After a decent night's rest I woke up excited to dive into the Guatemalan culture and start meeting the children at Dori's promise and attend a church service in Guatemala. I had breakfast out on the back porch with Karen and a few other ladies and we had a nice chat. We had a tour of Dori's promise before going to church. The living area was really nice for the kids and I appreciated the homey feeling. After getting a tour we were able to spend time with the kids.
All of the American volunteers piled into the big van/bus. Next the kids piled in on top of us. Total there were over 40 people in the bus. Abraham sat on my lap and I sat beside the special mom Naomi.
 |
| Abraham |
We arrived at the church and I really enjoyed the service. During the worship the pastor's son stood up on stage with a plastic guitar and pretended to play with the band. It was absolutely precious. IU was excited when I could either understand some of the lyrics or they played an American song that was in Spanish. The pastor spoke while Pablo translated the sermon into English. The main point of the sermon was that when Jesus came he was originally born into the family of a carpenter so His original identity would have been a carpenter's son. That did not stay his identity though. Jesus is the son of God and that was His purpose and His identity. Similarly we are not identified by our family or our past or by our jobs. We are identified by our purpose in Christ and by our spiritual gifts. If God made me with the gift of encouragement then that is my new identity in Christ. So I am no longer defined by the things that I use to be defined by. It was a really good sermon that reminded me that I am not defined by being single, a nurse, living at home, Saint James graduate, Towson graduate, OB leader, ect. I am defined by my identity in Christ. It caused me to pray for a clear definition of my identity in Christ based on my spiritual gifts.
 |
| Pablo on the left translating for the pastor |
 |
| Tight seating on the bus. |
After church we piled back into the bus and headed home. We had the famous fried chicken. It did taste different from our fried chicken in the states. For the kids' outing we went to Chuck e Cheese with them. Although we collectively agreed the Chuck e Cheese was not our favorite place, we all agreed that watching the enjoyment of the kids was worth it for us. My little friend at Chuck e Cheese was Fabiola. They also did an impromptu session of Zumba while at Chuck e Cheese. The kids loved it and it was a fun way to mix with the kids and have fun despite the language barrier.
 |
| Fabiola |
 |
| Elvis |
On the way home after chuck e cheese Alex sat on my lap and Elvis sat on Lexi's lap. This was the first time I met Alex but he would be come a very special little boy in my heart.
 |
| Alex playing with my camera on the way home. |
 |
| Lexi and Elvis |
 |
| Elvis having fun with my camera |
My single prayer with all of my heart is that Alex feels loved. That when I hold him tight and laugh with him that he feels our Father's love. I hope that my love isn't diminished by the fact that I am forced to leave at the end of the week. At debriefing tonight I learned that Alex and Elvis have been severely physically abused by his grandparents who are currently in prison. Alex and Elvis are not permanent orphans at Dori's Promise and they will probably go back with their abusive grandparents once released. To say the least, this breaks my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment