children's day

September 16, 2016 Sometimes the impossible is 1 oz. I’m sitting with little Edy in Hermano Pedro Privado, a private hospital in Antigua where he is spending his second night. I meant to sit with him and do homework, but so far I can only sit and stare at him. Tonight he is happy and smiles at every little sound like the rain on the windows. A few nights ago I thought I would never see him smile again.

A month or two ago I introduced Cesar Eduardo, or Edy in my blog. He came to us at two years old, and very malnourished. He has severe brain damage, including part of his brain that tells him to breath. He frequently has spasms, or cry's causing him to stop breathing for increasingly long periods of time. He has good days and bad days. This week has been bad days. We take turns up with him at night. It can be a quite night, or a night without sleep. He has grown worse and worse hence the hospital. Hospitals here work a little different, and require someone to stay with him at all times, although we would have it no other way. I’m happy to say that he has been doing better today, and this being the second night here, he may have a fairly uninterrupted night.

I mentioned the impossible because Edy may be more content, but he has no desire to eat. So we put his meds in only one once. Too many drops in his mouth spill right out, so here we sit, drop by drop as I type. And I love every second holding him here!

September 30, 2016 Edy has continued to have a number of pretty bad days, and then a few days that are not so bad. But he hasn’t had any days, like he used to have, where he would smile and laugh all day. But we still have him with us to hold and to love, and we thank God for that.

Also, today (or maybe the whole weekend!) is children’s day here in Guatemala. Everyone celebrates this by giving away ice cream, holding parades, and giving away bicycles. And our children were not forgotten. We received a 500Q donation ($60) for our children to have pizza and ice cream. So, we gathered up the whole gang, and walked to the park with two double strollers, three wheelchairs, and a number of baby carriers. The kids all got to eat ice cream (or an appropriate equivalent for those who can’t eat ice cream) in the park. More so, they got to get out of the house, and loved the sites, and the smiles from passersby. Later, for lunch, the kids enjoyed pizza and soda. The kids had a blast out on the walk, and also loved their special treat. Suffice it to say, everyone was ready when nap time rolled around!

October 5, 2016 I just had a conversation last night that brought up some things I have thought of before, but just thought I would share. It’s about the ‘good Christians’. I’m not a theologian, and I have not had a single formal bible class, but I am reminded yet again that there are actually three types of Christians, not two as a lot of people think.

First, there are the Christians by name alone. These are the ones who mark ‘christian’ under the religion line on forms, and may attend church on Christmas and Easter. They own a bible that sits on a shelf or in a drawer. They do not read the words of Christ, and they do not talk with him. These are the majority of American Christians, and they do not KNOW who Christ is.

The next two types of Christians usually are classified in the same group, and may look similar on the outside, or they may look very different, but in either case they are very different in every way internal. The second type of Christian are the religious Christians. They attend church every week, or close to it. They are often in leadership, and many are teachers, worship team members, servants in children's ministry. They tend to live ‘christian’ lives, and most read the word and pray. They tend to steer clear from things seen as sinful, and think lesser of those who participate. They tend to have a ‘bad list’ including secular music, harsh language or cursing, too much makeup, drinking, smoking, two piece swimsuits, tattoos, piercings, men with long hair, women with short hair, and more. People who do these things are seen by this group as sinful, and bad Christians, if Christian at all. Those who miss church are considered less Godly, and lesser Christians. Those in leadership are considered the stronger Christians. Pastors, worship leaders, and yes, missionaries, are seen as the the Godly Christians who never waiver. They must have a close relationship with God right?

But here’s the thing: ****religion is not the same thing as closeness with Christ.****

This is exactly the mistake that the Jewish leaders made. They were too religious for Jesus.

These Christians are still bound by the law, and they want others to conform as well. The early church too wanted to conform Christianity into a box of rules and regulations like the Judaism they had previously seen. They wanted newcomers to be circumcised, and Paul had to confront this directly. Many Christians with the best intentions are still inadvertently trying to earn their worth in God’s sight by living religiously, and in doing so have lost the usefulness for faith (Romans 4:13-17).

