The Long Road Home

Late yesterday afternoon Manuel, Cristina, Gerardo, Katy, Jeremiah and I loaded Angelita's casket into our van and headed out on a 4 1/2 hour trip to Jutiapa. We were returning Angelita's body to her grandmother, who had raised her and her two younger siblings until she could not longer address Angelita's special needs. When we departed we had no idea what awaited us on the other end.

We hit rush hour traffic in Guatemala City, which cost us more than an hour of travel time. but we arrived in Jutiapa shortly after 9:00 pm. We thought that our journey was nearly at an end, but we were wrong. A relative of the grandmother met us on the main road, and we followed him on his motorcycle. And followed. And followed. And with each mile the roads got rougher, narrower and harder to negotiate. We wanted to send a good representation of people from our home to offer condolences and love, so we took the van instead of my truck. If I had know how rugged our journey would get, we would have left some behind and driven the 4-wheel drive.

The night was extremely dark, and I was concerned that my van was going to get stuck, but we continued until we could literally go no further. The final hill was too rocky and the dirt was too loose, so my tires were just spinning. It was decided that we would park and carry the casket the last quarter mile. We were also carrying some food and supplies for the family, so I was very glad that word reached the household and they sent some men down to help.

The last 50 yards were down a narrow foot path that took us into the grandmother's home. The casket was carried inside, and immediately people gathered around to look inside and weep. Wailing is a tradition here, so some of that was for show. But, as I looked around, I saw quite a few faces that seemed to be in genuine anguish, including her grandmother and little brother and sister. We had been swept into the room by the crowd of around 100 people, and we found ourselves behind and beside the casket.

At this point, I addressed the crowd and told them of our love for Angelita and the care we provided for her. I explained that we did everything we could for her, but the Lord decided to take her home and heal her perfectly. I then shared the Gospel with them and encouraged them to know Jesus so they would one day join Angelita. At the end, Manuel addressed the children and encouraged them to know Jesus as well and explained that they could give their lives to Him.

We then stepped outside with the grandmother and spoke with her individually. We gave her money for funeral expenses and hugs were exchanged. And then we started our long trip back home.

We once again walked the narrow paths and rutted road, and found that my van was being guarded by a drunk man. I then had to back the van down the same rutted road in reverse, while the crew walked and helped direct me. At last, we were finally able to turn around and drive the rough road forward instead of in reverse. And 15 minutes later, when we finally reached some paved roads, I gave a prayer of thanks to God.

As I drove home last night, I thought about Angelita's story. I thought about how God took that special little girl from a rural and obscure village, and brought her to us. All along, God was taking her home to be with Him, but He did it on a road that took her right through our hearts and lives. Had He not done so, she would have died in obscurity, with no one but a few neighbors knowing her and her journey. But because of the long road that he took her on, her life and her story is now known by many.

Some of you have met and held Angelita. Some of you saw her smile and rocked her. Some of you cried when you said goodbye. Others of you never had the privilege to know her, but you have followed her story and feel like you do. You have prayed for her and cheered her progress. You have wept for every setback and hoped for the best. And all that happened because God blessed us by letting Angelita's long road home pass by each of us.

I am so grateful to God that He allowed me to be part of her journey. I had one of the greatest privileges of all...I got to be her dad during the final years of her trip. And I am so much richer for it.

This morning, we said yes to receive another child. Actually, we have now agreed to take three additional children into our home and lives. A 1 1/2 year old girl with severe cognitive and physical delays...a 9 year old boy with delays...a 12 year old boy with cerebral palsy...all of them are coming into our lives and family as a part of their long journey home. And I don't want to miss the significance of that. I don't want to miss the joy and beauty of their journey in the midst of the challenges of their road.

All of us are on a long journey home, and we have the privilege of walking it together. For some, that will be a life-long journey at our side. For others, we will cross paths briefly and continue on our way. For still others, we will walk with them for a season and then go our separate ways. But I don't want to miss the significance of any of those people that God allows me to walk beside, whether for a moment of for decades.

