On the ground:
This year has brought an unusual drought to much of Guatemala. The rainy season arrived nearly five months late in the dry corridor, and while much of the country is finally receiving rain, our region remains dry. (Notably– writing these updates seems to bring a little sprinkle out of spite and as I type the rain finally falls. So maybe I’ll keep writing about the drought to irritate the clouds into releasing water!)
We can often watch showers falling on the mountains around us while our valley receives none at all.
The effects are easy to see. In some areas, late rains have barely saved the corn crop. In ours, much of it has already failed. For families already vulnerable to food insecurity, delayed rainfall can have serious
At the clinic, we care for pregnant mothers and young children, brought in because parents fear malnutrition. A significant part of our work is encouraging parents, explaining healthy growth, and helping them make the most of the food resources they already have.
When extra nutritional support is needed, we use formula cautiously. In remote villages, safe formula feeding can be difficult because of limited access to clean water, refrigeration, sanitation, and proper mixing. Instead, we often focus on supporting nursing mothers directly through hydration, balanced nutrition, vitamins, and a specially mixed supplement called “Mom’s Formula.” consequences.
So while we continue praying for rain, we’ve also been busy preparing bags of nutritional supplements for mothers and children across the valley’s surrounding mountains, trusting God to provide in both the physical and spiritual dry seasons.
We thought you might be interested in:
Some of those bags of Mom’s Formula are heading to a very special family: one that recently welcomed twins.
The story began when a mother came to the clinic at 33 weeks pregnant for her first ultrasound. Late prenatal care is common here, and during the scan Katie noticed several unusual findings that raised the possibility of twins. To be safe, we referred her for a higher-resolution ultrasound in the city, where twins were quickly confirmed.
That referral may have made all the difference.
Delivering twins in a remote village carries significant risks, and for them, any medical care is more than two hours away. Here’s their house form where we had to leave the car.
I know, it’s hard to see.
A huge part of why our clinic matters is that families come for the trust they find in us. This built trust means that when we say they need so see a doctor, they are willing to go through the rough medical system because of our recommendation. The local health center also trusts us to direct forward any high risk situations we find- like twins. This is how such a small clinic can fill a gap and create a stronger health care system.
So mom was connected with actual doctors and placed on hospital bedrest.
A few weeks later, the babies arrived safely at 35 weeks: a 5-pound boy and a 4-pound girl. When we visited six days later, both had already regained their birth weight, an encouraging sign for low-birth-weight twins.
They were eating well, sleeping peacefully, and doing wonderfully. We left supplies to help keep them warm, nutritional suppliemnts, and mom’s formula for mom as she meets the demands of feeding two newborns.
We’ll continue checking on this growing family. For now, though, Daniel may be making many of those visits alone. The rain that has so often missed our valley has fallen heavily in their area, making the roads difficult for all but the toughest vehicles and most experienced motorcycle drivers.
Read more details of their story at katehtenurse.com.
We’ve been encouraged by:
Although we’ve had very little rain, we’ve experienced a few showers of a different kind: baby showers!
Daniel’s family surprised us with a celebration. Thankfully, Daniel figured out what was happening in time to prepare Katie of the impending attention… but nothing could have warned us for 100+ people and a clown! Guatemalan families love a good party, and this is a first grandbaby afterall.
And, it turns out, the clown is a really nice guy!
Katie’s family Guate-side and the missionary community from her Guate-hometown came together for a cozy time visiting and celebrating our new little daughter. This was a refreshing homecoming with family and the community Katie has missed since moving out so remote.
So relaxing in fact, that I missed getting pictures!
No clowns, but so much shared laughter.
Financial Snapshot:
• Monthly Clinic Operating Costs: $500 still needed out of $1,050—52% Funded!
Rent, clinic translator/helper, fuel, medications, etc..
• Monthly Personal Support: $575 Still Needed out of an estimated $1,985 – 71% Funded!
Housing, Living costs, new baby needs, medical appointments, communication, ect.
Your prayers and financial support make this ministry possible. God is using you as an active part of this work, and we are deeply grateful.
***MissionGO thanks you for financially supporting (Daniel and Katie Cabrera). All gifts are tax-deductible and should be made payable to MissionGO. When mailing your gift, please include a separate note indicating: Ministry – (Daniel and Katie Cabrera). You may also give online using the link: www.missiongo.org/(missionaryname)
Prayer requests:
–As the time draws nearer for little Dannia Luz’s arrival, we ask you to join us in praying that God will make clear to us or to our doctor when it is time to stay on the far side of the mountains until her delivery. We prefer not to use our backup option out here, and a 4 hour drive is a touch long once late rains make the mountian pass sketchy. So each appointment our prayer is for God to grant this clarity.
— Pray also for the rain in our valley, and for those most heavily impacted by this drought. Pray for the integrity of the roads when the late rains finally fall, likely very intense in very short intervals.
If you’d ever like to learn more about our family or ministry, we’d love to connect: katie@hopeforhome.org.
Our church meets in the evenings—that means we would love to connect with your small group over video on a Sunday morning!
Communication strengthens this body of believers—thank you for walking this journey with us!
