Names in Nicaragua

On the mission trip I was constantly trying to learn the names of the children. Some of the places we went to that had over a hundred children were not possible to even make nametags for. We would go staight into our VBS time after hopping off the flatbed truck
while hundreds of pairs of eyes kept us focused on our mission.


When I could engage one in conversation, the kids said their names so fast I was unable to understand, so I just called most of them "precious" and they smiled at my southern accent.
But there were 2 little girls whose names I did understand on this trip. They were "Julie" and "Jessica".
thanks to Madge for snapping photos at these precious moments I can tell stories more vividly of my trip in Nicaragua. Meeting little Jessica (from the El Ayudante Orphanage) during our first afternoon was such a sweet moment for me.
The interpreter, Francis, who works at El Ayudante, explained to her for me that I had a "Jessica" in the United States and we were bonded from that moment on. She is the one I already mentioned that is waiting to be adopted by a couple in Atlanta.
Here is "little Julie" who just happened to be one of the few children I saw with curly hair. She was very timid to come to me but her big sister tried her best to bridge the gap.

At the end of this particular VBS which was one of the poorest areas we went to, a sweet older lady came up to me and Cissy (our soldier ant)
at the end of VBS and looked at me and then asked me in spanish if we were sisters?
(we look nothing alike) so I immediately responded that we were not blood sisters but we were sisters in Christ. She reached out and hugged both of us and acknowledged that we were all "hermanas in Christo" and our little group hug at that moment was very touching to Cissy and me.
Then I saw this same lady take the hands of "little Julie" and her big sister outside. She was the grandmother of the girls and told me her name was Gloria! She later came back up to me as we were loading our trunks and pulled up her skirt just above her knee and made a praying hands gesture. I knew just enough little spanish to tell her I would indeed pray for her infected and swollen knee. I asked her if I could have a picture taken with her so I can better remember to pray for her. She kissed me on the cheek. If you have never been on a mission trip before, I encourage you to do so. I know it is not for everyone to go to another country on a mission trip but if there is any part of you that hears God calling you to go, you will not regret it. Times like this one for me with Gloria keep me humbled and aware of others that need prayer and that need love in the form of just a hug. I am pretty sure there are lots of Glorias right here in my own town just waiting to be hugged and prayed for. I know one named Mrs Mary :). I love how God has been teaching me to reach out and hug and and pray for others.