In 1986 an orphanage was born a few miles outside of San Lucas, Guatemala that began to take children from all over Guatemala from every kind of tragic story and situation. Headed by directors Josh and Jessica Hanson, one of the most common stories of children rescued, was from coffee fields where they are forced to work at extremely young ages. Many experienced starvation, abandonment, sexual and physical abuse, and Casa Shalom built a place a shelter, healing and chance to become whole and well.

Guatemala is one of the places nearest and dearest my heart, because I’ve personally held the children who were abusively thrown into fires, had bones broken, and hearts abandoned by parents that couldn’t or wouldn’t care for them. Brown eyes are said to be warmest, and yet they feel and express the pain of life heartbreakingly well, and the one who has the honor to stand guard over those eyes and heart and fill them with love is indeed given a privilege.

It is true there is a special kind of heartbreak with orphans, but I think that that isn’t any greater reward than loving children that don’t have anybody else to love them, and to watch the sunrise light up in their eyes when they realize they are in a safe place where people laugh and food isn’t as scarce. Join me in meeting these children at Casa Shalom who have experienced the difference between light and shadow.

MARIA MEIJA LUX

All text in “q.” is used with permission from Serving Orphans Worldwide.

“Maria Meija Lux was 12 years old when she came to Casa Shalom. She is the oldest of 8 siblings who have all shared a very cruel childhood up until they came to the orphanage. Maria has three younger brothers, Jose’, Miguel, and Santiago, and four younger sisters, Catarina, Viviana, and twins Magdalena and Candelaria. This family now share a very normal childhood; the boys love to play soccer and get dirty and the girls do each other’s hair and love putting on dresses.

However, before coming to Casa Shalom these children’s lives were anything but normal. Maria’s parents had abandoned them in the winter of 2010. Though this is not uncommon for parents to do in Guatemala, it is unimaginable the terror that must have filled this little family when they woke up one morning to find that their mother and father had abandoned them, leaving their home and family behind to fend for themselves. With no resources and no provision, Maria and her siblings were forced to figure out life on their own.

This little family had no income so Maria’s younger brothers, Jose’, Miguel and Santiago, who were eleven, eight and seven years old at the time, were forced to find work on a nearby coffee farm in order to provide income for the family. The boys labored extremely hard in the the coffee fields amidst frequent rain and cold temperatures, and only made a dollar a day for wages. Meanwhile, Maria stayed at home and tried her best to take care of her younger sisters and the twins who were only two at the time. Maria remembers that it had been several months and all that they had to eat during that time was cold raw tortilla dough and coffee. They didn’t even have the resources to start a fire to cook or stay warm. They were on the brink of starvation and there seemed to be no hope for rescue in sight.

In January of 2011, Guatemalan Social Services arrived at the Meija Lux’s home to find the two year old twins playing in the front yard unattended. The babies had not worn diapers for months. All of the children were filthy. Unsurprisingly, they were all malnourished, since all they had eaten for several months was uncooked tortilla dough and cold coffee. That evening the children were taken out of their home by Social Services and brought to Casa Shalom.

That night in January is one that Jessica Hanson and her husband, the Casa Shalom orphanage directors, have never forgotten. She remembers the fear that flooded the children as they were brought into unfamiliar surroundings. “Jose, Miguel and Santiago were trying to escape and were screaming because they were terrified of being taken from their home, and the girls were crying… but our caregivers and orphan boys stepped up and calmed the boys down and assured the family that they were in safe hands.” Jessica recalls that the moment was overwhelmingly emotional. Yet, she remembers the pride that she felt towards her Casa Shalom boys in that moment. In the midst of the chaos, they showed enormous love and presence of mind. Eventually, the family of eight children were fed and bathed. That night they were given a safe, clean place to sleep for the first time in their lives.”

I’d highly recommend hopping a plane to Guatemala, (it’s a beautiful place with even more lovely people) but if you can’t go love on these kids, help others keep loving and caring for them all they can. Guatemala’s adoptions have been officially closed for several years because the human trafficking that was resulting with corrupt lawyers and poor mothers, but it’s created a big problem for all the existing orphanages who have been filled to overflowing. More children end up on the streets, and only a fraction of them end up in secure places where someone isn’t taking advantage of them.

Meanwhile, big thanks to Serving Orphans Worldwide, and photographer Mia Baker for allowing me to write about and use stories and photographs of Casa Shalom. It’s always a pleasure to write and post pictures of my second home.

• Guatemala, orphans, travel