Guatemala Day 1

On the plane

After traveling late into the evening on Friday, we had a chance to rest up and get ready for the next morning. We started early Saturday morning with delicious breakfast in our hotel, then headed off to the orphanage to begin loving on kiddos! The first group of kids we worked with were two to five year old boys and girls. They walked into the auditorium and all of our hearts began to melt. There was so much snot, dirt, and coughing going on, but that did not stop any of us from hugging on those little ones. We were not allowed to take pictures at this location, so unfortunately I cannot show you their sweet faces. We made puppets, did a play of Daniel and the lion's den, and did our best to sing songs in Spanish.

On the bus headed to the orphanage the first day

One of the girls that caught my attention the most was handicapped. Through our translators I was able figure out why she was in a wheelchair. Normally, this would not be information I was curious about, however she was moving her feet and legs as if nothing was wrong. It turns out, she has very fragile bones. Not too long ago another little girl fell on top of her and her leg broke. She amazed me, because she asked to get out of her chair and sit on the floor next to me. As we sat there playing with play doh,  her determination was a great lesson to me. No matter her circumstances of being in the orphanage and a wheel chair, she had the biggest smile on her face. She played, she laughed, she communicated, she loved on all of us! It made me think about all the things I complain about that do not matter. She truly has things in her life to complain about, but she is one of the happiest little girls I saw there.

Rich was busy playing with kids outside while I was inside. I came outside to see the kids he was with and he was sitting on the ground holding a 5 year old boy. This little guy would not let go of Rich. All he wanted was a hug. So that is what Rich did. He hug him for I do not know how long.

We went to lunch around 12:00 and then went back to work with more kids. The first day went by very fast and we ended the day with dinner at the mall.

The Group