Note: Due to a hectic schedule and unreliable internet I am behind in updating this blog. So, I am posting the dates of the original entries. More will follow soon
Thursday, July 23
Today Wanda and I celebrated 21 wonderful years of marriage and we did it in the best way imaginable. We spent the day loving the children of Guatemala, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
The day started early as we rushed to Hermano Pedro to be there when the doors opened. We helped to feed the children and had a great time playing with them. It was such a wonderful thing to see the kids light up when they saw us. It is good to know that we can brighten their lives, even if it is only temporary.
We then rushed back to the hotel, grabbed a quick bite of breakfast, and caught the team’s van to Los Gozosos, an orphanage and school for special needs children. This is a wonderful place where the children are loved and well cared for. In addition, they learn about Jesus. However, they are underfunded and struggle to maintain their facilities. They need the support of Christians to continue their work and increase their abilities to care for more children. You can learn more at http://www.webwizardry.net/~losgozosos/Los%20Gozosos/Welcome.html.
While at Los Gozosos our team worked in their courtyard removing bushes and vines and helping to prepare for a garden that will help them with their food costs. The work was hard, but it was good to help such a worthwhile ministry. We had lunch with the children and caregivers and it was a wonderful family-like atmosphere. I made an excellent friend in our translator, Santos, and we enjoyed hearing about his family.
We returned to Antigua where we rushed back to Hermano Pedro for the last hour before they closed their doors. It is always hard to say goodnight to the children and leave them there. As we laid little Louis in his crib and walked away he began to cry. It is a reminder that the children get as attached to us as we do to them.
This evening Wanda and I dressed up (as much as you dress up in Antigua) and went out to eat at a beautiful open-air restaurant called Cafe Sky to celebrate our anniversary. Then we enjoyed a wonderful walk through the streets of Antigua. After 21 years I can honestly say that I love my girl more than ever. She is such an incredible wife and friend and a wonderful woman of God. And one of the things I love most about her is that she so willingly and joyfully spends our anniversary loving these precious children. I pray that everyone could know the kind of marriage that I have found with my Wanda. What a life and what a wife!
