This morning, we had the honor of eating breakfast at our friend Berta’s house.  She welcomed us into her home, introduced us to her little dog, showed us her fantastic shoe collection, and fed us a feast. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that you haven’t truly lived until you’ve had waffles with ice cream and chocolate syrup for breakfast! 

After breakfast, Jody led us around the Hiper Pais (the Guatemalan equivalent of Super Walmart) collecting enough food supplies to feed 65 teenage boys lunch.  Thank goodness for Jody’s leadership skills and determination.  Most people wouldn’t even try to take on such a daunting task.  Which means, most people will never know the satisfaction and joy that comes from seeing a roomful of orphan boys shovel handfuls of the spaghetti, bread, cookies, and salad that you prepared into their hungry mouths. 

Our group has a knack for turning stressful tasks into good times.  Adam, Jody, and Wendy were shakin’ it to Lady Gaga in the kitchen.

There was one moment today when I almost lost it.  The kitchen at Eliza Martinez has a gas stove. In order to turn out the pilot light, the cook has to open a panel at the bottom of the oven.  As Jody and I stood there watching her, we were horrified to see a nest of roaches come pouring out from under the panel.   The cook wasn’t bothered, so we tried to act cool as they scurried past our feet. 

 
Another uncomfortable moment for me was when little Mario gave me a big, sloppy kiss on my stomach.  (At least it wasn’t on my chest like yesterday!) As he pulled away, I noticed a line of drool and candy slobber dangling between us. He must have noticed my discomfort, because he took his (dirty) shirt and did his best to wipe off my clothes.

To say I was humbled would be an understatement.

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the boys smash piñatas, handing out goodies, and teaching the boys what we could remember of the “Thriller” dance. 

As always, it was tough to say goodbye.  But it’s nice for them and for us to be able to say that we’ll see them again in April!