Thousands of Words…In Pictures

Life is full, time is short, and often pictures are way better than my feeble words. So this week I will let pictures do most of the talking as I tell you about our week.

But first, if you have sent me an e-mail in the last several weeks to which you are awaiting a response, don’t count on it. On Monday our ministry transitioned to a new e-mail service provider to lower costs and increase efficiency. In the process of synchronizing my Outlook with the new service, all my old e-mails were obliterated. (I guess that is one way to clear out my inbox, eh?) So, if you are one of the many who wrote to me recently and have not received an answer, please resend your message. Thanks!

We rounded out last week with several visits to families in remote locations. One of which was Rufino and his father way up the mountain in San Mateo. We were pleased to find that his horrible skin condition is improving under the treatment of the dermatologist. His father was so grateful for help he is receiving.

On Monday, my good friend Jeff Stagnaro arrived with a team that he is leading from Ohio. On Tuesday we started their trip off right with time at Hermano Pedro and lunch with some of the guys and girls. We all had a great time, but it seemed that Elmer and Willie enjoyed it most of all.

On Wednesday morning the team did the weighing, sorting and packing of the food for our monthly distribution. This month we purchased over 1000 lbs of food for families.

                    

     

The rest of the day was spent doing the local distribution in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, San Miguel, San Pedro Las Huertas and San Juan del Obispo. Because this job gets bigger each month, we have divided the work between two teams with April and Gerardo leading one and Daniel and me leading the other. This has lessened my load tremendously.

                    

Yesterday was a long day with a lot of driving as Jeff and his son, Jamie, joined Daniel and me on a trip to three different villages. We started in Las Palmas, then traveled to Nueva Concepción where we delivered a new wheelchair to Jorge, and finally ended in La Gomera. We had a great day of ministry while the rest of the team worked at Hermano Pedro Refugio and the feeding program, Paso a Paso, in our town. (I have no photos of their experiences since I was not there.)

As we were driving into Nueva Concepción, we came upon a large crowd of people gathered around a yard. We wondered what was going on until we saw the crime scene tape surrounding the yard and the body covered by a sheet. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it was obviously violence of some kind. This kind of scene is not uncommon in Guatemala.

Speaking of crime…one of my partners in ministry, Daniel Lopez, was robbed at knife-point just up the street from our house on Wednesday night. He was walking home from our house when two guys on a motorcycle pulled up, pulled a knife and demanded his wallet. They told him that they also had a gun, but never showed it. He gave them his wallet and they drove away. Praise God that Daniel is okay! They ended up using his bank card to buy about Q1030 ($130) worth of stuff before the bank opened the next day and he cancelled his card. On the bright side, I just received a call from him 10 minutes ago telling me that he got his wallet back, minus the bank card, so he at least has his license and DPI card back.

                     

                   

This morning the team headed up to Santa Maria de Jesus to working in the feeding program there. Meanwhile, Daniel and I headed to Chixolis to deliver a wheelchair to Jessica. It was wonderful to get her out of the ratty old chair she was in and into one that will help her sit straight and more comfortably. Jessica was all smiles as she enjoyed her first ride. Special thanks to Todd and Amy Block and their ministry, Village of Hope, for introducing us to this wonderful family!

   

Meanwhile, back on the home front, Joshua and Kimmie recently received new braces. Thanks to a wonderful man, Marvin Gramajo, who does all the braces for our ministry at cost, we were able to get them for $193 a pair. This is a far better price than the $2000 we were charged in the states.

Well, that is enough pictures and words for now. Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew

My Screw-ups and God’s Grace

When I mess-up, I tend to mess-up big. Case in point, in my last blog I wrote about moving Jan and his family to our town from Guastatoya so that his mom, Claudia, could work in our group home. Now, a mere nine days later, we are planning to move them back to Guastatoya. It only took a few days for us to figure out that she was not a good fit for the work we needed her to do. That, combined with a few other frustrations, has caused us to make the decision to end our working relationship with her and move her and her family back to Guastatoya. I will not go into the details why, out of respect for privacy, but will just say that we feel that there is no other option.

I can honestly say that I made the original decision with the best of intentions. We really wanted to help Claudia and her family out of a difficult situation. Working in our home would have freed her to be employed and bring Jan with her, thus providing a steady income for their family. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. However, I realize now that I made the decision too quickly without taking time to pray and seek God’s guidance. I should know better by now, but I blew it big time. And it has now blow-up in my face. I accept full responsibility for this.

