February 2020 happenings

February Happenings

Hogar Rosalinda 

(Nutrition Training Center)

As busy as the last few months have been in the ministry as a whole, Hogar Rosaliknda has had a slower time of it.  It is a big step for mothers to leave their hometowns for the program. My prayer is that God would direct the right mothers at the right time. 

In the mean time, I am beginning community education classes over nutrition and health.  Starting up is slow however, and although a number of ladies have expressed interest, momentum is on the slow side.  God knows what he is doing however, because this slower time in the nutrition side of the ministry, has allowed me to jump in and help in some of the other areas of the ministry which have been swamped.  

Our first Graduate Mirko has continued to gain weight after leaving, and is now no longer malnourished.  He is sadly sick at the moment and his mother took him to the hospital with pneumonia and seizures. He could use prayer that his stay is not long enough to cause harm.  (Hospitals are not the same here and a long stay could really set him back).

Ready for some students!

Hogar de la Esperanza homes

Last week I got to accompany David to a hearing, and Humberto and Kevin to their dentist appointment.  This meant I got David snuggles for a few hours in a back room while his hearing moved in the direction of placing him up for adoption.  With Humberto and Kevin, it meant hugging and consoling little guys who had a lot of bad teeth pulled. When Kevin arrived in the home, his malnutrition was severe and most of his teeth were rotten beyond recovery.  Now that he has gained weight, it is time to pull the bad ones. He lost 7 in one trip! Humberto lost three, and was quite the brave big brother when he saw Kevin crying.  

The Alvarez family also has a house where a number of women have been able to take refuge with their children from dangerous situations.  These women have been through so much, but it seems that for some, health issues won’t relent. Right now one family has two very sick little ones. Specifically, a little girl, named Cindi, is fighting dangerously high fevers in the hospital and doctors are concerned about organ damage and seizures.  This family needs prayer!!

Kevin (Left) David (Middle) and Humberto (Right)
Excited to be the first ones up

Cindi could use some prayer

Our Kids

Arturo 

In Hogar 3, the Alvarez family accepted their third child, a little boy named Arturo.  To see more about him, and the Alvarez’s adventures, check out https://facebook.com/light2guate   

Kevin and Humberto

Here are our two toothless wonders!  

Arturo with a hand full of sweets

Humberto is a little mroe excited than Kevin about all this!

El centro de partos el pozo 

(Birthing Center)

Stephany and Joy have expanded hours at the birthing center in Escuintla and now hold three days of appointments each week.  They have also begun training a local woman to work with them and learn safe maternity care. In addition, they have been training to better use their new portable ultrasound machine.  Every woman who enters this clinic has the change to know the love God has for them.  

Aliento feeding program

Taryn and Elissa made a trip to Montana to make connections and share more about the feeding program.  Meanwhile, the rest of the team kept things running, and continued loving the kids in Aceituno. This love had built and encouraged relationships.  So many kids have opened up and shared how God has used the team to teach them. One girl has shared that she now has her smile back. Another family experienced a tragedy in the loss of a husband and father.  God is using the relationship the team has with this family to speak life and love to them.  

The kids were very excited to help Josh celebrate his bithday.  

Rural village ministry

The team continues to travel and ministry to families in their homes.  One new area has opened in Chiquimula through a formula program similar to the program Aliento holds in their community.  The idea is to find children and pregnant or nursing mothers who are at risk, and help provide a resource while checking in on them in weight checks and emotional support.  Currently Daryl and his sons are in some of the rural villages near the city there searching for children at risk.  

Iglesia Cristiana Nueva Esperanza

The Hayden family has been in Guatemala about 6 months now.  They came to work with Global year students by housing them and helping them plug into local ministries.  God also pulled their hearts to begin a new church in San Antonio, our town. This is a christian church whose focus is on Jesus and discipleship, and not on the expected traditions that so frequently takes precedence over Christ.  This past Sunday, the core group of families came together for the first time in the building. For the first time in years all of the Fulp home’s children and caregivers could go to church together. This was the first time the Chapin home could all come together to church.  

For the homes this means transporting a few of the kids who travel well by van, and walking up with those who cannot travel well.  Although a little exhausting, this meant that Rafel, Walter, Ruavis, and Paola could come to church without the pain of a car ride.  Christina and Esther could be in the service and nobody would be irritated at their vocal outbursts or yells. This experience was phenomenal!  Praise God for such a blessing to all be together worshiping God with squealing and smiling kids! 

First week all together

Three of these guys don't normally get to come to church!

 Personal

A slower time in Hogar Rosalinda has allowed me to begin the footwork of pursuing adopting a child here in Guatemala.  This has been a desire of mine for many years, but in the last year it has transitioned from something in the future, to a pressing need heavy on my heart.  I will be adopting a child with special needs because this too is so huge on my heart. Below is the announcement I shared:  

For years now I have been blessed beyond belief to love kids who are not mine biologically or legally. I have shared in tears and smiles; screams of pain and peals of laughter; last breaths and first steps; spasms and ticklish spots; trauma induced shut downs and healing. God has used these years to shape me, and grow in me a desire to love children who are called broken. Now I am bursting at the seems to announce that in 2020 (hopefully), I will be adopting a child with special needs here in Guatemala!!!

There are a lot of unknowns, and a long journey ahead. I could have waited to share this, but excitement aside, I wanted to share sooner to ask for prayers along every step of the way. I ask for prayers for the child I already love. That they would have someone who loves them right now, before I can know them. I ask for prayers for myself as I prepare my heart and home for the greatest challenge, and dearest delight. I want to trust God’s timing when doors open, or hold ups happen. Also, I would ask for prayers for all involved, whether the family who first held my future little one, or the judges and court officials, or the one who reads about this on facebook, that all of these would know Christ more through this adoption, and that it would honor God.

This will not decrease the function of Hogar Rosalinda.  As the education is bassed out of my own home, I can work from home while pursuing this adoption and working with my mothers as well.  It may help participants to work together in caring for their children while they see that I too am caring for mine.  

Prayer

As you can see, there are many areas in need of prayer across the ministry.  I would ask specifically for prayer for the medically fragile and sick little ones.  For little Cindi and for Mirko in the hospital, and continued prayers for Ruavis who has ok days, and bad days in the Fulp’s home.