Mariana was just hours old when abandoned and left all alone at the hospital. Defenseless, faultless, yet paying the price none the less as she fought for her fragile life. Those hours turned into days, and those days turned into weeks, and then into months until finally it had been over a year in the hospital as she waited.
Waiting for hope. Waiting for someone to come.
On January 24th, 2018 I arrived in court to pick up a young expecting mother and bring her home to Village of Hope. I was asked to wait a while, the judge wanted to talk to me. After a few moments I was invited into the courtroom alongside the judge and the social worker, and immediately they began to speak. “We just can’t understand and so we needed to ask you. Why do you keep saying yes to these children that no one else wants?”
I couldn’t help but smile as I shared God’s heart to care for the least of these, and that Village of Hope exists for this very reason. We believe that these children are so valuable and that Jesus loves them so much, and because of that so do we.
“Well I have this other case…” the judge began, “a baby girl. She just turned one. And for the last year we have been calling other orphanages, but no one wants her.”
“We’ll take her.” I told him.
“But don’t you want to know what’s wrong with her?” he questioned.
“It won’t make a difference. My answer is yes.”
One week later, Mariana was brought to Village of Hope.
The past year has been a journey of figuring out how to care for Mariana in the way that she needs. Providing family style care means realizing that every child is different, and healing happens in a different way for each child. Mariana’s complex medical needs meant finding medical care in Guatemala was impossible. And so we began to pray. Although each step seemed like it just couldn’t be done The Lord brought person after person to join us in this journey- His body coming together. Doors were opened, and Mariana traveled last week to the United States for surgery because of people like YOU. People like you who pray, donate, and give of their time and resources.
We hope that with the care Mariana is getting that one day she will walk, and run and play just like the other children. But most of all, we hope that she knows that she is loved, and that her heavenly father sees her and cares for her exactly the way that she is.
