I had no idea that I would be moving to Guatemala when I meet her, in fact I wondered if I would even get to come back again. I had just accepted a job and was told that I would not be traveling as much any more but I had this one last trip to lead. The trip where I meet Mel. We were near the Guatemala city dump, the team was doing their thing running the VBS, and me, well I was sitting there watching and enjoying seeing the hard work the team put in. Thats when I saw her, this beautiful young girl entered into our VBS, her smile light up the room, and she came and sat next to me. I spoke very little Spanish so we connected by taking photos together with my camera. At the end of that trip I got on the plane and decided to move to Guatemala.

 March 2014

Fast forward to October of 2015. A similar story took place. I have a group in town and they are running VBS, they are doing an awesome joy, I am sitting in the back watching them do their thing when this beautiful young girl walks in... its Mel but she is so grown up now! How is that even possible, well I guess a year and a half can do that to you. She comes over and sits next to me, we strike up conversation ( this time I can actually speak to her) she did not fully remember me, which is ok, but I was so thankful the Lord gave me another chance to love this young girl. We sat and talked about her hopes and dreams, what she wants to do in life, and how she wants to be different than the pattern that has been set before her of working at the Guatemala City Dump. I am so proud of this sweet girl, she wants to become a chief, she has big hopes and dreams and I really believe the Lord will use her in beautiful ways.

                                                 October 2015

Please keep Mel along with all the other families living and working in and around the Guatemala city dump. This place is filled with so much danger and darkness, it really breaks my heart, but the Lord is doing something, I see hope! I see so much hope in a place that has been deemed so hopeless.