Guatemala 2013: Day 5

Day 5 was a day we all anticipated with great excitement: the trip to the zoo!

We gathered 21 children with special needs and their parents in two chicken buses and a van for the three hour trip to Guatemala City.

A trip that most had never taken to see things and animals they had never seen.

We each worked with a family to help them throughout the zoo.  

This is Selvin and his mother.

Selvin is 12 years old and has cerebral palsy.  He has one sister, a twin, who is typical developmentally.

Selvin has increased tone in his legs and arms and cannot walk. He is unable to communicate and becomes frustrated, biting or hitting himself or those near him to communicate his needs and desires.

Once in his stroller, Selvin became very upset, screaming and biting his already calloused hand, pinching when I tried to provide him comfort.  He was hungry and unable to say so.

After he ate he was content as long as we were moving.
There was no stopping to see the animals!



I had been looking forward to this day, to experiencing the excitement on the children's faces as they walked through the zoo.

This is where the theme of the week truly hit home for me.
Self forgetfulness.

It was truly not about what I experienced at the zoo, but about showing God's love to the kids and their parents.  Even if that meant driving in circles, slapping a million fives to keep him from biting, and providing his mom with a little reprieve.









This was a trip many families in Chichi will never get to make. A trip many wouldn't.

People do not simply take a day off work. There is no paid time off.


For these families to be willing to sacrifice a day of work for their children to experience this adventure means so much more in a town like Chichi than we, as Americans, could ever understand.

Such a humbling experience I am so grateful for.

Guatemala 2013: Day 4

              I saw one of the workers we had asked to write down his prayer requests on Day 3.

 He gave me an index card that read:

Sebastian X en Canil.

Orar por mi esposa. Ultimamente padece aun dolor de cabeza muy fuerte.

Yo Sebastian estoy bien solo quierro hacer la voluntad de Dios, en cual quier aspecto. 

Tengo una hija de 9 anos que estudia y un hijo del 5 anos.

Rough translation:

Pray for my wife. Recently she has very strong headaches.

I, Sebastian, want only to serve God in every aspect. 

I have one daughter who is 9 years that studies & a son that is 5 years.

Please pray for Sebastian and his family.

On the morning of Day 4 we headed to a school built into the mountains. 

The visit was centered around the story of creation.  

We read the creation story from The Jesus Storybook Bible & visited each classroom with different activities.  

Because we are made in God's image we made faces! 

I loved this guy's hair!

The kids LOVED taking pictures & eventually completely took me over. :)

We made graffiti boards.  In the middle it read:

Dios creo...

or

God created...







The kids drew& wrote words depicting all the things God created.

They were beautiful.

This little guy caught my eye and broke my heart with his bare feet sticking out of his old, dilapidated shoes.

The kids gathered in the gym for a show put on by two workers from Aselsi. They loved it. 
At the end, our pastor presented the principal with money we had raised through our support.  The principal replied that the money meant so much to them as they didn't have any balls for the kids to play with.
That made me cry.
Then I realized all the 5th & 6th grade boys were giggling.  Boys are the same everywhere. :)

After the assembly, the faculty informed us that they had gift for us.  They had bought bananas, soda crackers, and rice milk for us. This is a perfect example of the Guatemalan people.

No matter how little they have, they do not receive without also giving. 

That afternoon we visited the hospital in a local town. We divided into teams, delivering care packages we had bundled together and praying over families.  I was on the pediatric team, the clown came with us, making balloon animals for all the kids.

The hospital was poorly lit.  We walked into the first small room where four kids were crowded inside. The smell made me want to cover my nose, the equipment was old and dirty--a breeding ground for infection.

Multiple children had suffered burns. One mother told us that her helper had boiled water for dinner and confused it with the child's bath water. Some children were there to mend a break, others were ill.

One of us prayed in english over the family & the translator in spanish.  God was there. You could feel Him.

Then we walked into the NICU.  A room lined with 8 -10 tiny babies.  It was overwhelming.  A sight that immediately brought tears to my eyes.  The translator whispered in my ear,

"Our clown is crying."

As I prayed with a family over their little baby, they too prayed.  It filled me happiness to know that they know the Lord, His mercies, and will be comforted.

The last room we entered held this little guy, Marcurio.  During our prayer I opened my eyes to find that he fell from his pooh bear and was staring up at me smiling.  As I reached my hand down to him, he reached up to me.

Marcurio is 3 years old. 

He is a malnourished orphan who has been in the hospital for 2 months already.

 His size and the fact that he cannot sit unsupported suggest that he is only 6 months old.

God used this week to break me down.

And rebuild me.

Guatemala 2013: Day 3

Monday morning began with a walk through the city from Casa Del Rey to Aselsi.

Aselsi is a non-profit ministry meeting needs in Chichi through: the discipleship program that trains Guatemalan men for ministry, the milk program that provides powder milk monthly to families with infants, the free clinic that treated over 15,000 in 2012, the physical therapy program treating adults and kids that would otherwise live with their disabilities, most likely in bed, and a school for children with special needs that otherwise would never go to school.

The therapy clinic is ran by one PT who has trained Guatemalan "techs" and families in how to perform therapy for their loved ones at home.

We got to play with a few kiddos. Meet Miguelito & Josephina. It was amazing to see the language barrier disappear yet again.

We packed bags with animal crackers & water for the zoo trip on Day 5.

These bags were made by kids in a vacation bible school.  In the bottom right corner is says: "Su amiga, Mackenzie."

We received a tour of Aselsi and met the workers. My group met the maintenance workers, all Guatemalans.We gave them index cards to write down their prayers request and to be picked up on Day 4.

One of the workers, Pilar, had given his land for Aselsi to be built. Land ownership is very important in Guatemala, yet he was willing to give all of his up to serve.

In the afternoon we split up and went on home visits.  We brought food for the family, toys for the kids, and prayed for the family.

Our family had 7 kids.  Just a week ago their 3 year old son had died from malnourishment.

He had been to the Aselsi milk program once.


Their home was made of three separate rooms with dirt floors. The kitchen included a black place on the floor used for fire, the walls black from lack of ventilation, and a shelf that held little food.
The living area had a table and pictures adorned the walls. Their was no furniture, not one chair.  There was a single light socket hanging from the ceiling. Upon our arrival the family searched for a lightbulb to screw in for us.
The bedrooms was one small building, no bigger than the others, where they all slept together.

It was difficult to see the pain in the parents' eyes, to not be able to fathom the anguish that riddled them.

The father, with tears in his eyes, shared about their pain and asked us to pray for strength for him to lead their family.  He asked for his family to know God.

The mother spoke of the pain her body felt inside and out. How hard it was to nurse her son for a month only to lose him.

The oldest daughter was 15, she asked to pray that she could continue her education.  She also prayed that they would receive a stove.  She was the cook of the family and their kitchen filled with smoke when she cooked.

We gathered around the family as we knelt down on the dirt floor of their home, we prayed in English and Sebastian prayed in quiche & spanish. You could feel the power of prayer in that room.
It filled it up.

Guatemala 2013: Days 1 & 2

          We left The Crossing Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 13.  It was hard saying goodbye to Michael.  I may have shed a few tears in the process.  

We flew out of St. Louis and had a layover in Dallas.        Then we were off to Guatemala City, Guatemala!

We landed in Guatemala City at 7:30p.m. It was raining and chilly.

Physical therapy group minus Kailee!
(Beth, Katie, Teresa, Rachel, Me, Dana)

 We stayed at a hotel called Barceló.  For dinner we walked to a McDonald's.  I had not eaten at McDonald's in almost 2 years.  

But when in Guatemala... 

Sunday morning we loaded our luggage onto this chicken bus and started the 3 hour journey to Chichicastenango.

Chichicastenango is a mountain village in the poorest region of Guatemala. The roads to Chichi are curvy and loaded with "tumulos" or large speed bumps.

Chicken buses provide a transportation through the mountain villages to Guatemala City.  They are nauseating & rather scary!

 We stopped halfway through the trip for some ice cream and Guatemalan cookies!

(Meet Dana! One of my very best friends!)

We arrived at our hotel, Casa Del Rey (House of the King) around 11 a.m.  It was beautiful.  

