I have a couple of big pieces of news to share with you, plus some updates, so I will get right to it.
The first big piece of news is that we have a firm moving date for the Beyer family! Their plane tickets are purchased and they will be arriving in Guatemala on Monday, May 27. This is an answered prayer for us as Dale, Anita and their family will be serving vital roles in our ministry and providing relief to my schedule. Of course, most of their first four months on the ground will be devoted to getting settled, learning the culture and language studies, so I will not be turning over any major responsibilities for a while.
Please pray for their family as they wrap things up in the US and then make their big move. As someone who has lived through this transition, I understand the need to bathe them in prayer. Please join me in that effort.
The second piece of news is that God has provided us with a nurse! Katie Riley, a RN, has felt God’s call to join our work here in Guatemala. As a result, she has begun the process of raising support and planning for her big move.
Katie has been to Guatemala with our ministry twice and we have known her for years. She will be an excellent addition to our team as she helps to address the frequent medical needs we encounter in the children and adults with which we work.
Please pray for Katie. Often fundraising is difficult and time consuming, and we need her here soon. Please ask God to grant her favor and provide what she needs so she can move promptly.
I also want to update you on Rachel McCray, who is preparing to move here and serve as a trained midwife. We had originally hoped she could make her move this fall, but due to an opportunity that has arisen, that has been delayed. Instead she will be traveling to Tanzania where she will complete a two month midwife internship from September 29 until November 22. During this time she will have the opportunity to assist with between 120 and 240 births in a third-world setting. This is important as conditions both in Tanzania and Guatemala are very different from what she would experience in US training. She felt that this experience would be extremely valuable to her, and we agreed whole-heartedly.
As a result, her move will be delayed until 2014. However, we are excited about the training she will receive and trust God’s timing completely.
As you can tell, our staff in Guatemala is growing rapidly…more rapidly than I had anticipated. However, we see God’s hand in it all. Last week our ministry needed to be three places at once, so our current staff split up and covered all the bases. The freedom that this provides our work is priceless. I am so thankful for the team that is already here (Gerardo, April and Daniel) and those that are on the way (the Beyer family, Rachel and Katie).
So much has been happening that it is hard to know what I should share, but here are a few things:
Last week we hosted Frank Carvajal from southern California. He has been a follower of my blog for a while, and he and his family are seeking God regarding a possible future in missions. The day after he arrived we attended church and they were in need of a translator to translate the sermon from Spanish to English. Since Frank is fluent in Spanish he stepped up and met the need. He did a great job, in spite of the last minute notice.
On Monday we headed to Las Palmas and La Gomera for our monthly visit. On the way down we took the scenic route through the back country and had our own little adventure. At one point we moved over to the side of the road to allow a truck to pass. As I started to pull out again the dirt on the right side of the road collapsed and we found our vehicle sitting in a ditch tilting sharply. Due to a large rock directly in front of me I could not drive out forward. And due to the steep bank behind the 4-Runner we could not back out.
Immediately a vehicle stopped with two workers from a local farm. They told us that they would get a tractor and come back to pull us out. About an hour-and-a-half later they returned with the tractor but no chain. We borrowed a large rope from a neighbor which we promptly snapped, so they headed out to find a chain and second tractor.
After another hour of waiting, a large truck came through with a long chain and quickly pulled us out (with Frank and Daniel standing on the left running board and swinging their rears away from the vehicle to provide counter-balance and keep us from tipping over). Damages consisted of a long scrape up the passenger door and a mud flap that was ripped off. But we were on the road again with me being much warier of the edges. My next purchase will be a nice, long chain that will be my constant companion in the 4-Runner.
After we made our normal stops in Las Palmas we met up with Steve Osborn in Santa Lucia. Steve and his wife, Shyrel, are the directors of Amor del Niño, an orphanage in Mixco. We are working with Steve to set-up physical therapy clinics in both San Antonio Aguas Calientes and La Gomera. We had made arrangements with both towns and Steve wanted us all to meet together with the medical clinic supervisor in La Gomera to make sure everything was set.
We had a wonderful meeting with Edna Vásquez and quickly realized that God was opening the door to more ministry in that town. We will be working closely with Edna in coming months to assist with the needs of the special needs community in her area.
During the first week of June we will have a two day physical clinic in San Antonio on June 3 & 4 and then follow that with a two day clinic in La Gomera on the 6th and 7th. These clinics will be staffed by a team of physical therapists from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. We are praising God for these open doors that God is providing for us.
Last week we also picked up seven wheelchairs from Hope Haven. I have been waiting for them to receive a shipment of standard chairs and it finally came in from the States. I had a long list of people waiting for chairs, so I went in to finally purchase their chairs. Unfortunately as I was paying for the chairs I found out that Hope Haven had increased the price they charge for chairs. As a result, we now have to pay $150 for a standard chair and $250 for a custom chair. Ouch! So, I paid $350 more for the chairs than I had anticipated. (This is not a criticism of Hope Haven. They are a huge blessing to our ministry and are only increasing the cost to cover their own rising expenses. While we were there they also gave us a large box of diapers and three sets of forearm crutches at no charge.)
This week we are hosting the Anderson and Covert families from Pennsylvania. These couples, along with their five children, are a pleasure to have and a huge blessing to our ministry. So far they have spent time at Hermano Pedro and taken some of the kids and adults out to eat, assisted with our local distribution, and worked with Paso a Paso (Step by Step), a local feeding program. Today they are up in Santa Maria de Jesus working with a feeding program and playing with the children.
We do have a couple of needs with which we need your help. First, we have recently lost a long-time sponsor for one of our children, Marcos Antonio. The couple that was sponsoring him has felt God leading them to support another missionary effort. We understand that and thank them for their faithful support over the last two years. But now we need to find a replacement sponsor for this young man.
He is 17 years old and suffered permanent brain damage due to complications during birth. His mother, who suffered from mental illness, was unable to care for him, so his adoptive mother, Maura, took him in at just a few hours old. She is a single mother who does a remarkable job of caring for him while working to support them both. However, the sponsored food and diapers they receive from us each month is urgently needed and makes the difference between malnutrition and health. Due to recent increases in food costs, the sponsorship amount is now $32.00 each month. If one of you would be willing to sponsor this young man, please write to me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.
Likewise, we need a sponsor for David. David is also 17 years old and has severe Cerebral Palsy. Our ministry sought sponsorship for him over a year ago, but never found a donor. Because the needs of his family were so great, we decided to pay for the food basket and diapers out of our general budget. However, due to increasing expenses and so many emergency needs, we cannot continue to do this. The monthly cost to sponsor David is $32.00. If you would be willing to help him, please write to the e-mail address above. I cannot effectively communicate to you how crucial it is that we find sponsors for both Marcos Antonio and David.
Finally, we need sponsors for two sets of leg braces. One is for little Angel. This cute little guy received his first set of leg braces about 18 months ago. That, along with physical therapy, has enabled him to make great strides in his standing and walking. However, he recently outgrew his braces and needs new ones. The cost for these braces are $200.00.
Also needing new braces is Walter. This little guy is a go-getter and is very active. We provided him with his original set about 18 months ago as well. When he wears them he is able to walk unassisted and loves the freedom they provide. He recently outgrew them and needs a new set. Once again, the cost of these are $200.00. If you are willing to help with either Angel or Walter’s new braces, please e-mail me at the address above.
That is all for now. Blessings from San Antonio Aguas Calientes!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew
