My time in Guatemala has come to an end, and what do I have to show for it? This month we had an all squad month. Meaning all 55 of us stayed together in one place. We were in Quiche, Guatemala, which is high up in the mountains at 7,000 ft elevation. We all had different ministries every day so we’d all split up into our teams.
So my team, team Reptar, were at Central Santa Cruz Del Quiche Escuela Especial, so the school for special education in Santa Cruz del Quiche. We worked with students with all disabilities ranging from down syndrome to mental disabilities to physical ones. There are 6 girls on my team including me so we split up at the school and went into different classrooms. We all grew to really love our kids despite the language barriers, and the teachers were fun to work with.
Two little kids in particular stole my heart, and the heart of my teammates. Their names are Joel and Magdelena. They are a brother and sister who have severe physical disabilities. The girl Magdelena, was in my classroom and she was in a wheelchair. She cannot stand on her own, and her arms are very weak. She has very few teeth, and just a weak body. She is 16 years old and is the sweetest thing you’ll ever meet. She is smart and really tries to do things in school. She worked a lot on drawing straight lines, and shapes. During the morning physical exercise I helped her stand and she moved her arms around mimicking the teacher. She told me on the first day that she likes to sing and then she started to sing for me. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. I have truly loved getting to know her.
Her brother Joel is also in a wheelchair. He can actually stand and walk slightly on his own. He has more upper arm strength, but he seems like he has a little more mental disabilities than Magdelena. It is so amazing to see them together though. Their parents are the sweetest people. Whenever the father comes to pick them up he gives us the biggest hugs! He has so much joy for his kids, its so amazing and beautiful to see! His children are so heavily handicapped, yet he harbors so much joy for who they are as people! Every day he picks them up from school, and Joel stands behind Magdelena’s wheelchair while the father stands behind him and pushes the chair while Joel walks. Its such a picture of love if I’ve ever seen one!
The state of their wheelchairs is bad. they are broken, way too big for them, and very dirty. They are always pushed around so they don’t have much upper body strength. As a team we’ve been talking about what it would be like to give them wheelchairs, or a walker if they’d accept them. We’ve been trying to figure out what to do. A couple of days ago we asked the woman who runs the ministry we live at, which is also a hospital facility, what we can do. Last week as a team we built over 40 of these off-road wheelchairs. They are made of wood, bright colored, and instead of wheels to push with the arms, they actually have two handles in the front that you crank with your arms and they move the chair. Sally told us that we could possibly get this chair for the boy. We were excited to see how we can work that out, but we only have 4 days left, so could it really happen??
Today my team and I had the day off so we went out to lunch at our favorite restaurant. As we arrived back at our home, we saw Joel and his father outside, with Joel trying out his new hand cranked wheelchair!!!!! Somehow they had gotten a hold of Joel’s father and they were given a wheelchair!! My team and I were overwhelmed with emotions as we watched this boy happily cranking the handles on the chair, working his tiny weak arm muscles, and his father clapping and laughing along. Here was a boy we had met just a few short weeks ago, and his life was changed in just a moment! Wow what a beautiful thing to be a part of. We had only been talking about this for a few days, and God made it happen! Today was the first time I felt like I was truly making a difference! Today was the moment I realized that I am on the World Race! Today was the day I realized that I am changing the world, one life at a time! We just gave the boy the ability to walk! Thank you Jesus for all you do and for showing me what true love is! Seeing the utter joy in the father’s face, hearing the father say thank you to us over and over again, seeing the determination in that little boys face to use his arms in a way he’s never been able to before! That is what true love is!
Joel eating lunch at school
Sweet Magdelena
