Special prayer needed…please

I am writing this short blog entry to simply ask you to take some time to pray for us. Without going into too much detail, the perfect storm of spiritual attack has risen that has left me reeling, exhausted and breaking down in frustrated tears.

In summary, several crises involving families with whom we work has arisen in the last 10 days that have required a lot of time on top of my normal load. This has left me extremely tired. In addition, it seems that everything is breaking at once, including another break-down of my 4-Runner. Combine that with some health issues and you find me reaching my snapping point.

Note: You are likely reading this thinking, “Wow! Daryl sure is whiney!” And you would be right. This is not like me at all. As I read through the summary above, I recognize that none of it is a huge deal. However, I just find myself worn down by the steady drip of it all. Plus, I recognize that my over-reaction to the situation is another part of the spiritual attack.

We welcomed a new team here yesterday and I have had to change our plans for tomorrow. We were scheduled to head to El Progresso to work with families, but since the 4-Runner has broken down again we have rearranged plans to make the day a time for sight-seeing with my older daughters. This will enable me to:

1) Rest

2) Hopefully repair some of the broken items, including the 4-Runner

3) Spend some extended time alone with God, allowing a much needed recharge of my spiritual and emotional batteries.

This evening, as I was dealing with yet another crisis with a family, I broke down in front of my good friend, Alba. She hugged me, prayed for me, and gave me the following wisdom: “Daryl, recuerde estamos en una guerra!” (Daryl, remember we are in a war!) And I realized that she was right. I also realized that the only effective response is prayer. So, I am asking you for this favor:

Would you please take some time right now to pray for us? And, over the next few days, will you pray for us when you think of us?

Thanks. And please be patient with this whiney guy.

Daryl

Great friends and a huge stretch

Please keep reading to the end as I have an important message and prayer request to share.

Over the last week we have had the privilege of hosting the Anderson family from Harrisburg, PA. Rande and his wife, Heidi, along with their three children, Emma, Max and Jonah, stayed with us and ministered alongside us in some powerful ways. It is always nice when you find a family who really “gets it,” and the Andersons definitely do.

When I talk about “getting it” I am referring to those believers who realize that Jesus did not save us to make us comfortable and prosperous, but that He saved us so that we could pour out our lives for the glory of His name. We did that together this week, and I am sure that they are returning home exhausted. (Wanda had to encourage me to slow down with our schedule this week, lest I make them so tired that they would not want to come back again.

We took them to visit Rehoboth Children’s Home on Saturday (after a harrowing experience in the Antigua market). We played soccer and basketball and visited with the kids after they received a tour of this wonderful ministry.

On Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful worship service at our home church, Vida Nueva y Paz, followed by lunch in Antigua and an afternoon in Hermano Pedro.

On Monday, they helped with our monthly food distribution by assisting with the measuring, sorting, boxing and delivery. Each month this task gets a little larger, and the additional help was very welcome.

 

On Tuesday we headed out to Las Palmas and La Gomera where we visited with our families and delivered food and medicine. We also found two other children in need of intervention. Natalie, age 7, has intestinal issues that makes eating difficult. She is losing weight and struggling. We are making arrangements for her to receive the medication she desperately needs.

We also met a 15 year-old girl who is hearing and speech impaired. We are arranging for this beautiful young lady to be assessed by a specialist to see if they can improve her hearing through hearing aids.

On Wednesday morning, Rande and I, along with Jeremiah and Max, headed out to visit with Rosa in Antigua. We had placed her in a wheelchair back in November, but someone had told us that her chair was broken. When we arrived we found out the report was incorrect and her chair was fine. However, it was a good excuse to visit with her and her family for a while.

We left her home and went to Hope Haven where we picked up a chair for little Jorge in Ciudad Vieja. Rande also was treated to a tour of their facilities while I picked-up some additional parts I needed to make repairs on several chairs. We intended to deliver and fit the chair that morning, but when we arrived at Jorge’s house we found out he was at a therapy appointment. So, we will make that delivery next week.

