Party at the Children's Hospital

My mom wrote in my baby book that when I was three I said, “Mommy, I want to be a doctor and a mommy when I grow up.” Well, that dream hasn’t changed at all and this trip has given me so much motivation to make that dream a reality.

I am so blessed that one of our ministries is the children’s hospital. Hospital ministry was not on the description of this trip, nor was it on the list of ministries our contact had. Coming on this trip, I figured we wouldn’t be doing hospital ministry. You can imagine how happy I was when I heard that not only were we going to do hospital ministry, but we were doing hospital ministry at a children’s hospital. (My dream is to become a pediatrician and do medical missions.) The fact that there are only two children’s hospitals in all of Guatemala made it even more exciting.

One night after going to the hospital, God put in on my heart to do something more than just talk to the parents and color with the kids. My mind was racing with thoughts and ideas. I woke up early the next morning excited about the ideas I had. I had decided I wanted to do a little carnival for the kids where they could get out of their rooms and enjoy and hour or so of fun.

I asked one of my leaders if it would be possible, and after getting the ok, I went on with the planning. My friend Emily R and I spend the last few days planning, shopping, organizing, and decorating for the carnival. I had a picture in my head and was ready to make it a reality. With the help of my teammates, this picture became a reality this past Tuesday.

The kids, aging from around 2 to 11, loved it! Some of the activities included pin the tail (on the lion), a craft, a coloring table,
a ring toss, a ball toss, and the fishing game.

Thanks for your support! Less than seven weeks till I come home!

Matthew 25:45

Hiking up the volcano in Antigua is an experience I will remember for a lifetime for two reasons. The first reason is probably what you would expect- I will remember the beauty of it, the amazing sites I saw. The second reason I will remember the volcano is something I wasn’t expecting- I will remember the children there, the children who begged us to buy a stick for five quetzals, who begged us for food and money. I have never experienced something like it. We got off the bus and we were attacked by little boys, pleading with us to buy a stick. They were selling them five quetzals, which is the equivalent of less than one American dollar. There was urgency in their eyes, but I didn’t buy a stick.

After finishing the hike, we went to the tienda (store) to get some snacks. Boys and girls again were pleading with us, except instead of selling sticks, they were just begging for food and money. By this time, it was 7:30 at night and we were all hungry. I bought a bag of chips and a candy bar for myself and a bag of chips for one of my teammates. As I was buying the food, a little boy said, “for me?” My heart broke. I bought a second bag of chips and gave it to him, hoping that he would share with the other kids. He ran away with the bag. My heart broke again because there must have been ten or fifteen other kids who I didn’t give anything to. I got on the bus and left, thinking about what just happened. I couldn’t help but wonder why I didn’t feed all of them. I had the money to do so.

So why didn’t I feed all of them? I think part of it was that I was overwhelmed with everything. I didn’t know where to start. The other part of it was that the devil got it in my mind that it wasn’t my job to feed the children, that other people would do it if I didn’t. But a passage in Matthew kept coming to mind. If you have a Bible near you flip to Matthew 25:31-46. The verse that kept repeating in my head was Matthew 25:45, “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.’”

The reality is that Matthew 25:45 was speaking directly at me and I didn’t listen. I didn’t feed the least of these. And as much as I want to go back and redo that night, I can’t. I know many of you are probably thinking, “Kathy, you can’t put that burden on yourself. You did help one of the boys and that was more than what others did.” But that is a lie. Jesus commanded us to care for the least of these, to feed them and to care for them. I can’t go back to that night, but I can go forward, always remembering Matthew 25:45 AND acting on it. As I look for opportunities to do that, I encourage you to do the same. When you see someone in need, remember what God commanded us to do. And remember, it’s not a burden, it’s a gift. God blessed us richly so that we can help his children.

My Friend Manuel

I met Manual the first time we went to the Children's Hospital three weeks ago. He and his sister were in the hallway of the hospital with their mother who looked emotionally and physically trained. Manual and his sister both looked like they were on the verge of death. They were extremely weak and exhausted. Manual and his sister were both suffering from intestinal problems and couldn't eat without getting sick. We prayed with them and left.

