It´s a Little Late....But this is Guatemala´s 2nd week Post!!

This is EDWIN....sweet sweet Edwin. He is one of the babies at the Xela orphanage...He is gorgeous....WE LOVE HIM....

Our amazing Translators! and FRIENDS forever!!!!!

This is sweet Jennifer smiling, who we hope God is encouraging daily, as we are gone.......

THIS is us!! Your crazy and loveable interns!!......we love eachother SO much..........can you tell?

Well.....

The second week was SUCH a blessing. Honestly, we were not sure what to expect from the second week because we had grown so attached to the kids from our first orphanage.....BUT our heart´s were open and our arms were ready to love on any child we were about to come across.....

The children at this orphanage in Xela we could already tell were a little bit different from the others....They weren´t as readily willing to jump on you! and hug and kiss you! as you walked in....it would take a little bit of time before they would warm up to us.....That took a little getting used to, but when the kids did warm up to us.....it was HEAVEN. There were a good number of special needs kids at this orphanage whose faces just lit up our hearts....one of the special needs boys in a wheel chair even knew words in english! and would speak them to us...it was AWESOME!......The children loved the songs that we sang....Haaaaabia un sapo, sapo, sapo!......and....Y yooooo, aqui estoy esperando. Yoooo, aqui estoy esperando! Cristo me dijo que vendria otra vez, que vendria otra vez.....The kids LOVED THEM! and we absolutely loved to hear them sing so loudly...

The group we went with was a group from Midland, Texas. They had a great program planned out for the whole group of kids that worked very smoothly. It was such a blessed week. There was a little itty bitty cute boy named Luis Eduardo who we learned had been found in a dumpster and brought to this orphanage. He was the most handsome little boy you could ever lay eyes on.....and his story was so sad, but through this orphanage, he had hope. We learned some of the stories of different children there......and ONE in particular stood out to me and one of my good friends here Liz.....

There was this girl around 10 years of age (she didn´t know her age or birthday) who always was quiet and was really rather down the whole first day we were there. Even during songs or games she would not want to participate or anything. She was in the group that Liz and I were in charge of, so we took notice and Liz approached her first. When she asked her what was wrong, she said that she did not want to be there. In talking to her more, she let Liz know that she had just arrived there at the orphanage on Saturday (we arrived there on Monday). She only had one brother there with her, but she had another back home and she missed her mother and her abuelita (gramma). She cried by Liz´s side for a little while and then we had to continue with our time there, so she continued to just go along with the activities. Little by little Liz was trying to encourage her with smiles and hugs and just touch. I was also trying to encourage her but did not know the extent of Jennifer´s sadness until the 2nd day we were there. The second day, I sad down on the ground near Jennifer and said, ¨Come here.¨ I nudged her near me and sad her down beside me. Her face was so, so, so down. I began to ask her what was wrong as anyone else would, but then realized......this girl needs me to grab her and hold her like a baby in my arms, and just....cry. So that´s what I did, I kindly held her in my arms and just rocked her telling her of God´s sweet love for her, and wiping her tears. Before when Liz tried to tell her that God loved her, she would nod her head NO...that God does not love her. But here, while she was in my lap crying, I quietly assured her that He was definitely with her in her heart and loving her.....even when it was hard, He was there. When she missed her mother and her grandmother, He was there. I asked her.....Do you believe that? and she knodded her head...YES. Soon after rocking her a little while longer, one of the workers came and picked her up and wiped her tears and sent her off to play with the other kids. As the day continued, me and Liz would point her out to eachother when she started to play with the other kids! She began singing the songs! She began smiling....and taking pictures with us!.....The Lord, through us, had strengthened her heart....and we were just standing back in AWE. By the last day, she was a new girl. God had moved in her heart and we pray and hope that He continues to, even though we had to leave her side that day....

As a team we bonded so tightly during this past week....so tightly knit that it will be one of the hardest things to say bye to eachother in a week and half. It is so hard to believe that the month is almost over. I´m sure that all of our family and friends are ready to see us again.....but our hearts have experienced something here that we can never forget and would never want to forget...TRUE RELIGION (John). When we left the orphanage, us interns were under the impression that we were returning to that orphanage in 1 week, so our hopes were up! But during this current week, we learned that we would be going back to Xela but not back to that orphanage....that was a big let down.....but it has taught us ONCE AGAIN......to TRUST....not in ourselves or our own abilities, but its God´s powerful and most sufficient ability to love his children when they are lonely and without arms to hold them. We have to trust. Trust, trust, trust......every day, and PRAY.

Two such elementary concepts in the faith, and yet they are concepts that are being grown and imprinted forever into our walk with the Lord each day as we are here. We are loving these children, loving eachother, love all of you, and loving our Lord Jesus who is so so so very good to us and has blessed us beyong measure undeservingly so.

Thank you so much for your prayers still!!! Keep it up! We need them so much, especially as the time comes for us to leave eachother and leave the lives that we have experienced here in Guatemala......

We love you,

Until next week,

Missing and thinking of each of you,

Kelli, Gina, Liz, Viv, Sadie, Mallorie, Molly, and Ranger Rache.