Final Day

This afternoon we went to San Rafael to visit our sponsor children. San Rafael is one of the poorest villages in the Antigua valley. We were met with the same warmth and generosity as we experienced throughout our time in Guatemala. Upon arriving in San Rafael we went to the clinic where we were introduced to Lesbia the social worker who accompanied us on our first visits with the children we are sponsoring.

Laurie’s child is named Susana. She is five years old, but appears younger than her chronological age. Her mother, Cecilia, shared that Susana had been looking forward to meeting her sponsor all day, but Susana hid behind her mother when we were first introduced. The family squats on a small piece of land in a rented home made of steel walls and roofing with a concrete floor. The only furniture was one standard size bed and bunk beds. There were no chairs or other furniture to sit on. Cecilia brought out Susana’s packet of art projects and drawings from preschool, Susana appeared proud but remained bashful. After a short time she warmed up and allowed photographs. Cecilia was asked if Susana liked school. Cecilia responded Susana wanted to go to school and not work in the fields like her parents. The beginnings of a bond between Laurie and Susana developed during the brief visit.

Mel’s child is named Lesbia. She appeared to be small statured, but otherwise healthy six year old who was full of energy and spirit. In addition, she has two brothers ages five and 10 with similar energetic outgoing personalities. The children greeted Mel as if she were a part of the family. Lesbia brought out DVDs of her favorite movies including Frozen and Stuart Little. In addition, she showed Mel her drawings. Lesbia is a talented young artist who loves drawing, painting, and the color pink. In addition, she loves rough housing with her brothers and playing with toy cars. The children begged to have their photos taken and enjoyed seeing themselves on Laurie’s camera. Mel spent time talking with Marta, Lesbia’s mom during this time. Lesbia’s father works six and a half  days per week in the field for 10 hours per day so was not able to be present at the visit. In addition, Mel learned Lesbia has another brother or sister on the way as Marta is six months pregnant. At the end of the visit, Lesbia held my hand as we walked up to the main street of San Rafael to leave.

We greatly enjoyed our visits and are looking forward to watching our sponsor children benefit from the education they so desire. We also hope to develop a life-long relationship with them.

Laurie Brodersen and Mel Flynn