Today was the day Jeff and I were looking forward to and had prayed would come to fruition for several months.  You see, last July, about the time God was revealing this mission trip, He also called us to sponsor a child through Compassion International.  At that time, we let Gracie and Forrest each choose a child to sponsor.  Forrest chose a little boy named Domingo from Mexico and Gracie chose a little girl named Keyla from Guatemala.  She picked her because she had on a pretty flowered dress.  Only God would know how that simple decision would impact our lives in a few months on a trip we knew nothing about.  As this trip began coming together, we realized we would be in the country Keyla lived in.  We began to research how we could meet her and back in November began the process of planning and being approved to meet her.  We were told by Compassion to pray this trip would happen, and in January we found out God had answered “YES!” to our prayers.  We began to prepare for our meeting, gathering some small gifts for her and continuing to pray.  We both knew this would probably be the highlight of our trip, as we already had a relationship with her through letters, and would get to build on that relationship as we continued to sponsor her. 

Keyla was scheduled to come with a member of her family, a Compassion worker from her project, and a Compassion translator/host.  They were to arrive at our hotel at 8 a.m.  To our surprise, about the time we came down for breakfast at 7 a.m., they were arriving.  As soon as she saw us, we both received hugs and warm greetings.  She was beautiful with her dark skin, her braided black hair, her missing front teeth, and wearing the clothes and shoes she had purchased with the money we sent for her birthday.  We sat down to eat and get to know her.  She gifted us with a tablecloth made from textiles her father sales.  It was an extremely kind gesture that we were not expecting.  She and Jeff bonded over their love of ice cream.   She wanted to know about Gracie and Forrest.

Our translator, Ms. Sonia, planned on us walking around Antigua, taking a horse drawn carriage ride, and eating at McDonald’s, which Keyla and her grandmother had never been to.  After breakfast, we set out towards Central Park, the main park/square in Antigua.  Within just a few feet of our hotel, Keyla grabbed my hand, as well as my heart.  From that moment on she was a part of us, a part of our family.  For the next four hours we toured Antigua, got ice cream, and she held hands with Jeff or me almost the entire time. Not one of us was uncomfortable; it felt as though she had been with us forever.  It was as normal as walking around holding Gracie or Forrest’s hand.  I truly believe God began to knit our hearts together all those months ago.  He is so very good.

                                     

We wanted to give her grandmother a gift and asked our translator what would be appropriate.  She told us we should visit the supermarket and let her pick something out.  Once in the supermarket, we went straight to the kitchen utensil and supply section and she picked out a big pan.  She told us she had wanted something like this for a very long time.  There are four families living together in their house and she does all the cooking.  It was 97 Quetzals…which is about $12 and she could never afford to buy it. During lunch, with tears pouring down her face she said she didn’t have money and couldn’t repay us, but she thanked us so much for loving Keyla.  She told us she never imagined she would get to do all we had done today in her lifetime.  This woman had left her town at 2 a.m. with her granddaughter to ride a chicken bus for 10 hours total to meet complete strangers and was thanking us.  This was one more example this week of people thanking us for what ended up being our blessing.

As we reflect on that day, we are amazed at the love we felt for Keyla and that she seemed to feel for us. Only God could do that.  She is a part of our family.  He puts families together.  When we go home, her picture will go next to Gracie and Forrest’s.  We are already discussing how we can get down here to see her again. Keyla is a very special little girl and she has opened our eyes to how cultural and language barriers can be knocked down with love.  We can’t wait to see her again.