All of the interns in Guatemala are so grateful for the teams who come and make more things possible. With so many hearts all wanting to bless the kids in a special way, we were able to do something remarkable last week.Because of the large number of children and the overwhelmed workers, I can often smell the children when they haven’t been bathed recently. We stopped VBS one day and showed these children how much God loves them through showers! Everyone in our team got to experience something very special this day.
Our leader Alison worked behind the scenes handling the babies and caring for them so everyone else could help with the showers. Patiently loving these restless babies, her kindness was as soothing as the lotion.
Brandon was on the other side helping out with the boys. When almost everyone had gone, Brandon and other guys from the team went the extra mile. Edvin has found a special place in each of our hearts. He is in a wheelchair with special needs and is probably often neglected from things like showers. These guys picked up Edvin and held his dead weight to see that he got what we take for granite everyday: a shower. Their dedication to “the least of these” inspired all of us, and probably the caretakers too, to give beyond our self.
Beth and Heather distributed the clothes to the fresh and clean children. As they dressed the little shivering kids, they took off the only outfit we had seen them in all week. They both worked so hard to see that each child received clothes that fit them. The girls were literally walking taller and smiling bigger. It’s amazing how clean hair and new clothes can bring so much needed confidence.
Nydia can communicate with the kids in their own language. You can always see her running around doing everything under the sun. We all relate to the kids in some ways, but it is Nydia who can really dive deep with each child and listen and minister to their hearts.
I was at the hair station combing through their hair and pulling it back with cute new clips. Even though there were a lot of children, I decided not to rush. I took my time on each child and remembered how much I loved my mom fixing and playing with my hair each morning before school. After I finished, I took a picture of each kid and let them see themselves and reaffirmed how beautiful they are.
The whole experience brought the kids and us memories and life lessons that will last longer than the shower. Thank you for your prayers. God is working and we are seeing decisions made and lives changed.