Yesterday, when I made the decision to let her go, I really struggled with the money that had been wasted on the entire process. When all is said and done, we will have spent nearly $600 on moving her down, getting her settled and then moving her back north again. As someone who works with families in incredible need, I cringe at the wasting of resources. In addition, I feel a personal responsibility to those who financially support this ministry. I take that responsibility seriously, knowing that many of you sacrifice each month to support this ministry. That is why Wanda and I have talked and decided that we will personally reimburse the ministry for these expenses. The decision was mine, so the consequences of that bad decision should rest on me, not on the financial supporters of this ministry.

On the bright side, we have contacted Aura who, until recently, worked for us one day each week doing cleaning. She left us because she was offered a full-time job in Guatemala City and needed to better provide for her family. However, this new job requires her to live in the city and only come home to be with her girls every other weekend. She had been a faithful and dependable worker for us who went above and beyond in doing any task we asked of her, and we were sad to see her go. So, when we realized that Claudia would not work out, we immediately contacted Aura and offered her full-time work. She will be heading back home to be with her daughters, praise God! She will begin working for us full time at the end of this week. We already know that she will be a good fit for our home, because she fit so well before. We are glad to have her as a part of our growing team.

The reason why staffing is so important is because we just received word yesterday that we should be receiving the licensing for our group home in the next two or three weeks!!! After two-and-a-half years of working toward this goal, it is about to become reality. Our social worker, Edy Tum, will be coming on staff on May 15 to meet the final requirement for opening our home. We will then be hosting a reception for Guatemalan judges who are responsible for placing children. We want them to see that we are a good facility that is a safe place for placing children with special needs. By mid-June we should be receiving children, praise God!

Please pray with us for God’s provision. As I have already mentioned, the operating expenses for our ministry will increase by nearly $1000 a month on the day we receive our license. We are confident of God’s provision, but we seek Him in prayer and ask you to do the same.

Meanwhile, our ministry to children outside our home continues. Yesterday we took Rufino to his appointment with a dermatologist in Guatemala City. You might recall that he is 23 years old and has a horrible skin condition that affects his entire body. He is also cognitively delayed and has twisted joints in his fingers and toes. I am very happy that we found an excellent doctor to treat him who is kind, patient and thorough. He is also a very accomplished doctor who leads seminars in the US. That made it all the more surprising when he announced that he had never encountered a syndrome like what Rufino has. He has asked for time to do some research and consult with other doctors. Meanwhile, he prescribed eye drops for a nasty eye infection along with a special cream to hydrate the skin.

He also told us that due to the rareness of the condition he could likely arrange for free treatment at a research hospital. He informed us, though, that he wants to proceed slowly to make sure that we do what is best for Rufino. He does not want to traumatize him with a hospital stay unless it is absolutely necessary.

Last week we were once again in San Pablo La Laguna. Each month our ministry there grows. We seem to be encountering a high percentage of seizure disorders in that region, and I have to wonder if there is some kind of environmental factor that is contributing to this high occurrence rate. We are arranging to have both Marta Delores (age 6) and Billy (age 14) come into Antigua for a neurological assessment. Unfortunately, the earliest we could arrange appointments were in July.

We also found a little guy name Michael. He is 3 years old and has Down Syndrome. His mother is 19 years old had has been abandoned by both Michael’s father and her parents. She lives alone and had no food in the house. The two of them sleep on the floor as they have no bed. She takes him for free physical therapy at a local school, but the chicken bus costs her Q100 each month to do so. Due to poverty, Michael is struggling with gaining weight as he should. He is currently unable to walk, but we hope to provide him with a walker to assist his development. We left them a box of Kids Against Hunger Food and promised more assistance by the end of this month. We need to find a sponsor to cover a food basket, and the cost of their chicken bus to and from therapy. The monthly cost would be $40 for all of this. We would also love to find a sponsor who would provide a bed and mattress for $100.00. If you feel led by God to help, please contact me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.

I have more than my share of screw-ups and failures, but God’s grace continues to cover both this ministry and me. This simply shows that He is the source of all good things, not me. (Thank you, God!)  Because of that, I can breath a sigh of relief while shaking my head at my own mistakes.

