Lesson to Learn

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We witnessed the effects of the atrocities these children had endured before they entered the Home. At times anger rose in me because of the scars on the children left by wicked actions. Generally, I could keep my emotions under control, but then another hurting girl came to us.

An ambulance pulled up to the front gate, and a medical assistant helped an eight-year-old walk into the house, dressed in typical Mayan clothes. Her father had raped Evelyn*, and her pelvic bone had been broken. Rushed to the emergency room, this thin child had surgery to repair the damage. Oh, Lord, how can she survive such a horrible act against her nutritionally deprived body. We immediately gave her our welcome greetings and gentle hugs. What I saw surprised me. She responded with smiles, as her warm heart reached out to us. This innocent child, fresh out of the hospital and barely walking, just wanted our love.

Joanne and I looked at each other with silent communication. We left Evelyn with the lady who would show her around the home, bathe her, and get her clean clothes. We hurried down to the apartment, looked at each other, and burst out bawling as we held each other. Emotionally, we faced tough times as each child came into the orphanage, but this little one broke our hearts, knowing what she had endured.

I think her smile and friendliness made more anger rise in me. How could anybody take advantage of someone so sweet and cause so much physical and mental damage? If I were judge and jury, I would have found a machete and made sure the father never functioned in such a horrible way again. He would be missing body parts. Thankfully, those thoughts only stayed with me a short time. I quickly realized that I had another lesson to learn. I reminded myself that I functioned in the Home for the children and not for revenge in the name of justice. I needed to let go and put my attention on the healing process of the girls.

I never did find out if the father had been arrested and convicted for what he did to his daughter. The wheels of justice turn differently in Guatemala. Years ago, not many men were arrested for sexual assault, but that is slowly changing. Later, the court gave custody to Evelyn’s mother, and she took her daughter to her grandmother’s home, where she resided in a town close to the coast—a long distance from the residence of the father.

It still jerks at my heart when I picture small and thin Evelyn being taken out of that ambulance with a smile on her face, because she knew she had a refuge in Shadow of His Wings. The good news is that all will be dealt with through the justice of the Lord. I’m thankful for the time we had with Evelyn, where she experienced love and family while she healed.

*Name has been changed.

Parasite Invasion

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“Mama Carroll, come quick! Myra* needs your help.” I rushed into the bathroom expecting to see Myra vomiting. Instead, she faced me with her pants around her ankles and a panicked look in her eyes.

“Myra, what is the problem?” I asked.

“I have a worm,” her soft voice replied.

“A what?” I asked, not sure I comprehended the Spanish word gusano.

Myra bent over and fully mooned me, revealing a round worm trying to make its way out of her body. With no time to think, I tore off some toilet tissue, grabbed ahold of that creature, and yanked it out. Oh, please, don’t let there be more. After a few minutes, I called our nurse, and she confirmed there would be more. I needed to get Myra on parasite medication to kill the others (yes, death to those ugly things). She also told me that while the medication worked, the worms would try to exit the body through any opening possible. Now that grossed me out. I even got a detailed review of what that looked like. Lord, I never wanted to be a nurse. I don’t know if I can handle this. (The Lord told me that I already had done it.) I followed the nurse’s orders and, thankfully, didn’t have to repeat this performance. I became a hero in the eyes of the girls that day, but I sure didn’t feel like one.

The calmness I saw in Myra through all of this with the round worms reminded me of what these girls are subjected to in this third-world country. Parasites are an everyday part of their lives. Many of them don’t have the option to take the medication necessary to kill the living creatures because of the lack of money.

Parasites are picked up in many ways: in the dust/dirt, in water, on fruits and vegetables, or from poor sanitation and hygiene. There are parasites everywhere in this little country the size of Tennessee. Prevention isn’t available to these girls, because they are already walking invitations for infestation. They deal with weakened immune systems, malnutrition, insect bites, and contact with animal feces. Missionaries learn to spend a lot of time washing hands and disinfecting every fruit and vegetable. Drinking filtered water is a must. After all of the precautions, those nasty critters still find a way to get into bodies and cause serious physical complications.

I had only been in Guatemala for two weeks when what my Granny called “the green apple two-step” hit me. I rarely have fevers, but that came next. I called for help and received the necessary medication to clean out my system. I suffered the side effects of the medicine, moaning and groaning, but I reminded myself that the kids in this country usually live as a host for these parasites their whole short lives. I’ve had to resort often to medication, and it has become a way of life for me. Instead of fretting, I’m thankful for the help when faced with those times.

