When things move…they really move!

First, I want to thank everyone who prayed for and responded to our need for a sponsor for Britani. I am pleased to let you know that we found a family to provide the support for her and her mom within a couple of hours of my post. And the offers kept coming and stacking-up! Thank you all!

On Monday we arranged for her mom to take her to Hermano Pedro to be seen by a doctor. As expected, they sent them down for an X-ray and they are supposed to return to see the specialist at the end of May. They stopped by Hogar de la Esperanza after they received the X-rays to bring back the change from the money we gave them for the appointment. I took a look at the X-rays and my heart sank. Not only is her hip displaced, but her hip socket is greatly deteriorated and broken. I suspect that she will require significant reconstructive surgery and six to eight weeks in a Spica cast. Of course, I didn’t mention any of this to her mom. That news, if it comes, needs to come from the doctor. Please pray for Britani and her mom in the days ahead.

On Sunday I preached at our home church, Vida Nueva y Paz. At the beginning, I introduced myself and the ministry we do here in Guatemala. After the service I was approached by a lady who told us about her neighbor who has a little boy “who is six years old but cannot walk or talk.” We gave her a ride home from church to find out where she lives and made an appointment to meet her Monday morning to go visit the family.

When we arrived, we found little Rafael who has cerebral palsy and is very undernourished. His mother, Judit, was abandoned by her husband (an all-too familiar story) and is struggling to survive with her two children and her mother living with her. She runs a used clothing store out of the front of her home to try to earn a living, but only makes about Q.60 each month (about $7.40). Rafael’s anti-seizure medication costs about Q.180 each month. She has been borrowing money to pay for it.

As we talked with them more, we realized that they were out of his meds and did not have any food in the house. Looking at the weight of Rafael, his mom and grandmother, I decided that we didn’t have time to wait. So, we arranged to give them one of the monthly food distribution boxes along with a full box of Kids Against Hunger food packets. We also provided a months worth of medication for Rafael. We prayed with them, and as we left Judit hugged me and cried in relief. I am pleased to say that I contacted one of the families who had offered to sponsor Britani, and they agreed to sponsor Rafael instead. Praise God this need is already met!

Much of our work is done in rural village settings, but I am always finding myself amazed at how close great needs are to us. Britani and her mom live about 100 yards from our house. Rafael and his family live about 15 minutes from here on the edge of Antigua, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Central America. Yet both of these families were hungry and desperate. It has caused me to wonder how many others are right under my nose every day. How many doors do I pass with desperate needs right behind them?

Things are on schedule for the opening of our day care program for children with special needs. We will officially open our doors on May 22nd, and we are working to get everything in place. We will begin with four children, one day a week. Once we develop a rhythm and gain experience, we will open it to more children for more days. This is kind of a test-run and on-the-job training for our group home.

Speaking of the group home, I am excited to say that things are happening! The first year was getting things in place to begin our licensing, including developing a support network and obtaining wise council. At last, everything is ready for us to officially begin the licensing process. I praise God that He has provided us with an excellent man who is highly recommended from numerous sources to oversee the work. His name is Edy Tum and he and his team will guide us through the process and serve as our staff social workers once the home opens.

We met with Edy on Wednesday and things are moving quickly. He assured us that our home should be licensed in eight to ten months, which is much faster than we were told to expect. We are now pulling together documents, forming a Guatemalan board and obtaining some required signatures and equipment. We meet again on Tuesday and expect to take some other significant steps in the process that day.

Please pray for this process. Specifically, please seek God for:

1. Wisdom for us as we formalize our board, vision statement, and the specifics of our group home.
2. Approximately $5500.00 in legal fees and expenses that are required to obtain our license.
3. An additional $1500 a month support for Hogar de la Esperanza to cover the cost of a staff doctor, psychologist and social worker (which are required by the government) and a couple of trained nannies to assist with care.
4. That we will be able to raise these additional funds without me having to travel home to speak. I cannot afford the time away.
5. Favor in the eyes of the government officials with whom we will be working.
6. A smooth and quick licensing process.

Thanks for all your prayers and support! We couldn’t do any of this without you!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew