I realize it has been a while since my last blog update. I apologize, but everything seems to happen at once, and I have been trying to keep up with life and ministry. So, without further ado...
Our group home, Hogar de la Esperanza has been licensed!!! After over 2 1/2 years on the ground, piles and piles of paperwork, and more meetings than I care to count, we have finally received authorization! As I understand it, we are only the 24th home in Guatemala to receive full authorization, and many of the homes that are currently operating have not yet been authorized but are simply allowed to continue as they work on the process. Our success in this goal is largely due to the work of our social worker, Edy Tum, who has guided us step-by-step through the process and fought constantly on our behalf.
In the next few weeks we will be meeting judges to introduce ourselves and our home, and the placements should begin as we receive children with special needs through the courts. So, now the real work begins. As mentioned before, as of this month our operating budget increases by around $1000 a month as the psychologist and case worker come on staff and our medical and food expenses increases. Please pray with us for God to provide.
God's timing for the licensing was perfect as it enabled Wanda and I to celebrate our 25th anniversary in style before the opening of our group home. Last week we splurged on a very nice motel suite in Guatemala City for three nights and enjoyed some nice meals, swimming and a wonderful time together. God has taught us to be thrifty with our resources over the years, but this time it just felt like God was blessing the splurge. It was so nice celebrating our relationship and the journey on which God has taken us over the last 25 years. We would have been terrified had we known what we were facing ahead as we stood at the altar on July 23, 1988, but looking back now we wouldn't change a thing.
Speaking of changing things, it appears that it is time to change vehicles as my faithful 4-Runner seems ready to be put out to pasture. The years of hard miles have taken their toll and its aches and pains seem to be overwhelming its ability to function. It is still a good vehicle for gentler driving, but needs a retirement from the rural and hard roads to which I have subjected her. In addition, we simply need a vehicle with more cargo space. On a recent trip to Las Palmas, La Gomera and Sipacate we were fully loaded down both inside and out as we carried food baskets, diapers, medicine and three wheelchairs. Our ministry will be receiving a donation to cover the cost of a vehicle upgrade minus the projected profit we will receive through the sale of the 4-Runner, so we are currently shopping for a 4-door pick-up truck. We are looking for a used 4-wheel drive diesel as the cost of diesel fuel is cheaper here and it would get better fuel efficiency with more power. We expect such a purchase to save us around $1500-2000 in fuel cost each year.
One of the reasons for the need for more cargo area is our increase in new families with which we work. With each passing month we are fitting more wheelchairs, delivering more food and supplies, and transporting more people. On Friday we delivered four wheelchairs to some folks who desperately needed them. It is not easy fitting all those chairs in a 4-Runner, but the smiles on the faces were worth it all (and then some).
One of the children who recieved a wheelchair is Maria Jose. Her family fishes for a living, and they wanted to share what they had with us in gratitude for our help. So they prepared a wonderful seafood lunch for us that rivaled the best restaurant I have encountered. Fish, shrimp, crab, ceviches...we were stuffed "to the gills" and enjoyed the incredible company of a wonderful family. So often we seek to bless families but usually end up being more blessed by them.
As I write this blog I am sitting outside my hotel room in San Pablo La Laguna. We have had a long day as we traveled up and visited with six families. One of the families we visited was little Michael and his mom, Juana. This handsome three year old has Down Syndrome and his single mother struggles to provide for them. We have been providing some food and the bus fare for her to take Michael to therapy, thanks to a generous sponsor in the States. Today we were able to deliver a special treat for them...a real bed! Until now, they have been sleeping on a crib mattress that they place on their dirt floor each night. This is a challenge that becomes even more difficult during rainy season as their floors often turn to mud. For the first time, they will sleep on a real bed tonight thanks to another generous sponsor in the States. As we carried the bed in Juana began to cry. She told us, through our Tzutujil translator, Michel, that she was overwhelmed with gratitude because no one had cared for them before. As we told her about the sponsor in the US her tear increased and she asked us repeatedly to tell them "Thank you!"
The longer I live here and do this ministry the more I realize the difference a few dollars can make. The cost of a simple meal at McDonalds for a family of five each month can literal save and change lives. And the more I see that lived out in front of me, the more grateful I am for all of you who pray and give to make this ministry a reality. Many of you are making real sacrifices to support this work because you realize how much God loves the whole world, not just your little world. For that, I thank you...from the bottom of my heart!
Blessings from San Pablo La Laguna!
Daryl