Angelita has shown me that every person has an important story, and it needs to be told. But the question is, will I take the time to listen and share their stories? Or will I pass them by, failing to notice and care?

It's a long road home, and we need to walk it together. And, while I miss her deeply, I am so glad that Angelita is now safely home.

Blessings from Guatemala!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

Our Little Angelita Is With Jesus

Last night our little Angelita left our arms and ran into the arms of Jesus. She is now free of feeding tubes, wheelchairs, pain and sickness. And, even as we grieve deeply for ourselves, we celebrate for her.

She had her surgery to place a G-tube last Thursday. We had been wanting to do that surgery for some time, but had waited for her to stabilize. We finally received the approval from the neurologist and, shortly after, the judge, and proceeded with the surgery. She has had lots of problems with breathing, and we hoped that by removing the NG tube and placing the G-tube it would help her breath better. The surgery was a success, she returned home the next day, and she seemed to be breathing much better.

Yesterday I was on the road almost all day. I took my daughter, Carissa, and my parents-in law to the airport early morning (Carissa is returning to Uganda) and returned home for about an hour before heading to San Pablo La Laguna. We were transporting a refrigerator for my daughter, Brittney, and her new husband, Joel, and helping them get settled into their new home. 

At around 7:15 pm we were on our way home when I received a call from Stevie telling me that Angelita was crying a lot and that he, Katie and Kara believed her to be in great pain. The pain meds did not seem to help, and they were concerned. I immediately called our doctor who agreed to come as soon as he finished with a couple of patients. We arrive home about 45 minutes later, and the doctor came about 10 minutes after that.

He listened to her lungs and determined that she needed to be admitted to the hospital. Someone began packing a bag for her, and I went upstairs to pack an overnight bag for myself. 

And now it when I share a public confession. I was angry at God, and I told Him so. I was tired after more than 11 hours on the road and only 3 1/2 hours of sleep the night before.. I was tired of doctors and hospitals and short nights of sleep. And I was tired of seeing Angelita suffer. So, I yelled at God and told Him so. This was a selfish and angry prayer that was rooted as much in my own fatigue as in my concern for her. I don’t remember exactly what I prayed, but it was something along the lines of, “God, will you give us a break? Either help her get better or take her! One or the other!” And then I grabbed my bag and stomped down the stairs.

I was making a call to arrange some details while we were getting her ready to leave, when Katy carried Angelita out to me and told me that she had stopped breathing. I did a finger sweep into her mouth and then tried two resuscitation breaths. I realized that her lungs were full of fluid and made the decision to not pursue further attempts at CPR. I honestly felt that to try to prolong her life at that point would be cruel. She slipped away quickly and was gone.

I cannot describe how difficult this was. There have been many times in the last six months that I prayed that God would take her home so she could know complete healing. Yet, as I realized she was truly gone, I struggled deeply. Guilt for my earlier selfishness and desire to somehow bring her back overwhelmed me. How could she slip away so quickly? And we all mourned.

The doctor returned a few minutes later to fill out her death certificate. The casket was ordered, and we prepared her body. She remained in our home overnight while we attempted to contact her biological grandmother and make arrangements. Guests came to offer condolences and remained until almost midnight. We were unable to reach her grandmother until 11:00 am this morning. She wishes for us to return the body to Jutiapa for interment, so plans for that trip began.

We held a brief memorial service at 2:30 this afternoon in our home. Those who loved and cared for her gathered to remember her and celebrate her home going. It was a beautiful service as many shared memories and stories from Angelita’s life. There were tears and smiles, hard moments and fun moments. I think both Angelita and Jesus were pleased.

Gerardo and Manuel quickly worked together to get the necessary paperwork to allow us to transport the body, and I am typing and posting this while traveling to Jutiapa. It is about a 4 1/2 hour trip one way, so we will not return home until around 2 am. Please pray that we are well received and not met with hostility. Also pray that we can minister to her grandmother and extended family and that Jesus is glorified.

