by Makenzie Gantt
Day 3 (First day at Manos de Compasion)
Our team has been praying and preparing to meet the children of the Manos de Compasion children’s home for weeks, and today was the day we finally met everyone. We were overjoyed to pour our love and the love of Jesus into the lives of the children and staff members at Manos.
The day began by meeting all of the teenage girls who live at Esther's house. It was a blessing to see Celeste and her son Neyser meet her Parent Partners Allen and Cecilia for the first time.
We then had a time of fellowship at Esther's house to talk about God's everlasting love, and his plan for their future. Then came the fun! Crafting, Nail Polish, and Makeup resulted in a devotion about inner beauty versus outer beauty.
After spending time at Esther's house, everyone gathered at the Reichard's (Dave and Deborah's house) for lunch. Good food was had by all, and we were impressed with the responsibilities of the kids to help with lunch cleanup: washing dishes, sweeping, putting away chairs and tables, etc.
After an amazing homemade Guatemalan meal, we had free time to play outside bonding and building relationships with the kids. Some girls decided they wanted to make some homemade protein bars too!
The day ended with dinner at Ron and Rhonda's house who were hosting most of us, and then games and the passing out of many stuffed animals donated from one of our team members. It was such an experience to watch the joy on each child's face as they received a stuffed animal.
Day 4 (Second Day at Manos da Compasion)
Our team has begun to feel overwhelmed with emotions for the people here in Manos. God's love is clearly evident in this community of people. Our day started out with an early morning hike with many of the children up a mountain to see beautiful views of Lake Atitlan at the top. We also saw lots of plants, including big leaves used to make tamales.
After our morning hike we ate lunch at the Reichard's house with all of the children, and spent time in fellowship with the kids and staff. We then split our team up for tie dye crafts at Esther's house, and water games at the Love and Hope house. Our team enjoyed bonding and showing joy and compassion with each of the kids at Manos.
P.S. Don't let Adam say it's okay to shoot water balloons at windows. And don't let Tracy drive the mini stick shift car.
We finished out the day with an amazing fellowship message for all of the staff and house parents at Manos, to thank them for everything they do and let them know that even in the tough times, God is still with them. We also took the time to thank Dave and Deborah for everything that they do for the children in Manos.
Day 4 (Third Day at Manos de Compasion)
The love of God has been clearly evident among the lives of all the people in Manos with us. We started our day off with worship and devotion in the school house. We prayed with the school teachers, then for all of the kids and staff at Manos. After worship, we had a beautiful memorial service for the remembrance of the loss of baby Jack Reichard. We planted a eucalyptus tree and added a plaque with Jack's name on it, and finished with a beautiful song of worship and prayer over baby Jack and the Reichard family.
After the memorial, we had free time to play outdoor sports with the kids before heading back to Guatemala city.
Our team is melancholy to leave, and hope that God continues to do beautiful things in our lives and the lives of everyone we met at Manos. God works miracles, and we saw miracles made in Manos.
"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many" -Mark 10:45
