Helping People Return to Joy
Guatemalan people are some of the most joyful people I have come to know and love. In Monjas Jalapa, southwest of Guatemala City, there is a group of people who live in a community called Shadow of His Wings Orphanage.
The Lord has blessed LifeTouch with the opportunity to build relationships with the people from Shadow. We have been invited to return twice per year to provide continuous training in trauma recovery. This will aid those who parent and minister to the girls who live at Shadow. These children are court appointed because of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
This past June, LifeTouch staff and husbands spent a week teaching and ministering to those at the orphanage. It’s humorous to say that
we speak and teach about returning to Joy from deep emotional pain when the Guatemalan’s already “do” joy so well!! I know we all came home with multiplied Joy from being with them! They really LOVE to play!!
Darla and her team taught When the Pain is too Deep; Returning to Joy to 45 orphanage teachers, house parents, staff and members of Nueva Vision church in Monjas. This workshop helps those who are stuck in deep emotional pain and those who assist others who are in pain. Carol Wieland and Bobbie Mohler shared personal testimonies of God’s grace in their lives.
Sandy Hatcher and her team taught 80 girls the same concepts of Joy. However, they expended much more energy! The highlight of Sandy’s teaching wasthe”Dance of Joy” and the large outdoor obstacle course where the girls were “blindfolded” and then coached by “The Shepherd” to reach their destination.
The orphanage grounds keeper, Antonio, with the help of Jeff France, painted one of the two-story duplex’s that houses two of the families.
They even sang a song together while painting! (See Darla’s article The Gospel of Paint.) Gary Mohler was the team photographer and took photos to depict “A Day in the Life of a Girl at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage.” He also helped to update their directory of students and families. Elise Comello came to assist Sandy with teaching the girls and translating. The day before we were to leave, The Lord made it possible for Elise to join our team. She helped with translation along with Maria Cervantes and Norma Jeronimo, our wonderful Guatemalan translators and friends.
The highlight of the week was Thursday’s Praise and Worship time at Nueva Vision Church. Wow! We were carried away with the love of the Lord and for each other. Sandy’s group of children performed their Dance of Joy for the house parents and staff and earned a standing ovation. An 18 year old resident with a history of extensive trauma responded to Sandy during the dance. This interaction between Sandy and the girl was a Joyful surprise for all of us!
The Shadow house parents, teachers and staff also performed the song they learned and the girls, who were in the audience, were overjoyed to see their parents and teachers sing and play.
Testimonies were given about the impact the workshop and team testimonies had made on the participants. Even the young girls gave tearful testimonies of learning about the Joy God intends for His children. The worship ended with spontaneous banner waving and dancing to worship songs!
Shadow of His Wings is dedicated to bringing healing and restoration to the girls in a beautiful “home-like” environment with parents and siblings. LifeTouch Ministries is excited to partner with Shadow in helping these children recover from trauma and return to living in Joy. It is our passion at LifeTouch to Help People Return to Joy.
Bobbie Mohler
Reader Interactions