Month: September 2017

These past 2 weeks, I was back in the US spending time with friends and family. The visit was made up of a great dozen days enjoying some of the people, places, things, and food I’ve missed most from America. No, I did not get to travel across the US visiting everyone who has supported me on this mission journey, but I got to spend most of my time in Florida, with an extended long layover with a few in Dallas….

Like you might’ve seen me mention before, my flight leaving Guatemala took off at 7am and my last flight landed in Palm Beach at midnight. The driver and I left the orphanage at 4 to arrive at the airport 2 hours before my flight. I landed in Dallas 11:15, made my way through customs, and was outside the airport at 11:35. 20 minutes was a surprise for me, as all my previous international trips took at least 45 minutes waiting in multiple lines and filling out just as many forms. Thanks to Dallas’ automatic machines that do all the work (and my carry-on luggage)!

I pulled into the driveway at 12:15 and was immediately tackled in the front yard by a Golden doodle puppy I got to share 3 days with before moving to Guatemala. I think he remembered me!

It was a great afternoon filled with friends/family, laughter, hugs, and snacking! Thanks to those of you who made my short visit to Dallas worth it!

After a joyous few hours, I really wasn’t looking forward to going back to the airport just to do the same things all over again, only to make it to bed around 2am. A quick look through my email, and my flight was rescheduled for the following day, due to the hurricane. I got to extend my Dallas visit a little longer and spent the night there.

It was another 7am flight the following day off to DC, a half hour layover (with changing terminals) and I was kinda getting nervous I wouldn’t make the connection, not knowing anything about scheduling the flight nor the DC airport. I was quick to get out of my seat, power walk my way across the airport, and arrived 4 minutes before boarding. All in all just to say that my first 36 hours in the US flew by! I actually took a nap the following day. (I’m not too sure of the last time I took a nap that wasn’t due to sickness and/or recovery. I guess 48 hours of travel and working with crazy kids for the past 5 and a half months will make me tired!)

Yes, as much as I loved visiting the US and the people/things there, there wasn’t a day I wasn’t thinking of my kids and how much I miss them. I gotta admit, I’m not too good at remembering my dreams in the morning, but the only thing I could remember in my dreams over the two weeks were the faces I saw. Every morning. Sometimes, it was off new kids coming in, others, it’s of kids who have been here for years or those who have recently left and come back for a visit. Every night, I’d close my eyes and could only picture the children of Guatemala and Casa Shalom. No doubt that I am where I need to be!

My way to Guatemala Sunday morning was out of Miami. That city is a pain just the way it is, but the airport only adds to it. Thankfully we left about 45 minutes early, so that the few missed turns didn’t cause me any problems. I was seated at my gate over an hour and a half before the plane started boarding. Why do they make you arrive to the airport 2 hours before international flights? I don’t think I’ll ever know!

Customs was a breeze in Guatemala as well. I guess not a lot of people were traveling that day. Usually, there are 8 booths, each with their own line of 20+ people waiting to get a stamp in their passports. Yesterday, I had a single person in front of me, with a small line to one side, and all 8 booths were open to these 2 “lines.” 20 minutes after getting off the plane, I met the van driver outside the airport.

I was hot and sweaty, wearing long pants, caring heavy luggage quickly through the airport, and trying to keep my heavy rainboots on my feet. This visit seemed to fly by, and I was already starting to miss the people I said “see you later” to just a few hours/days earlier. I arrived at home, with a dirt covered porch and muddy bathroom floor (that were both swept and mopped before I left), feeling so exhausted, not wanting to unpack but just to think back on the past couple of days. I felt alone, remembering the community I’ve recently experienced. That’s until I went down to get dinner.

I went down to the cafeteria a little early to notify loved ones that I was safely at Casa Shalom. All I could hear was little voices coming down the hill to get a meal to eat. My smile started to grow. I was surrounded by kids, some walking past saying welcome back. Others coming to give me a hug and asking me where I’ve been or how I’m doing.