That is all for now! Blessings from San Antonio Aguas Calientes!

Daryl

The Calls Keep Coming

On Monday we were up bright and early and headed to Guastatoya. It was moving day for Jan and his mom, Claudia, and his three sisters, Katy, Angie and Alison. We hired a truck and two helpers to assist with the move, and I am very glad we did.

When we arrived at their home we found three very excited little girls who greeted us with hugs and kisses. We then began the process of moving all their possession down a steep and perilous set of steps to the truck. Because of the excellent helpers we were able to finish the loading by noon and head for home by 1:30.

Of course, there are always snags, and there was that day as well. The landlord of their new house was supposed to be in town no later than 4:00, but we ended up waiting…and waiting… with a truck that needed to be unloaded. He finally showed up at 5:00 and we began the tiring process of moving them into their home. Unfortunately, the street they live on is narrow and steep and the truck was only able to make it about half way up. So, we had to carry everything about 100 yards up the hill. But we eventually got everything inside and beds set up. Our family then delivered supper to them so they would not have to worry about a meal.

Around that time, reality began to set in for Claudia. She suddenly realized that she was three hours from home in a strange community. To make matter worse, it began to rain (one of the first showers of rainy season) and the temperature was very cool. They went from a humid 90 degrees in the morning to a rainy 55 that evening. As a mother, she looked a little shell-shocked. We spent time visiting and encouraging her, and she seemed better by the time we left for the evening.

The next morning Gerardo met them at their home and walked them to Katy and Angie’s new school where they had a great first day. Their whole family came to our house last night for dinner and both of them were excitedly chattering about all their new friends.

Please pray for their family. We are trying to help them all make new friends and feel at home in the community. Claudia begins working full-time in our home on Monday.

Meanwhile, word of our ministry continues to spread. Since we are a unique ministry that serves the community of children with special needs we are receiving a lot of calls. Some are from friends who are missionaries who find families in need of assistance. Others are from strangers who have heard of our work. But, regardless of the source, the calls keep coming.

Yesterday we went to assess three new families. I expected it to be an easy day. After all, what’s so hard about visiting three families? However, it ended up being quite exhausting.

Our first stop was at the home of Jenifer. We had received a message from our friends, Todd and Amy Block, who have been ministering to her and her family. They wanted to know if we could assist with getting her a wheelchair. They live in the community of Chixolis (say that 5 times fast) and Jenifer has cerebral palsy.

The first thing you notice about Jenifer is not her disability, but her infectious smile. She lit up the courtyard as we entered and smiled through most of our visit. She is the kind of person that makes you feel good just by being next to you. I took measurements for a new chair and then took the time to install a seat belt on her beat-up old chair so she would not keep sliding down. The Blocks had already found a sponsor for her chair, so I hope to deliver it in the next couple of weeks.

The streets in Chixolis are unique. They have paving stones, so the roads are not rough, but they are very narrow with no place to park. The problem is lessened somewhat because it is a poor community and most do not have vehicles. But it does create some parking challenges. Sometimes you need a 4-wheel drive just to park in Guatemala.

From there Daniel took me to the community of San Mateo, which was another adventure. The roads leading up the mountain are steep and curvy, and I was once again thankful for my 4-Runner. About 1/4 of the way up, we passed an elderly man slowly walking up the mountain with a heavy load on his back. We stopped and offered him a ride and he gratefully accepted. When Daniel and I placed his load in the back of the truck we both looked at one another in astonishment. This 65 year old man was carrying a 75 pound load on a two mile journey up a mountain that would have exhausted me, even without the load.

When we finally arrived at our destination, I once again had to use my 4-wheel drive to park. We exited the vehicle and walked about another 1/4 mile up a narrow path. Thankfully, the people who live back the trail had done a good job of keeping the brush chopped back and the path maintained.

Finally we arrived at the home of Rufino. He is 23 years old and I believe he has Down Syndrome. However, it was hard to tell because he also has one of the worst skin conditions I have ever seen. The skin covering his entire body is hard and cracked, and I cannot imagine his suffering. But that does not keep him from being happy and affectionate. I barely had a chance to say hello before he had wrapped me in a warm hug. The entire time we were there he just wanted to be close to us.

