Guatemalan Independance Day

This past Monday we had a day off (when you live in Guatemala, you get to celebrate Guatemalan Independence Day). My roommate and I went to Antigua, a town about half an hour from here. While there, we were able to spend some time at a hospital. It really stuck with me because I have never seen anything like it before. The conditions can't be described with anything I've ever seen back home before. There was the waiting room for people just wanting to see a doctor, and then wards of disabled men, women, and children who have spent most of their lives there. It was truly heartbreaking to see the way that these people lived, especially the children. There were just so many of them and it was so understaffed. There were two boys in particular with the biggest, most mischievous smiles whose faces are burned in my memory. They were so charming and it's just really been plaguing me to think about them living their whole lives there. Granted, there has been a lot in the way of improvements just in the last couple of years. My roommate says that donations are way up and they are actually able to get the kids motor wheelchairs, but it's no Spectrum Health. Not to mention, many of these kids were abandoned because the Indians here believe that they are possessed by evil spirits. All that to say, if you could just say a prayer for those people as well as those seeking to run the hospital. There are some truly amazing people there, but there's so much to do!