In the afternoon we went to Casa Jackson, the malnutrition center in San Felipe de Jesus. One of the heartbreaking stories in the center was a 12 year old who had arrived the day before. He was severely malnourished, weighing only 23 pounds. The cognitive impact of the malnutrition was obvious, as he showed clear signs of brain damage. I wish I could say these stories were a rarity, but they are all too common.

Yesterday we spent the day at Amor del Niño. This is always a treat, because it is one of the best orphanages in Guatemala. They have excellent nannies, wonderful facilities, and all the children are loved deeply. They currently have 52 children in the home, with 40 of them being two years old and younger. There was cuteness galore in that place.

And, today, with much sadness, we said goodbye to the Andersons as they headed home. They are really more like family than friends, so we miss them already.

Over the last month, God has been challenging me in a couple of areas. I know that He is calling us to, once again, expand our ministry, but I have been resisting. To be honest, I am tired and overworked, and I have no idea how we are going to fund these expansions. (Can you sense that Daryl is, again, trying to do God-sized things by his own strength?)

Specifically, God has been calling me to expand our areas of ministry to address systematic issues that are hurting the people of Guatemala. This prompting is leading us to address two areas of concern:

1. Pre-natal care – Most babies in Guatemala are born in homes without any pre-natal care by doctors or nurses. That, combined with poor nutrition, leads to high instances of birth defects and disabilities related to complications during birth. I believe God is calling us to begin a program in which we provide maternity vitamins to pregnant women along with two doctor appointments during their pregnancy. How will we do this? I have no idea. But with God’s help, we will.
2. Generational poverty – Many of the families with which we work are held in place by generational poverty. If you are poor, how do you obtain the necessary tools to break the chains of poverty? How do you secure a decent education? How do you find a meaningful job? Even if you have a solid skill, how do you start a business with no money? I sense God’s leading to begin a micro-financing ministry in which we provide small loans to people with useful and marketable skills, along with biblical business counseling. We would provide loans of $50 to $300, allowing for a modest repayment schedule and a decent interest rate. Any money that we make on interest would be invested in other loans. In so doing, our desire is to break the cycle of poverty, allowing for families to create a business that will better provide for their family, thus allowing for independence. How will we do this? Once again…no idea. But we will, by God’s power.

Will you please pray with us for God’s guidance and provision? Also, if you have experience in either of the areas of ministry, we would welcome your input and advice.

Thanks for all your prayers, support and encouragement! Have a great weekend!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

The Value of a Buck

Most of the time this blog is used to keep you up-to-date regarding our ministry here in Guatemala. I consider it personal accountability to our prayer and financial supporters back home, as they deserve to know if we are using their sacrifices wisely. By now you hopefully realize that we are not on some kind of extended vacation. Our weeks are very full of work, and our ministry is growing more rapidly than we can often accommodate. So I no longer feel compelled to report the details of every day. And, since we will be receiving a series of teams over the next month-and-a-half, I wanted to take a moment in the lull before the storm to write on some of my recent ponderings. (I know how dangerous it can be to take a glimpse inside my mind, so proceed with caution.)

I have been thinking a lot recently about money. No, I am not worrying about finances or becoming money-focused. But I have been thinking about its value, or the lack thereof. What good is it? Is it important or not? Why do we often struggle with an over-emphasis on it?

Face it, in the big picture issues money is pretty worthless. One day, when we lie dying, we will not think about the money we have made or the possessions it bought for us. In fact, it will likely be pretty low on our list of priorities at that moment. Likewise, money is of little value when you consider the ways it is often used. How many of us have stretched our budgets to breaking in order to buy the new vehicle that will soon have dents and scrapes and french fries down between the seats (where you can never quite reach them)? How often do we use our money to purchase the new clothing item or electronic gadget thinking it will bring us joy, only to have the emotional high fade quickly but the financial impact lingering for weeks, months or years. How many families have purchase a newer, nicer home thinking it will make life better, only to find that the financial strain only made things worse and their same old problems have followed them to a new setting? Money can be very worthless.

