The past 12 months have been filled with milestones as God continues to bless and build His kingdom through this ministry. We continue to be awed and humbled at what He is doing around us. The biggest challenge we face is staying out of His way as He works.
So, what has been happening in 2013? Here is a brief summary:
Hogar de la Esperanza Is Open!
After 2 ½ years of working toward authorization, we finally received our license for our group home on August 7th. It is hard to describe what an emotional time that was for us as we finally saw this dream become reality. Suddenly the mountains of paperwork, days of meetings and long lists of regulations were worth it when the license was placed in our hands.
The past five months since that day have been some of the most challenging of our lives as we have begun receiving children and accepting the vast amount of responsibilities that come along with them. We currently have eight children in our home and have decided to turn down requests for additional placements. Our home is licensed to receive more, but because of the severe health issues of several of the children, we have decided to limit the intake of children until they are stable.
Let me take a moment to introduce you to the children in our home:
Yennifer is 11 years old and has Noonan Syndrome. This causes her to have drooping eyelids and significant cognitive delays. However, she is very friendly and sweet and has adjusted well to our home. The last several years have been difficult for her as her mother died four years ago and her father passed away last year. Her grandmother has been doing her best to care for her since then, but was completely overwhelmed. So, the local judge arranged for her to be placed in our home. Her favorite activities are eating and dancing. (We have regular family dance parties in our home.) On most days, she attaches herself to someone and follows him/her around with a smile on her face.
Rafael is 11 years old and has cerebral palsy. We have actually known him for over 1 ½ years as one of the sponsored children through our ministry, and we have been very concerned about the care he was receiving in his home. We usually found him dirty and lying in his crib all hours of the day. So, when our home was licensed we approached his mother and asked her if she would consider having him placed in our home. She agreed, so the courts removed him and placed him with us. He is now receiving physical and occupational therapy, and the improvement is noticeable. He smiles a lot these days.
Alejandra is 11 years old and has cerebral palsy. She also has a beautiful smile that lights up the room. She was abandoned by her mother, who did not want to care for a child with special needs. Her father abused her and was recently sent to jail for robbery. When we were told her story, we were expecting a sad, withdrawn child. Nothing could be farther from the truth. She is engaging, smart and outgoing. She has a wonderful laugh and seems to love being in our home. She loves coloring, writing and puzzles.
Christian is 4 years old and has autism, as well as significant sight and hearing impairment. (He is legally blind and deaf.) He is a short-term placement in our home as his family came to us seeking help with his conditions. They live in a very remote part of Guatemala, and there are few resources near them to assist with his care. For a while, they were riding a chicken bus five hours (one way) to physical therapy sessions once a week, but decided they could no longer take that much time and money for a half hour session. We have received him into our home in order to have medical evaluations and receive therapy and education. His parents will be coming down to visit him every five weeks for the purpose of being trained in therapy and techniques that will help him long-term. We are hopeful that he can return to their home after nine months or a year. Already the improvements are significant. When he first arrived he would not use his hands for even basic tasks. There seemed to be a disconnect between his hands and his brain. Now when we place food in his hand he takes it to his mouth and will even hold his own sipper cup while he drinks. He has also begun to reach out to grab and hold toys.
Esperanza – Esperanza is almost eight months old and has a rare condition called Kleeblattschaedel syndrome which caused her head to be shaped like a clover. This, combined with hydrocephalus, causes severe pressure on her brain. Due to this pressure, the doctors chose to remove her eyes because they were bulging severely. She is also deaf. This condition, without extreme surgical intervention at a young age, is almost always fatal. We have been told by the courts to care for her and give her lots of love until her time comes. While you might have difficulty seeing her beauty, our family has fallen hopelessly in love with little Esperanza and find her to be gorgeous. As she grows, her hands have become far more active and explorative. She loves touching our faces and seems to particularly enjoy my goatee. She has two favorite toys that she spends hours touching and rubbing. If you spend more than five minutes with her, you will fall for her as well. It is our privilege to be the ones to carry her to Jesus.
