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.