I hope to keep my words briefer, and my photos more plentiful!
It has been a busy three weeks back in
Guatemala. I had the privilege to head to Esquintla, where the new
birthing center is now receiving expectant mothers. So far, there
are only a few dozen women, but in this community, there will soon be
many, many more. On Thursday, our ministry met with three ladies
from the health center in Esquintla. This meeting was to evaluate
the center, and determine if we will be allowed to deliver first
births. This is a big deal because the hospitals are overrun, and in
some cases they have two women sharing the same hospital bed.
Further, the hospitals push for c-sections very early, and frequently
say they are necessary when they just don't want to wait for a slow
labor to progress. C-sections are more dangerous to the mother with
a longer recovery in a dirty environment. The challenge is that
after a c-section, it is much harder to have a natural birth, so it
may be that few women are able to deliver at the birthing center.
The meeting went well, and a lot of
respect was shown. These women had a heart for the women in their
community, and God was glorified how he is moving in Esquintla.
Pray for these women. All of them has
a story, and a history. And each of them need to know Christ's love
for them. Some are mothers of many, while others are first time
mothers. Some are older, and some are very, very young. We don't
know all the specifics of their lives, but we can pray for them. We
can pray that this birthing center would be known for showing God's
love, and a safe place to come, as well as a healthy environment to
have a baby.
On the way to and from the birthing
center, we were able to take rout 14, one of the roads that was
destroyed during fuego's eruptions in June. This was my first time
seeing the devastation first hand. Please pray for the families
affected. There is so much hurt. And now as the road opens, people
fear that their still buried loved ones may never be recovered. This
is hard especially for the catholic families as last rights are very
important. There is also a lot of unrest toward the government who
many feel are greatly downplaying this tragedy. Official counts are
far less than those who are still missing, buried underground.
Statements such as “my family is still buried under ground and now
the government wants to bury me too” show how abandoned many
families feel as life in Guatemala continues and their families are
still unrecovered.
For me this drive was haunting. We
drive this rout so, so often, and have passed these houses hundreds
of times which are now buried to their roves. And the massive ravine
which now exists shows the power of this, which nobody was prepared
for. And yet hope lives in a yet more powerful God.
And finally, in our home, kids grow
while laughs and love are shared. Here are some moments caught on
camera.
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| Fun with kids and wheelchairs -- and peals of laughter! |
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| Alison, Jared, and Olimpia found a new spot for storytime |
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| The lunch lineup |
Please keep in prayer the families
affected by Fuego, as their struggle continues daily. Pray also for
the birthing center, and the women who pass through. Pray that they
may have safe pregnancies, but much more, that they may know the love
of Christ, and how precious they, and their babies are to God.
Once again, thank you for your prayers
and support. God bless!
~Katie Riley~
--after His heart--
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