Guatemala May 16-23

My first international childcare trip with the Florida Baptist Children's Homes was to Guatemala. There were seven of us on the trip, and we spent the week working at a malnutrition center in San Juan. We helped repaint the building and put in new soffits, and we spent a significant amountof time playing with the children at the center. I blogged during our trip, which can be read at FBCH's international childcare blog site (http://fbchinternationalchildcare.blogspot.com/).

There were so many memories from the trip, but I had some particularly memorable experiences with two children, Juanita and Elwin.

Me playing dress-up with Juanita and Christina

Juanita is an eight-year-old, whom I met the first day when she ran outside in her plaid school uniform, eager to show me her schoolwork. In addition to being the oldest, she is also one of the children who has been at the malnutrition center the longest, having been abandoned by her parents at the center (as many of the children there have been).

However, instead of mourning her circumstances, she uses her seniority to be a role model for the other children. Although only eight, Juanita acts like an older sister, taking younger children to the bathroom, playing games with the other girls, and watching out for the other children. Gratitude for her schooling exudes from her, and she completes her homework each day with diligence and delight. Whether caring for the other children, wanting to help volunteers with repairs around the center, or excelling in her role as a student, Juanita lives each day with immense joy.

Juanita particularly looks after Christina, who is a typical, stubborn four-year-old. One afternoon when Christina was yearning for attention (probably because she never received any from her parents), Juanita took me by the hand to play with them. We went into a storage room, full of clothes donations that had been sent to the center. We spent a couple of hours playing dress-up and laughing. Despite the language barrier, I was able to understand the joy in Juanita's and Christina's eyes. According to the world’s standards, these girls should have been depressed, downtrodden, defeated – yet they were smiling and joyful. Juanita considered it a privilege to attend school during the morning and watch after the younger ones in the afternoon. She taught me to be thankful for any opportunity, large or small.

Me spending time babysitting twenty toddlers

Elwin tickling one of the younger children to make them laugh

Elwin is another one of the oldest children. When our team first arrived at the malnutrition center, he was reluctant to talk to or play with us. I learned that when he was brought to the center a few months before, he would sit on his bed, crying all day, and refusing to interact with any of the other children. However, Elwin began warming up to us, and I connected with him at a particularly hectic period of my third day. During this time, I was extremely busy watching about twenty toddlers, frantically taking some to the bathroom, while others were climbing on chairs and falling over. With at least three in tears at any given time, Elwin followed behind me whenever another child started crying. Recognizing that I needed assistance calming everyone down, he helped cheer the younger ones up by tickling them and making them laugh. It would have been understandable for Elwin to remain on his bed all day, crying about his dismal circumstances. Yet instead he broke out of his reserved, sad self and wanted to help the other children be joyful again too. Elwin’s desire for the other children to smile was a powerful lesson to me to smile in the face of adversity.