Changes and Adaptations: Part 2

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I continued to pray for the ones who felt they had lost something when we moved and that the Lord would help them with the changes and adaptations to this rural community. Life in Monjas presented something completely different from their life in San Cristobal. My concerns increased when I had a visit with Tito,* the guy who didn’t want to leave the City. “Mama Carroll, I am here in Monjas, but next weekend I am going back to the City,” he firmly stated, referring to a weekend trip.

I cautiously responded, “When girls come to us, we have a rule that they can’t have any family visits for the first six weeks. Time is provided to make an adjustment without negative distractions or to have a pull back to their old life. They stay focused on settling in with the Shadow family.” I hoped my smile would soften my words.

“Oh no!” he declared, as he slapped his forehead with his hand. Uncertainty gripped me because I didn’t know how he had taken my comments. Did he hear my point and understand it had validity, even though I didn’t have the authority to tell him he couldn’t return for a visit? Then he gave me a hug, and we laughed.

It took me by surprise when the subject came up a couple of months later. Tito* announced to me, “I never thought I would ever be saying this to you, but I don’t want to go back to the City to live. I love Monjas! My children can play outside and safely ride bikes in the street without supervision.” I think my heart did a jig. Thank you, Lord, for working peace in the hearts of people and helping them find the path you have for them.

While the kids were playing, I noticed that Nely* kept giving me timid looks. I learned that usually meant something needed to be said, and the child didn’t know how to get my attention. “Hi Nely, how are you today?” Her smile warmed my heart because this child cried all the way to Monjas on moving day.

“I’m good, and I want to share something with you.” She ducked her head, shuffled her feet, but straightened up and looked me in the eyes. “I know I didn’t want to move to this place, but I confess that I like it here. I’m sorry for the way I acted. You were right, it is a better life here.”

Yahoo! “That’s great to hear Nely, can you tell me what helped to change your mind?”

IMG_3313“We do have more freedom to be out of the orphanage, and we can do more things here without being afraid that someone will hurt us. I love going to the swimming pool and watching my sisters ride bikes.”

Nelly saw the advantages of this place and admitted that she no longer wanted to return to Guatemala City. She had made a major adjustment in the transplant and enjoyed her new home, as did all the other girls and workers.

When I saw the positive responses in the lives around me, I felt that frosting had been added to my “cake.” God led us on the path He had for our lives, and what unfolded before us met more than our expectations. This wasn’t a “happily ever after” time without any difficulties. Life is full of changes and adaptation, but the Lord will guide us through those difficult times with His love and wisdom just as He did during this time.

*Name has been changed.

Changes and Adaptations

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I watched the girls settle into their new environment, as we faced many changes and adaptation in all of our lives. As an orphanage, the kids needed to be monitored, and freedom didn’t mean they could come and go as they pleased. Schedules, rules, and activities needed to be changed from what we had before. Joanne and I felt like we rode a daily merry-go-round to keep up with issues that needed to be taken care of “right now.”

The nearest supermarket was three hours away, so providing for this hungry family required a twenty-minute drive to the next town over. The small grocery store had many of the basics, even though it looked like a “mom and pop” store with five aisles. It sure beat shopping at the tiendas in Monjas, where one went to a counter and bought items Little House on the Prairie style. The street-market vendors met the need for fruit and vegetables.

With the starting of our private school, I needed to find places close by for purchasing underwear, shoes, and socks. These don’t exist in a tienda. Surprisingly, I found shoes for women available in several places in Monjas. Finding shoes wasn’t the problem, but each place carried only one or two of the same size in the same style. That meant going to every place possible, including the nearby towns, to get school and tennis shoes for everyone.

100_8066The girls wore uniforms to school, and we found a seamstress who made them for minimal the cost. The only pattern she used needed to be adjusted according to each girl’s measurement. I needed to bring all twenty-one to her for that accomplishment amazed at how she used her eyes and measurements for a completed uniform. Finding the material took longer, but we found a green plaid that would be the signature pattern for Christian Liberty School. I breathed a deep sigh of relief after all of the completed details. I knew the next school years had just been mapped out for the uniforms.

Yes, there were many areas of change and adaptation. Many times I felt like a wheel inventor. I longed for a manual that gave point-by-point how-to instructions. I’m sure the Lord heard me say at least ten times a day, “Please give me wisdom.” I faced the fact that my life would be like this for a long time, with continual decision-making, because we continued to grow as a Project. I cried out to the Lord that I didn’t have the ability to do what my position required. Then I would remember what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (NIV). I could trust the Lord to give me what I needed. Didn’t He call me to do this? His promises filled my mind and heart. I looked back over the testimonies of starting the orphanage, the miracle of purchasing the land, and now residing in a place I dearly loved. The changes made for a better life for these children, and God was helping us adapt by giving us all we needed in the process.

A New Season

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The time came to transplant the orphanage in Monjas to begin a new season. We hired trucks and loaded up everything in San Cristobal to move to our new location. I took the girls in our van, and off we went for a four-hour trip that I’ll always remember. The El Salvador highway, CA 1, looked like a wavy line on the map. We had girls who had never ridden in vehicles before coming to the orphanage. With the weaving of the van on the many S-curves, girls started moaning and vomiting. Despite the sick stomachs and the tears from “sour pickle face” (a girl who protested to the move), we drove into Monjas with beeping horns.

