I was sitting on the bench just outside the women's and babies room, enjoying the fresh morning air after a bitter cup of instant coffee, when the young children began poking their heads out the door, curiously gazing at this gringo with holes in his ears and oddly styled hair. Like most people when they're around babies, I made strange faces and noises in an attempt to get smiles and giggles out of them, and actually managed to be successful. One child in particular caught my attention. He poked a closed eye outside the door and peeked with his open eye through the crack between the door frame and the wall, and when I looked at him he would hide. We played this game for a couple minutes until I reached out to let him grab my hand. That moment changed everything. From the moment we made contact we were unable to detach. The next several hours were spent walking around the church grounds, jumping down steps, and simply sitting together. When we were in the kitchen I learned more of this child's story from the orphanage director. The 24 orphans lived at a rented compound north of San Louis until about a month ago when it burned down. Since then they've been staying at one of the churches in San Louis. But this little boy and his two older malnourished brothers were dropped off at the church on April 1st by his mother. The director only knew that his name sounded Asian, but had no idea what it really was. I was told I was the first person he had warmed up to since his mother let him go. I'll never forget his tears when I had to set him down to help clean up. He's less than three years old and already knows the deep sorrow of abandonment. This little boy longs for the affections and presence of a father, and I was blessed to be that for him for a few hours, but he needs so much more than a few hours. He needs someone who will never leave. Unfortunately, because of the remote location of the orphanage and laws regarding adoption in Guatemala, it's not likely he'll ever have a human father to raise him. But I have a Father who will never leave, who loves me more than I love that child. I know His comfort, I know his ability to heal the deepest wounds. I'll never stop asking Him to adopt this dearly loved child into His eternal family so that one day he too can know the joy and life that comes from having a father who always loves.
