When you hold a two month baby who is two
pounds, or you meet children in villages that hold on tight to you the whole
time, or spending time with children at the orphanage, your heart does nothing
but keep breaking. Some people have asked me if you “get used to it.” My answer
is, no you don’t. Since I got here, I have been to several villages. Some
poorer than others. Some have more malnourished problems than others. It
doesn't change the fact that these people are the poorest of the poor. They
don’t have what we have.
One of the biggest
things that has been on my heart since getting here was and is about love.
Since the first day being here the verse from 1 Corinthians
13:13 “And now
these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” has been my motto. I read that and was just reminded that every
day, no matter what I was doing that love is the greatest thing to show these
people who have nothing.
Few weeks ago, I was in a village called Paseo
del Credo. I was doing photography with a team that was doing a medical clinic
and VBS with the kids in the village. This was the first time I was ever around
a medical clinic in Guatemala. So it was exciting to see how it goes. Of
course, I wasn't prepared to see what I did. Many people started flooding in to
a little area, in front of a house that someone let us use. There were mostly
just mothers with their children. Though we gave out about 50 tickets, through
the day the few doctors saw over a hundred people. One particular child got my
attention. This child’s mother was there with a few of her children. She held
her tiny child in her arms who cried because he was hungry. By the looks of it,
he looked no more than a month, well more like a newborn. As I asked her his
age, she told me he was four months old. I didn't want to believe it the reason
being that there was another child with her mother who was also four months,
but she was three times bigger. As I looked at both of them standing together,
there were a just lot of things going through my mind. I was trying to keep
myself from crying for this child’s life. It was just that bad. As the doctor
saw them, he knew that something needed to be done, because this child would
not be able to survive if nothing would be done. There were some complications
with getting the mother to come to understand that her child needed medical
attention pronto, but just last week, to my surprise, the doctor told me great
news. This mother had come to Hope of Life. She had come to get her baby the
medical attention that he needs! I was so ecstatic finding out that she had
agreed to this. It was an answered prayer. Seeing them at the
hospital is such a fulfilling feeling, because you know that St. Luke’s
Hospital will nurse the child back into great heath!
I also wanted to share another time that left a
mark on my heart. Do you remember the story about the girl in the blue? You can
read it here if you
want…http://heartinguatemala.blogspot.com/2013/05/day-4-pueblo-del-rio-jurgallon.html
There has been a similar experience, but a
different situation. This one particular day, I was with a team doing photos.
We went to six different villages around Tecultant that day to give out
sponsorship bags/ gifts. So to say the least, it was a very busy day for sure.
It was in the third village that a boy named Alejandro who is eight that had
grabbed my attention. When we walked into that small village, this women came
up to me and had Alejandro hug me and all the people who were with us. It was
more of a manner hello to welcome us. As we were doing what we needed to, he
came around and stuck around me for most of the time there. He was very shy,
but yet he made the effort to talk to me though he would talk quitter. I knew
that the lady who was with him wasn't his mother, so I asked him where she was,
and he said she was away somewhere else. As time was getting closer to be
leaving, he hugged me and didn't want to let go. My heart started aching
knowing that I had to be getting on that bus soon. Again, something was
happening that I didn't really understand. I had to leave the unknown. The
unknown of his life, family, and everything in between. My eyes were watering
leaving this village.
 |
| Alejandro is in the light blue shirt |
That evening as I was talking with a few friends
here, who are also volunteering, I told them about my experience that day. I
told them that it just makes me think, “Who am I to be chosen to be loved by
these precious children?” Then my follow up question is, “How is it that
God chooses those who least deserve it, but are loved unconditional by our
Father?” As we talked about this, I was reminded by them that God chooses
certain people to break our hearts to show us what breaks His!
In all, what I can say is that this has been the
best thing that has happened in my life. Being here in Guatemala has given me
peace. Peace in knowing I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
