A Time For Everything

    Ecclesiastes 3 rang true today. At different times throughout the day I thought about this verse and it wasn't until the end of the day that I understood why it kept popping into my head.

    I have been a full-time nanny to two kids from an English speaking country. I can't share the details of why they are here but it isn't an accident that they are here. Today we went to the Child Protective Services office for them to have a meeting with a diplomat from their country's embassy.
    Our day began at 5:00 with me literally pulling the boy out of bed. The little girl was having stomach pains, so I had to talk her out of the bathroom when transportation arrived. When we finally got in the van, we (CB) shuttled around some kids and staff to various parts of the city for them to complete their days work. Then we were dropped off on the side of the road in front of a large business building.
    Let me just pause the story to say....it is amazing to me that the orphanage considers me to be a person that knows enough Spanish to take these non Spanish speaking children to meet with a foreign diplomat in the city into a building we don't know. I don't think this was a wise decision because I know how much I still struggle with Spanish. You should also know we survived, so I guess it was ok that they allowed me to be in-charge for this meeting.
     Continuing story...We sat around the lobby of the building playing UNO and eating Cheerios for a hour and a half. The children saw a person that looked like the diplomat we were there to meet walk into the lobby and said, "is that who wants to talk to us." Yes, it was the guy. He asked to speak to the kids privately and then the fun started. After some time, the man asked to speak with me privately and told me that he was in the country to have a Guatemalan judge sign over legal guardianship to him. After that he planned to take them back to their homeland. This lead me to a serious of questions about his plan of action including: Who would care for them at home? What did there mom want?  Remember mom is in jail in Guatemala.
    He informed me that dad would take care of them.  Uh, What? I was told dad was died. The diplomat said while laughing, "Oh no, he is very much alive and is very willing to care for his children". Well that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (Sarcastic). Lets pack up the kids and send them off to live with the formerly dead dad. After talking to the kids about this, I learned they haven't seen their dad for 3 years. I never got a straight answer from anyone of why CB was told the dad was dead. Red Flag! This new information made me want to ask the now un-dead father a lot of questions like: Why aren't YOU in Guatemala getting your kids? Why haven't these kids seen you in 3 years?
    When I looked at my kids in one of several private meeting with the diplomat and lots of other adults standing in a circle around them, they looked traumatized. I interrupted and had them come out of the room, sit with me, and talk about the situation. Tears rolled down their checks and they were admit about staying in Guatemala and not leaving the country with the diplomat.
    In an earlier private meeting the diplomat had with me, he asked me to talk the kids into leaving with him. He realized the children trusted me and listed off all the reasons why returning to their homeland was better than their current life at CB. Unfortunately for him, I was no help to him. His plan didn't seem like a better life for them. I know what these kids do each day because I am living it with them. They are learning about Christ, playing soccer, playing in the band, and they are safe.
    After about two hours of private meeting, we were ushered into a van and on our way to the  courthouse. In the van, the kids unloaded their emotions on me and asked me a bunch of questions I couldn't answer. I just reminded them that God had this all under control and things would end up just the way he had planned.
    After waiting a bit for the judge, all of us adults and my two kids sat in a small room for a herring. The kids were crying because it seemed they would be returning home with a stranger, not their mom. The judge called for a break and I fought for the kids to be able to call their mom. They needed to hear what she wanted and I told the judge this fact. The next hour was spent with the judge, the diplomat, and the kids taking turns talking to the mom on the phone.
    Then a new court time was set for 2:30 that afternoon. Luckily, CB's social worker had arrived at the court during the hour long conversation with mom so I had another ear to fill with this craziness. He didn't have any answers but he had a car that took us to McDonalds. It was good for all of us to have a chance to process this unexpected turn of events and to laugh for a bit.
    When we returned for court, the diplomat and the judge met for about an hour before the children were told there worst thoughts would come true. This man had custody of them and they would be going with him tonight. Tomorrow they would visit their mother at the jail for the last time and would return home in the afternoon. All three of us sobbed for a few minutes and then got in the van with our social worker friend to return to CB.
    The kids continued to ask me questions about the future on the ride home from court that I couldn't answer. The little boy told me with tears running down his cheek that he was praying to God that something would happen so they could stay at CB. We began packing their things when we returned to CB. The kids asked me several times to pack more slowly so they would have more time at CB. When their luggage and book-bags I packed for them were in the car, I prayed for them, put them in a car, and watched them leave.

     This is the first time I have had to do this part of caring for kids in this capacity. It hurts. It is so easy to fall in love with kids, and I know the Lord placed these kids in my care. I am honored that God allowed me to teach them about him. I appreciate the Lord being so kind to me to give me these kids for this short time of their lives.
    Today I had no idea that God would take them away (Ecclesiastes 3) from me which reminds me to use the time the Lord gives you wisely. People talk about living each day as their last, but it is easier for me to think about making the most out of every opportunity God gives me. I am in my life circumstances and you are in your life circumstances because God allowed it. You never know when the opportunity to share the gospel with someone will be taken from you. Today is the day to tell them about Christ, because you may not be able to share it with them tomorrow.

