Señora Lupe

It was the last day at the center in Guatemala. The last hour of the day is when you start saying goodbye because it will take that long to let those kids go from your arms. It's an emotional time for all that are involved. 

This year was the first year that I had made a connection with one of the Nannies at the center. All the other years I sort of admired them from a distance, but this year I got very close to a certain Nannie. Señora Lupe was the Nannie for the "Chicks" room. (They name each room according to the age. The babies are canaries, one step up from that is the bunnies. Now you are at the age where they are potty training and that is the chicks room, where I worked. Then the older kids are ducks for boys, and squirrels for girls.) It was the last day, and it was time for the kids to go to the bathroom as usual. A bathroom trip takes a minimum of 45 minutes, and that's if you are lucky. Lupe wanted me to stay back with her and help her by putting all the kid's names up over their cribs, so that it would be easy for the next group to know where each kid sleeps. 

At that time it was just Lupe and I in the room together, and we started to have a conversation. Now keep in mind that Lupe and I had trouble all week trying to understand each other because she didn't speak any English and I didn't speak any Spanish, but God did a miraculous thing. I was able to completely understand everything she said and she could understand everything I said. It was truly remarkable, and incomprehensible. She was telling me how thankful she was to have met me, and that she had me in her room all week. She asked when I would be back, and she was quite disappointed with my answer, "next year", as was I. I did get to tell her that I would be an intern, meaning I would be there for 5 weeks instead of just 1. She was excited about that. She also told me that the kids absolutely loved me, and that all the little girls had a crush on me. ( in fact one of them wanted a picture of me over their bed. What can I say I'm a ladies man....) 

It was great to hear that I had made an impact on her and the kids lives, that no one else had from all the hundreds of groups that have passed through there. I reluctantly said goodbye to all the kids, who dog piled me and gave me kisses that could melt your heart, and then I said goodbye to one of the greatest woman I know, Señora Lupe. With tears in both of our eyes, we gave each other a big hug, and she told me to hurry back. 

This has to be the most touching thing that has happened in my life. God is just truly amazing in how he works, and I will always be grateful for those 45 minutes of mutual understanding between Lupe and I. It just shows how amazing God is, that he can completely take a language barrier away like that, just to show off his spectacular power. God is good!