Sometimes the littlest things make the biggest difference

      This morning was my last visit to the hospital as I would be heading back home to America tomorrow. I went into see Obdulio and he was peacefully sleeping. I carefully picked him up and set him against my chest trying so hard not to wake him up. Last time I held him like this I did not think that he was going to make it another day on this earth. I was standing there holding, now healthy, Obdulio and felt his little heartbeat against mine and was just in awe of God's masterpiece that I had in my hands. He slowly started to open his eyes as he woke up and gave me the sweetest smile that I have seen on anyone's face. He thankfully had gained some weight so now you could see the cute dimples on his cheeks when he smiled. I was flooded with so many emotions holding that little boy. He was a fighter and he has a huge life planned ahead for him. I cannot wait to come back one day and see how much he grows.
        Yesterday on the rescue we picked up and eighteen year old boy with special needs.When I came into the hospital this morning I noticed him sitting down at breakfast by himself. I asked if I could sit with him but he shook his head no. I left it at that and thought that I would try again later. About an hour later I walk into the foyer of the hospital and saw Axial sitting on a couch all by himself with his small dirty bag right beside him. He was sitting there blowing up a small beach ball. Jonathan and I walked over to him and asked if we could play fútbol with him. He liked the idea this time and finished blowing up the ball then passed it to Jonathan to start the game.
          We played with Axial for a good hour until it was time to go to lunch. He sang and we danced. He was having the time of his life and his smile could not have gotten any bigger. I noticed that he was wearing the same clothes that he wore yesterday when we picked him up at his house way in the mountains. His shoes were in the worst shape and it looked like he had been wearing them every day for years. I wanted to give him a pair of new shoes; he desperately needed some.
            After lunch I went back up to the room and got a pair of sneakers that one of our girls left behind. They were small and a tad bit girly but I knew that it wouldn't hurt for him to try them on. I also grabbed a few pairs of flip flops from the pile that were donated to us to bring for the people here. I brought them back to the hospital with me. I found Axial in the same exact spot that I found him earlier in the day; on that couch by himself. I walked over to him and when I showed him the shoes, his face lit up. He immediately took his old shoes off and put on the sneakers. They fit perfectly. I truly believe that God did not remind us of those tennis shoes until today because he was waiting for us to give them to Axial. We also found a pair of flip flops that fit him as well. He was so happy. Those two pairs of shoes were only a couple of his own personal items. We opened up our bags and gave him everything else that we could. By the end he had a new backpack, socks, toy cars, sunglasses, a bracelet, crayons and two pairs of shoes.
             On the plane ride back to America I missed all of the kids but the one that I could not get out of my mind was Axial. I was wondering what he was doing. He was probably sitting on that couch all by himself like he was when I found him. I asked God why I had not met Axial sooner. I was there for an entire month but only had one solid day with this boy. If I would have met him sooner I would have been with him every single day making sure that he knew that he was loved. I realized that God did this for a reason though. His timing is perfect even when we do not think so.
               Even though I sometimes felt like I was not doing anything worth while being in Guatemala, I knew that God used me the last day. He used me to show love to someone that was taken away from his family and had nothing. Axial will never leave my mind. I will continue to pray for him every single day. He filled my heart with so much joy and blessed me in so many ways.
              I experienced God's grace watching a two month old baby fight for his life. I experienced true happiness when I watched a lonely kid finally be able to walk around with a huge grin on his face along with a new pair of shoes.