Our First Child!

Yesterday Hogar de la Esperanza welcomed our first child. Rafael is seven years old and has cerebral palsy. Our ministry has been working with him and his family for around 18 months, providing food and medicine for them, so he is not a stranger to us at all.

I have carried a huge burden for Rafael because his home situation has not been good. His father abandoned his mother when he was a baby, and he has been living with his mom, grandmother and older sister in a dark and dirty home. He spent most of his time lying in his crib and the back of his head is misshapen as a result. Each time we visited him he was dirty and smelly and I wondered what he could achieve with love, attention and some education and therapy.

So, when our home received authorization we approached his mom to ask if she would like to place him in our home. We brought them to our house and let them see the place and his mother immediately agreed. So yesterday she went to PGN with Rafael’s paperwork and a letter from us stating that we would take him into our home, and everything went quickly from there. Yesterday afternoon we drove to the court and brought him home.

The first thing we had to do was clean him up. He was infested with lice and filthy and smelly. Add to all of this his malnourishment and you get the picture. We gave him a short haircut, lice treatment, two baths, trimmed his nails, and fed him a nourishing supper. We also took him to our doctor to treat a rash and an infected ingrown toenail (which is going to require surgery).

Last night we just spent time holding and loving on him. As I held him for about 30 minutes, he seizured three times, so we will be taking him to a neurologist next week for testing and medication to control these.

In addition to Rafael, there are two other children who will likely be added to our home soon (in the next week or two) and several courts that are working to place children with us. So, our home will be filling up quickly. Please pray for us through this transition.

Last night as Wanda and I were laying down in bed, I turned to her and said, “Well, we made it…to the beginning!” After all the work we have done to get to this point, we have to keep reminding ourselves that the work and this ministry are only just getting started. I am thankful for my Jesus that has walked with us through each step and who promises to stay close in the days ahead.

Blessing from Guate!

Daryl