What a month this has been! The Beyer family arrived, we hosted four days of physical and occupational therapy clinics, we added three more villages and 16 children to our rural village ministry, and I still have a little bit of sanity left. (At least I think so. But a crazy person really isn’t a good judge of sanity.)
In spite of my best efforts to slow down the growth of this ministry, I find things moving beyond my control as we find more and more children and families in desperate situations. I have not yet figured out how to say no to a parent whose child is in serious crisis, so I keep saying yes and trusting God to provide.
The longer I do this ministry the more the size of the needs become real to me, and the more I commit myself to giving my all to ease suffering and share Jesus. I am so grateful that God has given me a great team of people to assist with that work.
So, I am coming to you once again with a list of prayer requests followed by a list of children/adults needing sponsorship. I feel bad as I am so often asking for support for these precious ones and their families. At the same time, I take consolation in knowing that I never ask for financial support for our ministry, only for specific children. Many ministries that I respect and love frequently fundraise and beg for donations. We do not. We instead take our ministry’s financial needs to God and trust Him to provide…and He always does. And when you sponsor a child, 100% of your donation goes directly to that child’s needs.
So, with that in mind, I want to share with you a few prayer requests:
Our group home continues to await our licensing. We have been told for weeks that it should come any day, but we face ongoing barriers from CNA. Four times now they have come back to us to request information that we have already submitted to them. Over and over again they delay without reason. Meanwhile, I have heard from three different orphanages in the last few weeks wanting to know if our home is open because children with special needs have been placed in their homes since there is no room for them elsewhere. These directors do not feel equipped to care for these children, so I am working with them to train them in how to address their needs. And all of this occurs as CNA continues to delay our opening. Would you please pray that God will either change those who are blocking our licensing or remove them from their positions?
- The Beyer family continues to get settled and have begun Spanish lessons. One big area that still needs to be addressed is the purchase of a vehicle for their family. Because Dale will be assisting with our rural village ministry, they are seeking a 4-wheel drive vehicle that will endure the rough travel we do on a regular basis. Will you please pray that we find the right vehicle soon for a good price?
- As our ministry grows, we are struggling to find the necessary storage space to accommodate our supplies and equipment. Each month we purchase and sort over 1000 pounds of food that then awaits distribution to different homes in 20 different villages. Add to that the medicines, wheelchairs, diapers, walkers, crutches and other supplies and we have quite a mountain of stuff on any give day. We are praying for and seeking creative solutions to alleviate this crowding. Please pray that God will direct us.
Currently we are taking three Guatemalan families with us to church every Sunday in addition to two young men. This means that on the typical week we have 10 Fulps plus 15 Guatemalans squeezing into one 15 passenger van and one Toyota 4-Runner. When we have a visiting team, as we did this week, those numbers increase. (This past Sunday we were scheduled to take 39 people to church until our plans were thwarted by a Catholic procession that closed down our street and blocked us in for the morning.) Those numbers will increase even more when our group home opens. So, will you please pray that God will provide us with another 15 passenger van and a place to park it?
Now, on to the children and adults who are awaiting sponsorship. Some of these need a one time sponsorship for a wheelchair. Some need monthly sponsorship for formula, diapers or medicine. Some need both. If you would like to help, please contact me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.
I would like to place him in a custom chair which would cost $250.00 US, but we need a sponsor to cover that expense.
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The cost for a new chair will be $250.00 US.
We also need a monthly sponsor for formula for him. His current weight is only 23 pounds and we need to help him fatten up. Monthly cost: $14.00 US.
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The following family is particularly challenging as there are four adult sibling who all have special needs. We are focusing on two of these siblings, each of whom are suffering from the effects of polio that they had as a child.
Gloria is 51 years old and has been bedridden since age 4 when she had polio. She is unable to sit upright and requires a special wheelchair to give her mobility. However, we are so grateful to God and to Bethel Ministries because they are donating her chair to us at no cost.
However, Gloria is on three types of medicine which cost the family around $150 a month. While I do not expect for find a sponsor for that entire amount, we would like to help with $50 or $75 each month. If you are interested in helping, please write to me.
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Lorena is 41 years old and also had polio when she was four. She is unable to walk without assistance and does not have the necessary balance to use a walker. She needs a standard wheelchair to give her some much needed mobility. The sponsorship for this wheelchair is $150.00 US.
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Leslie is 7 years old and suffers from cerebral palsy. She has a wheelchair that Dick Rutgers provided for her and is working well, although we did perform some maintenance on it while we were there.
However, Leslie is very thin and needs to gain weight, so we would like a sponsor to provide the monthly formula she needs. The cost is $14.00 US each month.
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Dorcas is 7 years old as well and has cerebral palsy. Her mother has to carry her everywhere as she has no wheelchair. While that was not a problem when she was younger, as she is getting older her mother is struggling. We would like to provide a custom chair for her if we can find a sponsor. The cost for sponsorship is a one-time expense of $250.00 US.
We would also like a monthly sponsor to provide diapers for her as this cost is difficult for the family. The monthly sponsorship for this is $5.50 US.
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Maria Jose is a precious little 4 year old girl. Like so many, she suffers from cerebral palsy and is under-weight. She needs a custom wheelchair to give her the support and stability she requires. The cost is $250.00 US.
We also need a monthly sponsor for formula for her. The cost is $14.00 US a month.
As I look back over this list of people awaiting help, it is easy to become overwhelmed. If my math is correct, we need $1150.00 for wheelchairs and $122.50 of new monthly sponsorship. However, I take great comfort in knowing that each of the adults and children are God’s children. He loves them greatly and is the perfect provider. Will you please join me in praying that He will meet each and every one of these needs?
Okay, I think I have written more than enough for now. Blessings from Guatemala!
Daryl