The duplex on the property wasn’t completed yet, so we temporarily housed the girls in a large house used by the James Project of Latin America office. Earlier that month, after setting up my home, Joanne and I came to the house and assigned each girl a bed space and storage for clothes. Each place had a tag labeled “Princess…” and her name.

The girls climbed out of the van, and the sick suddenly seemed healed as excitement took over. The laughter and chatter thrilled me, and even the one angry face before me didn’t take away from the joy I felt for these girls. Lord, she will come around. Work in her heart. The chaos that followed reminded me of church camp days. Everyone went in a different direction, taking in the environment, and looking for their space. “Look for your name on the beds, and the basket for your clothes goes under your bed,” I shouted over the loud roar of voices. Just as at camp, everyone found their place and put their belongings away. By nighttime, order took over.

The next morning I entered the bedroom where ten of the girls slept while singing out a chipper, “Good morning, Sweetie Pies.” All pretended to be asleep, but giggles erupted from beneath the blankets in various locations.

“Mama Carroll, I heard frogs sing all night!” After those spoken words, everyone chorused in with exclamations and questions. “Will we go to the property today?” “Can we go outside?” “We want to see Monjas!” “Can I take a shower?” “I’m hungry!” “Can I trade beds with Nely?”

“Okay, girls, one question at a time,” I said, feeling their enthusiasm and anticipation as it rippled around the room. “After breakfast and washing the dishes, you will go to the property and play soccer with Gib and Profe. Tonight we will go to a local church. They have planned a big welcome for us,” I informed them.

101_0195That evening at church, we found that the ushers had lined chairs across the front of the sanctuary and placed each girl’s name on them to honor each one. Our girls did a praise and worship presentation for the congregation, while I stood watching with my heart bursting with pride. Thank you, Lord, for these girls, and thank you that I can be a part of all this. They impressed the congregation, and the pastor asked two of the girls to come to the front and help lead the worship songs. Having done this in Verbo Sur, our home church in the Capital, they accomplished it with some professionalism. Lord, what a great first day in our new place.

The first full day in Monjas ended up being a unique time for the girls. They experienced what it was like to be outside of concrete walls and still feel safe. I caught a smile on the face of the girl who had complained of the move to Monjas. I felt a newfound freedom for myself and the girls. People at the church went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. In our hearts, we were home. This truly began a new season for all of us at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage.

Transplanting In A New Location

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Transplanting in a new location to another involves a lot of physical and mental energy, but I looked forward to this move and saw it as a dream come true. The Lord brought forth the miracle for James Project of Latin America to own ten acres of land. This allowed for the growth of our vision and for the at-risk children of Guatemala. I could mentally picture the children riding bikes, playing soccer and basketball, planting gardens, and just enjoying the wide open spaces. However, among the promises of great things ahead mingled the protests of some who didn’t want to be uprooted.

Approached by one of our workers, I balked at the words I heard. “Mama Carroll, I do not want to leave Guatemala City and move to Monjas. I will if that is what the Lord wants me to do, and I think that is what I’m hearing Him say. But I don’t want to go.” I decided his roots lay deep in the ground and prayed for him to fall completely in love with Monjas. Lord, please don’t let his attitude affect the girls and other workers who are going with us.

Nely* approached me in the apartment with a sour face and tears in her eyes. “I do not want to leave San Cristobal!” she declared. I wondered why she had been sulking.

“Mi Amor, you need to give this move a chance. You will have more freedom and be safer in Monjas. You are going to be surprised at how much better it will be for us to live there.” The cold look on her face told me my words had fallen on deaf ears. Her attitude during the weeks of packing and preparing to move suggested that she would remind us of her protests.

The words of these two reminded me of when I pulled up roots to move to Guatemala. Even in the excitement of the adventure, I knew I would miss parts of my life in the States. Transitions have some pain, and that comes with the root pulling and transplanting. I hadn’t lived in Guatemala very long before I knew I would be staying here permanently. I hoped that these two would find God’s will for their lives and feel the peace that follows when we walk the path of His plans.

I stayed in Monjas for a week before the big move to find a place to live. The Monjas people had little experience with gringos, and options for housing appeared limited. Lord, guide me to the right place. You know my needs and desires. I viewed three places and quickly narrowed it down to two. I called one the “turkey house” because the owners had some live turkeys living in the yard that separated the bedrooms from the kitchen. The other house had balconies that I loved, but its stairs were double-sized steps. I had to stretch to use them. The wall of the house shared a wall with the neighbors, with a large open section to the outside. If someone climbed over the wall, they could walk up the stairs and into the living room and kitchen, because that section lacked doors. The other rooms had doors and locks. Loving the openness, the electric garage door, and the second story balconies, it enticed me.

I decided to rent the balcony house and shared it with swarming bats, who graciously ate the mosquito population. The back wall and balcony butted right up to a corral of about twenty or so head of cattle. Remember my country-girl heart? I had it all, including that lovely barnyard smell that filled the air. I had my home, and I felt a deep peace being in it. Lord, I pray that all who move with us will feel the peace that I feel. I ask for favor for them as the transplanting in a new location proceeds.

*Name has been changed.