I was waiting for my food up at the kitchen window, and one of the house moms was quick to wrap her arms around me and invite me into the house for dinner. The kids in the house were running outside as fast as they could to give me hugs and tell me how much they missed me or thought of me. I prayed with them before we ate, and the one that was leading the prayer directed it towards me, thanking God for watching over me, blessing me, and bringing me back safely to share the night with them. We were all huddled together, with me seated at the center of the half circle. It was one of those moments I will never forget

I do miss everyone I got to see and also those I didn’t get to see, yet I know this is where I am meant to be.

(I know I didn’t get to share about the amusement park I went to before I left- the review is coming next week!)

 

Apologies for the lack of images, I was too busy visiting!

Therapy plays an important role in the lives of those that call Casa Shalom home. Most of these kids have been physically/sexually abused, abandoned, mistreated, or homeless. With the use of therapy, these kids can begin to feel loved, cared for, and begin to have a normal childhood (or what most in America would think of as “normal”).

Here, we have a team of psychologists that work alongside the children and their houses working to what their needs may be. The psychologist team is great with all of the kids, working to make sure each child gets the care and attention they’ve previously lacked. Most of the decisions made for the house or the child are made with help from the psychologist team, knowing their behavior and what would be beneficial for those involved.

I’ve gotten to help with therapy in a few ways. Right now, we are in the process of enhancing the horse therapy program. As it is a long uphill walk for some and isn’t used as much as it could be, we thought it might be easier and more accessible to allow horse therapy on Casa Shalom property. It will take some time, getting used to walking the horse to and from Casa Shalom daily, devoting the entire morning to working with the kids and the horse, and developing those strategies that allow for that bond to be made between the two. The purpose of this therapy program is to allow for a rebuilding of comfort, confidence, trust, and relationship building, and we are working as a team (me, the other volunteers, psychologists, and kids) to accomplish these goals.

One of the volunteers brings two bunnies into the office a few days a week for the kids to interact with. They enjoy playing with them on the floor, petting them, and carrying them to anyone in the office. It’s been a source of joy for those that come in, as well as for me getting to hear giggles while at work, and occasionally getting to pet one carried to me.

I’ve also been assisting with therapy at the volunteers’ house just outside of the Casa Shalom gates. (They also own and care for the horse and own the bunnies.) This isn’t the kind of therapy where they sit on leather couches explaining to us what their guardian did behind closed doors, but more of play therapy. We start the hour session with a few worship songs, maybe followed by an interactive Bible story, and ending it with play. I’ve been able to have some fun myself and build the relationships with the kids by accepting the watercolor painting they made for me, assisting in assembling a hot wheels track, passing the puck stuck in the center of the air hockey table, or filling an empty peanut canister left in the sand box. The kids get to be kids. They don’t have to worry about watching their younger siblings or making sure there’s food for lunch. All they have to do is to enjoy themselves and the environment together.

Upcoming: Today, the youth have left the orphanage at 5 AM and are going on an outing to a theme park about 3 hours away, spending the night, and attending church in the morning before heading back to the orphanage. I’ve been asked to help out. I’m not sure what this theme and/or water park will have, what couch/floor/cushion I’ll be spending the night on, nor what kind of church we’ll be going to, but I’m looking forward to finding out! (Apologizing in advance for my lack of communication this weekend. I might not/probably won’t have internet access!)

I’m headed back to the US on Tuesday for almost 2 weeks. I’m departing from the orphanage at 4 am, and I will be at my final destination at almost 2 am the following day. It will be a long, exhausting day, filled with many faces and places I’m excited to see again. I’ll see some of you soon! Let’s hope Irma doesn’t affect my travels. Praying for all of those currently facing the storm! We also got a 8.1 magnitude earthquake here Thursday night. It lasted pretty long (or longer than the previous ones), but we are all safe and sound at Casa Shalom!