At this time, Hope for Home Guatemala has 4 group homes for children with special needs, and another home for our kids who have aged out. The idea is that each is a family, so they are the Fulp Family, the Chapin Family, the Alvarez Family, and the Norton family.

Kelsie Wester, soon-to-be-Fulp has recently spent a lot of time capturing a glimpse of each child in the Fulp family. As I share below, don’t let the first person perspective fool you- I am not getting married in January! I have taken Kelsie’s updates directly that are posted to their ministry page on Facebook.

Here are the first half of Family Fulp!

Olimpia

“Meet Oly!! She is a spunky eight year old with a big personality. We will do a lot of dancing and singing in our time together. We’ll also do reading and some fine motor activities.

If you felt led to support our ministry, you can give through venmo— (Kelsie-wester) paypal—(kgwester@gmail.com) cash app— ($kelsiewester) or through hope for homes website. You’ll find our names under the individual (f-z) support. We also still have a wishlist for the art/therapy ministry with these kids. You can find that link here

Kelsie Wester/Fulp’s Art, Dance, and Therapy Ministry – Amazon Custom Gift List – https://www.amazon.com/…/custom/25F48SK7VM7EC/guest-view

Fun fact! Oly is actually one of my flower girls!!!

Love this girl to pieces and can’t wait to get down there!”

Humberto

“Meet Berto!!!

Berto and I have a very close bond. I love this little guy so much. He is such a smart kid. He is unable to talk for the most part. He is able to say some words. He wants to communicate more than anything. I’ll be working with him and his eye gaze device. Using this will allow him to communicate. We will also read and just take in some extra snuggles ❤️

He is actually my bridesman as well!! Love this guy so much!! ❤️”

Ruavis

Next up… Ruavis!

Ruavis is the absolute best cuddler. I can sit with him for hours. He is one that we are doing our best to make him comfortable until his time comes. So our time will be spent reading books together and snuggling for as long as we can. My heart breaks when thinking of not having him here, but I’m also excited for him to be free of his body that causes him so much pain in this world.

Rafael

Rafa is one of the oldest in the home now, and the first one in the home. He is one that has a lot more to him than your originally see. He is one who doesn’t necessarily want you to know he likes something… but when you catch his smile… it’s one of the best.

We got close while I was an intern. I was determined to make him like me… and it worked.

We will spend our time together getting him to interact with things. Whether that be getting him to hold a fidget or playing with a toy. We will also spend a lot of time just hanging out—- cuddling, reading books, working with sensory toys, and listening to music. He is no longer a little boy so it can be harder to get him out of his chair, so I want to make sure to get him out and give him attention out of his chair, and most importantly just spend quality time with him.

Love this dude.

Esther

Esther is such a smart child. She is also one in the homes that can be completely misunderstood, especially when first meeting her. She has autism, and she takes a lot to warm up to her. She is so strong willed. She often does not want you to know she is as smart as she is.

Things we will work on– a speaking device. There was an ipad that was generously donated to the ministry for her. I will be a part of the team working on it with her. I think once she realizes that she could communicate her needs, it could be a very big win for her.

We will also work with different sensory needs that she has. My main goal for her is to just be with her. I want her to get more comfortable with me. I was doing a little of this when I lived there. She is seriously such a smart child. She has so much potential, she just needs some extra one on one attention.

Esther is a gorgeous child as you can see from her picture. Cannot wait to love on her so soon!

Alison

Alison has a very big personality that has grown with her age. She is deaf, so she has been learning sign language. This has been an adjustment for everyone in the home, but Alison is worth having to learn Guatemalan sign language.

She has the best giggle in the world. If you have heard it, you would agree. She brings so much joy to each room with her smile and laughter.

We will work on a lot of sensory toys and objects. We will also work on doing some dance therapy. Alison, Oly, and I have a dance party every time I visit, so this is a must. We will also look through books and do a bunch of art activities. I am hoping to learn more Guatemalan sign language as well to better be able to communicate and teach her as well.

Liza

Liza is a absolute joy! She came to us around two weeks old, and now is close to celebrating her second birthday! I was actually there when Liza arrived!

Liza has down syndrome, and all the kindness and joy that comes along with it. She does not appear to have very many developmental delays, and reaches most of her developmental milestones at an age-appropriate rate. She is very high functioning. This is really thrown it through loop since most of our children don’t learn how to walk or talk quite this young!!

Lisa loves to follow people around and talk and ask questions in her Spanglish baby speech. She is so intelligent, and her eyes are always attentive, curious about every new thing she sees. She learns a lot from her sisters, the other girls in the home. She learned her crazy mad dance skills from Oli and Brenda, and she learned to gently pet the dogs from Alison.

Liza is working on her developmental milestones similarly to neurotypical kids her age– learning to climb stairs safer, learning more coordination with her spoon at meal times, and pronouncing words clearer. She is naturally nurturing and loving, but she is still learning to share, not hit, and that sometimes she has to wait for breakfast! This one can be hard!

It has been a joy to watch Liza grow, and very exciting to watch her learn and conquer new things. We sure love this sweet, adorable little lady.

We will work together reading books and working at her developmental age. We will work on sensory toys and doing lots of art. And of course many dance parties will happen.

So excited to get to know Liza more and love on her!