Jesus loves me this I know.

Alex is amazing. He called me "Ellie!!! Mi Amiga!!!" and would run and hug me every time we saw each other. He came up to me one day and whispered in my ear "Camorones sin colas" with a lisp...so it came out..."Camaroneth theen colah-thh." It means...shrimp with out tails. I have no idea what he meant by it but was pretty darn cute.

On our last day I hugged him and told him in Spanish that Jesus loves him and he squeezed me and then looked up at me so very serious and in his cute little lispy Spanish told me that Jesus loved me too. I've never seen a little child so sure of Jesus' love and Jesus's love for someone else at that. I was blown away and overcome with emotion. I never ever expected him to come out and say that. I was holding him and he had his arms around my neck and when I told him, he lifted up his little head, stared into my eyes and just said it. "Yes, I know he does...and Jesus loves you too." and he laid his head back down and squeezed me tighter.

Jesus is there and He is real. He is the Father to the Fatherless and His love is ever present with them. His love is alive and is working in the children of Agua Viva. I will never forget that special moment with Alex. God has taught me so much through this little boy and his life and I can not imagine having never met this child. It was so humbling to be reminded of my Savior's love for me by a little child in such tragic circumstances. I have thought back to that moment so many times since I have been home and am having a rough day or am struggling with something. Jesus loves me. Not because of anything I did for Him or could ever do for Him, but just because He wanted to. I love Him because He loved me first. I went to Guatemala expecting to do some yard work, paint some buildings and play with a few kids and it was so much more than that. I saw God in the waterfalls, in the sunsets, in the mountains, in the villages, in the faces of laughing children...everywhere. I was reminded of Christ's love in extraordinary ways. Jesus loves Alex and He loves me and I am forever grateful.