Children and Challenges

Since my last update to this blog we have added two new children to our home. I want to take a moment to introduce them to you and then will give you further updates on our home and life in general.

On Monday our local judge appeared at our door. She wanted to visit our home and inform us that she was sending a child to us that afternoon. So, at around 1:00 pm Yenni showed up at our door. She is 11 years old and has been living with her grandmother and little brother for the last year. Her mother died about four years ago and her father passed away last year. Since then her grandmother has been struggling to take care of her.

Yenni has an undiagnosed syndrome that has caused both cognitive and physical delays. She is very assertive (and apparently undisciplined) so she has been a handful since her arrival. However, with each passing day we see her behavior improving. She has an infectious laugh, and our biggest challenge is trying not to smile when disciplining her. Even with her behavioral issues she is incredibly charming. But, for the moment, she requires lots of supervision.

Yenni arrived with a head-full of lice, but unlike Rafael we could not shave her head. So, Wanda and our staff have treated her twice for lice and are taking time to pick nits every day (there are hundreds of them and it takes hours and hours to completely clear her head of the eggs). We take lice very seriously because if it comes into our home it will be a nightmare to get rid of it.

Just a few hours after she arrived Yenni had a massive grand mal seizure that left her unconscious for 15 minutes. We called our doctor who is contracted to work with our home and he came immediately to our door. He examined her and prescribed anti-seizure meds until we can get her examined by a neurologist.

We had no sooner completed her registration into our home when a judge from Guatemala City called asking us if we would accept an emergency placement of a girl with cerebral palsy. We told them that we would receive her as long as they would bring her to our home. (My 4-Runner is still down for repairs and the van was in use.) So, at around 7:30 that evening Alejandra entered our home.

There is no way you can meet Alejandra and not fall in love with her. She is a happy child with a beautiful smile. She loves the attention she is receiving in our home and soaks it up like a sponge. She has some hand usage and will spend hours playing catch with us. Like Yenni, her laugh is infectious and fills our home. We have yet to hear her cry.

She also came to her home filthy and desperately in need of a bath. But, thankfully, she had no lice.

One of the heart-breaking moments of the day came along with Alejandra. The social worker who delivered her to our home also had a van full of children that were being taken to different orphanages. She apologetically explained that none of them had eaten supper and wondered if we could give them some cookies or crackers. My beautiful bride, Wanda, would never settle for giving hungry children a few cookies, so before I knew it we had a table full of children feasting on soup and french bread.

The hard part of this story is where these children were heading. You see, orphanages in Guatemala are crowded and there are very few decent places to put them. As a result, they were being sent to three different crowded, state-run orphanages, two of which have 300 children and the other has 700. Among the children who ate with us that evening was a young 15 year old mother and her young daughter(about 18 months old). The mother was sexually molested by a family member and got pregnant at age 12. This young lady was being taken to one orphanage and her child was being taken to another. She was not yet aware that she was losing her daughter.

I cannot describe how badly I wanted to just throw open our doors and have them all stay with us. But I know that our call is to children with special needs (whose circumstances are even worse than these). So as they left later that evening we wiped some tears and prayed for them.

It has been remarkable seeing the changes in Rafael, Yenny and Alejandra in the short time that they have been with us. Each day brings challenges, but also confirmation that we are doing what God wants. Rafael is becoming more interactive and communicative. Jenny is learning to use a quiet voice and extend basic courtesies. She is also becoming more curious and seems to learn quickly. Alejandra is soaking up the attention and trying new tasks for herself, including some basic sign language that Brittney has been teaching her. We are seeing God’s healing flowing into each of them in significant ways.

At the same time, our home has become an exercise in controlled chaos. Wanda and Carissa have done a fantastic job of establishing structure and organization, and Kristin and Kathlyn Beyer, Emilee Stagnaro, Emily Abner and Aura have been doing fantastic work in the home and with the children. But even with all their excellent teamwork we are still facing major adjustments in schedules and the accompanying kinks that come with them. We are now adding a doctor, social worker, psychologist and physical therapist to our schedule and they are all coming and going with regularity. Meanwhile we have added medicine charts, stretches, exercises, appointments, diaper changing, developmental activities and much more to our lives. Plus I still have much to learn about effectively managing our growing staff (pictured above during a training session). And yet, somehow, it is all good.

Our days are longer than ever now, and we end them exhausted. But even as our lives and schedules are so very full, so are our hearts. This is why God has put us here, and it is good to be living life to the max.

There are a couple of ways that you could help us if God should so lead you. First, you could pray for us through these days of massive transition. Our home will likely continue to fill rapidly, so the changes have just begun. Please pray that God gives us unity and good teamwork and that He fills our home with His presence and power. And please pray for Rafael, Yenni and Alejandra that God will continue to bring healing to their lives.

Also, would you prayerfully consider sponsoring Rafael, Yenni or Alejandra? (Rafael already has a sponsor for 1/3 of his needs.) The expenses of doctors, medicine, physical therapy and the required psychologist and social worker are not small. We estimate all of these things to cost around $150 per child each month. So if you are willing to sponsor one of them for whatever amount you can, it would be greatly appreciated. If you are interested, please write me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.

That’s all for now! Blessings from the chaos!

Daryl