This morning, I ran. I should say, I attempted to run. And then I received the link to this video. I ended up standing in the middle of the road, bawling like a baby. If you would like to join GuateTeam on its next adventure, reach out to Orphan Outreach. We’d love to have you join our family.
Thank you, Amy Hobbs, for creating this video.
~Ronne
There’s nothing like watching someone fall in love. Amy Hobbs did just that in Guatemala. The object of her affection? Read on and you’ll meet him. If you’d like to read more of Amy’s stories, you can visit her blog, Living Out Loud. And if you’d like to learn more about sponsorship of some precious orphans in Guatemala, reach out to Orphan Outreach.
On Thursday, I had been assigned the job of helping paint the ceiling in one of the boys’ rooms at Cerecaif. Adriana had drawn stars, the moon, a rocket ship and the star of the show, an astronaut. So we began painting the celestial oasis.
Love at first sight.
Sitting on the corner of a bottom bunk, flipping through the pages of a tiny New Testament, was Armando. Continue reading
Today, I wept over French Toast.
Tostadas at Pollo Campero.
To be perfectly honest, my tears had nothing to do with breakfast. But when caught crying at Pollo Campero this morning, the quality of the French Toast seemed as good an excuse as any.
Tomorrow night, we’ll be there again. Guatemala. Tonight, my heart is filled with a million whispered prayers. I pray for each member of our precious team – Shea, Amy, Kylie, Kelly, Richard, Ashley, Emily, Tricia, Janice, Teresa, and my fellow Wordpainter, Courtney. I pray for our dear Orphan Outreach companion Gloria and the team of translators she has hand-picked. I pray for Josue, our guardian angel bus driver. I pray for the 272 young women awaiting our arrival at Hogar Solidario, the seven girls ready to learn to decorate cakes and bake bread at Evita’s House, and the 49 sweet children at Cerecaif who remind everyone they meet of the awesome redeeming love of a mighty God. I pray for hope to shine brightly. I pray for miracles, great and small. I pray for joy like rain and power like the gravity-defying flowers that spring forth from the cliffs in Xela. And I pray for communion as rich as the time spent holding the hand of an abuelita at Cabacitas de Algodon.
I pray for beauty to be found in the margins, each and every day. Lord, let me not miss a moment.
~Ronne
Our journey to Guatemala was made complete by the team of beautiful people who joined us. Jean Clark is a pediatric nurse in Florida, and this is our second time to serve together in Guatemala. We’re thankful to share her words today as our guest blogger.
Jean with one of the sweet orphans at Cerecaif outside Xela, Guatemala.
Life is fragile.
It’s 5:30 in the morning. The seemingly ever-present Guatemalan traffic is napping now, which was a blessing as we took our team to the airport to catch their flights home. Courtney and I now sit in silence, caught in that strange place between longing-to-stay and longing-to-be-home.
This country feels so familiar – if I was a brave girl, I believe I could even drive from one place to another and not get lost (bravery being the key word, since driving here requires a lot of skill and an ability to shape-shift to accommodate the traffic and crazy switchbacks, mudslides, ravines, and occasional body of water that may or may not be between you and your destination). Yet every visit is full of brand-new. Every day is full of broken, poured out, and filled up. Every room is full of stories.
The language of the stories varies. Sometimes it’s a language of words and phrases. Sometimes it’s a language of song. It could be a language of touch, or tears, or laughter. But I have found one universal language that translates instantly to “let’s be friends.”
The language of iPhone. Continue reading
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