We had to be careful not to use the water when we brushed our teeth or open our mouths in the shower.  Putting toilet paper in the toilet is also a no-no!

 As thankful as I was to be staying in such a pretty place, after seeing the village I felt such guilt sleeping in such nice conditions.

We set out to explore the city on foot.  Sunday is a Market day.

Families set up their shops to sell food and various goods such as bracelets, backpacks, and beautiful blankets.

Kids follow you around with the biggest eyes trying to sell things.  Repeating "no gracias" is the hardest thing.

The most colorful part of town was the cemetery. 

Some kids started out trying to sell things to us and became our tour guides through the cemetery.

Jeremy, the one wearing yellow, spoke a little english and we were able to communicate a little easier with him.

He is 21 years old and has a great sense of humor.

Someone asked if he smoked and he said "No, I'm a Christian." :)

After dinner the ladies dressed in long skirts to go to a church in town.

Everything with the exception of Shay's (our pastor) sermon was in spanish.  

It was amazing to witness the love and worship of God transcend the language barrier.

The Guatemalan people are transparent.  They displayed emotion and cried out to God with no hesitation.  

Shay preached on worry.  It hit me hard the differences between the worry that plagues me as an American and the worries that plague the Guatemalan people.

With plenty in my refrigerator, I worry about what to cook for dinner.  

They hope to have food for dinner.

In my expensive clothes I worry about how I look. 

Guatemalans only want clothes to wear.  

During invitation the altar was filled with people unashamedly pouring their hearts out to God. 

I was humbled and my heart was broken. 

And this is only the beginning. 

Video credit: Eric Chole

Ohhh, We're halfway there.

As of tomorrow I am halfway through this clinical.

I have grown a lot in my skills, especially my confidence in them.

Some good stories that stand out:

The day after discussing the patient's performance during therapy with her husband:

Patient: "You sure settled him down last night.  I told him, 'See, I told you I liked her.' We were a little unsure when they switched me to someone new."

      Glad to hear it worked out well. :)

Patient's 83 year old wife: "You look more professional with your hair pulled back like that than when it is down.  I don't know if that is the look you are going for or not."

      As a matter of fact that is the look I shoot for on a daily basis. Apparently missing that target.

Patient's "girlfriend": "You know, when I first met you I thought you were a little Miss Know It All, but then we got to know you." 

      Well that's promising. HA.

While the patient took a break I tried to do a trick with a bouncy ball.

I kicked the ball square in my face.

I told my mom that two patients guessed me to be in my thirties.

Mom: "Was it the bags under your eyes or did they have brain injuries?'

       In my defense, they did have brain injuries.  (Working full time is tiring!)

After asking my patient to stand up.

Patient: "Katelyn, I think you believe in me way too much."

       Why yes I do.  That day my patient stood for the first time since her accident.

While transferring different patients.

"Honey, do you need me to call someone to help you?"

"Should I call a nurse?"

"That's a mighty big job for such a little girl."

       Apparently I scare people. I'm stronger than I look & trained for this people!

A TBI patient in pain refuses therapy constantly.

Patient: "I'm tired of your silly games."

"I'm not doing this."

"I hate this place."

"I want to go home."

"I don't like your rules."

"I don't need therapy."

I spend more billable time "educating" this patient on their need for therapy, than they spend performing said therapy.

But today I found a fishing pole and we took a long walk outside over uneven surfaces and worked on  balance by casting.  

And he smiled. A lot. 

We're halfway there. 

How you ever gonna reach the stars
If you never get off the ground
And you're always here where you are,
If you let life knock you down.

Fourth Fun

We went lap swimming at the Rec.
Michael's face describes his thoughts on that activity.

So we went for something a little more laid back.
(M did not wear sunscreen.)

Then, we went a saw Despicable Me 2!

And came home for some pizza on the grill!
Don't let the ugliness fool you, it's the best.

We joined a bunch of people on the quad for the fire works show!

It was rather puny & not very high in the sky.

We finished the night off with some orange leaf. 

M searched the sky for more fireworks.
(He's so hot, look at those calves!)

White boys NEED sunscreen.
(I told you so!)

AND over the weekend, M got a new ride!

The end. :)