On the flip side, money is a necessity of life. After all, we do need it to feed, clothe and provide a home for ourselves and our families. You can’t do that without money. Money is not evil and can be used for great good. I have seen what money can do. Each month I encounter lives that have been saved by money. (Please don’t send me messages arguing this point. I understand that God saved each of them, but He used the generosity of others to provide the financial means through which He did so.) I work with formerly starving children who are now robust and eating healthily because of money. I have worked with people who were near death, but are now thriving because money provided them with essential health care. I see children who were doomed to a life of poverty due to a lack of education who are breaking the cycle and finding a new life because a financial gift is providing them with schooling.

And as I have thought about these things, I have been deeply convicted about how much money I have wasted in my lifetime. I could never (nor would I want to) count all the money that I have spent foolishly and selfishly during my 44 years of life. Not only that, but my heart breaks for how selfish I was as a pastor of Jesus’ church for so many years. How many times have I convinced myself the my family, my church or I needed something and spent money to buy it, when it was nothing more than a frivolous self-indulgence? How many times have I withheld a gift to a real need until the “needs” were met in our own family or church? I shudder as I think of that waste and poor stewardship of God’s gifts.

Obviously, money is neither inherently good nor evil. Neither is it inherently valuable nor worthless. It is simply a tool, and how we use it determines both its goodness and value. Used for self-indulgence it becomes damaging to both us and the world around us. Used for good, it brings glory to God, enhances our lives and makes this planet a better place.

During our 23 plus years of marriage, Wanda and I have never been wealthy by a US standard. I have been a youth pastor and pastor and I have started a new ministry. In none of those positions did we receive a large salary. However, during those years we did successfully build a large family. Small paycheck…large family…you do the math. As a result, we never lived an extravagant lifestyle by America’s standard of extravagance. And yet, we still had our share of waste. Looking back now, I realize that we could have made little changes to our lifestyle that would have made our money far more valuable. Simple little savings could have resulted in saved lives instead of another item for our home or another soon-to-be-obsolete toy for me or the kids. But, live and learn, and we are still learning.

In December we found ourselves with a chunk of money that was available to spend on ourselves, so we considered purchasing a luxury item that we have wanted for a while. I have always loved the stars and planets and have wanted a decent telescope with which to view them. We now live in the perfect location to own one. Not only do we have a great view of the sky with very little light pollution, but we also have a great view of an active volcano that spews its lava every night. So, after talking and praying about it for several weeks, we decided to stop in and look at telescopes while we were in Guatemala City finishing our Christmas shopping. We found one, and I had pulled out my wallet to make the purchase when God made it clear that we were not to buy it. The entire family left the store a little disappointed, but confident that it was the right decision.

As I drove home that evening I was suddenly hit by a thought that I knew was from the Lord. “If we could afford to consider purchasing a luxury item that we did not need, we could afford to give that same amount of money away!” I immediately turned to Wanda and shared that with her, to which she responded that she had been thinking the same thing. So, after discussing it with the rest of the family, we decided to give that money away to needs that we encounter. We have now given half of it away and are prayerfully seeking God regarding where the rest should go.

I hesitate to share that story, because we have always kept our giving to ourselves. I am not sharing it so that you will somehow think that we are noble or giving people. In fact, I want you to understand that we struggle with this issue along with others, even while living among such great need. But I do want to share it as a testimony, because we have found far more joy in giving it away to the things that matter to God than we would have ever found spending it on a telescope for ourselves.

I want my life and my money to count for God. Contrary to the bumper sticker, if I die with the most toys I still am dead, and I win nothing for my warehouse full of stuff. So, step-by-step I am trying to learn to use my money and resources the way God intended them to be used. I am still a beginner on this journey and have a long way to go. But with each step…I have more fun!

Enough pondering for now. It’s time to get back to work.

Greetings from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

Things that go boom…including my schedule

On Monday I shared with you about our emergency trip to La Gomera to meet with the family of Alicia. (We are still looking and praying for a sponsor to provide her crucial medications.) Because of the urgency to get that blog and the need posted, I did not share the rest of that day with you.

You might recall that a few weeks ago I wrote about the geyser my 4-Runner produced when it overheated while returning from El Progreso. We limped into Chimaltenango on a prayer and parked in front of my mechanic’s place, only to discover that he was out of town for the next 10 days. He finally returned last Monday, completed the repair work, which included a new water pump and head gasket, and I left his place on Friday afternoon with my wallet $330 lighter.

During our trip to La Gomera on Monday, we found out that the problem was still not fixed. The engine began to overheat about 20 miles before we reached the town, but still stayed out of the red zone. After meeting with Alicia’s family, we checked the engine and realized the water level was low again, so we added more water and headed for home. The normally 1 1/2 hour trip took us over 3 hours as the engine kept overheating and we would have to stop, let it cool and add more water. Four times we went through that process before finally limping back into San Antonio Aguas Calientes.

So, my vehicle is once again in the shop and we are awaiting the bad news. As Dick Rutgers says, “In Guatemala you can either pay a little for a bad mechanic, or a lot for a bad mechanic.” Please pray that our mechanic, Ali, gets if properly repaired and that the expense is not too great.

After arriving back home almost two hours later than my schedule dictated, Gerardo and I had to rush to head out to Ciudad Vieja. On Friday I had met a gentleman by the name of Victor who needed some help. He has diabetes and severe anemia, and I realized he needed a doctor badly. He has already lost his left leg and foot from mid-femur down due to poor circulation, and his right foot is now looking very bad as well. In addition, while he is only 52 years old, I would have guessed him to be around 65. (This mistake was highlighted when I asked him if a 12 year old girl in the house was his granddaughter, and he informed me that she was his daughter. Oops.)

I told them that he needed to see a doctor soon, and arranged for them to see Dr. Augusto at no charge. But they informed me that they only had a motor scooter and he was too weak to hold on. So, we arranged to pick him up this past Monday at 4:00 pm and take him. This pick-up was complicated by the fact that his wheelchair is broken, and I had to carry him to my van, into the doctor’s office, back to my van, and back into his home. Fortunately(?) he only weighs about 80 pounds, so the task didn’t tax me. (We have since obtained a wheelchair for him and will be taking it to him soon.)

The doctor confirmed my fears and told us that he needed to be hospitalized due to both the infection in his foot and his anemia. (He was unable to even hold himself upright on the examination table, and I had to steady him several times.) So, Tuesday morning I picked him up once again and took him to the national hospital in San Felipe de Jesus.

I confess that I felt abusive leaving him in that place. The national hospitals in Guatemala leave quite a bit to be desired, including basic sanitation. This dimly lit and dirty place is filled with overworked staff. And, while there are some good doctors who work there, it is a crap shoot as to whether you will get one of the good ones. However, our ministry cannot afford to pay for a private hospital, so this is Victor’s only option. If he were in the States or in a private hospital here, they would likely be able to save his leg. In the national hospital, he will likely lose it. Please pray for him.

After we left the hospital we drove into Antigua and stopped by Hermano Pedro. My little buddy, Ervin, had returned the previous week from his holiday visit to his home, and he returned 10 pounds lighter and a different boy. Suddenly he does not want to eat and is withdrawn. Normally very affectionate and desiring hugs and kisses, he now pushes me away. So, I wanted to spend a few minutes with him.

While there, we ran into Dick who had come to take Ervin out to lunch at Pollo Camperos. So, Gerardo and I tagged along. Gradually Ervin began to warm up, and by the end of the meal he was blowing kisses, waving and hugging me. In fact, I had to pry his arms off me as I was leaving. His appetite was still down, though. Normally he would have finished his meal and then begged the rest of us for our leftovers, but for the first time ever, he left chicken on his plate.

Yesterday was another office day for me, as I sought to battle the stacks of work on my desk. By the end of the day, my desk was clear…which means I now need to dust it.

This morning Gerardo and I met two of our families at Hermano Pedro. Marian is 10 years old and has cerebral palsy. Jose is four and also has CP. My friend, Marvin, had agreed to cast both of them for AFO’s (Ankle and Foot Orthotics), but his plans changed when he saw Marian. She has low-tone CP, and he determined that her quads and hamstrings were too week to be effective with AFO’s. He told us that he has a friend from the States who is a pediatric orthopedist who is coming to Guatemala later this month. He wanted him to examine her (for free) and help him determine the best bracing system. So, they will be going in to see him on February 19th.

When Marvin met Jose, he also arranged for him to see the doctor on the 19th. Jose has never been properly diagnosed, and this gives the family the opportunity to see an excellent doctor that they could not otherwise afford. Marvin did go ahead and cast him for braces, though, and they will be ready on Valentine’s Day.

I praise God for His perfect timing and care. He has arranged excellent care and treatment for these two beautiful children that I could not have orchestrated, and He did it at no cost to our ministry or the families. At times, I feel as if I am carrying a load and find myself wondering if I can do justice to the people who seek our help. God reminded me again this morning that I am not the caregiver, He is. And He loves and cares for these people far more and far better than I ever could. And when I remembered that, I felt the weight drop right off my shoulders and onto His.

What load are you carrying? Take a lesson from a thick-headed and dull-witted guy, and let it fall from your shoulders onto His.

Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

A Critical Need

Yesterday we received a call from one of our families in La Gomera. They were calling on behalf of their friends who have a 4 year-old little girl who has some major health problems and needed immediate attention. So this morning we loaded up and headed out on the 1 1/2 hour trip to meet with them.

When we arrived we found a beautiful little girl named Alicia. Her big eyes and affectionate smile captured our hearts right away. But as we spoke with the family, we realized that she was in serious trouble. She has kidney disease and severe anemia. In addition, she has had surgery to by-pass her lower bowels and allow for a direct flush.

The family’s needs are great as the dad works but only makes about Q.1200 each month (about $155.00 US). That would normally be enough for them, but Alicia’s medicine costs more than his salary.

The most expensive of her medications costs Q.116 ($15) per injection and the doctor is recommending she receive three injections a week. Our ministry cannot afford to pay for all of that, as the total would top $200 a month for all of her meds. However, I would like to be able to pay for one injection per week along with the rest of her medications which would total around Q.700 ($90 US). The family has said that they will pay for a second injection each week. The doctor has told them that she will likely not live without these medications.

If you would like to contribute some or all of this need then please e-mail me at daryl@hopeforhome.org. We have purchased a two week supply to enable them to begin the treatment, but we cannot sustain the continued purchase of these medications long-term.

I apologize for bringing yet another need before you, but feel that I have no other recourse. Thanks for your prayerful consideration.

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

Mexico, Jose and Our One Year Anniversary

Please note: There is now a “Follow By E-mail” option at the right of this page. If you enter your e-mail address there and click “Submit” you will receive my blog via e-mail each time I update.

My 4-Runner is still out of commission as Ali makes repairs. So, most of our ministry has been limited to close to home. However, we did load up our van and made our bi-annual trip to Tapachula, Mexico to renew our visas. We will begin the process to become residents soon, making this trip unnecessary. But for now we enjoy this as a family vacation.

Now that I know to ignore our GPS, this trip went far smoother than the last one. We had no death-defying trips down steep mountains in the rain. We did, however, encounter a two-and-a-half hour traffic shut-down due to a multi-vehicle accident that blocked the road. But since we were not in the accident we saw no reason to complain. We spent the time playing games as a family and talking about the last year in Guatemala.

We spent all our time at the motel swimming, playing games, eating and sleeping. In other words, it was the perfect vacation. Food in Tapachula is very expensive, so we saved money by packing our food and a hot plate and eating in our rooms. (But we did make an exception and splurge for Dominos Pizza.) It was wonderful to have a few days with nothing to do but enjoy the family!

