Empty Tummies, Worried Eyes

Here we are at the end of September already! I'm not sure if time could go any faster. For us it means the end of the rain. This has been a very dry rainy season and most of the farmers here agree that their harvest is about 1/3 - 1/2 of normal - which isn't very good even with lots of rain and perfect growing conditions. Up in Chiminisijuan - at about 8,000 feet, the growing season is much longer so they have not even begun to harvest yet. We are anticipating that the need for food will be greater this year. God in His amazing sovereignty has provided a container load of fortified rice to us - literally just dropped into our laps. (Thanks to Vine International!) I am thinking that He knows what is ahead.

Yesterday in Chiminisjuan we put three new children into our feeding program. Little ones with big swollen bellies and skinny little arms and legs. Mamas with worried eyes... 

"Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs of you head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7 

July 27, 2018

I met Fransisca last week but had heard about her for several months. Her niece works for us so I knew that she had been sick for some time. We prayed for her often in our morning devotions. She was in her late thirty's and had 8 children, the littlest one only 3 years old. But last week she got worse and her niece asked if we could go to see her.

Her family lives in a village almost to the top of one of the mountains near us so when I announced that we were going, all the nurses and the student interns that are with us this summer wanted to go. We loaded up the truck and took off in the afternoon after clinic. Everyone loves to get out so there was lots of laughter as we bumped our way up the horrible dirt road. 

Their two room adobe house was perched on the side of the mountain with the most amazing view of the valley. Francisca was inside, unable to get out of bed. She was so thin and her lungs sounded horrible. As we talked with her, we realized that she had tuberculosis. The government here has a program to care for those with TB - they provide all the medication and exams for free. The problem is that the system is...slow, at best. And Fransisca did not want to leave her family for treatment which would have required weeks in the hospital. 

We talked with her, left some food and medication - which would not cure anything. She allowed us to pray for her but she did not want to accept the offer of salvation without the consent of her husband, who was not there. So we left. I was frustrated by our inability to do more for her and her refusal of  treatment and more importantly, salvation. 

Sunday evening she died.  

As I feebly tried to give words of comfort to her niece yesterday, she shared with me how the day after we left, a pastor had come by to pray for her and that she and her husband had prayed together, accepting this very great gift we have been given, of salvation and the hope of eternal life. So while we are all grieved that her children will grow up without their mother, we rejoice, knowing that she is whole and happy, sitting at the feet of Jesus!

Jesus said, "already the reaper is receiving his wages and he is gathering fruit for eternal life; so that he who plants and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, 'One [person] sows and another reaps.' " John 4:36-37

Little two year old Juanito came late one evening, screaming with pain. He was badly burned when a pot of boiling soup was spilled on him, and most of both of his legs were burned.  Don and I worked for about two hours getting him cleansed and bandaged. We sent some photos of him to a friend who is a pediatrician for advice. He thought he definitely needed to be hospitalized.  After much discussion with his very distraught parents, we decided to take him into the government clinic as they have an ambulance and could take him into the hospital which is two hours away. Juanito's dad was opposed, saying that he knew that they would just pour alcohol over the burns. Unfortunately, that was pretty much what happened. The on-call physician there was seemingly annoyed that we awakened her and did not think it necessary to take him into the hospital. She proceeded to take off all the bandages that we had just put on. As we sat outside and listened to his ceaseless screams, I knew that we had once again mistakenly thought that we would find compassion there.

Juanito came each morning for about two weeks so that we could change his dressing. And by God's amazing grace, he is doing very well and healed so much better than any of us thought he would.

We are in the cold season here, and we have seen so many really sick children. Up in the mountain in the village of Chiminisijuan where the air is much cooler, it has been the worst. If you add pneumonia to an already undernourished body, they don't have the strength to fight it. Last week, we saw a one month old who was struggling for air. Her oxygen levels were so low, we knew that short of a miracle she would die. We sent her mom home to get what she would need in the hospital, finally convincing her of the need to go. After clinic, we drove to her village and waited for her as we were not sure where her house was. She never came.

