Meeting Cont......

Amaya's grandmother lived less than four blocks from the "city hall" we had visited. We were guided by our new friend down a very narrow road of interlocking blocks with homes on each side. The street was only wide enough for one vehicle at a time, so we had to stop at the entrance to the narrow lane and allow another vehicle to pass. As we rounded a corner, our guide pointed to a particular structure off to our left that he indicated was her residence. I was getting extremely nervous at this point, because I really had no idea what to expect. Would she be home?? Would we be welcome?? Would she be an imposter??

As is typical in Guatemala, her residence was fronted by a makeshift gate made from sheets of tin, which even added to the uncertainty of what we would find! As my "trusty" translator and I were mainly focused on the front of her residence, we failed to notice the diminutive figure just down to the right who was sweeping the sidewalk with a broom made of straw. I think we both pointed at the same time and in unison said "That's her!" I can't explain how "twilight zone" the feeling was. It was one of fear, excitement, and disbelief all at the same time.

Not wishing to frighten this lady, I asked my translator and "new" guide to exit the vehicle and humbly tell her why we were there. I told them I would stay in the vehicle until they assured me it was ok with this woman. As she stopped her work and conversed with the two, I saw her gesture "yes" with a nod of her head. As she started for her front door, my translator informed me that she was inviting us in to visit. I was elated!

As I stepped through the tin, outer door, I couldn't help but notice how different her world was inside this gate as compared to the outside. She had lush trees and flowers of all sorts. There were caged birds singing like I have never heard. Her little world was one full of life and beauty. It was easy to see that she possessed a tremendous amount of pride in manicuring her surroundings. I was impressed! And, all the time, I was thinking how she really hadn't changed a whole lot from the first time we met her - two years previous. Short in stature, and with a firm chin that she held high. From the time she had "blessed" our family at Feliciano's hogar, I had held a tremendous amount of admiration for this lady - and, this admiration only grew once inside her home.

As we talked, it was evident that "Elisa" was indeed Amaya's true grandmother. She shared with us the early photos we had provided her, and reiterated everything we had previously understood as the truth. She shared with me her anger when first hearing of the adoption as well. She was 63 years old, and had been indoctrined into believing the horrible stories about children being "sold" for body parts. I had not thought much about this "old news" story, until she mentioned it as being a real concern for her. At first, she indicated that she was determined to raise this child no matter how poor she was. After all, she was already raising a half-brother and half-sister from her same daughter. As this world works in very strange ways, it was our first meeting with her that convinced her to "support" this adoption. She expressed to me that it was evident how much we truly loved this little girl, and deep down she knew and understood the true blessing that had been brought to her family and ours.

We talked for nearly two hours before it was time to go. I met Amaya's half-brother, aunt, and baby cousin, and learned much about these people. I learned that Amaya's mother still had not been heard from since leaving her children with Elisa and stating she was going off to work. It was clear that the three years since she last saw her daughter had been difficult. The "not knowing" was the hardest. Fortunately for us, and for Amaya, I was able to take photos and video of her extended family. And, hanging on the wall of her home was a couple photos of Amaya's bio-mother. A photo of a photo may be all we are able to share of Amaya's bio-mother, but I am thankful to Elisa and her family for allowing us this opportunity.

With all the negative that we hear quite often, I have to say that Elisa and her family were the most "unassuming" people I have ever met. They were genuine, hard-working, and true to their word. As I was leaving, I promised I would accomodate them somehow on our next visit. I intend to keep that promise.

tw