Monday was our last day at
the orphanage and we had to say good-bye.
But before we did, Dick arranged for us to take 10 of the women out to
lunch with us. He read off the list of
girls that were going out that day and I was excited to hear Gloria’s name
read. Dick said that since she doesn’t
have much of a mental disability and is always around the hospital helping out,
she has never gone out to lunch with him and a group. When I went to find Gloria sewing again, she
was SO excited when I told her we were going out to lunch. She gave me a HUGE hug and a HUGE smile and
let out a squeal of excitement!
We got the paperwork signed
and approved, allowed the nurses to get them prepared to go out, which included
new hair cuts, and we were on our way.
Each of us grabbed the back of a wheelchair and ventured out onto the
bumpy cobblestone roads of Antigua, down the
sidewalks, and eventually to the doors of the famous chicken fast-food
restaurant, Pollo Campero. Gloria said
hello and good afternoon to everyone on the way. She couldn’t contain her excitement and doing
a little dance in her chair about fell out of it at one point. We got the tables all settled and ordered
milkshakes for those who can’t eat solid food and a typical chicken and fry dish
for the rest. Gloria asked me specifically
if she could get ice cream (not knowing Dick had told us they could have one
dish only and not dessert since we were paying and it adds up). So I bought her a bowl of ice cream myself. Half way through her meal, the ice cream came
to me and I took it down to her end and the rest was history. She packaged up her extra chicken and fries
that she had not yet eaten and dug into the ice cream. I wasn’t sure if this was the best thing, but
she sure was happy and gave me another huge hug!
Watching the excitement on
all of these women’s faces made me smile too.
They don’t get this kind of experience very often and some of them have
never been out like that until that day.
I am so thankful for someone like Dick who has given his life to just
love these ladies, the kids, the men, his neighbors…anyone who needs it.
I can’t seem to put into
words what I feel in my heart. I didn’t
want to go. I didn’t want to say
good-bye. I went around to give all the
women hugs and say good-bye. When I got
to Gloria, I gave her an extra long hug and she grabbed my hand, and with her
bright pink lipstick kissed my hand leaving a mark saying to never forget her. I will never forget her and I will pray for
her. She
not only left a mark on my hand, she left a mark on my heart. She left a kiss that will last…
This experience has changed
my heart, my life, my view…it has changed me.
These people live a completely different life than I do involving many
more obstacles than I have ever had to think about let alone experience. They are grateful for a hand on the shoulder,
for a smile, for someone just being there and they rarely get it. How often do I take a smile for granted or a
hand on the shoulder or a hug? I get it
all the time. I am so thankful for the
experience, for the awareness, for His perspective, and for what God is
doing. I am thankful I got to be a small
part of these ladies’ lives and just love them by reading scripture, by rubbing
their backs, by talking to them, by listening to them, by taking them out to
lunch, by holding their hand, by laughing with them, by singing to them, by
dancing with them…whatever small thing it was, I am glad I got to be there with
them. When I say good-bye, it doesn’t
usually hit me until I am gone and as soon as I walked out of that
hospital/orphanage knowing I would be leaving for a very long time, it hit me
and I missed them. It makes me sad to
think that those women will most likely live the rest of their lives this way
but it made me smile to remember that God loves them and is watching out for
them and sees them as precious jewels.
mark on my hand, she left a mark on my heart.
She left a kiss that will last…”
with such sacrifices God is pleased.” ~Hebrews 13:16
