Hola from Guatemala!

Hi from Guatemala! The first thing you should know is the internet is en espanol here, so logging into my google account was moy dificil. I hope that means difficult. If not, well, there begin my troubles. ;)
I ended up going on this trip to Guatemala because I turned 30 last month and I was having a hard time facing it. I thought I wanted to do something interesting or memorable to commemorate my 30 years. But my friend Holly (who I worked on the Guatemala school sponsorship program with last year. No, I can't link my post about it or her blog. The internet is in spanish.) had mentioned once or twice that I should come to meet some of the kids. Plus I had a box of books in spanish I had been collecting, and the awesome folks at Journey church did a backpack drive for the kids. So ultimately I told Jerry all I wanted for my birthday was a ticket to Guatemala. Which means I kind of turned 30 and came to Guatemala to celebrate.
My cousin came with me and that has been fabulous! The actual traveling went off without a hitch. That was the part I was most worried about (giant, heavy luggage filled with backpacks and books). Once we got here and met up with our friends Chris and Holly, I was greatly relieved.
On the way home from the airport yesterday we stopped at a hospital to pick up a mama and her new baby. Awe, sounds so sweet. What actually happened was we pulled up to the hospital only to find out this poor 19-year-old girl who had a c-section less than 48 hours prior had basically been kicked out of the hospital because she had spent the maximum amount of time allowed (or something) and then spent 2 hours under a pavilion outside the hospital waiting for us. She had no pain medicine in her body. And then she climbed into a van. That appeared to be painful for her, I willed myself not to cry and held my breath. Then we drove over cobblestone-type roads, and crumbling paved roads, and 20-some odd speed bumps (not an exaggeration. There are 29 speed bumps to get to Chris and Holly's house, but this girl's house was towards the front of town, so there were a few less.). She did have a prescription for various medicines, which we stopped at a pharmacy to get on the way home. When we dropped her off we were still several hundred feet from her house. Our van couldn't get down the narrow road, which led to a tiny, muddy, uneven path littered with pieces of rock and brick. Which led to a little walkway between some homes with some giant, uneven, muddy steps, which led to her house. Which I'm pretty sure was at least a concrete block 2-room home with a concrete floor. That is much better than a house with cornstalk or cardboard walls and a dirt/mud floor.
This morning we got news that the baby cried all. night. long. Oy vey, it is hard having a new baby no matter you are or where you come from. It is obviously harder if your start to parenthood involves being 19 and kicked out of the hospital with your guts stapled together and not a dose of pain meds to hold you over until you get home. We visited Miriam (new mama) and Kevin (new baby) this morning. Kevin is just as precious as can be, but I remember the desperation I felt when Eli slept for 45 minutes the entire first night we were home.
The consensus is that Kevin is hungry and needs to nurse more, or they need to figure out nursing together, or something along those lines. Nothing appears to be wrong with him, he's just new, and that's hard. There is a woman here who helps nursing mamas (kind of like a lactation consultant), so she has agreed to go see Miriam and Kevin.
The very best news in all of this is that Miriam's family is supportive and helpful. Kevin's dad, Eddie, is with them along some motherly type of women. They are all trying to help, no one is leaving Miriam and Kevin alone to fend for themselves. In the midst of difficult circumstances Miriam has people who care that she can lean on a bit.
Tomorrow is going to be a big day here. We have kiddos coming for storytime and a craft. They will also get to pick a book(!!!) to take home with them. So thank you to everyone that gave me books to bring with me- they are about to find a new home in the hands of some sweet kids! I think the reading and crafting activities tomorrow will be CRAZY, but fun and also encourage reading. I'd appreciate any and all prayers for Miriam, Kevin, and the kids that are coming tomorrow! Thanks, friends!