It's officially been two weeks since we arrived here at Casa Bernabe, and I think it's safe to say that things are finally feeling settled. Last weekend, I hit a rather low point and was seriously doubting my decision to work in the baby house; I felt overwhelmed by the long hours, frustrated that I seemed so isolated from teammates who I had only just met (as well as from the other 100+ kids who live here who I'd really love to spend time with), and overall just discontent & not looking forward to 2 months of drudgery. But, quite surprisingly, after giving it a few more days (and lots and lots of prayer), things have completely changed. Long story short, God has blessed me with a real love for these children, and with a joy that I know does not simply come out of my circumstances... Praying for continued joy this summer, and that I could carry that home with me at the end!
That being said, today was by far the most joyful and wonderful day yet. I have two mornings "off" each week which means I don't go down to the baby house until 1:15, so today in the morning I gardened (see picture below) and spent some time praying with a teammate. Then in the afternoon (after all the diaper-changing and putting-on-of-shoes and getting-in-high-chairs) we had cake to celebrate the birthday of one of the babies, which while it was fun also was a reminder of the reality of living in an orphanage & of the reality that all these children have to face, because her birthday in fact is not until September but she leaves the orphanage this weekend and we will likely never see her again... It amazes me how "in-your-face" all the issues that these children's face can be, while at the same time you can so easily forget they are even orphans. I pray that God would give me freedom from surface judgments this summer as I come to understand the deeper hurts of these kids.
Anyways, back to the day: this afternoon, our daily walk with the kids turned into quite an adventure. There's a bridge near the garden which at the moment has no wooden boards on it, which means all that's there are thin metal beams, over which I would never even think of crossing by myself, let alone with babies. However, my house mom, not coming from the same American "keep-your-child-in-a-bubble" mentality that I come from, didn't seem to have a problem with the idea of passing the children assembly line style across the bridge after my teammate jokingly suggested that we do it. It was both a frightening and hilarious experience, and one which I hope I won't face again in my life! After that, we just sat on a field and played, laughed, chatted in Spanish and took pictures as the Guatemalan winter fog set in until it was time for dinner... So thankful for the way God is working in the friendships with the other baby house staff, and for the joy He has given me in what at first seemed to be mundane and a source of isolation. I pray I do not lose that this summer
Here are some pictures from the day:
We're off to Antigua again tomorrow, for a day full of salsa dancing, coffee drinking, and volcano hiking! Updates on that at another time.
Bendiciones.
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