My husband & I sponsor 2 girls, Dalia & Angelica at Safe Passage, the education reinforcement center where Shared Beat works. Today I took a break from counting pills and reviewing medical charts to take them to lunch. We took a taxi from the Guatemala City dump neighborhood to the new Walmart. What an amazing contrast in realities only 10 minutes down the street.
Sometimes it's difficult being a sponsor. You see children with very little and you want to give them everything. You walk a fine line- they need things but if you gave them everything is that the right thing to do? The children living in the areas around the dump need so many things. With the help of the sponsorship coordinator,I decided to give each of the girls a certain amount of money and told them they could choose to use it for food, clothing, hygiene products or school supplies.
At first they were overwhelmed. But after the initial WOW they headed straight for the grocery section! We kept track along the way and before long both girls had spent 2/3 of their money on food for their families. We then went straight to hygiene produts. Dalia needed a backpack and Angelica needed socks and underwear and we were done. The last bit of our time together we ate lunch, got an ice cream and headed back to the school.
The girls were so pleased with themselves. They could've chosen to buy clothing, school supplies, something just for them. Both girls chose to share. They love their families and appreciate the struggles putting food on the table presents.
This happens everytime, we well meaning do gooders think we're saving the world and it turns out- they save us!
Thanks Dalia & Angelica for sharing your day and your life with me!
Feliz Dia!
Jenny
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
New Again
Hola Friends,
This morning I headed for Guatemala again with a brand new passport. This was my first passport renewal. Much to my dismay, they replaced my simple, already memorized number with a new, much more difficult one. This may seem like no big deal but instead of dashing through my customs forms, I fumbled around for my passport & readers and LOOKED like I didn't know what I was doing. Was I ever bummed- not bad. I like to change my clothes, what I eat... just not my numbers.
I sat beside an 18 year old girl from Michigan named Kylie. She was headed to the Guatemalan coast to do medical volunteer work. This was her 2nd trip since February and she was beside herself with excitement. We talked for over 2 hours about my Guatemalan experiences and her new found passion. Upon landing I found myself rejuvinated. Don't get me wrong, I always get that twinge, like going to see a dear friend or favorite relative, this was different. Kylie's enthusiasm added new wood to my fire. Arriving at customs I handed over my "brand new" passport and got my first stamp. It was very exciting! Thanks Kylie!
Now I'm sitting on the porch of my hotel drinking wonderful Guatemalan coffee and looking at a 2 inch tall hummingbird taking a rest about 4 feet from my face. The world here is green and the rain just started. I'm not trying to make you all jealous. I wish you could all be here to share it with me.
I'm looking forward to the Shared Beat Medical Team joining me next Sunday. We have 6 seasoned volunteers (That does not necessarily mean old) and 12 first time volunteers. How wonderful it will be to share this with our "new" volunteers as they share their excitement with us.
Stay tuned, share this with your friends and remember- Everything can be new again!
Feliz Dia
Jenny
This morning I headed for Guatemala again with a brand new passport. This was my first passport renewal. Much to my dismay, they replaced my simple, already memorized number with a new, much more difficult one. This may seem like no big deal but instead of dashing through my customs forms, I fumbled around for my passport & readers and LOOKED like I didn't know what I was doing. Was I ever bummed- not bad. I like to change my clothes, what I eat... just not my numbers.
I sat beside an 18 year old girl from Michigan named Kylie. She was headed to the Guatemalan coast to do medical volunteer work. This was her 2nd trip since February and she was beside herself with excitement. We talked for over 2 hours about my Guatemalan experiences and her new found passion. Upon landing I found myself rejuvinated. Don't get me wrong, I always get that twinge, like going to see a dear friend or favorite relative, this was different. Kylie's enthusiasm added new wood to my fire. Arriving at customs I handed over my "brand new" passport and got my first stamp. It was very exciting! Thanks Kylie!
Now I'm sitting on the porch of my hotel drinking wonderful Guatemalan coffee and looking at a 2 inch tall hummingbird taking a rest about 4 feet from my face. The world here is green and the rain just started. I'm not trying to make you all jealous. I wish you could all be here to share it with me.
I'm looking forward to the Shared Beat Medical Team joining me next Sunday. We have 6 seasoned volunteers (That does not necessarily mean old) and 12 first time volunteers. How wonderful it will be to share this with our "new" volunteers as they share their excitement with us.
Stay tuned, share this with your friends and remember- Everything can be new again!
Feliz Dia
Jenny
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