At approximately 9AM we loaded into a bus and a van for our journey in to one of the Guatemala Orphanages. Our first visit that morning was in just outside of the city of Guatemala. We took in many sights along the way. The city was bustling just as ours does. It was the same and yet quite different. 
When is the last time you followed a pineapple truck down the street? Traffic everywhere, bumper to bumper. We are on our way.
We arrived at the Eliza Martinez Orphanage for boys. Before I take you in, what you must know is that part of our orientation was not just meeting one another but also meeting some very special young men that had once lived in the Eliza Martinez Orphanage. They were thriving young men who are being equipped to give back, to make a difference in this life. What a wonderful way to begin. We were able to see that, yes, it actually makes a difference. God is making a difference through Buckner to change the lives of these forgotten orphans. Orphans, young boys, young men who will have a chance because of a pair of shoes and the love of Jesus was given not just once but daily. We just had the privilege of the one day making a difference because of His great love for us, we could love those boys. I will now give you a glimpse of Eliza Martinez and the boys that have been given HOPE!
When is the last time you followed a pineapple truck down the street? Traffic everywhere, bumper to bumper. We are on our way.We arrived at the Eliza Martinez Orphanage for boys. Before I take you in, what you must know is that part of our orientation was not just meeting one another but also meeting some very special young men that had once lived in the Eliza Martinez Orphanage. They were thriving young men who are being equipped to give back, to make a difference in this life. What a wonderful way to begin. We were able to see that, yes, it actually makes a difference. God is making a difference through Buckner to change the lives of these forgotten orphans. Orphans, young boys, young men who will have a chance because of a pair of shoes and the love of Jesus was given not just once but daily. We just had the privilege of the one day making a difference because of His great love for us, we could love those boys. I will now give you a glimpse of Eliza Martinez and the boys that have been given HOPE!
Eliza Martinez
Everyone was glad to see everyone!!!!
John led our group in Guatemala. He was no
stranger to these orphans.
We met young men named Miquel, Oscar, so many other and then there was Norman. He is the little guy standing between Berta(Shoes for Orphan Souls) and one of the caregivers. We all thought he was so young to be in this particular home. Most of the guys were older. You know you go in knowing that this moment is all you have. Make the most of it. Give, love all that you can. You never think that you will be seeing any of these guys again but you never know what the day holds and the plans of our Lord.
Here you see Charles, my new friend, doing what he does best. He brought his camera and printer so that in every orphanage that we visited, we were able to leave them with a picture. You could say that Charles was the most popular guy there. Young or old, male or female, it didn't matter, they wanted their picture made and that was just what Charles did. 
One of the things that we did at each Orphanage was to lead VBS. Each group had their own responsibities but the end result was to let these boys know just how special each one is to God, how special they are because He made them and that He loved them. We all enjoyed sharing the love of God with these boys at Eliza Martinez.We all were looking forward to our next assignment. We were going to put shoes on these precious boys feet!!!!
