When God moves...
God is faithful, and He is good. When
I moved to Guatemala January of 2015, I knew two things; God wanted
me to use nursing to care for and share love for people through
caring, and also, that Guatemala is where He is leading me for
ministry. When I started making plans, I was going to be full time
traveling out in the remote villages. But God opened another option,
and I moved into the grouphome to live and work part time, while
still traveling out part time. I fell in love with daily life and
close intimate care of our kids, and God began growing a desire to
open another home for children with special needs. Late 2017 I began
praying about opening a home, specifically for palliative care
special needs children. In November 2018 I spoke with our directors
of ministry and home, Daryl and Wanda, and began to pray about
finances and a long term partner in this. After months of praying
neither of these seemed to be moving forward at all.
A few weeks ago, one of our rural
village ministry team members, Don Cesar, brought an idea to Daryl
after seeing some of our remote families struggling with their
malnourished child month after month with little improvement. The
idea was to bring these kids with their mother to a home nearby where
they could have access to our doctor, a lab, and have a medical
professional live on site to help train and monitor their child's
progress. This wouldn't be a malnutrition center where a child comes
alone, separated from family, gets fattened up and sent right back to
a situation where they will only loose the weight and get sick again. Moms would be empowered to take their child's care in their own
hands and return home a few months later with the knowledge and
ability to care for their child and keep them healthy at home!
This idea could save lives. It could have helped Rosalinda, a little girl who came into
our home with severe malnutrition. Her family desperately loved her,
but they didn't understand her unique nutritional needs and
allergies, so they would feed her something that would make her very
sick, because she looked hungry. The hospital would scold them for
giving her the food, but did little to teach or encourage them how
they could properly help her. She was removed after another
hospitalization after she nearly died again. Rosalinda lived with us
for a long time and did gain a few hard earned pounds. It was hard
for her family, and mother to be so far and only visit once a month.
Ultimately we felt she may gain faster at a malnutrition center,
although she actually lost the pounds she had gained with us, and
took even longer to gain the weight back. The malnutrition center
was VERY hard to work with. Every visit was a fight to get in to see
her, and this was not an environment friendly to family. She did
gain, although she lived formative months in a crib surrounded by
staff not family, coming and going. Eventually, they sent her home, with a few more pounds, but little to no training for her mother.
Her family had been scared away from taking her to get medical help
after she was separated them for so long. We learned weeks later
that she had contracted a respiratory infection (common with
malnutrition) and died. We had loved her deeply. And it hurt that
we didn't know she had been discharged, or even that she had died
until long after. Rosalinda is a child who could have lived a long
life and she was very smart. Her family loved her dearly. If her
mother had been taught why she could not eat some things, and what
things she could eat, and if she had learned how to help her
daughters needs, I truly believe Rosalinda could have safely lived
with her loving family.
This training center is a great idea, but there was
neither money not personnel for this. I was asked if this is
something I would consider running. And I loved the idea imediately.
I remember visiting these families, our friends, and feeling their
frustration at never seeing improvement in their child's weight and
health. But I still wanted to open a home for children who don't
have a family, so I began to pray about the two. And I was confused
at first because neither desire grew less as I prayed. In my
devotional life I have been walking through the life of David, the
man who waited 17 years for the kingship promised him. In those
years he did not neglect the ministry at hand, not did he seek to
soon to take kingship even when it seemed the opportune time by mans
eyes. I still pray that one day God may provide and allow for a home
for palliative care children who have no families, but as I began to
pray about timing, God gave a peace about waiting for this, and
pursuing the other, the ministry at hand.
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| Kitchen with lots of prep and training space |
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| Outside the kitchen, facing the hall of rooms |
I decided to proceed, and again spoke
with Daryl, this time to pursue opening a malnutrition training
center. We began praying about finances as this was not even an
official ministry of Hope for Home yet, and nobody had heard about it
yet. Daryl's specific prayer was for a confirmation througha
donation enough to start working on this project, say maybe $10,000.
Within one week, I got word that my residency was moving forward and
would be accepted. This had been months of no movement. Also, we
got a call that someone had donated $10,000 to a malnutrition
ministry. Our U.S. Secretary was confused because we didn't have a
malnutrition ministry-- yet. Later this same week someone else
donated $10,000 for the project. Talk about confirmation! God made
so clear so fast that this was in his heart. We began looking at
houses and the first place we looked at is about as perfect as you
can find here! It is close to our medical resources and the rest of
our ministry. For me this means continued close community with my
family here. For our families this means easy access to medical
care, and a safe bus ride to Antigua where they can find a bus to
anywhere and visit family on the weekends.
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| Looking toward the future bathroom |
The house needs only a little work and
an additional bathroom. So likely in August we can begin receiving
mothers and their children. We can help them with medical care, and
close monitoring of their progress. But it won't be strangers who
'fix' their children, but the mothers themselves who will be equipped
to care for them lifelong. They will be the ones learning to help
their child the best. I am excited about helping to training
medically, but also in cheap and healthy eating options on low
budgets. I want to grow some foods that families can learn to grow
and use at home. I also want to work on creating meals that have the
most health benefits with the least cost, and easy accessibility in
remote areas. Most important however will be the opportunities for
building relationships and discipleship.
God is good, and He provides! Please
join me in praying for all the families that God will bring though
this home.
