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A Night with the Orphans

By Malerie Nelson

I was very excited about going back to Huehuetenango on Monday, so when we pulled into the orphanage I was pumped. The children, of course, all swarmed the bus and when they saw me sitting in the back of the bus they all started pointing and telling the people standing around that I was there. When I got out I was mobbed by so many of my little friends from the first time I was there! Then we played soccer all morning.

We did VBS in the afternoon on Monday and then Monday night after dinner we came back to the orphanage and did something I have never done before. We tucked the children in. That was an experience that I will never forget.

I started in "my girls" room. They are the girls about 6-10 and then one older girl who is like the room supervisor. What we did was put them into bed, pull up the covers, pray for them and then helped them go to sleep. After everyone in that room had been prayed for, I turned out the lights and then sang them to sleep. I walked around rubbing their hair and doing the little things that my mom has always done for me and they went to sleep so fast. When I walked out of that room I realized that these girls never have anyone that helps them go to sleep. They could cry themselves to sleep and no one would know.

When I walked out of the room I saw an older special needs girl hanging out a few last pieces of laundry and so I helped her do that. She was crying and so we just stood for a minute, me hugging her and her hugging me. I walked her to her room, took her shoes off and then helped her get under the covers (which were just a blanket. Her pillow was like a sofa pillow). We prayed together and she was just crying. I had to go before I finished singing her to sleep.

I was totally broken that night. But when we got back to the hotel, the other interns gathered in my room and we turned our thoughts upward to the One who holds those children every night and placed those children back in His care. By the end of about 30 minutes we were praising Him and thanking Him for the privilege to serve in this way. I am so grateful for this group of interns. They are wonderful women of God.

Malerie Nelson, 19 was an intern in Guatemala this June and July. This story is an excerpt from her blog. Malerie is from Sherman, Texas.
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