13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[d] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Which brings us to the third type of christian; the friends of God. These can look a little messy, or they can look as straightforward as the religious Christians. They follow Christ through their relationship with him, and do not always conform to the religious laws of the church. These can include those who scream the lyrics to their worship songs rather than singing them. They may also be the ones who befriend the prostitutes to minister to them despite the reputation it gives them with the religious Christians. They may not fit the expected image of a christian, and they may be covered in tattoos and piercings with strange haircuts, and listening to music that is far from the songs Gaither wrote. But they may know who Christ is better than the tie wearing pastor of a dying church or the missionary who has mistaken humanitarianism as Christianity. (It is not. Giving food to the poor, and wheelchairs to the lame is not Christianity. Proclaiming Christ through these actions is.)  

So here’s my main point. Stop looking at Christians through the eyes of religion. Because that’s not it. It’s about the relationship with Christ.

Be careful to classify anyone as a good or bad Christian because you can’t see their heart. It is possible to serve the religion and not know the God the religion is based on.

October 6, 2016 Well, the stomach flu has hit the home! Out of 12 kids in the home, 10 have diarrhea to varying intensity, and 2 have vomited. Of the adults, two have been hit hard with vomiting and stomach pain and diarrhea for days, and a good number of the rest have off and on diarrhea. How exciting!

Things are a little different when children with special needs get sick. So far, those who have vomited have been able to turn their heads so that they aren’t at risk for aspirating, but this can be a concern for some of those who are unable to move. Also, cleaning a vomit covered teenager with high tone CP is a little more challenging than when one of the tiny toddlers is sick. But there are still enough people feeling well to keep things moving. On a positive note, Edy is doing well, and has been smiling a lot yesterday and today. Because he is blind, much of his stimulation is noise. Often, when someone clears their throat he will smile. Well, yesterday as Yenni was gagging and vomiting, he kept smiling and laughing at the sound! At least someone is enjoying himself!

Complex poverty

August 15, 2016

We just saw another team off.  I love when teams come and we can share with them the ministry which God has placed on our hearts.  There is only so much that can be expressed in a blog like this.  The reality cannot be fully shared except when seen in person.  We love teams who spend their own time and money to come to a developing country and help disabled children rather than using that valuable vacation time to spend with their own families.  It is a sacrifice, and it is expressing love.  So please don't misunderstand my attitude toward our incredible teams by what I share next. 

One thing we try to let each member of a team experience is our village distributions.  We are entering people's homes, so we can usually take only 2-3 additional people with us on these visits.  Some visits see urban life in good homes, but overcrowded or desperate situations, and others get to see the rural poverty which is physically desperate.  Poverty can be difficult to measure here as those in the city live in generally better constructed homes, but may not have any food in the house while a home constructed of corn husks and tarps may have a television inside.  Our teams only get a small glimpse of these families, and only for one short visit. 

With that said, there is a lot that goes into determining the true needs of a family.  We screen each family and don't simply throw money at a problem our western eyes see.  We are very careful with what aid we give out to whom so that we do not enable an unhealthy lifestyle of dependence on foreign aid like what is seen in the broken welfare system in the US.   We do not want to hurt our families by removing their independence or dignity.  We follow up with our families, and get to know them pretty well.  We love them. 

I share this because of a situation with a member on a team.  She was experiencing our local distribution to families relatively close to our home.  As we walked in to one home, I could see her struck by what she saw.  A front gate made of ruffled tin, a few small, crowded structures made of corn husk walls, ruffled tin roves, and dirt floors.  Her next comment confirmed what I saw "this is the poorest house I have ever been in".  Soon, the mother's story came out to further pull at this woman's heart.  The mother was frustrated, and asked why they could not receive a second food basket, and four bags of diapers instead of two.  Further, she shared struggles with the quality of the diapers.  I could see this working on the woman from the team.  Next the mother expressed frustration about the time of our visits each month.  Manuel explained the uncertainties of the ministry which make a consistent day for distribution to a specific home impossible.  At this point the woman on the team visiting with us asked me why all of these things were possible.  Why could we not take unlimited food bags or diapers, and why could we not come each month on the same day.  Why could we not leave the food by the door when the mother was not home, and why could we not allow the mother to come to our group home to receive her monthly food instead of visiting her home.  She asked why we could not do more for this family.

There are a lot of answers, and I am afraid that in the moment I was too fatigued and distracted to answer her fully as we did not have an interpreter that day and my mind was on translating. 

The biggest and simplest way to answer these questions is to simply state that we had known this family, and this culture for five years.  We had known this family well, and although this is the poorest house the woman on the team had ever seen, it was not the poorest we had ever encountered.  There is more to poverty than the materials of the home.  We screen the families, and we know how many members are in the household, how many are children, and how many are working.  We have walked into homes with block walls and a cement floor that have no food in the home, and no income due to age and disability of all members of the home.  And we have seen dirt floored homes with a television, and food on the table. 

Further, we know our families.  We have history with them.  Some we send money and collect receipts each month.  Others have been known to change the numbers on receipts, or to use resources provided by us, for personal gain rather than for their intended uses.  Some have sold their children's medications that we gave them.  There are families we can no longer work with because they have not been honest with us. 

The woman on the team saw the poorest woman she had ever seen asking for help, and she reasonably asked why she couldn't receive more help.  We know the full picture, and everything that has led to the dynamics of this question over the last five years, including her history in how she has dealt with our ministry, both the positives, and the negatives. 

This mother received the same food basket as many other families, and the same adult diapers as our other families, and in fact, the very adult sized diapers we use for our children in the group home.  Adult diapers are very expensive, so we give what we can to each family without using all the money on diapers alone.  Therefore we help by providing some of the diapers needed that month.  As to the quality of these adult diapers, we are asking no more of our families than they very quality that we use with our adult sized children

   

We receive money from donors or sponsors in the states to buy food for families.  That money is tracked responsibly, and a record of every penny spent is kept.  When a family receives food, medicine, or anything with monetary value, we ask for their signature or thumbprint on a receipt so that we have paper proof that the money donated is going where we say it goes.  We do this to maintain the legitimacy , and prove the integrity of our ministry.  Therefore, we cannot leave food, medicine, or anything else at a house without someone there to receive it.  This is also one reason why our families cannot come to the home to receive their food.  First, it is not stored here because it is the group home, and even if one bag were kept here, the team would not be here with our paper receipts.  But more importantly, the entire goal of this ministry is the spread of the gospel.  When we visit homes with physical aid, the ultimate goal is to share the love of Christ through fellowship and a relationship build by monthly supportive visits.  This will be lost if we do not visit the home each month. As far as visiting on the same day each month...  This simply is not feasable given the nature of our work.  Each month there are so many changes to the schedule for emergancy doctor visits, or the vehicles are needed to take a child to a hearing, ect.  For example, the very day of that visit, one of our vehicles broke down, and we had to put off visiting some of our local families until another day so we could take the truck to pick up a team member with one of our children who had been stranded in Antigua.  Even plans from earlier that day had to change and some families we had planned on seeing could now not be seen that day.  

I'll only just touch on this, but in the book "when helping hurts", many points are addressed specifically challenging how we as westerners view helping those in developing countries.  We want to throw money at it.  For many reasons I'll not get into, this is actually detrimental and damaging to individuals and communities without proper research and an understanding of the situation cross culturally. 

Finally, I would repeat that the ministry has been working closely with this mother for the last 5 years.  In that time, we have learned about their needs, and their strengths, and how these fit into their life within this indigenous town.  In addition to screening families and their needs, we know this family.  This is not the first time we had heard these extra requests, and this was not the first time we explained why we could not divert other resources from where they were needed more. 

So, to the woman who wondered why we didn't give more food to the poorest woman she had ever seen, I wish I could have answered you better in the moment than "it's complicated".  I'm sorry I was unable to paint for you the big picture, and the answers I did give may have sounded unfair.  The truth is that it IS complicated, and that we do the very best we can do to share Christ's love with these families in what our small minds believe is the best way for each specific family. 

Visiting Daniel in Mixco with a team from the US.  Please keep praying for Daniel and his (nonbiological but in every way that really matters) mom.  They are in a desperate situation and have nowhere to go. 

August 17, 2016

Yesterday was our monthly trip to the families in Guastatoya. I love these distribution trips because of the time we get to spend with our families. We have grown quite close to some of them, and their victories are our victories, their struggles are our struggles. Yesterday there seemed to be a lot of victories, and I thought I would share some of them with you. 

Jorge, a 12 year old boy with Downs syndrome, is generally a wound up ball of energy waiting to burst. When we arrive, he excitedly runs up to us, and grabs a hand, and before you can say good morning, he is off in another direction. He often grabs things that are not his, and runs wild. While we are sitting and visiting, he may sit for a few minutes squirming in his chair, before jumping up and moving on. His mother struggles to keep him under control. Jorge rarely wears much, and generally walks around in his underpants wearing whatever food he has snatched up lately. He is full of energy and excitement. 

