Sunday, July 27, 2008

Guate Trip, Day 2

***Day 1 addendum: We went to Monoloco for dinner with the team and that's where I finally met Lindsay and Eliana!! It was so great! I also got to meet a few of the other moms that I've "known" through facebook and blogging. So great!! That's also where I reunited with my ridiculous friend, Melissa and her Madi!!



Okay, Day 2: We took a "minibus" out of Antigua into a gated community to Amor Del Nino. This orphanage had just moved into a new, really nice facility and the kids were amazing. Our team jumped right in, pulling out the soccer balls and bubbles, pulling weeds out of the entry way gardens, picking babies up to cuddle with, helping with lunch and finally adding a few coats of paint onto a few rooms. We were all really impressed with how well this orphanage was run and how well these kids were being cared for!







Eliot had a great day! He jumped right into playing with the other kids. He was pretty clingy at times to us, but overall he acted like this was a normal day. We kept "losing" him when he was off playing, meaning normally it's easy to spot him in a group of kids since he's the dark one. We had to keep reminding ourselves what he was wearing so we could locate him!


Eliot was so curious about this little boy who was crying. He kept getting closer and closer. It was pretty cute!

The orphanage staff invited Eliot to eat with the toddlers. He kinda invited himself anyway by taking one of the other kids chairs who was late getting to lunch. Don't worry, we added a chair for Eliot when he showed up.

It was a little tricky to process seeing Eliot sitting with Guatemalan orphans eating lunch. Still not sure what to think, especially since many of these kids are already promised to families who are still in process. I'm still overwhelmed with how blessed we are that he's already home.

After we got home, we took the team through the markets and then settled in for some good Guatemalan cuisine...


By the way, these were the leaders for the trip. I would lead with them again in a heartbeat! They were amazing!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ronald was an especially helpful leader. He's the one in the middle....

Heather S. said...

Glad the trip went well! What precious children!!!

Eliot is a doll!!

Greg and Felicia Huff said...

I've seen Ronald around a lot! He is a great helper! He was even in CHINA when we were there! Must be very wealthy! :) Great to see everyone have such a great time and Eliot making new friends. I'm excited to see what Keegan thinks about his homeland when we pick up Otoniel!

Felicia

Nikki....Gabi's Mama said...

Absolutely love it! I am living vicariously through you this week! Hope you guys had a blast. Can't wait for all the pics.

Amanda said...

ok, so did I know that you had a blog? did I forget? I don't remember knowing... anyway, I'm catching up!! Glad to see you had a great trip. I think you have one pic of Flor lying in someone's lap. I'm pretty sure it's her, but could be wrong.