Her grandmother is extremely poor, and is concerned about the burial expenses. She asked us if we could help her with sugar and coffee, as the family of the deceased is expected to serve coffee and sweetbread to visitors who come to mourn. We will be providing those things, along with a food basket and Q.1500.00 to help with other expenses, including a grave stone.

Please pray for our family and extended family of workers and volunteers who loved and gave such excellent care to Angelita. All of them are grieving deeply, even as they rejoice that she is now whole and free.

And please pray for me. This entire episode has exposed some ugly and selfish parts of me. So much of me is still unlike my Jesus, and I am struggling with my own uglyness. Pray that I will never again place my own fatigue and self-interest above others, especially a precious child who is suffering. Pray that I will learn to love like Jesus.  And pray that I will learn to fully trust my Lord. I am still so unlike Him.

Thank you for each of you who have prayed for Angelita, given for her care, encouraged us with your words and, now, grieve her loss. You are more valuable than you realize, and your impact is felt in very tangible ways.

Blessings and love from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

Second Group Home Coming Soon!

After years of praying, we are excited to announce that plans are in the works to open our second group home for children with special needs here in Guatemala! As you know, the eventual goal is to have ten such homes, and this is the next step to make that a reality.

Michael and KellyGross and their family will be joining us from Paducah, KY, along with two of their four
children, Madison (age 14) and Joshua (age9).  Their two adult children, Hannah and Kortney, will remain in the States, but will hopefully be frequent visitors. Michael and Kelly will serve as Directors and parents in the new home. Michael will also be assisting us with our rural village work.

 

Please pray for them in the months ahead as they go through the process of selling possessions, raising funds and dealing with the mountain of logistics involved with moving your family to a new country. We also ask you to prayerfully consider talking to your Pastor and church leaders about having them come and share their vision with your congregation.

 

If you would like to follow their journey, you can do so through their blog at http://ourjourneytoguatemala.blogspot.com. They covet your prayers, encouragement and support as they make this transition. And, on this end, we look forward to welcoming them and seeing God use them for great things!

 

Blessings from the Fulp Crew and Ministerio de Esperanzo!

A Wedding, A Funeral, and Desperate Needs

As I type this, we are at the beginning of a marathon week. Brittney and Joel’s wedding is this Saturday, and the week is filled with airport trips to pick-up family and friends, special events, and time with those who are visiting. At the same time, ministry continues while trying to juggle vehicles.

 

Actually, Brittney and Joel are already married, at least legally. In Guatemala things are different than in the United States. Pastors and priests are not allowed to solemnize marriages, so there is normally as civil ceremony with a lawyer that precedes the public and religious ceremony. On Saturday an attorney, who is a friend of Joel, came to our home and presided over the civil ceremony. I will officiate the public wedding in a garden her in San Antonio Aguas Calientes this Saturday. These are good times as I see my daughter marrying a man of God with a holy character.

 

The civil ceremony on Saturday was shadowed somewhat by a funeral. Aura passed away on Friday evening, leaving her husband and children in deep grief. You may remember that her husband came to my home a couple of months ago seeking help for treatment for his wife’s uterin cancer. Some of you sent in funds to assist with that treatment. However, prior to starting radiation treatment the doctor determined that she was severely anemic and too weak to begin the radiation. We were helping them to treat her anemia, but the cancer was just too advance. So the remaining funds were used to pay for her funeral that was on Saturday afternoon. Because of the civil ceremony, I was unable to attend. Please pray for Jose and his children as they grieve.

 

In the midst of wedding preparation, ministry continues thanks to our incredible staff. On Friday, Manuel and I visited a family whose needs are quite desperate. Ana has three children with special needs. Katarin is 14 and has severe cerebral palsy and cognitive delays. Darian is 12 and has microcephalus and severe cognitive delays. Osbin is 4 and has both physical and cognitive delays. Ana is working hard to provide for herself and her children. She has been living and working in a home where she cleans and cooks, and that has been a huge blessing to her. She is able to keep her children with her as she works. However, that job is ending this week, and she has to leave. She has no one with whom she can leave her children while she goes to work. She has no idea where she can go or what she can do.