Brayan – We do not know Brayan’s age. The court has told us that he is 10 at one point and 12 at another. We have no legal paperwork for him except the placement papers from the judge. When the court called to ask us if we would take him, we were told that he had cognitive delays and cerebral palsy. When he arrived it became obvious that he did not have cerebral palsy. In fact, he is very healthy physically and is an active child. He loves to help around the house and beams when he receives praise. He also really loves to eat and always requests seconds, thirds, fourths…
Thania – While Thania looks like she is only 4 or 5, she is actually 13 years old. She came to us weighing only 19 pounds with lots of severe medical conditions, including infections, hip dysplasia and malnutrition. She will require intensive surgery to correct her hip problems, but we cannot proceed with addressing that issue until she is stronger. So, her life is filled with doctors, exams, medicines and special formula to help her grow and gain strength. For obvious reasons, she is not a happy child. She seems to be in almost constant pain and struggles to swallow. We feel as if we are fighting daily for her life.
Angelita – Angelita is another child who looks much younger that she is. You would assume that she was only 1 ½ , but she is actually 7 years old. The 18 month sized clothing she wears is still baggy on her and, like Thania, she struggles to chew and swallow. We are still trying to diagnose and treat all of her issues which include malnutrition, seizures and infections. Her life is hanging in the balance and we are working hard to help her gain weight and strength. It was recently determined that she has hydrocephalus and will likely need a neurosurgeon to install a cerebral shunt.
Growth
In 2013 our ministry grew in more ways than one. Our team here grew as we welcomed April Clark as our Ministry Coordinator. She has been such a blessing to our work as she has assumed the responsibility of coordinating and leading the ministry teams that frequently come. In addition, she has helped to get our rural village ministry organized by creating inventories, checklists and systems to assure we run smoothly. I don’t know what we would do without her.
We also had the privilege of welcoming the Beyer family from Missouri. These long-term friends made their move to Guatemala in May and have adjusted well to the culture, the people and this ministry. Dale will be serving as Assistant Director of Asociación Ministerio de Esperanza and leading our rural village ministry. Already he has assumed much of the responsibility of this work. In addition, their two daughters, Kristin and Kathlyn, have been playing a key role as they have served as nannies in Hogar de la Esperanza. Finally, their family is assisting with the leadership of our ministry teams.
Aura King joined our staff as a nanny in April. We have known Aura for some time, having worked with her 11 year old daughter, Katerin, who has special needs. When we realized that we needed to hire more staff, she was one of the first people who came to mind. She is great with the children and is one of the best cooks and housekeepers we have ever met. She has been a great blessing to our home.
Finally, our daughter, Carissa, has joined our team as Co-director of our group home. She has plans to move to Uganda and open up a group home for girls with special needs based upon the model we have here. The work she is doing with us combines to provide us with much needed help while also preparing her for that ministry. She is currently overseeing the care of the children and managing their medicines, therapy and schedules. We are so grateful for her work.
As our staff has grown, so has our ministry. Over the last year our rural village ministry has worked in 22 villages with 114 families. Of those families, 80 of them have received monthly or semi-monthly support and visits. Each month we deliver 867 pounds of food, milk and formula and approximately $800 of medicine. In 2013 we provided 16 wheelchairs, four sets of crutches, three walkers, and four pairs of ankle and foot orthotics (leg braces). We also provided 42 visits to doctors and specialists and 51 medical tests, including MRI’s, EEG’s, X-rays, and blood work.
To be honest, the growth of this ministry has surpassed my comfort level. This work has stretched me physically, emotionally and spiritually in ways that I had not imagined. So, as we look ahead to 2014, I am very grateful for the team with which God has surrounded me.