Maybe you heard about the offshore earthquake on Saturday. Tapachula was the closest city to the epicenter, so we experienced our first real earthquake. We regularly receive little tremors at our home in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, but you can’t really classify them as true earthquakes. This one was the real thing as I was knocked from my feet when I tried to stand. The side-to-side motion made Wanda motion-sick and scooted items across tables. It was strong enough that it was felt back at our home in Guatemala, over 175 miles away. Thankfully, since it was offshore, no major damages or injures occurred. Yet another first for the Fulp Family.

We returned home on Sunday, enjoyed the end of the playoffs, and then got back to work bright and early on Monday morning. And the work was waiting. To be precise, 55 e-mail messages, 6 Facebook messages, 6 voice mails and a 1 hour meeting was waiting. After Wanda coaxed me from a fetal position and helped me back to my desk I was able to wade through it all.

This morning Gerardo and I went to visit a little guy names Jose Alejandro who lives on the outskirts of Ciudad Vieja. Their house is way up the base of the volcano Aguas where property is cheaper. Jose is four years old and has Cerebral Palsy. At least we think he does. He has never been formally diagnosed. However, his mother had complications at birth and all the symptoms are there as his legs are spastic in tone and scissor when he tries to walk or stand. They are going to a doctor tomorrow for the proper diagnosis.

In the meantime, several doctors have prescribed “helps” for him. One of these “helps” is a pair of “braces” that are actually just a pair of high top shoes with a metal bar between them. The doctor thought that since his legs naturally scissor when he tries to stand and walk that this device would help. As the parent of a daughter who has CP I know that this is one of the worst things that can be done as it prevents independent leg movement which is necessary to ease the spasticity. Fortunately, the family realized that this was not helping and stopped using this torture device some time ago.

There are six people who live in the household. Both the father and the oldest son work in the fields when work is available, but their combined income is about Q.1000.00 each month. That comes to just under $130.00 a month. Imagine trying to feed and clothe a family of six on that amount, plus care for the medical needs of a son with special needs.

We are making arrangements to provide him with a wheelchair. Praise God we already have a sponsor for this. We have also set up an appointment to have him casted for leg braces that will truly help him learn to walk. The cost of these braces is $200.00. We are also in the process of arranging for him to get physical therapy at Hermano Pedro. The cost will be about $17 a month. If you are willing to sponsor Jose for either the one-time expense of the braces or the monthly expense of therapy, please contact me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.

Today we celebrate the one-year anniversary of our move to Guatemala. Time has flown, so in some ways it is hard to believe that it has already been a year. However, when we look back and see how far God has brought us and all that He has accomplished, it is amazing that it has only been a year. He is so good and so faithful! All praise and glory to Him!

That is all for now. Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

2011 Year End Report

I have recently completed the 2011Year End Report for Hope for Home Ministries. Out of a desire to make this report accessible to as many people as possible, I am posting it here. Hopefully it will not be as dry and boring as many of the reports I have been forced to read through the years. So, pop some popcorn, put on your jammies and snuggled up for a good read!

Hope for Home Ministries - Year End Report – 2011

As I look back on 2011, I see it as a year of huge transitions and rapid growth. That is true for our ministry and our family. God has brought us so far in the last 12 months, and we are excited about where he will take us in 2012. As we begin a new year, I want to take a moment to look back and inform you of what God has done and then look ahead to our goals for the coming year.

Our biggest transition has occurred as we have now began our ministry in Guatemala. On January 25^th my family and I landed in Guatemala City and moved into our new headquarters/home in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. This 6000 square foot facility houses our family and group home for children with special needs on the first floor and hosts our visiting ministry teams on the second floor. Since our work in Guatemala has three areas of focus, I will fill you in on each one at a time.

Guatemalan Ministries

1. Hogar de la Esperanza (Hope Home)

Our group home for children with special needs, Hogar de la Esperanza, is not yet open. The licensing process is long and extensive, and much of our first year has been spent laying the necessary groundwork to begin that process. Language study has taken much of our time and is still continuing. In addition, we have focused on developing contacts and mentors who have been through the difficult task of licensing and who are willing to help us through it.