Another little one, the week before, needed to be hospitalized. His mom just said "no" she would not take him. All of these instances (and there are so many more) just confirm to us the need to get this hospital open. We have a ways to go yet and are still missing some big things....like a pediatrician! But we know that God will provide all that we need in just the right time. In the mean time, we offer up to Him the little bit that we can do, and we ask Him to multiply it. Just as He did with the fish and loaves....that small offering that was so far from enough, we offer what we have, trusting that He will make it sufficient.

I have been praying about what the Lord would have me write, knowing that I did not want to write about a construction project….which takes much of our time and energy…as it should. We know that it is what the Lord has asked of us but it is still just an “assignment.” Quite honestly we have a hard time keeping our priorities in right order these days. In the business of building a hospital, trying to hear amid the noise of so many voices of how we should do it., all the while trying to host the endless stream of visitors and trying to maintain the ministry that we already had going and trying to care for family….it is easy to just fall into bed at night without asking if this is how He wants it. I guess that is why I have not written.

There are constants though...the faces of sick children, of pregnant mamas, of old men telling of hurting knees and backs. These are the things that keep me steady, that keep me going. To be able to share a bit about the hope that we have in Jesus to people who find themselves in hopeless situations means everything. We have been seeing Wilson now for about a month. Katie and I go to his house every 12 hours to change the dressing on his very large and deep bedsores. He fell from a tree about 8 months ago and had a spinal cord injury which has left him paralyzed and in constant pain from a surgery to try and repair his injury. Jesus is his only hope. Raymunda, aged 10, lost her mama to leukemia a year ago. She is the oldest of 6 and had to move in with her aunt recently when her dad left. Her aunt has five of her own children and is pregnant. Pretty hard to feed that many mouths with just a little corn and a few beans. Raymunda cannot go to school as she shoulders most of the care of her  young brothers and sisters. Knowing her Heavenly Father’s love for her is her only hope.  Last week 14 year old Maria came in for an ultrasound. She was raped by her cousin when her family had to move in with her aunt. Her father left 11 years ago for the US and has not returned, nor paid his debt for his passage there. Mom lost their home and property. Maria’s baby was dead on ultrasound…. 

I could go on and on. But in each situation, Jesus is really the only answer. He is the only hope for this lost and dying world. So I pray that “the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

The end of this month marks 17 years for us here in Guatemala. It has been an amazing journey of faith from the moment that we started down the road in our schoolbus, headed for San Andres. Many days have been difficult, but always God has been there to sustain us. This last year has not been any different from the other 16. I would probably have to say that it was one of our most difficult in that we lost two infant grandchildren and very nearly lost our daughter (and even though she is really our daughter-in-law, she has become our daughter). But even in the midst of those long days in the hospital, God was so faithful to speak. He held Katie and Aaron and the children in the palm of His hand and faithfully met them in each difficult moment. (For more on their story please see Katie's blog - theaaronfickers.wordpress.com). 

As we look back on the last year, when we started the construction of the hospital, all that we can see is His faithfulness. He has supplied every single need, from finances (even though we have not asked for a dime) to supplies for the hospital, to an excellent group of men to do the majority of the physical labor with attitudes and hearts that are...unbelievable, to the medical help that we need each day. We should be ready within a month or so to begin our outpatient services in the new building. I will try to attach some pictures...

Outpatient waiting area.

OR with concrete ceiling (govt requirement and quite the project). 

Inside courtyard area

He has been so good to us, as we have the very great and very uncommon privilege of working along side of our children. We are so blessed to be able to see most of our grandchildren each day....that is a blessing that we do not take lightly! We are also so grateful to Him for sending the Aquinos (Dr. Luis and his family) and the Allison's. They have come alongside to shoulder the growing responsibility in the clinics and soon to open hospital, as well as the hosting of the endless stream of visitors. 

