Last week I received an e-mail message from Pat Reynolds, a fellow missionary serving in Guatemala. She was looking for a wheelchair for a gentleman who lives in Panabajal Comalapa. I quickly responded and told her that I would be happy to go with her to meet him and measure him for a chair. So on Monday Gerardo, April and I met her and her husband Charlie in Tecpan and headed out to visit him.
We arrived and met Dionisio and his beautiful family. As we visited, he told us his story. A little over a year ago he went into Chimaltenango to do some banking. As he was leaving the bank, he was approached by two gunmen who demanded his wallet. He immediately complied, but once they had his wallet one of them said, “We think it is better if we just kill you.” They then shot him twice. One bullet went through his left lung, the other damaged his spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
In an instant, his life and the lives of his wife and eight children were changed. His oldest son, age 14, has taken over his father’s work in the fields. He makes about Q.35 each day (about $4.50) and is the sole provider for his family. Dionisio is working hard at physical therapy, hoping to regain the use of his legs, but the prognosis is not good.
I have a sponsor for a wheelchair for him, but when I checked with both Hope Haven and Bethel I found that they were both out of the type of chair he needs. He is currently in a wheelchair that was provided by the Reynolds, but it has taken a beating over the last six months and needs to be replaced. Both Bethel and Hope Haven do not expect their next shipment for over a month.
Meanwhile, he is in need of catheter tubes and bags each month. These cost them Q.90 a month (almost $12). I would also like to provide a food basket for his family which will cost of $29 each month (our food costs have increased from the previous $25 expense). So if you would like to sponsor either or both of these needs, please write to me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.
But sometimes one instance can make a huge difference for the better. On Monday evening we visited Ever Elisio and his family in Santa Isabel. Ever has autism and has been thrown out of several schools because of his hitting, kicking and biting. The teachers all thought he was just undisciplined and a "bad child”, but we recognized the signs right away. Thanks to a generous sponsor, we were able to arrange for him to start attending Los Gozosos’ school for children with special needs in Chimaltenango. He started in January. They agreed to accept him on a trial basis, so we were visiting to see how thing were going.
We were sitting in their home when Ever came bursting into the room. He had heard that the gringo was there and he wanted to show Gerardo and I his notebook from school. He sat down between us and laid his head on my shoulder as we told him how wonderful his work was. He beamed as I took his picture and told us repeatedly how much he liked school, his teachers and his homework.
This was so different from the Ever Elisio we had seen before. In the past, he shunned hugs and touches and seldom smiled or talked. His mother and father confirmed the tremendous improvements they have seen in him since he started at Los Gozosos. The joy in their eyes made my day.
This is the perfect time for me to take a moment to thank every one of you who sponsor one or more children. The difference you make in lives is incredible. I wish I could take each one of you to visit your child and see your impact first-hand. But since that is usually not possible, please accept my gratitude and the gratitude of the family you help as a poor substitute.
Another family that is being impacted by the body of Christ is Aura and her seven children. We have a sponsoring family that is providing food and diapers for her daughter, Katerine, each month. In addition, we recently hired Aura to clean one day a week for us and found some friends who hired her to do the same at their ministry. We also found a sponsor to pay for her oldest three daughters to go to Kairos Christian Schools special program for children who are behind in their education. They have been unable to attend school for years, so they have quite a bit of catching-up to do. Aura, thanks to the work she has, is now able to put her younger children back in the local public school, and a sponsor is going to provide their school supplies. In addition, our daughters are now picking up her four oldest daughters and taking them to youth group every Friday evening.
This family, who was abandoned by their husband and father in December, is having their hope restored thanks to the intervention of God’s people. Thank you so much to all of you who make this ministry possible and who are willing to follow God’s call to care for the least of these!
As I write this, little Lucia and her mother and uncle have come down from San Pablo to get neurological testing for her. I mentioned her last week because she is being racked by severe seizures and spasms that bends her spine backwards and make her unable to sit or even lie flat. She is in almost constant pain and is unable to sleep for more than brief periods. They stayed with us last night and we arranged for her to see the pediatrician this morning at Hermano Pedro because they need to get a referral from him for the neurologist. We are pulling every string to have them seen by the neurologist this afternoon, but are not sure he will be able to do so. If he can’t, we will have to send them back home and bring them back again in a couple of weeks.
Please pray that Lucia is able to see the neurologist this afternoon and that he will be able to provide relief for her.
That’s all for now. Blessings from Guatemala!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew
