Category Archives: First children in the orphanage

The Court System

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We became a legal orphanage, prepared it to rescue children from the streets, and nothing happened. The courts did not know of our existence, and it became our responsibility to get the name of the orphanage into the court system. We sent out invitations to judges, social workers, and court officials to an open house. We invited them to view the facility, listen to our vision for the children, ask questions, and make comments. Since I couldn’t do much communicating, I shyly stood behind Joanne with a big welcoming smile for the few women who responded. The introduction process to our mission worked, and the calls for child placement began to pour in.

At this time in Guatemala, the government changed the process for putting children in orphanages. Due to illegal adoptions and corruption, all children were now processed through the court system. The old process allowed a homeless child to be placed into a Home without any question of legality. But now, for the security and safety of the orphaned and abandoned children, a stricter custody process was implemented. Learning the policies and procedures of the court system in working with children moved to the top of my list. Lord, I don’t know how to pass this obstacle without your help. Send me the people I need to show me the way through this third-world system, and give me the ability to comprehend the Spanish.

The call from the court came, and my heart jumped. They had a thirteen-year-old girl named Xiomara*. Could we come to the court and pick her up? With plans in place, a board member, our Spanish helper, and I went to the court. Taken back by the number of people who lined the walls waiting for their turn with the judge, I kept telling myself that with God’s help we could do this. The noise of screaming kids and loud voices bounced off the concrete-block walls, and the court official had to yell the name of the next person to enter the offices. I held tightly to the documents that showed the legality of the orphanage and that we had government approval. It took effort to get the attention of the court official within the mob, but in a short period of time, I had a court order for temporary custody in one hand and the hand of Xiomara in the other. I floated out of the building thinking that we had reached a major goal. We had our first official girl!

We returned to the orphanage, and later that afternoon we received a second call for two more girls—sisters. My last visit to the courts had been successful, and I knew this one would be too. I didn’t realize these trips would be filled with emotion. I walked into the office of the magistrate (changed to the title of “judge” a year later), and my eyes swept the scene in front of me. Two girls tightly held each other as they sobbed. On the other side of the magistrate’s desk appeared to be family members also crying and moaning. I glanced at the magistrate, who nodded in the direction of the girls. I immediately put my arms around them, pulling them into a hug. Their response broke my heart as they literally clung to me.

I found out that the mother had brought Lorena* and Mari* to the court because of sexual abuse from her boyfriend. The unsuspecting girls did not know the reason for the “visit” to the court. Right before I walked into the room, the magistrate had told them they would have a new home with us. Lord, have mercy on these children. They are the victims, and I see the pain in their eyes. With heavy hearts, the girls and I went to the orphanage, where we began intense counseling.

Still wired from the experience of the day, I evaluated my emotions. I had felt so prepared to work with these children. I desired to help them feel that they were now part of a family. Suddenly, I felt very inadequate. How could this mother give up her children for a boyfriend? This showed such rejection. How would I help bring healing into these three lives that I was now responsible for? The Lord reminded me of the power of love. These abandoned children needed to feel that love and know that they were safe. They needed to know about God’s plan for their lives.

*Names have been changed.

A New Testimony

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After the initial realization that I would be working with two children, I recalibrated my expectations as a mother. A totally different set of issues changed the scene. Jorge* continued to struggle with respiratory issues and developed pneumonia and asthma, which required much attention to keep him from going to the hospital. Leti* basked under the attention that she received from her teacher, who came faithfully, teaching her to read and write. I took over the care of Jorge but explained many childcare ideas to Leti. We began a rhythm, which will be greatly changed soon.

Talking to Leti about her growing-up years gave me a glimpse into the lives of some of the children we would minister to. With a better understanding of what these kids endure, those of us at Shadow would be better equipped to facilitate the process of healing.

“Leti, why are you taking those scraps of meat out of the garbage?” I asked as I watched her pop them into her mouth.

“It is a sin to put them there,” she said. I learned that it was rare for her to have meat when she lived in the village. It upset her to see those little pieces thrown into the garbage. She went on a crusade when she saw food items being put into the trash and announced that we needed to give them to the hungry people on the streets. This was a great idea, but not easy to put into practice.

I probed into Leti’s memory banks about her mom and family life. She shook her head and said she didn’t remember much about her mom before she died. What she knew came from other members of her family. Leti described a loveless existence with her grandmother, who became her primary caretaker after her mother’s death. Someone told her that coffee usually filled her bottle, because the lack of money prevented the purchase of the badly needed milk. Her grandmother had a distillery for making alcohol, which brought in a little money for supporting the family. She gave Leti the alcohol to drink, along with her diet of coffee, bananas, and, at times, tortillas. At the age of ten, Leti’s grandmother died, and Leti shuffled between an older sister and her aunt in a life without love and care.

The wounds ran deep in Leti’s heart. We spent hours talking and praying about the Lord Jesus and the plans He had for her life. Leti wanted Jesus to be Lord in her life and hung onto every word shared about Him. As she poured out her fears, I found myself relating to some of the things she experienced. She confessed that she didn’t have anyone in her life, except for Joanne and I. I had, in times past, feared being alone. I understood the seriousness of what she shared. Leti had never received any signs of affection from anybody until she came into the orphanage. I couldn’t believe someone had lived sixteen years and never had a hug. I felt a tear in a portion of my heart.

“Leti, you are a child of God. Now you have a testimony of how you were lost, and He found you and brought you to this place.” Thank you, Lord, that you put the lonely in families. “One day, you will be sharing this hope with others when the Lord brings them across your path. Your testimony will show the power of His love for you. He brought you to this place of refuge for your healing and to prepare you for your future,” I explained. The Holy Spirit moved greatly in this young lady, as she exposed more of her heart. My words were reinforced by counseling from a pastor, his wife, and Joanne. The Lord had her surrounded by love, but just like with anybody else, there would be times of progress and times of stepping backwards.

We shouted “hallelujah” when James Project of Latin America/Shadow of His Wings Orphanage became a legal association in November 2001, and the doors to the orphanage opened. We followed the next steps to make ourselves known in the court system, in preparation for receiving children. This would definitely not be an easy path because of the lack of fluent Spanish. Lord, I continue to need your help with all of this. You will make a way for me to communicate with the judges, because you said you would give me everything I needed when I answered your call.
*Name has been changed.

Taking in the First Children

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Dedicationphoto_2After a whirlwind of activities, we located a house, leapt into the process of getting governmental approval, found financial support, and purchased the necessities to establish a home. The top priority for myself was Spanish school. Then I found myself in an unexpected situation.

Joanne arranged to meet a teenager named Leti,* an orphan, who had been sexually abused by a family member and had a baby as a result of that abuse. Joanne found out about Leti through Leti’s cousin and knew she needed to check out the situation. She found a starving mother with a very sick and undernourished baby. Joanne, full of compassion, asked me, “Would you meet with her and consider taking her and the baby into the Home as our first children?”

I knew what my answer would be before we met, and Leti’s story confirmed it as she tearfully told of being ostracized by her family. Leti, at the age of sixteen, gave birth to Jorge in the dirty village hospital. Her aunt and other family members told her she could not put her baby up for adoption, but they refused to help her in any way. Leti had to find her own way home after the birth of the baby and didn’t even have diapers or clothes for Jorge. She wrapped him in some of her raggedy clothes and an old blanket. Leti had to find or beg for food, while those around her pretended that she didn’t exist. I knelt down in front of this sixteen-year-old girl, took her in my arms, and cried with her. Oh, Lord, this is a prime example of desperation. May we have the opportunity to help her?

At this point, it didn’t matter that I didn’t understand much Spanish. Isn’t love the universal language? The hurt and pain that I saw in Leti’s eyes bore into my soul. Little Jorge, full of giggles, grabbed my heart in seconds. Yes, we established Shadow of His Wings to be a home for girls, but this exception needed to be made. At Leti’s age, she could legally decide where she wanted to live. With all of the bases covered, Leti and Jorge became the first children in Shadow of His Wings Orphanage.

The decision for me to be the housemother for any girls who came into the Home seemed easy to make. I wanted to be in that position even though I lacked the language ability. God called me to this, and I trusted Him to help me learn Spanish. I found myself again stepping off a plank into the unknown. Joanne fit in perfectly with her administrative and Spanish-speaking abilities. All things are possible with God and with His help. I knew we could manage this orphanage.

We hired a cook and a housekeeper, allowing me to focus on Leti and the language studies. With everything in place, Jorge and Leti moved in.

Early one evening, I heard ten month old Jorge screaming, and I hurried across the hall to Leti’s bedroom. “Leti, open the door, please.” I heard the click of the lock and entered into the room. Sobbing, Jorge sat on the changing table with a red swollen lip. I need control, Lord. Please help me remain calm. “Leti, you do not hit a baby.” Leti, refusing to look at me, kept herself busy by rolling up the soiled diaper to throw in the garbage. “Leti, look at me,” I demanded. She slowly turned her dark eyes to me with a smirk on her face. I ground out the words again, “You do not hit a baby, and we will talk about this later.” I reached out to Jorge, who leaped into my arms. I took him into my room, while I cooled down.

The honeymoon period came to an abrupt halt, as I faced the reality that this young mother had never experienced the love and care of people around her. She was a child taking care of a baby without any positive examples of how this should be done. My life took an abrupt turn in the learning curve, as I faced the responsibility of being a mother figure to one who already showed resistance to correction.

*Names have been changed.