so many resources and realize how little it would take to give so many kids a better life than what they now have. I’m not talking about designer clothes, private schools, dance lessons and birthday Disney dream cruises; I’m talking about a place out of the rain where they could sleep in safety, food in their tummies, clean clothes, a hug, a bath, a bedtime story…just the basics which for many kids would seem like a fairy tale. I dreamed of having a small team to take care of managing and educating the children. I’d handle food, money, schedules, laundry and help out with cuddles and bedtime stories. Of course I knew it didn’t work that way, but it seemed that it should! It seemed a shame for kids to live on the street… hungry, dirty, cold, afraid… a shame that someone like me had resources going unused while so much need went unanswered.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, or how, but I knew I was supposed to be there. … so I started making plans to return.
I knew two North Americans who lived there at the time. A young man who had been working with the nonprofit group our team had served with was now operating his own coffee shop in Monjas, and the lady who lived in and helped host mission teams at Casa de Cocos was still there but about to move back to the states. She invited me to come down and stay with her while she was available to teach me the basics of living there and help with things like money, transportation and daily living essentials while I searched for my mission and scouted possibilities for the future. So I did! I went back in April of 2015 …this time for 7 weeks.
Back at Casa de Cocos
Monjas, Jalapa is home to Shadow of His Wings orphanage (SOHW). Our mission team had planned to spend some time there but had not had the opportunity, so I was anxious to visit Shadow and learn if and how I might become involved in the work there. I was introduced to the directors, who graciously welcomed and put me to work in the daycare. So I spent mornings in the “guardería” with tía María, 2 tiny babies and 3 adorable toddlers.
At noon, I went home for lunch. By 2:00, I would be at the coffee shop, initially to help out with coverage so the owner could take an afternoon break…but almost always staying all evening, washing dishes, enjoying the warm and friendly locals, making lots of new friends, and practicing Spanish!
April 2, 2015 Day 1 back in Monjas started with a walking tour around town on which the first and best attraction was La Fábrica!
April 10, 2015 Journal Entry: One of the girls at SOHW urgently requires surgery. It is scheduled for Monday... scheduled on faith that the Lord will provide because, at this point, the funds are not available to pay for the surgery. Her friends are supporting her by doing fundraisers during school break times this week. The joy and generosity they exude as they bond in this labor of love is truly heartwarming.
(Thanks to their efforts, which earned around $500, much generosity of donors and many answered prayers, the funds were secured in time and this courageous young lady was able to get the treatment she needed.)
April 12 2015 I do not, as a rule, take selfies. Victor, however, clearly LOVES it. After cropping myself out of most of them, they were just too cute not to share!
One of the highlights of this trip was the opportunity to spend a week in beautiful Antigua Guatemala, taking Spanish classes at CSA (Christian Spanish Academy) and living with a bilingual host family. Another was meeting the team of missionaries who dedicate their lives to the work at SOHW.
I'm so thankful for the opportunity to study Spanish over the past week in this gorgeous place and for my wonderful ( and patient) teacher.
Our group at CSA
May 4, 2015 It's a hot day in Monjas, and it wasn't only the tiny babies who took naps this morning!
May 7, 2015 These two love selfies and have no shame! It's hard to take normal pictures of them because, as soon as they see the camera, they're running for my lap!
May 18, 2015 Snack time is always fun, even if it does leave you exhausted!
May 18, 2015 A few more selfies from some little niños who never seem to tire of being in front (as in RIGHT in front) of the camera! I leave Monjas Thursday and dread kissing these little faces goodbye.
.... then there was the adventure that came as a result of my volunteering to babysit a German shepherd and her rottweiler brother for a week while their owner was away….