We were greeted this week in Chiminisijuan by a woman asking us to go to her house to see her brother-in-law who was too sick to walk to the clinic. It was a light day and we had extra help so we agreed to go. Duane drove us on the 4-wheeler as far as we could go and then we walked along the mountain side. It would have been a beautiful walk if I could have taken my eyes off of the narrow path in front of me. I always wonder how women with small children and a load of groceries make this kind of walk.... Anyway, we finally got to the house perched on the side of this same mountain. They had carved a small flat spot and built a 2 room adobe house. We walked into the dark room where Pedro was lying on a bed made of wooden slats. It was a small room - maybe 8x8 with 2 beds and all of their earthly belongings. There were chickens sitting on eggs in two of the four corners. Pedro was tucked in behind the door and was obviously very ill with a very serious illness - we guessed it to be cancer - with probable brain involvement. There was so little that we could do even if we could have some how gotten him to help. Truly his only hope is in Jesus. So we prayed and left him in the able hands of the Lord.

I am always struck by the harsh conditions that so many people here live in. I try to imagine what my life would be like if I had been born into circumstances like Pedro's. I can only imagine the amount of whining....  But then I begin to ponder on why...why was I blessed to be brought up with so much? Why have we been able to raise our children without worrying about where their next meal would come from? Why have we been given so much more than we deserve? And then I remember what Jesus said...that "from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." So I surrender once again, all that I am, all that I have been given to His service, so grateful for this privilege to give.

Would you pray for Pedro? And would you pray also for 6 year old Yari who has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and is waiting today to see the oncologist in the City. There is only one hospital here in Guatemala for those who have cancer. It is so overcrowded, understaffed and under equipped that it is difficult to see how they might help this little one who has such an invasive illness. But we know that nothing is impossible with our God!