As many of you know, I just spent the last week in Antigua, Guatemala. I embarked on this journey with fellow Baylor students who share the same desire to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. While in Guatemala, we partnered with Orphan’s Heart and help in their malnutrition center. There was a large group of us, so we were able to help with a wide range of tasks from caring for the kids who are at the center every day, to painting a room, to going off-site to minister to the seniors in the community. I had the privilege of working in the daycare room, where kids whose parents work all day come. We had kids from two to seven years old, each with their own joyful, beautiful personality.
From the moment I walked in, I knew I was going to fall in love with these kids, and I didn't prove myself wrong. The first day, I began to build a relationship with a little girl named Fernanda. Fernanda was unique because she was one of the few kids in her group that actually lived at the center. She has been there since she was six months old and in need of serious medical attention. However, now she is four and healthy enough to go home. Unfortunately, her mother had a stroke and is not healthy enough to take care of her. Therefore, Fernanda lives at the center and is being raised by the nannies there. She has some kind of condition that prevents her from speaking and she is very sensitive and shy. I clicked with her anyway. I saw her sitting away from the other kids, so I went to go play with her. She can’t speak, so she never talked to me, but she quickly communicated with me that she liked me and trusted me.
For the rest of the week, Fernanda was my girl. She always wanted me to hold her or help her, and I was her comfort when she was upset. As the days went by, I knew leaving her was going to be hard. On the last day, Fernanda was really fussy and the nannies decided to take her to a different room, so I didn’t get to see her all day. At the end of the day, I was really upset because I didn’t think I was going to able to say goodbye to her—but God had a different idea. I went into the main daycare room before going outside to the buses because I had left my water bottle in there. As I walked toward the exit, I passed a room and Fernanda was in there getting her hands washed for dinner. Fernanda immediately caught site of me and recognized me. She quickly ran to me and embraced me in a hug. But then she did something she had never done: she kissed me on the check. Although this isn’t an odd thing for a four-year-old to do, it was so special to me. It showed me that Fernanda had grown to know who I was and loved me. She knew I was leaving for a long time and wanted to say goodbye. She couldn’t talk to me and I couldn’t speak the language she understands, but in that moment, we heard each other clearly. She knew how much I loved her and I knew she loved me too. Wow, it was hard to walk away from her after that! But I left with hopes that I will see her again.
It’s amazing how we can see God’s love in little gestures like that. His loved shined so brightly through each one of those kids, not just Fernanda. The moment we walked in, they loved us and wanted to know more about us. I have never seen someone so excited to see me as those kids were each day we got to the center. Although they have few material things and their lives are far more difficult than ours, they had an indescribable joy that was contagious. They all smiled so brightly and gave each one of us a reason to smile too.
Orphan’s Heart is doing powerful things to impact these kids' lives and to give each of them a better future. They provide food for them and their families, help those who are sick become healthy, and share the story of Jesus with them each day they are at the center. They are changing the world one child at a time, and I was so blessed to be a part of that this week.
This week, I pray that each of us will have the same joy these children possess. I pray that no matter what may come our way, we will delight in the Lord and His blessings. These kids didn’t have much, but they had the love of Christ, and for them, that is more than enough. I pray we can proclaim that this week. Christ is all we need, and He is more than enough.
