Guatemala: Pre-Orphan Care

"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.”  -David Platt

Far above Lake Atitlan, overlooking majestic volcanoes,

sits the Eagle's Nest Orphanage.

On our last morning in Guatemala,
I had the opportunity to love on kids.

As beautiful as the setting was,

inside there was a room full of the fatherless.   

So we loved.   

We held.  We read.  We played train. 

As a mom of a child who once lived in an orphanage,

a morning of loving was worth the whole trip. 

Hugs, smiles and playing matter. 

Ending our trip in this way,

helped bring our work full circle. 

Redeemer's House

works to prevent children from ending up in orphanages,

by working with single mothers like Lucia. 

This sweet, and very tiny lady, sells souvenirs. 
Carrying a large cloth sack
full of her wares, she finds an open spot on the street.

Laying out her goods, she can only hope to draw

the attention of a shopper. 

She lives on the edge of survival, 

hoping each day to feed her children.

A sickness, storm or slow selling season threatens

her ability to care for her kids. 

All over the world, there are mothers and fathers

who face decisions beyond our comprehension. 

Due to poverty, family expectations, and a host of other reasons,

children are abandoned and relinquished. 

When you see poverty, as we did, you understand a bit more

how this happens.  As much as my heart feels called
to care for orphans, my head tells me to also support ministries
like Redeemer's House, who work to prevent a few
more children from becoming orphans.

Thank you, Radford family, for giving us this opportunity. 
It was a game changer.