It has been just over a week since my last blog update, but there is so much to share. We once again find ourselves overwhelmed by the goodness and provision of God, and I want to share those details with you.
When I last blogged, I shared with you about our trip to Esquintla, Las Palmas and La Gomera, where we were able to meet some needs and find some others. The last you had heard, we needed a wheelchair and a sponsor for braces for Walter, about $105 for a medical scan for Jorge, and money for Ensure for Pilar. I praise God that every one of those needs have been met!
It actually started last Saturday evening after we returned from the villages. We had our family devotions together and I mentioned all these needs and we prayed together for God’s help. After we were done, I came to my office to check my e-mail and found a message from one of our faithful supporters asking if we had any financial needs right now. I shared these needs with him and realized God was on the move.
On Sunday morning, before church, I updated my blog, and by the time I had returned home I discovered two messages waiting telling me that they were willing to help, and more followed that evening and the next morning. So, to summarize, we have a sponsor for Walter’s wheelchair and braces, a sponsor for Jorge’s scan, another sponsor for Ensure for Pilar, and someone has graciously agreed to sponsor the next wheelchair we need.
Then, on Tuesday, we welcomed a team from Living Waters Church in Michigan. While this was not a regular Hope for Home team, my friend, Gary Newton, asked if I would be able to work with some of his team and expose them to some orphanages and educate them regarding the needs of orphans in Guatemala. I readily agreed, as I am always anxious to get people involved with those needs. So, I spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday taking them to Hermano Pedro, Los Gozosos, and Amor del Niño. They were an excellent group with which to work! They were hard workers who did not complain. They were servants. And they were wonderful with all the kids they encountered.
Gary had told me that their team was bringing some water filters for us to distribute in the villages, but he didn’t tell me how many. I had told Wanda that I hoped they would donate 10 or 15, but would be happy with anything we could get. Imagine my surprise and joy when Gary told me that they had brought us 50! As we dumped those filters into the back of my truck, I was overcome with emotion, realizing the help and health those filters would provide to hundreds of people.
But Living Waters Church was not done. Gary placed his hand on my shoulder and told me how much they appreciated our work and that they wanted to see us stay here for a long time. As a result, he said they were concerned with burn-out. He told me that he wanted me to take time away with my family just to have fun and recharge our batteries, and he slipped money into my hands. It wasn’t until late that afternoon that I was able to count the money and realize that he had given us $2000.
As I shared this with my family, we struggled (and continue to struggle) with accepting that kind of money for ourselves. We deal with incredible needs everyday, and the thought of spending money for retreats and recreation is a little hard to swallow. At the same time, the entire family admitted that this summer has been hard on us all. Our home has been filled almost constantly, Wanda and I have been overworked, and the kids have had to assume many extra responsibilities. So, Gary’s cautions against burnout ring true. Our budget is tight, and we don’t have much money for even little things such as an occasional night out. Almost every penny is accounted for. So, we realized our need to simply accept their gift with gratitude and use it wisely and responsibly in the year ahead for the intent that it was given.
Thank you, Living Waters Church, for your service, the water filters, and the gift to our family! What a blessing you are to us, our ministry, and Guatemala!
On Friday, Wanda and I finally got a chance to get away for our anniversary (two weeks late). We headed out mid-morning and went straight to Esquintla to deliver a wheelchair to Walter. (I am deeply blessed to have the kind of wife who joyfully desires to start our time away by serving! She is a one-in-ten million kind of lady!) We arrived and found Walter playing outside his house. I was immediately frustrated when I realized that he was wearing his braces over the bedsores, but quickly realized that I had left his mother in an impossible situation. I had told her that he could not wear his braces, but without his braces he cannot walk and had no wheelchair. Unless they were willing to carry this six year old everywhere they went, he would need his braces. So, I fitted his chair for him, removed his braces, and discovered that he was developing an infection in his right foot. But I also found that his mother was treating the wound with saline and gauze, just as I had instructed her. I once again stressed that now that they have a wheelchair he must not wear his braces and they agreed.
The chair I found for him was a perfect fit after I made adjustments to the foot rests. As soon as everything was just right, I took him out to the street where he immediately began to wheel himself all around. His two cousins quickly joined in and were taking turns pushing his chair. As we said goodbye and received hugs and kisses, Wanda and I realized this was the perfect way to start our time away.
From there we headed back to Antigua where we did some birthday shopping for Carissa and Taryn (whose birthdays are today and tomorrow) and then checked into a motel that gives special rates to missionaries. The next 24 hours were spent simply enjoying one another’s company, recounting memories of our last 23 years, and eating some quiet meals together. I am blessed to have Wanda as a wife, yet another of the many gifts from God that I could never earn or deserve.
We praise God for His continued provision through people such as you. He is truly doing “exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think!”
Good morning from San Antonio Aguas Calientes!
Daryl