 

Our ministry is praying and seeking God for what we can do to help. We are arranging doctor appointments for both Katarin and Darian, providing a wheelchair for Katarin, and seeking sponsors to help pay for medicine that both of the girls need. But none of that will prevent their homelessness. Could you please pray for them?

 

Along with Katarin and Darian, we have several other children who are awaiting sponsors right now. Here they are. You can click on the names below to see photos and more info:

 

Carlos Manuel - Carlos is 11 years old and has hydrocephalus, which has caused severe cognitive and physical delays. It also makes him aggressive, and he cries a lot when he does not have his medicine. His father works, but only makes about $130 a month to provide for his eight children. Carlos needs a one time sponsor to pay for an evaluation with a neurologist, as well as a sponsor that can provide funds for a monthly food basket and medicine.

 

Darian - Darian is 12 years old, and lives with her mother and two siblings in Antigua.  She is microcephalic and has severe cognitive delays. Her mother,Ana, is a single parent, struggling to care for her three special needs children. We have already arranged an appointment with a Neurologist, but we need a sponsor for her medicine which will cost around $25 per month.

 

Dora Amarilis - Dora Amarilis is 14 years old, and she suffers from severe scoliosis that has infringed upon her lungs and causes severe muscle pain. Her father works in Guatemala as a waiter, but does not make much money (less than $200 a month), and he spends a lot of that to pay for his two and a half hour bus ride to the city. She needs medicine to help with her muscle pain and a special formula that provides nutrients for her bones. The total cost for sponsoring these needs is $25 a month.

 

Elva Floridalma - Elva lives in Tecpan with her family; she has a seizure disorder and cerebral palsy. She needs medicine to control her seizures and formula, as she cannot eat solid foods.  Her father works in the fields and makes very little money, providing less than $100 a month for his family of six.   Their situation is desperate, because they cannot afford her formula or medicines. Our ministry is supplying these items until we can find a sponsor, but we cannot afford to do so long term. The cost of sponsorship of her medicine and formula is $50 a month.

 

Katerin - Katerin is 14 and has severe cerebral palsy and cognitive delays.  She lives with her mother and her two other special needs siblings. She doesn't have a wheelchair, so her mom is using an old baby stroller.  We have arranged a visit with a Neurologist, but we need a sponsor that can provide funds for medicine and formula.

 

Katerin Estefania - Katerin Estefania is nine years old and has a severe seizure disorder. Her mother is a widow and works hard, but is struggling to provide for their family of four and pay for her medicine. When they cannot afford to purchase the meds, she suffers severe and frequent seizures. The monthly cost for these medicines is $25.

 

Manuel - Manuel is 14 and lives in La Gomera. He has cerebral palsy and lives with his grandmother. Both his mother and father abandoned him, so she is caring for him. They are now a family of four, and the grandmother is the only provider. She makes just over $200 a month. He needs medicine for spasms and seizures. The cost per month to sponsor his medicines is $20.

 

Marvin - Marvin had meningitis when he was younger, and as a result, he now has a seizure disorder which causes him to have convulsions several times a week.  He needs a medicine, but it is very costly, and his family cannot afford to pay for it.  His father and brother work in the fields, but they only earn about $100 per month together and must use this to provide for their family of 8.  His medicine costs about $80 per month, and we desperately need a sponsor to cover that cost.

 

All of these needs are great, so anything you can do to help would be appreciated. Remember, 100% of your gift goes to assist the children. Not one penny is taken for administration or other expenses.

