Guatemala Day 1 - October 14, 2024

After traveling most of the day Sunday, the amazing team collapsed into bed and began officially Day 1 at 6:00 am on Monday enjoying a Guatemalan breakfast. Six of the ten team members had never been to Guatemala so eyes were wide open on our hour drive to El Carmen Center. Guatemala is a spectacular country with views of distant volcanoes scattered all around the skyline. The reality of extreme poverty is only a glance away and you can’t escape it. As a team we are here to run into it with hearts wide open and hands ready to serve and eyes to see and ears to listen. We did that first on Monday morning after arriving at the Center by listening to the history of how this ministry came into being and what they are doing to change this young generation and provide more opportunity than joining a street gang. Noticeable when we arrive are outside sinks and the first thing the children are taught is basic hygiene about washing hands before they enter the Center. They also have toothbrushes for daily brushing at the Center. Taylor Anne and I were met with great emotion as we saw the planter made in memory of our friend Amy Ford who had served Guatemala so well before she passed this summer.

Pastor Willem spoke to us and has an extreme gift of visionary of transforming neighborhoods and reclaiming the kids. In Guatemala the children go to school either in morning or afternoon and the El Carmen center is a place of refuge either before school or after school where the kids get tutoring, a great meal, Bible lessons and lots of love from this dedicated staff. We heard from the principal, Millvea, how they had a dream of a Center and no resource but through prayer and persistence they were able to rent a building and started with very few resources. Ultimately it’s God who loves and provides resources through different means and most specifically on a trip like this where we can serve, love and come back and share. So Day 1, we listened and learned in the morning by “seeing” these teachers and we began a project of painting a mural on a newly constructed addition. Our team member Andrea who is a licensed therapist specializing in “play therapy” was able to do a workshop with the teachers. It actually became very emotional when we “played” with play doh talking about a toy from our childhood and also who was someone we looked up to as a child. One of the teachers wept and shared her memories. Through donations of many of you we were able to supply the Center with play doh and also puppets and different toys that would allow the teachers to help the children to express emotions through play therapy.. This trip was a Sponsor’s trip to visit with each one of us representing a child and an opportunity to visit them in their homes and meet their families. We all split into teams and did that all afternoon. We visited shy Deylin whose mom was from a Mayan heritage.

Homes are modest with sheet roofing serving as sides and roofs with mostly one room bedrooms for entire families who live together. Outside cooking is prevalent with buckets of water collected and stored, and a variety of chickens and roosters. David’s home was our second stop and we all said David was grinning from ear to ear the entire time we were in Guatemala. His joy in having us at his home and at the Center touched all of us profoundly. I have a beautiful picture of him with his chicken. Our sponsored child is Beberly and when we visited she was at school but we were able to meet her sister Jamie and visit with her grandmother and other family members. It doesn’t matter how little they have, they are so honored to have us in their homes and pray over them. When we returned to the Center, Tay got to meet our beautiful Beberly whose sweet, shy countenance captures you. She was so thrilled that we were there and I had returned from seeing her a year ago. Everyone’s hearts were so full from all of the home visits It takes a simple picture that we had first received when sponsoring a child and to hold and touch that child and see the difference our small monthly contribution makes is so rewarding. Day 1 concluded with an authentic Guatemalan homemade meal, Jaja pepian, and hearts full of stories of connecting with each child. Sleep came easy as we were all exhausted.

 

The Tale of Two Rabbits - An Easter Miracle

 

Mopsy Rabbit with her pretty turquoise bow was sitting on the stairs when she noticed that Peter Rabbit had finally arrived! “Where have you been,” cried Mopsy, “I’ve been waiting so many years for you!”  “Oh, Mopsy,” cried Peter, “it was a very long, dark time, but I’ve finally arrived home to Tyler.”

The two rabbits sat on the stairs of the Wade’s household chatting about their journey on how they arrived. Mopsy had been here for over 10 years. She belonged to Taylor Anne, given by her Memaw. Stuffed rabbits are given life when someone decides to love them. Now over 29 years ago when Taylor Anne was born, there was great joy in the Wade house over the adoption of a beautiful blue-eyed girl but as with all adoption stories there are two different opposite emotions going on at the same time.  Memaw had just lost her granddaughter to what she thought was forever on this side of heaven. She bought Mopsy so when she longed to hold or touch her granddaughter who was out of reach, she would reach for Mopsy and hold and touch the soft bunny, saying a quiet prayer over the granddaughter she thought she would never see or touch. Then over 10 years ago, by divine intervention of ONLY GOD, Memaw got to hold and touch her Taylor Anne and gave Mopsy to her.

“Oh Mopsy, just when I thought it would never happen, a miracle occurred and gave me new life,” exclaimed Peter! “Over 48 years ago, my life began when I was given to a little girl named Heather. She loved me and I slept with her each night. It was so wonderful to be loved, touched, and adored by this precious girl. Then, like most stuffed animals, when Heather grew up, she put me away in a safe place where I slept for the next few years.”

“When Heather was sixteen, she pulled me out of hiding and I wondered what was going on as she lovingly tucked me in a diaper bag. I could sense that it was a very difficult time for her when she tearfully handed off the diaper bag.  However, there was an opposite emotion of celebration happening when I arrived at my new household. A little baby boy named Tyler had arrived and I did too. I was brought to life again during that time, so loved by Tyler and his family. Once again, after a couple of years, I was tucked back into the diaper bag to sleep for a long season, except this time, it was a very long season, over 30 years.  At times I could hear sadness and anger and I honestly thought that I would never be awaken again to be touched or loved.”

“Just when I had given up all hope, one day Tyler pulled me out of that diaper bag, and I saw tears trickling down his face and he held me and cuddled me once more. I wasn’t for sure what was going on, but there was a realization that somehow Heather and Tyler were tied to each other, and I represented the love between them that was soon to be rediscovered. Alive again, I listened closely to a miracle that was about to occur; Tyler finally found his mom Heather after 32 years and txt her on her birthday that he loved her and thanked her for the life she gave him and could not wait to hear back from her! It only took a few minutes for Heather to respond.” “Best birthday ever to hear from you and the wonderful life you have. I have prayed relentlessly through the years that your life was full of love and happiness…”  “You talk about miracles, Mopsy, it was only God that could have arranged it all and melted years of anguish away and traded it for tears of love and joy.”

“Well Peter,” Mopsy said through her tears, “you and I are the blessed ones here to be a witness of how God cares for the details of our human’s lives and to allow us to be a picture of God’s love between them.”  And, with that, Mopsy and Peter were very content to be alive in the Wade’s home waiting for the next miracle of God’s grace to happen!

A Love Letter Found, 21 Years Later

If an old Bible could talk, it would be amazing to hear the stories from distant relatives. I was given my grandmother’s Bible upon her death several years ago. Pages at the beginning and at the end are filled with family history of births and deaths and marriages. Also is a collection of dates for water heater installations, car repairs, buying and selling of businesses, and divorces.  

 

Another old Bible did some “talking” recently and the message it spoke from the past confirmed the love that has been shown to Taylor Anne from her dear biological grandmother who we met almost four years ago.   Memaw’s old Bible given by her parents in 1962 sat on the shelf for several years until this past year when she was looking for some Bible verses in a certain translation and went to the shelf to reach for this Bible.  An old pink notebook page fell out of it revealing a letter written April 8, 1995 to Taylor Anne from her Memaw.  To set the stage for this letter, you need to understand that this family had surrendered their rights to Taylor Anne and had peace that God had a plan for their daughter/granddaughter.  Memaw expressed her grief of the loss in tangible ways and one of those ways was to write a goodbye letter to Taylor Anne totally surrendering her.  She refers to Tay as her “godchild” in the letter because she felt like she didn’t have the right to address her as granddaughter.

Don’t you just rejoice with us that 4 years ago, God had that story come full circle and Memaw was able to hold, touch and kiss her beloved granddaughter.

And I love that on Memaw’s 70^th birthday, Papa took her to see Taylor Anne in Boone and she lovingly gave the Bible and the letter to her in person.

Some pictures just don’t need a whole lot of words:

And one more great joy this past year,  Tay’s biological dad, Jason contacted Tay’s daddy, Jimmy and asked if he would perform the wedding ceremony for him and his beautiful bride!   What an honor and great joy to be a part of Jason and Emily’s special day!  How’s that for coming full circle!  Only a story that God himself could write!

Photo Courtesy of Folly Girl Photography