The time with Myra, and the personal experiences I’ve endured in similar situations, helped me to resolve that the children who came to Shadow of His Wings would be cleansed in every way possible. When a new child entered the orphanage, he or she automatically received the medication to get rid of any parasite habitation. If a child had symptoms of stomach pain, diarrhea, and fever, we headed to the pharmacy for parasite medication. That problem took first place at the top of the check list, with flu and food poisoning under it. Nobody should have to endure the torture these creatures can inflict, but we saw victory with a little white pill.
Name has been changed.

Seeing With God’s Eyes

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Young women from the States came to Shadow as interns to help for periods of a month or more. Many times they were lifesavers, as they pitched in to help with the always growing to-do list. One evening, while resting in the downstairs apartment, I received a frantic call from one of them. “You need to get up here, please,” cried Jennifer*. She had caught Linda* going up the stairs with a knife.

Those words brought fear into my heart. These children came from backgrounds where they saw many retaliations with machetes. People were maimed or killed in actions of anger. I ran up the stairs to the main house, just as Linda came down, sobbing so hard she had to hang onto the rail to keep from falling. She hyperventilated all the way down to the apartment. “Take deep breaths, Linda. Do it again,” I encouraged. She finally calmed down and breathed normally.

“Please tell me what happened and why you had the knife. Remember how important it is to be honest.”

Linda sighed and responded, “I needed some cotton to remove the fingernail polish from my nails, and when I asked the other girls, they didn’t have any. So I thought I could cut the end of my pillow, and there would be some cotton inside for me to use.”

I wanted to grab and hug her with all the relief I felt. How many times had I judged the actions of people and missed what really happened? This resourceful girl had a need and saw a way to meet that need. I wanted to laugh out loud, but I needed to keep my serious composure because of the involvement of a knife. That needed to be addressed.

Linda taught me a valuable lesson. I needed to take the time to listen to what these children were saying and not assume something by what I saw. I wanted to apply this to my daily life, and I added it to my prayers. Linda could have been in all kinds of trouble. Lord, please let me see things through Your eyes. My eyes have scratched lenses, and I don’t see things clearly. I must confess that sometimes I react too quickly, but I am learning to be a listener. What a difference this world would be if we saw things through God’s eyes.

*Names have been changed.

Trusting the Lord

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I and others continued to counsel with Sara* about the advantages of her being adopted by a family in the States. This opened the strong possibility of a kidney transplant. It would certainly be life changing for this ill girl. I related to her being afraid of stepping into the unknown.

Teams often came to minister to the children of our growing orphanage and helped with the upkeep of the facilities. One day, Joanne received a reply from a couple in the States who were interested in adopting Sara. They came to the orphanage with a team, spent time with Sara, and went home feeling that adoption might work for them. Learning of this possibility, I felt motherly protectiveness well up inside of me. Not just anybody is going to be able to adopt her. We have to find the right people who will love her as we do. Joanne explained, “They will return to Guatemala and spend more time with Sara. They are seeking God’s guidance in this and have an understanding of how difficult it could be for her.” That will give me time to check them out too.

When the couple returned to Guatemala, they came to the orphanage and waited in my living room. Sara slowly walked through the doorway. When she saw the couple she screeched, “Darlene*!” and ran to the woman, throwing her arms around her. I lost control of my emotions and had to leave, so Sara wouldn’t see me crying. I went into my bedroom to get control. Is this the same girl who refused to show affection to people she hardly knows, the one who did not want to consider adoption? I knew what happened. God answered many prayers, and Sara connected with this couple. To me, this confirmed that she would become part of their family. God knew what I needed to see, in order for me to let her go with peace in my heart.

The next months were filled with phone calls to the States, so Sara could get better acquainted with this couple. I got to be involved in one of the most exciting parts of the transition. “Sara, how would you like to go to Disney World?” I asked. Sara perked up, and with an ear-to-ear grin, she yelled, “Yes!”

“We will fly to Orlando, meet with Darlene and Dennis*, and go to Disney.” We quickly made arrangements, including a temporary visa for Sara to leave Guatemala. I contacted my daughter, who worked for Disney, and she set the wheels in motion so that Princess Sara would be a special guest at Disney with her future parents. Seeing everything new through the eyes of this young girl, a child from the ghettos of Guatemala, excited me. We will never forget the memory of this trip, and it sealed Sara’s decision. She wanted to be adopted by these loving people and move to the US. Fear no longer dominated her thoughts. The quality time with these people made the difference.

The adoption process moved along quickly because of Sara’s serious medical condition. She moved to the States and became a part of this incredibly giving family. It wasn’t a coincidence that Sara’s new mother worked as an RN or that their church family helped support adopting families. The kidney transplant became a reality. God had many details all worked out. Through it all, Sara and I learned another great lesson about trusting the Lord. As a God of love, His plans are the best for each of His children. When we need help, He wants us to come to Him in trust and ask for His intervention, just as a young child does with his earthly father.

*Name has been changed.