Guatemala Day 6- October 5, 2016

Oct 5, 2016

Today we travelled to a nearby town to visit an orphanage. We have visited this orphanage before and were excited to return and see the sweet children, both new and old. Kelly and Paige were greeted by two very bright familiar smiles from Carolitos and Merlyn, two adorable kiddos from the previous year; and Abby was drawn to a sweet little girl names Sulema. We were able to observe the feeding of lunch with several kids and were then able to join the physical therapist in the treatment area. Abby was able to demonstrate different strengthening positions for her new friend Sulema and modify her chair positioning to be more upright. Kelly was able to play PT and fit a pair of AFOs to a beaming boy and adjust his chair to accomodate his growth. Paige was also able to play PT and fit Leslie with a pair of AFOs for improved foot positioning. So, as you can see it was a PT-heavy day and we are so glad for our fearless leader, Abby. That's right, she is back to PT. We would definitely love some prayers for tomorrow as we return to this orphanage. Plans changed at the last minute and we will no longer be interacting with the nannies as we had hoped. Please pray our time there is of good use and benefit to the amazing children who reside there and that God will use us in ways to reach those who interact most with the children to improve their quality of life.

After visiting Hermano Pedro we had a quick lunch on the top of mountain with a gorgeous view of Antigua and the surrounding areas. We then travelled back to Gerson's house to give him his communication device and fit him with a seat cushion cut from a wedge we packed. He looked much more comfortable when sitting in his chair. We then pulled him up to the kitchen table and broke out his new device! He was slightly anxious with the crowd and and was hesitant to try a complicated, novel task. We were able to watch him use his modified stylus to hit the correct targets upon Paige's request, and we are prayerful and encouraged that this might be a huge step in the right direction for his communication. We spent time with Gerson's father while Paige taught him how to program the device. She also offered her technical support via email for after we leave Guatemala.

Before leaving, Gerson's father brought us all together to pray. He prayed for us, thanked God for our visit and our service. It was so humbling, but we are truly the ones blessed by this family. Their bond so strong. Their faith so strong. Their beilef in Gerson's healing so strong. There are no words that can express the gratitude for all parties involved in this meeting. It is truly a God woven plan that we were able to meet Gerson and his family. We will definitely never be the same and look forward to keeping in touch with this family for a long time and seeing them in the future.

We will leave you with a quote from the medal that was given to Gerson on the day of the accident. He may not have placed first by crossing the finish line, but he definitely " Won the Race of Life" and for that, we a truly, truly grateful.