Seven Mile in the Margins: Guatemala
Carrie Jacobs, Seven Miler, is in Guatemala spending some time connecting with Romulo (who’s that?) and the folks running his orphanage there. Here is a recent update she sent out:
Hello!
I just thought I’d send a little update of how things are going so far on my trip.
I arrived in Guatemala City on Thursday night…we spent the night in a hostel/hotel there. Friday morning we got up (got lost) & made our way to see Romulo at the orphanage in San Cristobal. The place seemed nice…(as nice as an orphanage could be) but they have about 50 kids with 8 or 9 workers…so of course each child can’t get the individual attention they need. Keep in mind that half the kids are special needs and require more attention than “normal” healthy kids. Romulo is twice the size he was when we saw him last in Boston. He sat in my lap without crying…but didn’t say anything…just stared at me with a thoughtful look on his face. Shyrel was surprised he sat in my lap…she said he usually doesn’t let strangers hold him. He seems quiet, sad…he DEFINITELY needs to be in a home with LOTS of love & attention. He also seemedd to have a big belly…like the kids you see in the “feed the children” commercials that are malnourished. His head seems to be healing nicely, but the scarring on the side of his face seems worse than I remember. Poor little guy:-( Many of the kids at the orphanage just pile on top of you because they want the attention so badly. There were a few little girls that (probably about 3 yrs old) decided right away that I needed help with my hair…so they spent the whole time fixing it for me:-) There’s also a sweet little girl with only 1 leg & an older girl that has severe seizures. The boys spent most of their time playing with Andy (Karen’s husband).
After that we eventually made our way to Comitancillo, the little villiage where Karen & Andy live/work. This was no short, smooth ride…it took us 10 hours…but of course we made a couple stops. One stop was in Antigua, which is surrounded by volcanoes & beautiful…you should all visit Antigua someday. We ate & walked around a little…I made my reservations for next week at a place called Casa Rustica (which just happens to be owned by a guy from Lexington, KY…funny!) I will be staying there from Thurs the 19th until the 25th unless we need to go to Guatemala City before that to renew Romulo’s visa. During that week in Antigua, I’ll be taking a taxi back & for to the orphanage to visit Romulo.
Tomorrow we have an appt. the the PGN lawyer in San Marcos. He is putting together all the letters and legal paper work to take to the Judge in Xela. The next few days are going to be very nerve wracking as we wait to hear from the Judge as to whether or not he will allow Romulo to come to Boston with me on the 26th. PLEASE keep this in your prayers for the next few days.
Today was market day in Comitancillo. So I got to experience that & everything that comes with it…women carrying babies on their backs, kids carrying live chickens, the big crowd, the heat, the dust…it was funny to watch people’s reactions when I walked by…some people would stop & stare, especially kids…a few kids seemed scared of me…but most people just looked & smiled really big:-)
That’s all for now…gotta go to church.
More later!!
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