And now these three remain Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is love.
Corinthians 13:13

I think that Doug and I would both agree that the most frustrating thing we have faced since moving to Guatemala has been the language barrier. The first few months were quiet comical as we traveled around the town. And the guard of our neighborhood would politely smile at us when we knew he was laughing inside. We knew when we visited the school it would be even more frustrating.

But God showed me when I met Dani and his sisters that I don’t need words at all. When we arrived at the school there were about 5 children that were waiting for our visit. They, like all children I have met, were worn from the world around them. Their clothes were torn and dirty, shoes were worn and small, they had dirty faces with runny noses and dry and sore skin. But as we talked, they began to show us their beautiful smiles.

My heart broke. They needed my touch more than I could ever begin to imagine. They needed a mother’s touch. They needed a mother’s love.

A young boy, Dani, sat beside me and we began to talk. I understood for a moment and then I had to ask our friend to translate for me. His sisters held my hand, touched my hair and stayed close to me. I held their hand and smiled. It seemed that they longed for me to touch them and they to touch me. They stayed close.

As we talked more Dani shared that their mother had past away two years ago. My heart broke. They needed my touch more than I could ever begin to imagine. They needed a mother’s touch. They needed a mother’s love.

And Here I am. I felt like I had nothing to give because of this language barrier. The barrier I knew I would face. As I look into these children’s eyes again God shows me the place He needs me to be. A child with no mother and I was once a mother with no child. He continues to bring that pain that once paralyzed my body and soul and shows me why. He shows me that my pain will not go without purpose. He will continue to bring beauty to it just as He did with the coming together of my family.

I don’t know why these children have to endure such loss. I also don’t quite understand why we live in a world with so much brokenness. What I do know is that my God cries for all of us. He cries out for His children and He wants so much to wrap His arms around us and hold us tight. I have felt these arms around me for so long now. And so He has called me at this time to be Him to these children. At this point I don’t have many words to share but I don’t think that is what He is worried about. Right now He wants me to show them the love that He has showed me.

So I am called to hug and touch these children just like their mother would have done. And from there He will do the rest.

-Holly