The following day we had a children's program, where all the kids who were able came outside and watched my team perform skits and sing songs. During the program, I sat with Manuel, who looked a little better than the day before but still looked tired and weak. I was praying and hoping that these silly skits we were performing would bring some joy into his life. It took awhile, but he finally smiled and laughed, a lot! It was so nice to see this little boy, who was so sick, not only smile but laugh. At the end of the program, our leader told a story about prayer and the power it brings. Afterwards, there was a time to pray and I asked Manuel if I could pray for him. He smiled and said yes, and I prayed for healing and strength. I had already asked him all the questions I could in Spanish, so together we counted his fingers and toes, my fingers and toes, Kevin's fingers and toes, Jordan's fingers and toes, and then continued to count to a hundred.

Last week when we went back to the hospital, I was on the lookout for Manuel. I didn't see him in any of the main rooms, but then someone on my team told me he was hanging out with one of the nurses in the emergency room. I peeked through the window and waved, and he smiled and waved back. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to go in, so I waited awhile and went to another room. When I came back, one of my leaders was in the emergency room, so I went in to visit Manuel. He looked better, but the nurse said that they didn't know when he would be able to go home and that was frustrating him and his mom.

This past Tuesday we went back to the hospital. Part of me wanted to see him again, but the other part of me was hoping that he made a full recovery and was at home. To my surprise, I saw Manuel again. But this time was different. This time, Manuel was happy! He was smiling from ear to ear. His sister looked great too. He asked me when I'd be back, and I said probably next week. As much as I would love to see him again, I hope I never do. Please pray for Manuel, his sister, and their family.

I love going to the hospital and talking to the parents and praying for the children. This past Tuesday, I wanted to do something in addition to the prayers and talks, something that would bring some joy and life into the kids. I figured most kids like to color so I bought a coloring book, markers, and crayons and found some kids that looked bored. They loved it! It brought joy into my heart to see them active and happy. If you can think of any other fun and creative ideas that we could do with the kids, email me! :)

To all the prayer warriors out there, I have a special prayer request for you. While we were at the hospital, we met a 13 year old girl who was in a car accident six days ago. Her mom was killed at impact and her father was injured but was just released from the hospital. A family friend was staying with the girl. The girl and her family speak Quiché, an indigenous Mayan language, not Spanish. The girl had broken her femur, and some of the disks in her back were misplaced so she had surgery yesterday to fix that. They didn't tell her that her mother had died yet. When we saw her, she was in a lot of pain and extremely scared. I can't imagine what she is feeling. She is living a nightmare. But I trust that God will wrap his loving hands around this family and comfort them. He will heal them and make them stronger. He will be there for them, if they look to Him. Pray that during this extremely difficult time, they will look to their Father in Heaven for their strength and peace.

Worrying and Complaining... no más!

I was unsure of what to blog about this week. If you read my other blogs, you already have a feel for what ministry looks like here. I don't want to bore you with my emotional states the past few days or say the same thing I did last week, so this week I decided to write about what I have been learning, both about myself and about my God.

God has convicted me of two things this week: complaining and worrying. I know that the Bible specifically says not to complain and worry, but for me, it is so unnatural not to do those things, especially when it comes to worrying.

