About a week and a half ago we took
12 kids under the age of 5 to get their Polio shots.
Yes, 12 kids.
No matter where you live that many kids and shots is always an
experience.
Fortunately, only 8 of the
12 had to have shots and the others a check-up.
I had no idea what to expect but I was super excited to go, saying the
person who didn’t have to have a 2 inch needle go into my leg or arm.
The health center was an outside facility
with a courtyard.
It was 9am and already
there where 10-15 people waiting.
We
managed to wait for almost an hour before the first victim’s name was
called.
Jose David, age 5.
Within minutes of him being in the room we
all could hear the screams and loud crying.
He came walking out of the room with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Before we couldn’t get this kid to sit still
and now he sat down quietly as they called the next kid’s name.
The assistant director was the one in the
room with the kids and nurses while I and the two house mom’s stood outside trying
to keep the kids under control.
Not as
easy as it sounds.
When they got to the
4th child’s name it was Mynor. I brought him into the nurse’s office to pass
him to the asst. director.
Mynor is a 2
year old boy who is very very shy.
He
doesn’t know the asst. director very well so he started bawling.
So she passed him backed to me and without
speaking about it we changed places.
For
the rest of the children I stayed in the office.
:) I helped the nurses give the shots by holding
the children in my arms and telling them it was going to be ok.
An incredible experience in many ways.
 |
| Jenny |
That morning helped me understand each child better and how they deal
with fear and the unknown. Two things that are very common for these kids. A few of the children stand out to me. Jenny, a 3 year old that has been at the
orphanage since the end of February, was physically abused by her mother. She came to the orphanage with bruises and pinch marks all over her body. I held her hand as we entered the room and she
walked in smiling and singing a tune.
She appeared as if she just got off her favorite ride at the amusement
park. So happy and giggly. When we were in the room she sat on my lap
and I just kept telling her it was going to be ok and she just kept smiling and
singing. Then it was time. When the needle was in view and it was time
for her shot she began to freak out and cry.
She’d say over and over, “No, no I don’t want a shot! No, no!” It broke my heart to see this 3 year old girl
try and be “grown up” by hiding her fears and masking them with her giggling face and a
cheerful smile.
 |
| Sergio (left) and Mynor (right) |
Sergio, age 4, is another boy who
stands out in my mind. He has been at the orphanage since January or
February. He was the last one to get his shots. Every time I
came out of the room to bring in a new child he would ask me, beg me, to take
him. He would repeat over and over that
he wanted a shot, in fact he wanted two! This made everyone laugh since most 4
year old children don’t beg for a shot.
He would try and come into the room with me to watch the other kids get
theirs. Then it was his turn. He sat on my lap with his head held
high. He appeared very
overconfident. Then the needle came out. And he flipped. He started yelling, “No no.. I don’t want a
shot! No!!!!” He started kicking and throwing his arms so we had to have 3 people
hold him still while the nurse gave him the shot. He sat on my lap and I bear hugged him
holding down his arms as two other nurses held each leg so he didn’t kick
anymore. After he had his two shots, one
in the arm and one in the leg, he fell to the floor screaming and crying. Every time one of us tried to pick him up he
would try to hit us and scream at us, “No, don’t touch me.” Finally, I just
grabbed him and held him in my arms while he kicked me and tried to push
away. That only lasted for a few short
seconds. I
took the hand of the other little boy that decided to watch and we walked back
into the waiting area. Everyone in the
waiting area chuckled because this was the arrogant little boy who was sure he
wanted a shot. He continued to cry for
another 5 minutes in my arms and would get mad if anyone talked to him.
Believe it or not, this little
event helped me immensely understand this boy on a deeper level. He was so scared, so nervous, so he put up
his defenses. He appeared confident and
brave, when really on the inside he wanted to pee his pants. Then after the shots he tried pushing
everyone away, when again on the inside he was hurting for love. With kids like him, with people like him,
it’s so easy to stop there. To stop when
he starts kicking and pushing us away. A
part of us wants to believe that we are respecting what he wants. That’s why they are called the “difficult
children”. His overconfidence is really
his defensive mechanism that causes him to lack the love he desires and
needs. Or I wonder if it is the love he soo desperately
desires and lacks that causes his overconfidence.
So I love him anyways. When he
pushes me away I go back. When he’s
disobedient I tell him what an amazing boy he is and how much I love him. For this, I need God and His constant
reminders that Sergio has enough people yelling at him and telling him what to
do, but only I am there telling him how great and special he is. I’m not writing this to pat myself on my back,
because I know that it’s all God. You
can never tell a child too often how much the Lord loves him and how special he
is. Those are words that can never be
worn out, but unfortunately those are words that are preciously rare to these
children. So I feel honored to share God’s
love with these children and then slowly watch how God begins to heal their
open wounds.
Shots at the Guatemalan health center... another amazing experience to add on to my list! :)
