Monthly Archives: November 2015

The Royal Visit: Part 2

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The day before the royal visit, the presidential security team came from Guatemala City with their dogs. This activity had the kids’ attention, and they watched every movement of the dogs and the officers. The security team went into every room of every building on the property. I didn’t know what they were looking for, and I didn’t ask any questions. The officer in charge gave us a rundown of their expectations of us. We needed to honor immediately any request for unlocking or opening any rooms or items. Nobody was allowed on the property except those of us listed on a document held by the security team. I worried about the Guatemalan custom of inviting family and friends to special occasions. Thankfully, Joanne addressed the situation and told our people that this would not be allowed for Wendy Berger’s visit. We declared to the head officer that we would follow everything to the letter.

The next day, we anxiously awaited for Wendy Berger’s arrival, and I think everyone’s stomach was tied in knots. Would I remember what I needed to say? Lord, help us do all of this right and enjoy a great experience.

“Here come the cars!” our guard shouted as he opened the gate.

All thirteen SUVs entered through our gate and drove to the canopy we had set up for our guests. Joanne, our social worker, and I received the smiling First Lady. She conveyed a message of humility with her softly spoken words of greeting. My heart raced, because I knew she would watch all of us closely, and I wanted her to be impressed by our children.

Presentation:WendyBergerWhile standing in the shade of the canopy, more introductions were made with the houseparents and staff. Then Joanne presented our vision for our organization and the plans we desired for the children. One of our girls gave a welcome and shared her testimony about her life at Shadow. Next, the girls demonstrated their gymnastic abilities by doing a presentation from a previous “state” competition. Lord, let these children see that they are so important that the wife of the president has come to see them. I prayed that the kids would know the value that others see in them.

After the program, we were granted permission to take pictures. We also had enough time for the First Lady to mingle among the girls. She and her two companions moved from one girl to another, showing a warm interest that made all of the girls stand taller. Many girls had the opportunity to share their testimonies, their plans for their education, and their honest thoughts about the orphanage. I proudly watched them visit, with their heads up and eyes bright, as they confided in her.

The one and a half hours with the First Lady went by too quickly, but the impressions she left with all of us will remain in our hearts forever. Everyone will remember the day the president’s wife visited Shadow of His Wings Orphanage.

The Royal Visit

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Most of the children who come through Shadow of His Wings Orphanage feel like rejects—unwanted and unloved. To be told you are a piece of trash and treated as such degrades your self-image. An incredible event at Shadow showed the kids that there are people in high places of authority who care about them. I remain amazed that it happened.

“Are you serious? Royalty is coming to Shadow?” I asked.

“Yes, she wants to come and see the Project and meet the kids. Her desire is to help organizations like ours, so she will come to get to know us better,” replied the social worker.

Wow, the wife of the president of Guatemala wants to come here! My mind could hardly take it in. How many hundreds of orphanages exist in this country, and she plans to visit us? I knew the kids would be ecstatic when they heard the news. The idea made my heart flutter. For such a visit, there needed to be a royal welcome, and we needed plans to show how our orphanage operated. Questions flew in my head. How do we entertain such an important person? Could we be close to her during our visit? How did she pick us?

Our social worker explained how we got chosen. A friend of the Project, who worked in a government office, had contacts with people working with the First Lady. While her husband held the office of president, Wendy Berger desired to help the poor and to work with organizations committed to serving the people of Guatemala. The friend heard that the president’s wife would be visiting orphanages and suggested Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. Those in charge of these visits added our name to the list, and Wendy Berger selected our orphanage. During her visits to the orphanages, she wanted to ascertain the pertinent needs and decide how best to assist these non-profit associations.

Preparations began in a hurry. When we told the kids the news, they blankly stared for a few seconds, and then everyone talked at once. “The president is coming?” “No, his wife is coming, and her name is Wendy Berger.” “Will we get to talk to her?” “I think so.” “No, they’ll have guards around her.” From that moment on, every home buzzed with anticipation.

The excitement in us adults climbed as high as in the children. We wanted to put out the welcome mat to honor the First Lady for what she represented and for her acts of goodwill. To me, I saw it as an opportunity for our kids to learn how important they were in the eyes of many. Their lives meant something to people of importance, and these people wanted to invest in them because they had value.

With plans in hand and dust flying everywhere, every breathing body went into action for this royal visit.

Customs and Traditions

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Every culture contains its customs and traditions, which we faced more of after the wedding for Miriam and Guilfer. The glowing couple entered the reception held in the community salon. I watched them with my heart bursting with love and joy, as they followed the red carpet looking and pointing at the elaborate decorations. Drawn to the huge wedding cake, Miriam grabbed her husband’s hand and hurried to check it out. Her big round eyes and smile showed me that it scored big with her.

Some not-so-pleasant customs occurred at this marriage celebration. The unity candle set disappeared after the wedding, and a friend played detective to hunt them down. He found them and the pillow that the couple had knelt on. They had been taken by a visitor. We soon learned that during any celebration, any decorations—on the tables or displayed on the walls—would be taken home by guests. The food had not even been served when the table decorations disappeared off of the table. However, the beautiful eight-tiered cake with royal blue frosting stood out even more than before. I focused on the cake and thanked the Lord that nobody could make off with it before the time of the couple’s cutting it.

The program for the reception followed according to plan. After the meal, some of the girls from Shadow of His Wings Orphanage did a dance presentation as a gift to the newly married couple. Guilfer kept busy kissing his bride whenever someone began banging their spoon on the table. Miriam, Guilfer, and some close friends shared their experiences that led the couple into this marriage. Soon the time came for the cake cutting, including the traditional “cake in your face” element. Lastly, the couple took their turn throwing the garter and the bouquet. Even with all of the activities, it went by too quickly.

After the reception, the bride and groom stood under a traditional decoration that hung from the ceiling. The netting above held a ton of rice, and while kissing under it, the ribbons that held the netting were pulled. As the rice fell, the couple looked like they were in a hail storm. Too soon, the time came for their departure for a short honeymoon at a water park resort nearby. Nobody,but us mothers, knew where they went and we had been sworn to secrecy.

Two days later when the couple returned, I learned another tradition about the gifts. Parents and closeIMG_2013 friends are invited to the new home, and the couple unwraps each present. We enjoyed this time of watching the glowing couple squeal, smile, or sigh after each gift.

Miriam and Guilfer enjoyed a celebration that may have seemed faraway or impossible based on life circumstances. The Lord, however, had a grand plan. Even with the mixture of customs and traditions, they enjoyed a dream come true. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of our other children would have the same opportunity. Lord, may all of their marriages be as special as this one, with your blessings all over it.

The First Wedding: Part 2

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The children we work with, who come from squalor and abusive situations, would see a “Cinderella” wedding as unattainable but we looked at it differently. When Miriam and Guilfer told us of their plans to marry, we wanted to bless them with a memorable wedding. We excitedly prepared for our first wedding of Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. Miriam and Guilfer represented the ideal couple by following the ethics we outlined for the children. They met, dated with the appropriate chaperones, and asked permission for the marriage. This couple became a model for the other girls, giving them hope for a future of love and respect, if they waited patiently for its unfolding. In my mind, Miriam and Guilfer deserved the best.

IMG_1224A legal marriage in Guatemala is obtained in a civil ceremony, when a couple is married by the local mayor. A church wedding is optional and takes place after the legal wedding, but it does not replace it as a legal ceremony. At the civil ceremony, Miriam, hair combed to perfection and dressed in a cute black and white suit, spoke her vows to Guilfer, while we “parents” stood as witnesses. The procedure felt more like a wedding rehearsal, except it didn’t follow our program. Even after the “I dos” it seemed surreal. Ten minutes later they were legally married, but we had plans for a real wedding. We whisked Miriam away to prepare her for the church wedding. Her chariot, my Toyota Corolla, took her to the grand entrance of the church, which was decorated and ready for “Cinderella.”

In the church, Miriam’s biological mother waited, having been given permission to come to the wedding. We prayed that her attendance would not reopen pain from past abuses. Instead, we watched Miriam’s mother hold her daughter in her arms and speak words of endearment. The wedding began when we three “mothers” (Miriam’s biological mother, Joanne, and I) sat down together in the front seats. Gib prepared to walk Miriam down the aisle when the music began to play. What poured out of the speakers turned out to be the wedding exit song instead of “Here Comes the Bride.” Too late to change anything, we sat chuckling to ourselves. Most of the guests didn’t know the difference, and the wedding march went smoothly.

The couple said their vows to the sound of our sniffles, while we mothers used a ton of tissues. After the vows, the pastor sat down but startled us as he jumped back up. “I am so sorry. I forgot to complete my part.” With a tight smile and after clearing his throat, he said, “I introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Guilfer Guzman. Guilfer, you may kiss the bride.” A roar of applause echoed off the concrete blocks of the church.

Now it’s complete, Lord. They are good and married. Bubbles floated everywhere as the couple left the church and climbed into the Toyota chariot. They drove around the town to the honking of horns announcing the great event. And finally, they headed to the salon for the reception. My emotions continued to overtake me as I watched one of my first girls send adoring signals to her new husband. I tucked another treasured memory into that special room of my heart.