Happy Birthday Claudia!

Today we had a very busy day giving out food and clothes in Pixabaj. An area very badly devastated by Tropical Storm Agatha. Coming back to the office we had the fun of celebrating Claudia's 12 th birthday with her. Claudia was thrilled that her sponsor, Lisa Crawford who had arranged this wonderful delivery of dried food for us, was here to celebrate her birthday.
Ely, Dwight, Aleeya and I accompanied Claudia, her grandmother and Lisa to dinner at Guayimbo's .
Claudia and her grandmother had the largest portion of chicken I have ever seen. They couldn't eat it all and have taken the rest home to eat for the next few meals....it was enormous.! Claudia and her grandmother often do not have anything to eat so this was a huge treat for them. Lisa had arranged a birthday cake and Chris, the musician played the piano and sang Happy Birthday to Claudia.
Claudia was overcome with joy and had happy tears streaming down her face. ( either that or she was so embarrassed that we had done this to her!!!)
Claudia is an orphan whose mother committed suicide and her father abandoned her. Her grandmother makes bananas filled with beans to sell ......this is a very tiny amount of money that she makes and this is all that they have to live on. The staff at Mayan Families bought Claudia this traditional blouse for her birthday. She is a very special little girl and we are really happy to have shared this special day with her.
This was a very magical day for Claudia, cake, presents, her Madrina, Lisa here . She is photographed here with her grandmother, my daughter, Aleeya, myself and Lisa, her sponsor. Lisa and I were both weary from being in Pixabaj but the happiness Claudia had was so contagious! Thank you Lisa for making this such a special day for Claudia.