Yesterday, when Manuel and I walked in, Jorge came up to us clean from head to toe (although only wearing his underwear), and gave me a hug. It was notable because he hugged me, and then backed off without invading my personal space. As we were talking, he disappeared, and returned with a puppy which he offered to me. He handled this puppy very gently, and lovingly, and set him down without overhanding him. When Jorge’s mother asked him to grab something, he did so without argument, and obeyed quickly and calmly. His mother says that this had been happening more and more lately. Jorge, who used to keep his mother running all day long, was calm and well behaved. Praise God!

Another family just a few blocks over, consists of an elderly mother and her two special needs adult children Marcella, and Manuella. Carmen, their mother, lives with them in a small home we helped her move into a few years ago. Manuella, the younger of the two, is very short, and very loving. She does not talk very much, but she is sweet, and laughs a lot. Marcella on the other hand is trapped in her own reality which is quite scary. She is very intense and agitated. As a result, she often hides when we come only to run out shouting or cursing about the terrors in her reality. 

Until recently, their dirt yard had become the resting place for discarded bottles, bags, and trash. The small yard was full of stacks of trash so that it was without on garbage. It had become quite detrimental to the health of the three women, and we had spoken with Carmen many times about the safety risk all the trash posed. 

Last month, when we visited, we were surprised to find the entire house had been cleaned, and every item removed from the yard. To be frank, I am nut sure how this was accomplished as the enormity of the change was staggering. Imagine the yard as a two year old compost pile feet deep, and suddenly every piece of it was gone leaving behind a clean, flat dirt yard. 

Further, Marcella had been transformed, and was a different person. She willing came out to greet us, although she does still shy away from physical touch. She no longer talks about the people trying to hurt her, but participates in conversation, and even smiles. 

This month when we visited, we found that the yard was still clear of garbage, and Marcella was in a more pleasant reality. She talked with us, and smiled. Praise God! These things are no small matter. People with special needs do not receive a sympathetic nod from fellow shoppers at the supermarket. They are seen as useless, and trouble. Both of these families live always up the mountain in their town, and their neighbors surely hear some of their daily struggles. When God works in these families, it is a testimony to the neighbors and extended family that God provides for his treasured children.

We know these families, and we love them.  So to celebrate with them triumphs like these...  Incredible!

New children and oppertunities

It has been a while since my last post, for which I apologize.  I hope I am able to help by catching you up on all that has been happening around here lately.  Since my last post, we have received four children into our home, and may be receiving two more!  I also traveled to the US to accomplish a few necessities for my nursing license and education, but also for some much needed time with family and friends in the US.  

Merlyn arrived first.  She is a delightful 1 ½ year old with gorgeous eyes and a giggle that is contagious.  She has physical and cognitive delays, but we have seen a lot of progress in her over the past few months.  When she arrived she liked to wander about and wail as she went.  But with time and love, she has stolen our hearts and a peace has settled upon her.  She loves to walk up to someone, arms stretch high, and wait for a loving embrace.  Merlyn is a darling in our home.  

Then came Cesar.  Cesar is nine years old, but is learning live at around a toddlers development level due to extreme abuse and neglect.  When he arrived we struggled greatly with how to handle his outbursts which were often violent.  Every small act was a big struggle, and it was clear that this little boy was very broken from an unimaginable past.  But God was worked in him and us as well, and although we still see lots of emotional damage in him, it is clear that he feels loved and safe.  He likes to kick soccer balls, and run up to one of us for a hug.  He likes to sit in our laps and snuggle, and he is always giggling when we try and repeat his words, many of which are in Qiche.  He is most precious.  

Next came another Cesar, whom we affectionately call Checha.  We were told that he was 13 years old, but later that evening, a 17 year old Checha rolled into our lives.  He is kind and considerate, and he always says please and thank you.  He is smart, and is always looking to surpass his physical limitations from cerebral palsy.  Checha loves holding the babies, and he enjoys any new bit of independence he can find, specifically his new motorized wheelchair.  Checha is a blessing in our home.  

Finally, our third Cesar arrived.  We call him by his second name; Eduardo, or Edy.  He is two years old, but is severely malnourished weighing only 11lbs.  He is smaller than Alison who is half his age.  Edy has a lot of struggles.  He is blind, and mostly deaf, and he suffers from strong spasms that cause him pain, and sometimes steal away his breath for nearly a minute at a time.  Edy is precious to us, and we fight over who gets to stay up with him each night.  He is beautiful, and a treasure to hold, although his spasms are frequent and cause him to stiffen, and cry in our arms.  Please keep praying for him because despite medication changes he is still struggling.  We love him very dearly and last night we were blessed with his first laugh!  