Praying for the kids before they left.

Creatures of the Night

    My house is known for having bats living in the ceiling. Friday nights when we are all eating popcorn and watching movies it is normal to see a bat swoop in to perch in its home inside our ceiling. Since I have been here, we have all joked that the bats are the houses pets.
    This week we have had 2 bats fall from the ceiling. When this happens, the normal protocol is for one of the teenage girls to grab a broom and they push it outside. Typically one of the boys playing outside our home kills it. The older boys home came to our house yesterday to climb into the ceiling and exterminate. The boys couldn't find the bats, but we could still hear them screeching.They plan to continue there search Monday.
    Last night while all the girls were eating dinner, my two kids were sitting in the living room. Neither one of them have fully recovered from being sick last week, so I didn't want to torture them by making them sit at the dinner table. I was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room when I heard my kids screaming. I looked to find another bat flopping around on the floor. This was our third bat to fly down from the ceiling this week!
    As normal, the older girls stood up from the table and grabbed a broom. All 16 kids were crowding into the living room to survey the situation as Collin, the house-dad, and I were trying to get the kids away from the bat. One of the girls decided to try to step on the bat and then pick it up. As all the adults were yelling for her not to do this, the bat bit her. Of course, that was our fear and now we had a huge problem on our hands. What if she contracted rabies from this bat?
    The adults in the house sprang into action. Collin captured the bat and I called the nurse practitioner contact I have here in Guatemala. A lot of the missionaries literally began running around campus to get a vehicle, get a driver, get directions to the hospital, grab her medical history paper work. Others of us called the director to get permission to take her, get keys for the van, put the dead bat in a bag, and packed a bag for a potentially long night at the emergency room. The houseparents rushed her to the emergency room and I watched the other 15 kids at the house.

The dead bat in the bag.

    At the hospital, they gave her the first out of three vaccine shots for rabies and something to stop the itching from moving up her arm. The doctor's orders at this point are to watch for any extreme changes in her mood. The house-parents and I laugh at this. When aren't teenagers moody? How will we ever be able to tell if it is the rabies talking or her age? :) 
    Today she seems to be fine. Our prayer is for the Lord to take the rabies out of her body if it was ever in her body.

Going to Jail

    Today I went to jail with the two children I serve, so they could spend time with their mother. This is a weekly adventure but this is the first time I was able to go.
    All morning the kids were begging me to go, because it can be a scary outing. We, the kids and I, didn't know who would go because all the qualified personnel on campus were busy. Unfortunately, I don't have the appropriate identification to accompany the kids.
    While we were eating the french toast I made for breakfast we saw the van, their transportation, pull-up in the driveway.  Immediately we were running around the house brushing teeth, putting on shoes, and I finished packing my purse just in-case I got the chance to go with them. The little girl wouldn't get ready. I couldn't get here to move, because she was to busy hounding me about who would go with them.
     I ran to the office to see if they knew who would go. I was frantically trying to figure out who was going to accompany the kids. I had both secretaries on the phone trying to get answers when the assistant director came into view. He didn't know who would accompany the kids but he directed us to the director. The kids and I ended up running (literally) to the director to ask her. She immediately looked at me and said, "you."
    We decided that my passport would serve as appropriate ID so in the van I went. This won't surprise you but the jail wasn't in the best part of town. I have to say I never felt in danger and I knew the Lord allowed me to go this week for one reason or another.
     When we arrived at the jail, we walked past the living quarters and into a building with several offices. We stood on the second level, kind of like a balcony, waiting for their mom to arrive. The kids stared at the entrance below waiting for their mom to walk in the building. When she did, she quickly spotted her beautiful children and her eyes filled with tears. My breath caught and I struggled to hold back tears. I can't imagine living in her shoes. I can only imagine the thoughts and worries that go threw her head 24/7.
    For the following hour, she held them and they never ceased talking. When there time was up, I made it clear to the authorities at the jail that even-though I spoke the same language as this family that I would not be the one to tell them it was time to leave. I just couldn't do it! The children's protective services employee informed my kids it was time to go. We all walked out of the main building slowly with mom and children crying, prolonging the inevitable. Once again, I can't imagine being their mom. I spoke with her psychologist for a bit while the mom and children were spending time together. The psychologist said the mother was heart broken being away from her children. Rightfully so!
    After we exited the jail, the children recovered quickly and began focusing on what to order at McDonald's. People laugh when I say happy meals make me happy, but it seems to cheer-up other people as well. Maybe people think it's funny because I'm not ashamed to admit it. We needed a little ray of sunshine today and McDonalds was just the right thing for these kids. The kids and I had an adventure today, and praise the Lord he allowed us to do it together.