On the ground:   

We’re already nearing the end of January, and it’s been a month of “keeping on”  in the remote mountains of Quiché, Guatemala!  We’ve been busy with more village visits, building deeper relationships, and praying with precious families.  

This month was extra special because Daniel was able to join us for a season during his school break! What a joy it was to travel as a team of four, bringing even more laughter and hands to serve. These moments, getting to connect with patients and families in their homes, will truly never get old. I love what God allows us to be a part of here! 

 
I thought you might be interested in:   

We have loved and visited one of our moms for some 3 years, experiencing her victories and trials as they unfolded.  Most recently, she struggled through a pregnancy with 3 small kids, afraid of how to care for them when her husband drinks their money away, and lives with another woman.  Ultimately, her baby was born and died within 24 hours.   

During her pregnancy, as she husked beans harvested from her small plot, she shared her deepest fears with us: “How can I feed my kids when there is no money, and I cannot work and care for them?”

Yet, even in her scarcity, she sent us home with a gift from those very beans. This month, we returned with some clothes and food, sitting with her in her sorrow. And again, she sent us off with a gift – ayote, a verdant pumpkin from her land. 

This mother, alone in an immense trial, fighting for every morsel to feed her children, chooses to bestow gifts of her precious sustenance upon us. Her generosity is beyond words. I have never given a gift as costly, as truly sacrificial, as those beans or that ayote. 

Our relationship allows us to speak openly about God’s grace, and the powerful purpose He has given her in loving and raising her children amidst such adversity.

She is a powerhouse of a woman, a testament to resilience that the world will never fully recognize. Her faith, her love, and her strength inspire us daily. May we all be moved by such profound generosity in the face of such profound need. 

Would that my life be to fulfill the purpose God has set before me, even if nobody ever knows.

That I be strong when nobody can see, because the work God has given me is simply too important to allow myself to crumble.

And that I give openly, hugely, even seemingly beyond my capacity, in faith that God will continue to provide for my needs.  

I have so much to learn.

I’ve been encouraged by:   

I have an incredible story of perseverance and God’s unfailing love to share! Five months ago, my  “bonus” nephew, A, was adopted out of his group home.  Few in Guatemala can adopt, and those who can don’t want a “broken” child with special needs.  

That’s the problem.  

So to make his adoption more appealing, the system listed him as a neurotypical child, denying his special needs.  His judge believes that a child who is able to walk and talk must be “normal”. 

Sadly, his adoptive family was entirely unprepared and unsupported for such needs, and the adoption was disrupted. My heart broke for him; after so many struggles, he was thriving, only to be told he had a new family, removed from loving caregivers, and then, in essence, discarded. 

But God! There were moments of immense frustration, especially as the  judge initially refused to return him to my brother’s home because he still claimed that A did not have any special needs!  

However, the quality and love of our homes have left an impact!  An official, whose heart was touched on a visit out, championed his cause to come home to his family who cherish him deeply. 

This week, we are celebrating A’s return to his family’s loving arms! God is so incredibly good, and His faithfulness continues to amaze me. This journey highlights the immense need for continued advocacy and education for children with special needs here in Guatemala. Every child deserves to be seen, understood, and cherished. 

Prayer requests:   

– Please, please pray for my brother’s group home as A has returned!  We celebrate his return, even while the trauma has left new challenges and set back his development.   

-Pray especially for my brother and sister who so patiently work through so much trauma among their kids.  It is a beautiful, but painful work.   

-Please pray also for Daniel and I as we continue to walk through many changes as God is laying out his calling for our family.