On my way to the US, God had some lessons for me about trust, and patience.  The entire airport experience in both directions was challenging and filled with growth.  This excerpt is from the trip to Ohio.  

June 7, 2016

There are some days you just know are going to be long ones.  This morning I woke up after a particularly fitful night of tossing and turning and got ready to leave for the airport.  The Beyer family had some errands in Guatemala city, so we were leaving early.  On the way up to the city, the car broke down not to restart this journey.  God uses all these moments great and small, and he used this time to help me learn better to trust that he was in control, not me.  After a while, Daryl arrived to take me the rest of the way.  While in the airport, a few hiccups left me running for my gate a little frazzled, but none the worse for wear.  Our flight landed in Miami, which brought it’s own challenges as this particular airport feels like a maze to me.  

I was sitting at the gate to my connecting flight in Charlotte NC, and finally on to Dayton OH, when they announced that the plane had a mechanical problem, and would not be able to fly this evening.  The airline made other arrangements, and another plane will be taking us to Charlotte, but considerably later.  I will most certainly miss my next flight, and have to stay in North Carolina until tomorrow.  Further, my guatemala phone does not work in the states, my tablet does not have internet access, and my US prepay phone is not working, so I have to borrow phones and have no way of receiving information.  But this to is in God’s hands.  Praise God for the side of the road conversations with the Mr. and Mrs. Beyer this morning that he used to prepare me for traveling stresses and frustrations.  

Traveling can be lonely, so God provided me with someone to talk to on the next flight.  The hotel the airport put me up in, was nicer than any I’ve stayed in in Guatemala.  It was complete with strong locks, drinkable tap water, hot water, and a pulsing shower head.  And with internet, I was finally possible to connect with family.  

This trip to Ohio was productive, and served to encourage me greatly.  Time spent with my first family and friends was refreshing, although time away from my kids reminded me again just how much they are my family as well.  I think whatever country I am in, my heart will be aching for someone.  

Returning home to Guatemala has been great.  The kids have grown in the time I have been gone.  I missed them, and my family here very much, and it is good to be home.  Our family had bonding time while climbing Pacaya, an active volcano.  There has also been a lot of work.  Last week we visited dozens of our families in Sipacate, La Gomera, Tecpan, Guastatoya, Sanarate, and surrounding villages, as well as visiting families in Guatemala city, Mixco, and San Lucas this week.  Many visits were encouraging, and most of the families are doing well aside from the occasional sickness.  

But a few families are really struggling including Daniel in San Lucas.  His mother abandoned him a few years ago with a coworker who has loved him like a son ever since.  Her husband ex husband however does not.  The situation is complicated, but Daniel has been abused, and is at great risk from this exhusband who owns the house, and returns to the house whenever he is drunk.  His caretaker is looking for a safe place for Daniel, but the options here are limited.  Please pray for Daniel.  Pray for more resources for these kids.  More homes to receive them; more loving caretakers; more money for food and medicine; and more opportunities to share Christ’s love with them, and their families.  

In my last update I shared about the great needs presenting themselves in Jalapa.  Last week, Daryl took a team to deliver 5 wheelchairs, and repair another.  This is a record for one day.  Now it is more apparent than ever that we need to move into this area, and fast.  We are now making plans to see children in this area monthly. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support. 

Ministry opportunities in Jalapa

April 19 Today we visited Guastatoya for the month, and we got to visit with our families again. I always love this part of the ministry. I love our kids, and their families. We have a relationship with these families, and we don't just pass out food and medicine, we encourage, strengthen, and slowly show the love of Christ with them. They bless us.

Today was unique however a because we headed up to Jalapa to measure a little girl for a wheelchair. When we arrived, we met with a ministry which works with the municipal to reach kids in this area. They described the situation of children there with special needs. We have heard this before in every area we have visited. The kids need help, there are no resources, and so on.

We have been so overwhelmed, that we had decided not to take on any more kids for a while in order to better care for those we were already helping. God had other ideas. We thought we were going to measure one girl for a wheelchair and then head home after a long day. Instead we met child after child, and a they are quite precious. At our final stop, the word spread while we were on the street filling out an application, and by the time the first application was finished, there were 5 more waiting each with their own story, each with their own past, struggles, and hopes.