Spiritual Challenges
As I have written about numerous times in the past, we face significant spiritual barriers here in Guatemala. The greatest challenge we face is the religion that consumes this culture. Most everyone in the culture is either Evangelical or Catholic, so the word “Jesus” is frequently spoken. However, the understanding of who He is and what it means to follow Him is often quite shallow. Religious traditions consume this culture, and so do false teachings.
In Evangelical circles the prosperity Gospel continues to dominate. As a result, we often find families walking under the weight of self-condemnation because they struggle with poverty and a child with special needs. “Surely,” they believe, “if we were doing what Jesus wants us to do he would heal our child and give us more money. So He must be upset with us.” We fight this mindset and false theology constantly. One of our greatest ministries is helping these families come to understand a God that walks with them through their hardships. Slowly we are beginning to see the understanding come and, along with it, joy in poverty and hardship.
Please pray for us as we seek to show others Jesus, not as He has been distorted to be, but for who He really is. Of course, for us to do that, we have to see Him for ourselves on a daily basis. So, please pray that all of our team continues to fall more in love with Him.
Looking Ahead
As we move into 2014 we face challenges and opportunities, as always. As I type this, we are in the midst of revising some of our previous plans. We had hoped to begin our Maternity Care Ministry early this year, but the mid-wife who had planned to join us and lead that work has been called in a different direction. While this is disappointing to us, we are confident that God provides both the resources and the personnel for the work He wants to do at the appropriate time. So, when He is ready for this work to begin, we know He will open the way.
In mid-January we will be adding Manuel and Christine Moran to our ministry. This wonderful Guatemalan couple will be overseeing the professionals who work with our group home, scheduling and providing transportation for children to appointments and tests, and helping me work on my Spanish skills.
We also hope to have a trained nurse joining us in 2014. Katie Riley is in the process of raising support and preparing for her move, so we are excited about this greatly needed addition to our team.
We continue to pray that God will raise up couples and families to join us and open additional group homes. Our eventual goal is to see 10 such homes opened and caring for children in a family setting.
Our daughter, Brittney, is currently in the States completing her student teaching requirements. Once that is done, she will graduate with a dual degree of Elementary Education and Special Education. She will then return to Guatemala with plans of moving to San Pablo La Laguna to begin a ministry to children with special needs. We are excited to see how God uses her as she serves with Hope for Home Ministries in this capacity.
Likewise, we anticipate that our other daughter, Carissa, will begin the process of fundraising to prepare for her move to Uganda to open the group home there. This will expand our ministry to a different country and continent.
Prayer Requests:
· Please pray for unity within our team. The enemy constantly seeks to divide and gain a foothold, and we are all on the front lines of battle. Pray that we will keep our eyes on Jesus so that we will be unified in our work.
· Please pray for God’s continued provision. As our ministry has grown, so has our budget. In the last six months we have seen new monthly sponsors and have found creative ways to cut our expenses, but our income is still less than the required monthly spending. Therefore we continue to rely on God’s supernatural provision.
· Please pray for the children in our home. All of them are facing major challenges and three have serious health problems. There are days when we must fight for their lives. Please pray that God will heal, comfort and strengthen each of these precious children.
· Please pray for the workers in our home. The care of these children requires much time, attention and patience. Because of the special needs of some of the children, feedings take an average of 14-15 man-hours every day. Please seek God for strength, patience and joy for each of our workers.
· Please pray that God will raise up someone else to begin the Maternity Care Ministry. This is a greatly needed area of service that we had hoped to begin soon.
· Please pray for Dale Beyer, Gerardo Hernandez and their rural village work. This ministry requires wisdom, strength and patience. Please ask God to fill them with lots of each.
· Please pray for my family and me. We currently live in a fish bowl with staff and professionals coming and going from our home at all hours of the days. In addition, we carry the responsibility for the care of the children when the staff goes home in the evening and on the weekends. Please pray that we will continue to find joy in the work and strength in Him.
Thank you to each of you who have prayed, given and served to enable this ministry to continue! May God bless you richly in 2014!
Because of Him!
Daryl Fulp
Director, Hope for Home Ministries