We have now received the necessary partnerships to begin that process and will do so early in 2012. We have secured an excellent and honest attorney who was recommended to us by several Christian group homes who have used him in the past. The process involves two steps, becoming a recognized association with the Guatemalan government and receiving our official license as a group home. We have been told that the completion of these two steps will take two to three years and cost around $6000.00.

However, we have plenty of ministry to do during the process. Hogar de la Esperanza is serving as the headquarters for our ministries here and is already seen as a place to seek assistance for people with special needs.

2. Wheels of Hope

Our fastest area of ministry growth has occurred in our 4-wheel drive ministry which is called Wheels of Hope. This ministry provides support to Guatemalan families that have family members with special needs. Often disabled individuals in Guatemala end up in institutions as there is no health insurance or government assistance here. As a result, families are overwhelmed by the expenses involved in caring for them. Our rural village ministry involves finding these individuals and providing support by providing wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, medicine, physical therapy, water filters and food so that those with special needs can remain in their home and get the care they need.

We added our first 4-wheel drive vehicle in early May of this year and began our trips into the rural villages. Since that point, it has been difficult to keep up with what God is doing.

As we have found individuals in need of assistance, we have done careful evaluation to determine both the legitimacy and extent of their needs. This is done through interview and analysis of both household income and expenses related to the care of the family member with special needs. Sometimes the only assistance required is the one-time provision of a wheelchair or piece of equipment. Other times we find that more extensive and long-term intervention is required. All of these needs are met through sponsors from the US who respond to the needs as they are posted in my blog at www.hopeforhome.blogspot.com.

In the last eight months of 2011 this ministry has assisted 41 families. Of these, we are providing long term support to 27 in the form of food, medical care, therapy or medicine. In addition, we have provided nine wheelchairs, five pairs of AFO braces and 27 doctor visits. But all of this physical support we are providing is not the focus of our ministry.

The real priority is to bring glory to Jesus and draw people into a personal relationship with Him. As a result, during every visit into every home we talk about Jesus and pray with the family. And each time we are thanked for the help we provide, we tell them that the help comes from Jesus. This is a very religious culture in which almost everyone believes in Jesus but very few people know Him personally. Through our work, He is opening doors for us to share the Gospel, and He is working in lives. Here are just a few stories:

• This afternoon we were invited to the home of one of our sponsored children. His mother just wanted to visit with us for a while. During our time together she asked me again why we were helping her. So, I shared my testimony and how much God loves her and her family. With tears in her eyes she told me that we were the first people who ever cared enough to help her son. And she told me that God was real in our ministry in a way that she had never seen.
• A few weeks ago we received a call from the mother of a four year old for whom we are providing essential medication. She told us that before we came to her village she was desperate. She wanted to believe that God cared about her and her son, but he was so sick and she had no way to help him. One night she wept and prayed that if God was real would he please send help. The next morning we came to her door, brought by a neighbor. She said that she knew at that moment that God was real and that He loved them. They are now attending an evangelical church and are asking more and more questions each visit.
• In June we found an elderly lady who was anemic, malnourished and dying of pneumonia. We immediately arranged to get her to a doctor who hospitalized her for five days. She has now recovered completely. The family shared with us that 15 minutes before we came to their door they had been praying that God would please send someone to save her life. Now, every time we visit we sit and talk with her, her children and her grandchildren about Jesus.

God is moving and He is being glorified through this ministry. We are hoping that God will provide more manpower and another 4-wheel drive vehicle so we can add a second rural village ministry team in 2012. Both the opportunities and needs are growing significantly and one vehicle and team is just not enough to keep up with this ministry.

Our Board of Directors recently voted to hire a young Guatemalan named Gerardo as my full time assistant. The benefits that Gerardo brings to our work are too numerous to share here, but let me simply say that he is very effectively sharing Jesus while providing some much needed relief to my schedule. In addition, through his connections and bargaining ability he has already saved our ministry enough each month to pay for his salary. I praise God to have this co-worker alongside me in ministry.

3. Encarga Pastor Training

On August 15 Pastor Ron Ecklebarger and his family arrived in Guatemala to start and oversee our new Encarga pastor training program. Encarga means “entrust” in Spanish and is based upon 2 Timothy 2:2:

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

The focus of this ministry is to provide both theological and practical training and equipping to rural pastors. Many pastors in rural settings have little or no training and base their ministries on what they have heard from others. This can be dangerous and deceptive. Even good men who love Jesus and want to follow Him have unknowingly embraced false teachings.

Pastor Ron is seeking to develop a comprehensive training program that will enable these men to complete the majority of their studies in the homes with a combination of self-study and regular visits from a coach who will mentor and instruct. In addition, there are plans to provide regular training seminars in a central setting.

Currently Ron is still involved in language studies and is working to develop connections with other ministries that are doing similar work. His desire is not to reinvent the wheel, but to build on existing programs and improve them for our purposes.

Beginning in February he will begin working with his first student, Gerardo, the assistant I mentioned above. This will be a learning process for both teacher and student as Gerardo will be helping Ron learn more about Guatemalan culture and churches while Ron teaches him about ministry.

US Ministries

As I share what God is doing in Guatemala, one area of struggle we are facing is our US Ministries. One of our priorities when Hope for Home was founded was to provide education to American believers and challenge them to adopt hard-to-place children in response to the biblical command to care for orphans. For the first two and a half years of our ministry we were successful in the endeavor and saw 81 children find homes.

When my family and I moved to Guatemala we left this task in the hands of Ron and Melanie Ecklebarger who took over the traveling and speaking ministry. However, since they moved in August, there is no one stateside serving in this vital role. We are currently looking for someone to fill this position, but have not found anyone at present.

The qualifications for this role are as follows:

1. A Christ-followers whose discipleship is evident in their life
2. A parent of an adopted, hard-to-place child
3. Public speaking skills
4. Management and organizational skills
5. Effective one-on-one skills in developing contacts and scheduling speaking engagements
6. A willingness to travel on weekends

While we are not in a financial position to pay a salary, the person would be welcome to raise support to fund their position. Travel expenses would be paid. Would you please pray with us that God will raise up someone to fill this position?

While we are struggling with securing someone to cover our public speaking ministry we are blessed with our wonderful Office Manager, Emily Vance. She has kept our stateside office running smoothly and has provided vital support to us in Guatemala as well as our donors and adoptive families in the US. I don’t know what we would do without her crucial work.

Looking Ahead to 2012

In the coming year there is a lot to do. Would you please pray with us toward these goals:

1. Secure permanent residency – Currently our family is living in Guatemala under a tourist visa. This means we have to renew our visa in Guatemala City after three months and leave the country by driving to Mexico after six months year after year. While many people do this long term, it is expensive for a family of 11. Early in the new year we will be beginning the time consuming process of become permanent residents of Guatemala.
2. Receive our association paperwork and begin the licensing of our group home – As stated earlier in this report, this is an expensive and time consuming process. Please pray for honest and responsible representatives in the Guatemalan offices and for the provision of necessary funds.
3. Add a second 4-wheel drive team – We need another family to move down and work in this vital ministry. In addition, we need a second 4-wheel drive vehicle. Please pray for both of these to be provided sooner rather than later.
4. Finalize the structure of our pastor training program and have resources and curriculum in place for larger groups of students – This is a tremendously difficult task that has been given to Ron Ecklebarger. He will be working with men who have little education and some who are even unable to read. Developing an educational program that will encompass these needs and effectively equip is a challenge. Please pray for wisdom and direction for Ron.
5. Become increasingly effective at sharing the gospel in this culture – As stated earlier, this is a very religious culture but many do not know Jesus. The difficulty of sharing Jesus in homes steeped in religion is compounded by many social taboos that are considered offensive. We are only now beginning to really understand the Mayan people and their mindset. But with each new insight, our ability to effective share Jesus increases. Please pray that 2012 will be the year in which we will see many come to true relationship with Jesus.

Thank you for all your prayers, financial support and encouragement in 2011! Without you, we would not be here doing this ministry!

Because of Him!

Daryl I. Fulp

Director of Hope for Home