These visits lasted until 8 in the evening, and we determined that we could not return home that day because of the very long drive, after a very early start that morning. The team members we were working with from Jalapa gave us supper, and decided to put us up in a hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel seemed quite sketchy, so they made arrangements for us to spend the night in a gated compound which houses a catholic retirement home of sorts. The workers in Jalapa are anxious to get help for their children. And we are desperate for a way to help. But we don`t yet know when we can visit Jalapa regularly with so many already waiting.

Families crowding around presenting their children and situations

The incredible team in Jalapa

That evening, our team had a time of prayer over this new development as it was entirely unexpected, and we humans can’t possibly accomplish this. My heart is breaking. This is not an area where we work. In fact, we just spread out to Chiche, and have several more a places waiting. We can't come here yet. But these kids are real stories and real needs. My heart is breaking. Lord God please send out more workers into your field to work the harvest! This need is so very great.

April 28, 2016 I thought you might like a little glimpse into water therapy time with some of the kids!

Easter

This has been my second year spending Easter in a catholic country. This comes with some unique challenges. We live near Antigua Guatemala, which is a center for tourism and religious tradition. In our town, a few days a week for a month leading up to Easter, roads were blocked for processions. Nearly every day the week before. This means that our only road out is impassable. Grand and elaborate alfombras, or carpets made of sawdust or vegetables and flower petals, are laid out a few hours before these processions, and each procession marks something different. Our kids enjoyed a walk past these alfombras in our town.

In our home, we had the US traditional easter egg coloring and hunt which the kids loved. Now we are working through dozens of hard boiled eggs!

In the villages, I was reminded yet again how different life here is from where I grew up, especially in roads and driving. Seat belts are optional, one lane roads somehow pass two lanes, and city traffic is sort of a free for all. In the rural areas, it seems a little like the rule is if you can do it, you should do it. It is like every road is off roading.

Yet again, I was awed at how God provides. For every family we visit, there is a story of how God provides. It’s a part of prayer that we miss every day; hallowed be thy name. God is so great to care for creatures so small. love our visits because they make this point so very clear to me. Our God provides.

Thank you all yet again for the prayers, God bless!

New family members, and ministry oppertunities

In the last month, we added two children to our home. Merlyn is one and a half and is an incredibly beautiful child. We were told that she is mentally retarded (a term I know is not used in the US now, but that is what we were told none the less), and we have noted some developmental delays. She is curious and likes to explore. She likes swinging in the hammock swing, and we think the motion soothes her. She is becoming more comfortable in her new environment, although we still have some struggles to work through with little Merlin.

 

Cesar is nine years old, and has a rough history. We believe he has autism as well. Cesar has the sweetest disposition and always wants to come up for a hug. He speaks a mixture of Spanish and K’iche (possibly misspelled), but his chirpy little responses have to our fascination. He also is learning the routine of the home, and is benefiting from the structure, through which, we have seen a remarkable improvement in his behavior. He also likes swinging in the hammock swing, and playing with his soccerball, and all music. We also still have some struggles with Cesar as well. Please be praying for both Merlyn and Cesar, and for their adjustments into the home and continued improvement as we learn how to best help them grow. 




We were blessed this month by cane training for the visually impaired through Global Cane Outreach (www.globalcaneoutreach.org). In addition to donating many canes for the blind, they provided a training session to teach us how to teach others to use these canes to their full potential. Through this ministry, we can train trainers, and reach many of the blind of Guatemala. As always, any ability to reach out physically to those who are hurting, is a fantastic opportunity to reach out spiritually and through a relationship to better spread the gospel. Another example came this month through another local ministry. Vicky Horsfield passed along a donation of teddy bears for us to hand out to some kids in Sipakate. Through teddy bears, Gerardo was able to sit and share the gospel with the kids. Praise God for the new opportunities we will have to share. 

Finally, today members of our team are heading out into a new department to lay the foundations of our work there. They are meeting up with another ministry already working in the department of Quiche’. There are many families there in need of help, including Christian, who lived in our home for a year while we learned how to teach his mother to care for his severe autism. Please pray for their travels, and for the right connections to be made. Praise God for this new adventure!

Here are some fun photos of the kids playing outside.

 

 

 

 

Thank you all again for your prayers, God bless!
~Katie~
--after His heart--