As part of our Compassion International Sponsor Tour in Guatemala, one morning we made a visit to the home of a child who is part of the Compassion Child Development Program (CDP). In another post, I plan to write more about the CDP projects.

Our large group of sponsors was divided into smaller groups so we could go to different homes and not completely overwhelm a household. Each family had already given permission for a visit. These were not the homes of any of the children sponsored by any in our tour. But our visits would give us a better idea of how our sponsored children live, and of the effect of the CDP in a family.

The neighborhood we were in was at the top of a large hill (small mountain?). If you’ve ever seen–in person or in a photo–a hillside totally covered with tin-roofed small houses, that’s where we were–at the top of one of those hills, like this:

From the street, we walked down crumbly steps to the family’s house.

The house is one room wide, with each room on a different level, reaching further down the hill.  and opening onto the tiny hardpacked dirt yard.

Angel is almost 5 and has been part of the Compassion Child Development Program just a few months.

We hear that Angel is lively and happy at the Compassion Center. But when we were there, he was tight-lipped and unmoving, even when his grandma and sister tried to persuade him to interact with us.

I’ve raised 4 sons. I know that look. It says, “Nope. Nobody’s going to tell me what to say or how to act.” Even a story didn’t move him, when Loida read from Do You Want a Friend? , into which my Dominican friend Raquel had written the Spanish translation of each page.

The rest of the family was more welcoming: Grandpa, who earns by wood- and metal-working; Angel’s mother, whom we didn’t meet because she was at work an hour away; his aunt, who earns as a seamstress; the aunt’s small daughter; Angel’s 3 sisters; and Grandma, whose cooking and housekeeping makes a home for them all.

All of these live in 3 rooms. The aunt has one room for herself and her seamstress work.

In another room 3 people sleep in each bed.

We prayed with the family in the kitchen, which is a separate room across the yard.

By the end, a lollipop and bandanna had done their work to loosen Angel up a bit.

Later in the afternoon, one of our group talked with Angel at the Compassion Center: “Why didn’t you talk with us. Were you mad?” He smiled and said, “Yes, I was mad.”

See, I told you I knew little-boy attitudes. They’re pretty much the same in Spanish as in English.

You can see the rest of my photos from the home visit too.

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