Hope for Guatemala (Day 6, Friday)

Our final day in Guatemala did not begin as I had hoped. (See this  post also http://firstthingsfirst5.blogspot.com/2014/07/hope-for-guatemalafacing-my-fear.html)

By lunch time, I was feeling a bit better and wanted to brave the bus ride down the mountain to eat lunch. I ate a small amount of rice and a piece of bread with peanut butter (peanut butter is a short term missionary staple item to have at meals for those who are picky eaters or who just cannot eat the other food being served). I had three things in my heart that I really wanted to accomplish with my day, but since I wasn’t feeling well and since the day was halfway done, I didn’t see how I would do all of them. I resolved to do one thing…go back and hold my sweet Arlin one more time.

After I ate lunch, I realized that the Monk family and the Holt family were at the Rancho, eating lunch with us. One of my “top three” desires for the day was to see them, bless them with a little money to buy some fruit for their kids and let them know that I would be doing what I could to get the word out to others about their work in Guatemala. They live at the top of the mission compound and I could not get there without a ride, so I had dismissed that idea. They “just happened” to be there for a meeting that was delayed, so they were having lunch at the Rancho. God is so faithful.

After a time of visiting and being sure that lunch had settled, I returned to Kelly’s House and headed straight to Arlin’s crib. I greeted her and pulled out a sweet little stuffed lamb that my friend Kiha has given me. I had carried the little lamb around with me all week, asking God who I should give it to. Most of the children at Kelly’s House do not have toys (for good reasons) and stuffed animals are not the best choice, since they can carry so many germs. But, since Arlin just lays in her crib and cannot really play with the animal enough to make it dirty, I asked Hannah if I could give it to her. She said yes, and I laid it on Arlin’s chest. I thought to myself, “How fitting, for she is a little lamb and Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will hold her when I cannot.

I visited with each of the little ones in the room—Luis, Jose David, Mimi, Madelyn, Eswin, Emilio, Marito and came back to my sweet girl. I lifted her out of her crib, placed the rocker in front of the fan knowing that we would still sweat like crazy. I rocked her and sang to her, while holding Jose’s hand and talking to the others in the room. Again, I asked myself, how does one nanny do this by herself?

I was blessed to have a translator in the room. _____________ was spending time with Jose David and I watched as he tenderly held his hand and caressed his head. I asked him some questions about the nanny, Mirna Lisseth. She showed me a photos of her son and her nieces. I told her (through Jose) that she is a wonderful nanny and that I appreciate the care she gives to the little ones. She smiled and smiled.

When it was time to give baths, I used charades to ask her to put a diaper, outfit and towel on each crib so we would know what to put on each child. She beamed, as this made her job easier. My team mates and I took turns carrying the children to the washroom, bathing them, wrapping them in towels and hugs, and dressing them. Is there anything sweeter than a powdery soft baby? Some things are the same, wherever you go.