24 February 2016
Written by Areli:
Now that we have been in Guatemala for more than 3 weeks I have enjoyed looking at Rebekah having fun and enjoying life here.
Here are some of the fun, silly, dirty and cute things she has learned or done.
Since we got here she calls the house where we are staying “my house” so we called it “Rebekah’s house”.
The day after our arrival in Canillá, Sherwood was at the clinic and we had lunch with the medical people when they got back. It was such a long day for Rebekah that on our way home she felt asleep on Sherwood’s shoulders.
Rebekah is very affectionate, a Mexican characteristic. She likes to kiss, hug, touch, be by your side, spent time with you and doing things she can do for you. Since we got here, she calls the founders of the Ministry in Canillá Mister Duane and Grandma Leslie. She loves going to Grandma Leslie’s house. Pretty much every day she asks us if we are going there. Once we get there, she wants to see Grandma. She likes being with her. It surprises me the love she has for her although she hadn’t seen her for more than a year. I like the way she accepts people and the way she gets concerned when someone is hurt or sick. Well I can tell that it’s easier for her to be nice to grownups than kids since she spends a lot more time with us. A lot of the time she gets into fights over toys because she hasn’t had enough practice sharing--another reason for my desire of seeing her with a brother or sister.
We have a Christian lady Emi cleaning for us some days of the week. Rebekah has been talking a lot more Spanish since Emi doesn’t understand her English. She really likes to “help” and hang out with her even when they have many missing pieces in their conversations. I am surprised of how much Rebekah picks up Emi’s accent when she is here and the accent that she keeps when she says the words Emi taught her. My favorite that I don’t even understand very well is this: “que manda?” which means something like “what do you need?” She is speaking a lot of Spanglish. It’s hard for her to speak a whole sentence in one language or the other.
Another activity that she enjoys when Emi is here is burning the garbage. She gets so excited that her impatience goes up a little bit more. I enjoy looking at her humbleness when she is with Emi burning garbage like it was the first activity she would choose to do while it is the last thing I would like to do.
I love the way she likes to go to her favorite place to see people, cows, baby cows (as she calls them), horses, “cochinos perros” (dirty dogs), pigs, etc. She has something to say to everyone and everything that goes by and for sure she always lets me know what’s going by at any moment.
I enjoy the excitement she shows over little things like popcorn, chocolate, feeding the sheep, bunnies, chicks, ants, rocks, going to the store, eating fruit, buying strawberries, ice cream, etc. She gets so loud and her face bursts into a big smile, even with her eyes.
Since we got here I thought “Rebekah still looks like a city girl”. That in my mind means, clean clothes, face, feet, hands, wearing shoes and with her hair done (you may not know this but I think doing girls hair is very Mexican or maybe it is a routine in my family, that’s the way I grew up).
Well I can tell you that she is adapting at the way of life on the farm, she likes playing on the dirt trying to find pretty rocks (just like her Dad), finding all kinds of insects, flowers, etc. She loves walking barefoot (but I still don’t like her to do this because I keep thinking she is going to hurt herself, and I am Mexican. We like to wear shoes all of the time. It is even kind of a rule that if your feet get cold, you will get sick with a cold or a sore throat.
She likes to look at the mountains, sky, birds, and clouds. One day she scared me. We were walking quietly and she yelled “teddy bear!” I asked her where and she pointed up. I thought it was on a tree but she later told me with some frustration in her voice, “up, the white one.” Finally I understood it was a cloud that sort of looked like a teddy bear.
She enjoys going up the mountain on Daddy’s shoulders. She likes taking pictures of the pretty views. She is very expressive about it sometimes. One day she yelled “look Mama the mountains, so beautiful…” and it really was. I love the way her little eyes and brain grab the beauty of the world that the Lord made for her and us.
I have a lot of things that I would have liked to have written on a calendar right after she learned them or did them. But sometimes it is easier to record them, take pictures or just treasure them in my heart and memory. Sometimes I tell her to grow up but not too fast.
When I think of how she is growing and the things that she does that are good and not good (disobedience, rebellion, lies, unkind acts, naughtiness, etc), I wonder what the Lord thinks of us growing in Him. He sees us growing older and also in maturity. He sees us doing His will sometimes and messing things up other times.
To think and wonder about it breaks my heart and strengthens my desire to be more like Him as a Parent, with more patience, love, selflessness, self-control, kindness, understanding, willing to listen, and willing to teach.
I have seen a lot of things that I like and some that I don’t like in Rebekah but I love her. Because no matter what, she is a huge blessing and joy to us. She is a miracle in my eyes, an answer to prayer, our heritage, a gift that brought me more comfort and healing. She will be my baby forever.
Album: Pictures and Videos of Rebekah's adventures in Guatemala.