Last week was fun-filled at Los Gozosos. I was able to bring
some of the generous donations which were received with complete joy, humility
and gratitude. I allocated some of the donations to another orphanage about 45
minutes from Antigua; Hannah was nice enough to bring them to the children as
that is where she is volunteering during her time here in Guatemala. She said
that the children were absolutely ecstatic. It was the first time they had been
able to play with a soccer ball! It’s incredible to think how a used puzzle or
$1.00 bag of balloons can make such an impact. It is so simple to bring joy and
show love to children. I can’t help but reflect on many of the children
playrooms in the U.S. which are overflowing with various toys and gadgets… so
many that it’s difficult to be thankful for the simple things in life. The
children of Guatemala have continued to exemplify and teach me the lesson that things do not bring us happiness and
that the less we possess the more thankful we are about what we do have. Thanks
to a couple generous dentists I was able to bring toothbrushes to all the
children in the orphanage as well as give them to needy children in Antigua.
You would have thought that I handed these children $1000.00; they were all squealing
with joy and shaking their new cepillos in the air. Each carried them around
for the remainder of the day, never letting it out of their sight. The teachers
said that they had never seen such beautifully decorated toothbrushes in their
lives, as each was adorned with princesses, Dora, Diego and various other
cartoon characters. May I begin to aware
of and thankful for all the small blessings in life, like my toothbrush.
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| This soccer ball is being kicked around in rural Guatemala. How cool is that?! Thank you for the donation! |
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| Toothbrush distribution during clase de la Biblia |
I finally remembered to bring my camera with me but didn’t
get a chance to capture all of the ninos. Here’s just a brief intro to those I was
able to talk into taking a picture.
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Racael: So full of energy, this little boy keeps the teacher
in 1st grade teacher on her toes. (And everyone else for that matter :))
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Gabriel: You met him in my post from last week :)
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Moseis and Daniel: Moseis is our soccer star. I brought a
soccer ball to Los Gozosos and the next day he showed up with a uniform to show
off his skills. Such a sweet boy. Daniel is shy but is beginning to warm up to
me after I spent time in his classroom on Monday. He is the big brother of the
group, and he so obviously loves his little brothers and sisters.
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Mirna: You met her in last week’s post too. She is a
perfectionist in her work and loves encouragement and praise. She is the mother hen of the group.
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Nancy and Andrea: Nancy lives in the orphanage but doesn’t
attend school. Andrea is in 3rd grade and LOVES playdough.
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Helen: Independent as ever. She loves music and dancing! She
calls me mom.
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| Okay, Diana. That's enough! |
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Lyla: 4th grader who loves coloring. Like a good little
sister should, she’s great at irritating Daniel ;)
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Israel: He has completely stolen my heart but also tests my
patience. He has difficulty listening, but his hugs and kisses are something I
look forward to every day.
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Andres: So smiley. He loves when I take him out of his
chair.
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Candy: She craves physical contact, always grabbing your
hand or trying to inch her way onto your lap. Her laugh is adorable.
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More introductions to come!
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