 

Well, back to work. Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

Goodbyes, Hellos and Holidays

As usual, I am a day late and a dollar short on this blog. Much has been happening, and I have struggled to find time to sit down and update you on events. But this week is a vacation week for me and most of the staff, so there is no time like the present…

 Three weeks ago we said goodbye to the twins, Racquel and Esther. Since our home is for children with special needs and US adoptions are closed, we did not anticipate any of our children being adopted. The idea of adopting children with disabilities or delays is foreign to most Guatemalans. But God raised up a wonderful adoptive family for the girls in the form of Luis and Marcia.

We were notified of the possibility a few months ago, but were not sure when the girl’s transition from our home to their new home would happen. But Luis and Marcia were finally allowed daily visits on December 7th, and they left us on the 11th.

We praise God that He has given the girls a forever family, and that they are committed Christ-followers. They are a wonderful couple, and they will love the girls passionately. But the transition was hard on us, nonetheless. On Friday morning they came to pick-up the girls, and our entire family, staff and volunteers had tears in our eyes. We gathered around the new family and prayed over them, then Wanda and I walked the girls out to the car where we said our final goodbye.

When we were back inside our gate again, Wanda and I hugged and cried a little more. There are a lot of tough things about this ministry, but this is one of the tougher things that we face…saying goodbye. But we remind ourselves that this ministry is not about us. We don’t do it to feel good, we do it to change lives. And if that means that our hearts have to break so that two beautiful little girls can have a better life, then it is worth it.

As God would have it, He arranged for our good friends, Scott and Traci Smith and their family, to arrive that same day. It was so nice to have a hello to help ease the very difficult goodbye.
The Smiths ministered with us all week long, including several village trips. Scott is a mechanical genius and Traci is a nurse with lots of experience, so they were a perfect addition to our team. They served in our home and Traci was able to sharpen the medical side of our care of the children. She was also able to help me sharpen my pressure sore treatment skills. Scott was able to help me deliver two wheelchairs and gave me valuable wisdom in making some very difficult modifications to one of the chairs. We ministered in 5 different communities and drove about 20 hours over a three day period. Needless to say, we were a little tired by the end.

One of the children we visited with was Lucia. You may remember that she was hospitalized by pneumonia around three months ago. When we returned her home, we believed she would die within one or two days, but she is still hanging on. She has continued to decline, however, and is now very malnourished and weak. Her mom, a very traditional T’zutujil woman, told us that she believes someone has placed a curse on her to keep her from dying while prolonging her suffering. We are praying that God will take her soon, so she can know the joys of running with Him. Please keep praying for Lucia and her mom.

About two months ago, our ministry hit a financial crisis. The funds for our group home were almost exhausted, and our rural village ministry funds were getting low as well. At that point, I found myself withdrawing from ministry. In other words, I got stingy. As I would face new needs, I began to answer with, “Sorry, but we cannot afford to help now.” I was responding with fear instead of faith, and that is always a bad decision.

One night as I was praying, God reminded me of a lesson I learned years ago. In the States I pastored a church that I helped plant in 1999. During the early years of that congregation we saw great things happen. Many people came to Christ, marriages were healed and addicts were set free. Our congregation often looked more like a biker gang gathering than church, and I believe Jesus took great pleasure in that. We were ministering to those who were way outside the church, and I was on speed dial at the local jail because I was regularly ministering there. It was a great time.

But something happened. We hit a financial crisis as a church, and we became money focused. No, we weren’t greedy, but we kept allowing money to decide the ministry we could and could not do. We withdrew instead of advancing, and that was the beginning of the decline. Oh, we saw some continued lives changed, but there were fewer and fewer. And our concern for money drove us to make some foolish decisions.

After I had left the church, I debriefed myself and saw clearly where I/we had failed. And at that moment I confessed my sin to God and received His forgiveness. I also committed myself to never retreat or withdraw from ministry again. And yet, just 60 days ago I found myself doing it again.
Praise God that He caught me and corrected me early, and I once again went back to advancing instead of retreating. I began to say “Yes” to needs again, and we very quickly saw God’s provision begin to flow again. And it was just a month later when God spoke to me clearly again.

We attend a wonderful church here called Nueva Vida y Paz. It is a simple church in which we are some of the very few non-Guatemalans. No one, including the pastor, is paid. Everyone is a volunteer. And the church helps run a group home for children and a men’s rehab center. In fact, the church meets in the rehab center, so we have no facility costs. All of the offerings go to ministry. And the Word is plainly spoken week after week.

As I sat in church three Sundays ago, the words of Sondra and Pastor Victor grabbed my heart once again. And I heard God speak to my heart. In the midst of financial challenges, He is calling me out of the boat and onto the waves with Him. He is asking me to expand the ministry without regards to our bank account or monthly giving. There have only been a few times in my life that I have heard God’s voice so clearly.

So, here we go again. In January we will be expanding our rural village ministry to one of the poorest areas of Guatemala, Chiquimula (the far east side close to the El Salvador border). Soon after we will be expanding southeast to Santa Rosa. Meanwhile, we have recently received requests from two contacts, one in Retalhuleu and the other in Totonicapa, asking us to expand our ministry to those areas. In both cases, the conversations were similar…“the need is great, children are dying, please help.”

With the addition of each of these new communities, our ministry is spreading out further and further. More miles, more gas, more vehicle maintenance and more children in need of help. I have no idea how we can afford this, but God is calling. So, we leap out of the boat and, with God’s help, become wave walkers. Please pray for us in the days ahead!  

We just had a wonderful Christmas in our home! Our house was full and I was surrounded by those that I love. Here is a panoramic photo I took on Christmas morning, right before we had devotions and opened gifts. I truly am a rich man!

I pray that you and your family have a very happy New Year! God bless you all!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

Merry Christmas from Hope for Home Ministries and Ministerio de Esperanza!

To each of you who have prayed, given encouraging words and donated to make this ministry possible…THANK YOU!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Fulp family, Beyer family and all our staff and volunteers! We appreciate you all! 

Failures…and Rising Again

My blog has been silent for a while now. There have been a couple reasons for my absence. First, I have been faced with sheer busyness. With Krishauna’s wedding here in October and then our trip to Pennsylvania for her U.S. wedding two weeks later, my schedule was completely messed up. These were two wonderful events, but I returned to Guatemala to find an overwhelming amount of work waiting for me.

God has blessed us tremendously with a growing ministry, and I am so grateful. But the workload of trying to keep us can be staggering. And when you add special events into the mix, the demands seem to multiply. However, we are now down to planning only one wedding! Brittney will be married here in Guatemala on January 16, and we can then take a deep breath.

The other reason for my silence has been some personal issues that I have been facing. Specifically, how to deal with my failures.

As the ministry has grown, I have struggled to keep up. We have added additional staff to serve and carry the load, but the end result has been more responsibility on me. I am managing more staff, a bigger budget, more paperwork and more and bigger decisions. And my personal abilities have not grown enough to effectively handle these greater responsibilities. As a result, I am dropping the ball more.

Most of the time, these fumbles on my part are small. I forget to make a bank transfer. I forget that someone is waiting for a new wheelchair. I lose a new prescription for a child, and we have to call the doctor to get new orders. These are usually resolved with a quick apology and taking responsibility to fix my mistake quickly. But occasionally, it is much bigger.

About six week ago Manuel and Gerardo visited a new family that was seeking support. Their son, Luis, had cerebral palsy and needed medicine and medical intervention. My guys did exactly what they were supposed to do. They filled out an application for assistance, sent it to me, and talked to me later the same day about the case. But I missed the gravity of the situation. They told me he was sick and needed help, but it blended in my mind and ears into the sea of voices that was seeking help. And his application landed in the stack of those that were awaiting processing. I looked at the stack and decided that there was nothing pressing and decided to deal with them after Krishauna’s weddings were over.

Last week, we received news that Luis had died. Immediately, I played back through the events surrounding him, and realized that it was my fault. Although I don’t know if we could have saved him or not, I realized that I didn’t even try. I had missed the gravity of the situation and mixed him in with a stack of paperwork. And it devastated me. It was completely my fault. Everyone else had done what they should have done and were awaiting my instructions, but I never acted.

Please don’t write and tell me not to blame myself and tell me that everything is in God’s hands. I do believe God is in control and is sovereign. That is not in question at all. However, I also believe He has given me responsibilities to fulfill. And, in this case, I failed miserably.

And please don’t tell me that we have helped so many other people. While that may be true, it doesn’t bring back Luis. And I will always wonder if we could have saved him if I had acted.

I do realize, however, that there are extreme responses in situations such as this. I could choose to fall into condemnation and despair, focusing only on my failures. That does neither the ministry or me any good. Or I could choose to gloss over this failure and loss (and the many others) and focus only on the good things we have done. But this is counterproductive as well, dooming me to continue making the same mistakes.

But in between these extremes lies the sweet spot. The place in which I am broken by my failure while seeking God to change me and this ministry so that it is not repeated. I have to grieve my mistakes, particularly the costly ones, while rejoicing that God’s grace is sufficient to forgive me and change me. And that is precisely the balance I am trying to find right now. Please pray for me as I try to do this.

The next day, I realized that if I spent any more time in my office I might snap. So, my friend, Michael Gross, and I headed to Nueva Conception. I needed to see people and do something tangible to help. So we went to visit Jorge. You might remember that he had his leg amputated almost a month ago. He has been struggling with discouragement since then, so I thought he could use some cheering up.

When I last saw Jorge, I noticed his wheelchair was in bad shape. It was corroded and the bearings were shot in both the main wheels and the casters. So, I decided to surprise him with a new chair. The smile on his face when we wheeled it in was well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive to get there. We made some modifications to the chair to accommodate his shorter than normal lower leg, and as soon as he sat in it he popped a wheelie and was off and rolling! But, just between you and me, I believe that moment meant more to me than it did to him.

We also had the privilege of delivering a wheelchair to Teresa. About 16 months ago she was sitting on a curb when a motorcycle ran over her right leg, shattering both of her lower leg bones. The national hospital put on an external fixation device to hold the bones in place while they heal. However, these devices were never meant for long-term usage, so she has developed numerous infections that have eaten away the flesh on her shin, leaving her tibia exposed. We are seeking to get her proper medical attention so that the device can be removed, but in the meantime she needed a wheelchair to ease the burden on her family and increase her mobility. And I happened to have the perfect chair for her (after a couple of modifications).

The reason I have the right chair sitting around is due to Vine International. A few weeks ago I received a call from my friend, Dennis McCutcheon, telling me they had just received a shipment of 200 wheelchairs. He invited me to come over and take my pick. So, Dale, Gerardo, and I drove to San Jose Pinula on the far side of Guatemala City with my truck and our Ford van with all the seats removed. We picked and loaded 32 wheelchairs that we hauled back. There were about 12 custom children chairs, and the rest were standard folding chairs of varying sizes. What a blessing! They have also informed us that they have another shipment coming early in the new year, so more are on the way.

We had also been praying for an autoclave, a device that is used to sterilize instruments. We have been using a combination of flames and alcohol until now, but we needed something more efficient and speedy. While I was with Dennis, he asked me if we needed anything else. I smiled and said, “You don’t happen to have an autoclave, do you?” To which he responded, “You’re kidding!” He then took me back to a room where he gave me a brand new autoclave that had just arrived the day before. It is little moments like this that God reminds me that He is looking out for us and providing.

I am so thankful for Vine International and the McCutcheons. They do so much to selflessly serve us and so many other ministries. If you are looking for a worthwhile ministry that does medical missions and seeks to glorify Jesus Christ, you would do well to support Vine International.

Well, that is all for now. I will try to update again soon instead of falling of the grid once more. Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew