December 2021
End of year, what a year
General Happenings
As various members of our team travel to the states and Canada, we are reminded of what an incredible team God has provided. We have had opportunities together for convivios- traditional end of year gatherings with the friends you spent time with throughout the year.
Nutrition
(Hogar Rosalinda and Formula Programs)
Hogar Rosalinsa has continued in local consults, and revamped Aliento’s formula program. The program was serving so many kids with little ability to track their progress in detail. Now, we receive detailed information, and can help plan specific care plans to communicate one on one with the childs’ mothers. This takes a lot of time, but has already helped address specific health concerns from several of the kids. This information has also served to help identify concerns with a mother who had been selling her child’s formula. Although it is so hard to remove a child from the program because of her mother’s actions, this child was not receiving the formula either way, and to our great relief, this child was very close to graduating and is at a safe weight.
Hogar de la Esperanza homes
In 2021, The Norton Family opened their home, the 4th home for children. They are nearly full with 3 children out of their 4 spaces. The Alvarez has watched their children grow, and achieve things some said they never would. They also had the great honor to carry a sweet little one into the arms of Christ. They welcomed a grandbaby and now have two sweet babies filling their lives with joy (and maybe robbing some sleep!). The adult home has grown with the addition of Christina from the Chapin family. The Chapins continue to shine with joy, and welcomed their little Samwise into the world in January. They also had the painful privilege to love a little girl who has been returned to family. In the Fulp home, Baby Nohemi came, and is greatly cherished. Now also, little miss B is part of the family. God is doing much healing in her.
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| Norton Family visiting the zoo |
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| Alvarez littles |
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| The Adult crew with Luisa and Yesny |
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| A Chapin family Christmas |
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| Fulp family plus helpers |
Fulp home: Daryl Fulp: http://hopeforhome.blogspot.com/
Wanda Fulp: http://wandafulp.blogspot.com/
Blessing Angle, home intern:https://blessingjessica01.wixsite.com/website
Chapin home: Carissa Chapin: http://carissachapin.blogspot.com/
Alvarez home: on facebook at @light2guate
Our Kids
Nohemi
Nohemi is our precious little one who came to Casa Fulp in October. She has microcephaly, a seizure disorder, and many struggles ahead of her. Her case is pretty severe. Since she came she has facedone battle after another from spasms, to seizures, to stomach issues and vomiting, to COVID pneumonia. God has special plans for this sweet little baby. Please pray for Nohemi because she faces so much, and has a long road of healing ahead.
Abdi
Abdi is part of the Norton family. He is a year old and he has a seizure disorder. When he's not sleeping (which he loves to do!), he loves to be in his bouncy chair and watch everyone around him. He's starting to laugh and smile. Please pray for him that he would have less reflux so he can eat more.
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| Check out that smile! |
Birthing Centers
(El centro de partos el pozo-escuintla and Sion-quiche)
In addition to welcoming many, many babies, and showing love to countless moms, Joy in the Escuintla team, and Stephanie and Peniel in the Quiche team were able to travel to their respective families over the holidays. This is always refreshing for those working so dedicated, and far from home. Stephanie was able to share with her husband snow for the first time in a true Canadian winter!
To learn more about el Centro de Partos el Pozo, follow Stephanie Konrad, at: https://stephaniedkonrad.wordpress.com/
Or Joy Woodie on Facebook
Aliento feeding program
Taryn and her team continue to lovingly serve the community in Aceituno, Escuintla. They are able to meet in person, and set up tables again! Please pray for them as some of the situations they encounter are quite challenging spiritually.
One incredibly bright spot would be their celebration of the girls inthe school sponsorship program. These 4 girls finished their schooling thanks to sponsors. Many families in this tow prefer to send sons to school because their long term outlook is better than the girls, and school is expensive and robs the family of a worker. This year, these 4 went to school!!! They are also all quinceaneras over the last year, but their families were unable to afford the traditional quinceanera parties. Aliento brought the girls to Antigua for a special day dressed up, and enjoying a restaurant to celebrate graduating and their 15 birthdays. For most of the girls, it was their first time to Antigua. And for some, their first time at a restaurant.
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| Getting ready with hair, makeup, and laughter |
Learn more about Aliento by following the Director, Taryn, at https://tarynfulp.blogspot.com/
Rural village ministry
The rural village team continues to travel and bless families we work with monthly, as well as new families. These monthly visits are so important because they provide more than just food or medicine– they create a relationship that lasts for years! Dick shares below about a God moment:
“Day before yesterday we almost unloaded the one and only wheelchair that we had on my car cuz we already had close to a ton of food in it and that's a pretty heavy load for the mountain roads we were about to travel. Instead I felt a strong need to go back and pick up the other specialty chair that we had left in storage at the place five miles back. where we had just purchased the food. Why? I wasn't sure because these were both adult specially wheelchairs and the chances of running across someone who would need yet alone fit into one of these we're very slim. Two days and two food distribution later two elderly people who fit perfectly into both of these chairs are very happy that we took the wheelchairs with us even though it did not seem like a practical thing to do.
"Lord Jesus, please help me to learn to be more impractical and also to be a better listener."
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord .
Isaiah 55:8”
To learn more, you can check out Dick Rutgers at http://blog.dickrutgers.com/
Or follow Daryl Fulp, Dick Rutgers, or Emanuel Alvarez on facebook.
Liberia
God has been working throughout the ministries in Liberia, and I encourage you to check our their blog which is far more informative (and better maintained) than my own!! http://www.liberiacalls.blogspot.com/ Included this month is an updated video, information on their $200,000 matching fund and how God provided in great ways for the “Jesus Loves Me children’s clinic”, a a children’s hospital in their home town - Gbarnga, Liberia, Africa.
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| His Safe Haven special needs village Christmas |
To learn about Hope for home in Liberia, follow:
Don Riley at http://www.liberiacalls.blogspot.com/
Susan Mclay at https://www.instagram.com/suzieinliberia/?hl=en
To learn more about the ministry as a whole, check out https://hopeforhome.org/
Director’s blog: http://hopeforhome.blogspot.com/
Personal
In October I was down with COVID, and although it was never scary, it has led to some interesting long lasting issues. I’ve been struggling with solid digestive issues for 8 weeks, which has taken its toll on my stomach. Hopefully this is finally on the mend as it has pretty dramatically limited my capabilities and impacted my ‘normal’.
Secondly, my adoption progress is yet again stalled! In a development, I found myself waiting on one step, and losing time on another until documents began to expire yet again. By the time I can get one document from the states, all but one of my other documents will expire, meaning I get to start again in February. The disappointment is real, but God is still good. I praise him for his perfect timing and understanding of a situation deeper than my own understanding.
Prayer
Please continue to pray over the different areas of ministry, those who work in them, and the people they are loving. God is so good, and we trust him with the rest!