Sunday was a difficult day for the team. We were told that we needed to leave early so we got up to have breakfast at 7:00 and the plan was to leave at 8:00. Eight rolls around and breakfast isn't ready. Once we finally eat breakfast, we wait around for another two and a half hours waiting for our contacts to come. Once they arrived, we left for ministry. We were told the night before that we were going to do door-to-door evangelism for the whole day. Once we got to our location (in the mountains), we found out we were actually doing our kids program. Since we weren't told that we were doing the program, we didn't bring the ipod, so we were unable to do all of the things we normally do. But in the end, we made it work. Then came lunch. One of our contacts told us to eat in the van and the other, once we were already in the van, told us that we needed to eat in the church. Then once lunch was finished, we went door-to-door, talking and praying for some pretty hopeless people. -Let me paint the picture for you. -About seven white Americans, a Honduras woman (our contact), the local pastor, a couple Guatemalan kids, and a random teenager playing a guitar knocking on your door. It was just weird situation for me, not to mention the people we came in contact with. Then after a couple hours we come back to the church, where our contacts precedes to tell us that we need to catch a chicken because that is our dinner... She was completely serious...She told us that we are eating here and spending the night here also because "it is necessary for the ministry." So we venture out, running around with our skirts on, trying to catch our dinner. We finally catch one, and our contact says we now need to chop the poor chicken's head off. We literally have the chicken dangling, about the chop the head off, when our contact shouts, "CHISTE!!" which is joke in English. After the day we just had, a chiste is not something we were really in the mood for. We were tired and hungry. We weren't in a good place. We were mad at our contacts and we didn't feel like giving them any more respect.

That evening, however, during feedback/team time, God spoke through one of my teammates, Joel. Joel was the one talking, but it was completely God's words so I am just going to say God said this. God convicted us of complaining about stupid little stuff. God reminded us that we have NOTHING to complain about. His son was spit on, tortured, and laughed at, and he was PERFECT and SINLESS. He was put through so much and never complained. It is so easy to complain, but complaining is so detrimental. From now on, my team is going to hold each other accountable and not complain. I encourage you at home to do the same thing. When you are about to complain, think about our Jesus being crucified, think about the people living in the garbage dump, and think about the little kids in the hospital struggling to survive.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God's children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world." -Philippians 2:14-15

God also convicted me of worrying this week. So many times in the Bible, it says not to worry.

"Jesus said to his followers, 'So I tell you, don't worry about the food you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth MUCH MORE than birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. If you cannot do even the little things, then why worry about the big things?... Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get all these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well.'" -Luke 11:22-26, 29-31

This past Monday I wasn't having a very good day. Looking back, my mind was consumed with worry. I was worried that my grandma's health because she recently fell and has pneumonia. I was worried about my sister. Pretty much anything that I could worry about I was worrying about. My team really rallied behind me and helped me through the day. They are some of the greatest people I have ever met. Each of us have a "secret buddy" who we pray for and write letters of encouragement to. I got a letter from my secret buddy on Monday night that said:

"I've been praying about the word that God wants me to give you. The subject he wanted me to say to you is to not worry about anything at all. Don't worry about anything here or anything back home, because it's in the God of the universe hands. And he will take care of anything and everything. "Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself, Each day has enough trouble of it's own." - Matthew 6:34 I hope this helps you with your walk with Christ. I love you Kathy! All glory to God." -That Secret Person

What my secret buddy wrote was exactly what I needed to hear. During these difficult days, I do lean on my teammates for support, but more importantly, I lean on my God. He has been there, waiting to take the burden of worry from me, but I have never been willing to give it to Him, until now. No more worrying for me! Things may happen at home or here that I don't understand, but I know that everything works together for good for those that love the Lord.

"Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace , which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

God has been teaching me so much, from what selflessness looks like to what an intimate relationship with Him looks like. This blog is getting a little lengthy, so I'll save the rest for another time. I hope that this encourages you to stop complaining and worrying. When you surrender everything to God, great things will happen. That doesn't mean everything is going to be easy (in fact, it might be the opposite), but it will bring glory to God's Kingdom. Remember, life on earth is tiny in comparison to eternity. Take a few minutes to think about how much time you focus on earthy things in comparison to how much time you think about your eternity. I know that once I really thought about it, my whole outlook on life changed. Things that seemed so important suddenly were meaningless.

　

This is a picture of my friend Dalea who lives at the orphanage we visited on Friday. She greeted me by giving me a lollipop and from there, we were hooked at the hip. :)

My buddy Ryleigh and I at the special needs school.

Carlo, the happiest boy I met at the hospital. He is four and got severely burned when a pot of hot water fell on him. She showed me his burns, which were all over his body, but he said that they didn't hurt anymore. His parents weren't there so he was happy to have some visitors.