Rufino’s mother had abandoned him as a baby when she discovered his disabilities, so his father has raised him alone. We spent time visiting with him and decided to come back later because his father was working in the fields. But as we were driving back down the mountain we passed his father riding their donkey back to their house. We stopped and visited for a while and arranged to come back on Monday. We need to find a dermatologist and arrange to transport them both to an appointment in the city for treatment.

The cost for a good dermatologist is Q300.00 (about $40) plus the cost of transportation (about $20). Would someone be willing to give a one-time gift of $60 to cover the cost of this appointment? If so, e-mail me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.

Our last stop was to visit a little guy named Nelson. He and his mom live in Jocotenango, which is a town that borders Antigua. For this last stop, I anticipated good roads, but was wrong. I did not realize this, but Joco extends for a couple of miles out to the north to include some very rural areas. So, we once again found ourselves bouncing on bumpy dirt roads.

When we arrived at Nelson’s home we found an adorable little two year old with a great laugh. He has cerebral palsy and needs good physical therapy. His father is not involved in his life, but a judge has ordered that he needs to contribute to Nelson’s care. So he is providing insurance through his employment (a national program that large businesses provide). The insurance is not very good, so it only covers one 20-minute session each week in Guatemala City. His mother takes him on three different chicken buses for a journey that takes almost three hours round trip to receive those 20 minutes of therapy.

We can provide him with one hour of therapy each week in Antigua for only $23 a month. This will be done by a quality therapist who will also work with his mom to teach her to do therapy with him at home. I am confident that she will follow through because she has already displayed her commitment through her weekly trips to the city.

If there is someone who would be willing to sponsor Nelson each month for the cost of this therapy, please contact me at the e-mail address listed above.

In two hours I will once again be hitting the road for San Pablo La Laguna. Prayers for our traveling and ministry are appreciated as we have a full schedule over the next two days.

Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl

A Big Transition

I am writing to request your prayers for one of our families that is facing a big transition. You might recall that last month we faced a medical emergency with Jan from Guastatoya. This frail little seven year old has severe Cerebral Palsy and suffers from malnutrition. He had to be hospitalized for six days and has required a lot of care since his release.  His mother, Claudia, is unable to work due to the extensive care that he requires, so she takes in laundry from neighbors to maintain a small income. We have been praying about ways that we could assist this family and make sure Jan gets the medical care he needs.

You might also remember that a few months ago we hired the mother of another one of the children with whom we work to do some housecleaning for us and to provide help with the group home once it opens. As a result, Katerin’s mom has been working with us one day a week and also cleaning for some of our friends for a second day. Two weeks ago she came to our home to tell us,through tears, that she had accepted a full-time job in Guatemala City and could no longer work for us. We rejoice with her in knowing that she will be better able to provide for her family.

At the same time, our older daughters have been moving away to pursue ministry. Carissa left for Uganda in January. Teisha left for school in the States two days ago. Krishauna will be leaving to work in Casa Bernabe in late May. So, one by one, Wanda’s helpers are leaving as we head into team season and the opening of our group home. She needs help.

As a result, we decided it was time for us to hire a full-time housekeeper and nanny and get her trained and prepared before we receive our group home license. With that in mind, we made the decision to hire Jan’s mom, Claudia, full time. We have secured a small house here in San Antonio Aguas Calientes for her and her four children and enrolled her three daughters in a local school. On Monday we will be driving three hours north to her town with a moving truck and moving them to back to our community.

This work arrangement will enable Claudia to bring Jan with her to work while her other children go to school about 1/4 mile up the street. In addition, our region has a much cooler and drier climate than Guastatoya which should help Jan’s respiratory problems. Finally, he will be close to us and the medical professionals  with which we work when he needs intervention. This should be an excellent arrangement for everyone, including my wife who desperately needs the help.

Please pray for Claudia and her family as they make this move. This will be a huge transition for them all as the culture and traditions of this region are very different from Guastatoya. Especially pray for her three daughters as the leave behind their town, friends and school and have to start over again. Finally, continue to pray for Jan’s health as he continues to struggle.

Thanks! Blessings from San Antonio Aguas Calientes!

Daryl

Confessions of a Father

Over the last few months our family had begun to change. And by change I mean leave. We have always been a very close family, spending a lot of time together. From 2006 to 2010 we did a lot of traveling and camping in an RV as we covered a significant portion of the eastern US speaking in churches. I remember those days fondly, in spite of having 10 of us (and later, 12 of us) packed into one RV. We are a family that not only loves each other, we actually like each other. Our daughters consider one another their best friends, and my fondest memories are the ones we all spent together.

Back in January our daughter, Carissa, left for a five month stay in Uganda where she is making preparations for her long-term move there. This was a big transition for our family. To see our 19 year-old daughter move half way around the world stretched me more than I can describe. In addition, I have seen each of her siblings struggle, in their own way, to adjust to this new reality. She will be returning to us in June for a brief period before she will begin the process of fundraising and her eventual return to Uganda.

In two days I will be driving our daughter, Teisha, to the airport so that she can return to the States. She will be living and working in Ohio for four months to raise money for school and will then begin a two-year education program with Word of Life in New York. We hope to have her return for Christmas, if budget allows, but even if she does, we are looking at an eight month goodbye, followed by many others.

At the end of May Krishauna will be leaving our home and moving to Casa Bernabe, an orphanage on the other side of Guatemala City. She will be serving as a helper in one of their group homes, assisting in their school, and working on her Spanish skills for six months in preparation for future ministry. We hope to see her once or twice a month during her stay there. Then, once her schooling is complete she will likely be leaving our home to serve God somewhere in Guatemala.

Meanwhile, Brittney has shifted her college classes into high gear with hopes of graduating at the end of this year. This will enable her to begin her new ministry in San Pablo La Laguna working with children who have special needs. Her eventual goal is to open a school for these children in that very needy community.

As you can see, the size of our household is reducing rapidly and our family dynamics are changing. And, to be honest, this father is struggling.

I am so very proud of each of them. I know that they are leaving our home to serve Jesus and follow Him with abandon. This is God’s call for each of them and I stand in full support. So, my struggle is not related to regret at all.

But in my mind, each of them is still my little girl. It is my role to protect them, comfort them and bandage their scrapes. I am their problem-solver and bully-thumper. And no one can give bear hugs like me. Yet, as they head out, I know that I have to surrender those roles, as I can no longer fill them. That is hard for me.

In fact, this is the highest cost of discipleship I have ever had to pay. We have always taught our kids to follow Jesus, no matter where that leads. We have told them that whatever the cost, it is always worth it. And that has led us all to this point. Every other thing I have ever given up for my Jesus seems minor in comparison to saying goodbye to my children as they leave to serve God. In three years we will have four daughters serving in missions in two different countries. And Taryn and Jeremiah will be following along soon, making similar decisions. Then will come the youngest three after that. It makes me wake up, at times, in the middle of the night with a pain in my heart and nausea in my stomach. How do I let go of those I love so dearly? I am still figuring that out.

But there are three truths to which I cling:

1. In reality, I am not, nor have I ever been, their protector, comforter, healer or problem solver. My view of myself as those things has simply been an illusion. They are, and always have been, God’s children. From the moment He formed them in the womb, they belonged to Him, and He was the only one that could ever truly fill those rolls. So, as they leave our home, He continues to meet those needs as He has done all along. Nothing is changing. The One who loves them more than anyone else goes with them.
2. They are leaving our home, not to serve themselves, but to serve Jesus. I have no doubt that God will use them for great things as they follow His call. In this age in which so many live for self gratification I am overwhelmed as I see them pouring themselves out to serve, love and reach a dying world. So, while these transitions bring the pain of goodbyes, they also bring a great sense of joy as I see them becoming who Christ wants them to be. I could not be more proud of any of them.
3. As I consider this cost of discipleship that seems so great, I am reminded of another cost that was much higher. On Wednesday, I will put my daughter on a plane, but one Friday my God put His Son on a cross. Because of that incredible price He paid for me, no price is too great to pay for Him.

In the early years of our marriage we were preparing to move away from Wanda’s family to North Carolina to serve in ministry. As we were saying goodbye to her parents her dad said something that has remained with us through all these years. He told us, “It is hard to see you go, but I would rather see you half-way around the world serving Jesus than right next door and not.” Wise words that I speak often these days.

So, in the days, weeks, months and years ahead I will be saying goodbye a lot. And as I do, I will wipe a lot of tears. But not all of them will be tears of sadness. They will also be mixed with tears of joy, pride and gratitude. So much gratitude.

Blessings from Guatemala!

Daryl

Big News!

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