So as I look ahead to the actual opening of the hospital, I would not be honest if I said that I was not nervous. There are so many things to consider...and we have never done anything like this and we are so NOT qualified. But then I look back on His faithfulness....and I know that He will supply whatever we need, whenever we need it. From obstetrician, pediatrician, or anesthesiologist to the wisdom to direct....I know He will supply exactly what we need. This is, after all, His.

 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.        
 2 Corinthians 12:9

I have decided that building a hospital is kind of like raising toddlers. They are so much work! And you can't really see anything except how much your life has changed, and how messy they are and unqualified you feel, and how exhausted you are at the end of the day. But then you step back a little and you realize how they have grown and they are really beautiful and how great they will be....someday. I cannot tell you how much our lives have changed since January. But I can tell you that God continues to move in amazing ways....bringing in the right people at the right time who can do exactly what we need. He continues to bring in just the right amount of provision....just when we need it. His faithfulness is unfailing - even when we feel weak and tired and faithless - which is most of the time!

This is the view from the front - the roof is almost ready to go on. Each beam has to be individually welded and painted, then insulation goes on followed by the metal roof.

 

We are hopeful that by the beginning of 2016 we should be able to move existing clinics here. The x-ray equipment is in Guatemala City ready to be installed. Equipment is being loaded from a warehouse in Texas. We are in awe of all that is being gathered - from operating room equipment to the dental room.

 

 

For those of you who follow Guatemala in the news, you know that these have been unusual days. First the vice-president was arrested and convicted of illegal activity. Weeks of peaceful protests followed, which immobilized the City mainly but later most of the main roads all over Guatemala. Finally congress voted to lift presidential immunity which was quickly followed by the arrest of the president. For many years we have prayed - along with most of the body of believers here - that the spirit of corruption would be lifted off of this country. To have both the president and vice-president arrested seems to be an answer to that prayer. On Sunday the people voted for the next president. The final vote will take place next month but the leader turned out to be a little known man who did virtually no campaigning because he didn't have the money to do so. It appears that people are ready for a change! Please pray that change - for the good - will continue! 



 

 

Canilla, our little town here in Guatemala has the terrible honor of having the highest suicide rate among young people under the age of 21 in all of the country. It hit really close to home a couple of weeks ago when a 12 year old boy, right down the road from us, hung himself. There is a desperation here that is almost palpable. Many grow up in poor homes without fathers (95% of the fathers either are in the US or have been, working almost always illegally). There are not many choices for young people; no jobs, few career opportunities, etc.  Add all of that to the spiritual darkness which hovers here, and you get desperate kids willing to do anything to bring change....even death. 

Today, a group of young people will arrive from a church in Iowa whose entire goal is to pray. Tomorrow we will begin 72 hours of uninterrupted prayer for this valley, and for the church here but mainly for the young people. Our own prayer room (while the physical prayer room does not yet have a roof) has begun 3 times a week plus the nights of worship and prayer on Tuesday - in English, and on Thursdays - in Spanish. We know that prayer, while some count it as the smallest and weakest part of ministry, is actually the most important part. Unless our all powerful, all wise and perfect God intervenes, all that we do is futility....small acts of kindness which have no eternal benefit. Please join with us as we pray for these young people who need Jesus so desperately. Only He can fill the emptiness in their hearts. 

Psalm 62:5 "For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is in Him."

One of the most wonderful changes that has come lately (and there are a multitude of changes!) are the increased times of prayer. There are over 30 of us now who are permanently here in Canilla and we all go in different directions each day whether to clinic or school or construction. We start most of our days with prayer together and then breakfast in an effort to stay connected with each other and all of our needs. It has been really good. In the last couple of weeks though, several of the young people have started to come early (5:30) to worship and intercede. It is such a privilege for me to be able to be in the kitchen cooking breakfast and still be a part of these amazing times. We believe so strongly that all of our efforts - wherever we are working - are really worth nothing if we are not connecting with the Lord in prayer. In addition to our regular Tuesday night services of prayer and worship, we have started a spanish service on Thursday nights. Dr. Luis and his wife, Noemy are heading this up and it is so amazing to see our living room filled with young people worshipping our Savior! As you have probably read in some of the other blogs coming from Canilla, the prayer room will be up and functioning soon. I have to admit that I will be pretty sad to see all of this move out of our home and onto the hospital property. 

The hospital construction is moving along well. Block walls are up for not only the prayer room but the emergency room, the observation room (an extention of the ER) and the kitchen as well. The "rough in" plumbing and electrical work is underway. Every day when I go it is a little scarier as this dream of ours is quickly becoming a reality. 

We went out last week to another rural clinic site for the first time. Cruz Chich is an area that I have prayed for for many years. It is a very large village, completely indigenous and has been "closed" for as long as we have been here. The community leaders came last year asking us to help there but I had to ask them to wait until we had more help. They came again a few weeks ago and we agreed to go on the condition that they gather their leaders and the leaders from the surrounding villages and write up an "acta" (a legal document asking us to come). Within less than a week, they returned with their "acta". Last Thursday we went and saw around 100 folks. Almost all of them are without a relationship with the Lord. Again, we find ourselves driven to our knees as we pray to the Lord of the harvest to soften hard hearts and open blind eyes. We would so appreciate your prayers for them as well!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work with us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus thoughout all generations, for ever  and ever! Amen."         Ephesians 3:20

It has been so long since I have written. Everything has and continues to change each day. It is all good....just not so easy. We find ourselves daily asking for wisdom - Godly wisdom - to help us with what He has placed under our management - not ownership. We constantly remember the definition of "bondservant" as one who is the owner of nothing, but manager of all that He places before us. We are so not qualified....

The hospital construction continues to go well. The foundation is almost complete and the team of plumbers arrive in a couple of weeks to do the "rough in" plumbing. Then the walls will go up. It is pretty exciting and at almost every clinic we have a couple of people who would qualify as "admissions". It will be so great to have a place to send them. 

We have had a pretty continuous stream of guests and it seems that it will accelerate as the summer months begin. I am grateful to have Katie Ann and Lori here to help care for this area which tends to overwhelm me. The sweetest part of our day is always morning prayer right before breakfast when all who are here gather together. We find our Tuesday nights of worship have grown from just our family to 40 or 50 each week. And last night we started the same thing...only in Spanish. Dr. Luis is heading that up and from all reports, it was a time of sweet fellowship and worship. (I stayed home with the girls who have been sick.)

The nursing school started up in January and I am so proud of Katie and Aaron as I watch them step into their role as directors. They started with 40 students - which is bigger than they anticipated. Please pray for them as it is an enormous task to get all up and running well. Pray for them as they attempt to integrate a North American perspective on education into the Guatemalan system...it is quite a challenge.

We know that The Lord is "enlarging the place of our tent" (Isaiah 54:2). Please pray that we are in step with Him; that our priorities remain in right order...The Lord, our family and then ministry; and that we have ears to hear what He is saying - each moment of each day. Thank you!

January 2015...the time that the Lord has spoken to us about so much. This is when the Docs of Hope have said that they want to begin. This is when Dr. Luis has said he and his family will be ready. And this is when Don and Lori and their family feel that the Lord is saying for them to be here as well. The final approval for the hospital came on the last working day of the year from the Ministry of Health so we are officially ready to begin....although much of the preparation work has been done. It feels a little like we are finally at the starting gate - ready to begin this course that the Lord has set for us all. It will be a year of  great change and we covet your prayers. We have seen His hand move so mightily, so abundantly that we know that this is His plan....we just want to be found doing it in His way.

Duane and I were in Quiche earlier this week, picking up some medication for the clinic. The pharmacy where we buy was unusually quiet and when I asked Fransisco why, he said that the hospital was on strike. All of the health care workers are protesting because they have not been paid for the last 6 months. So, if you have a broken bone or any other condition that is deemed "not life threatening" you will have to wait. Katie and I interviewed a woman this week who worked for the government doing rural clinics. They have had to shut down that program due to lack of funding so if you are in one of the remote villages, and your child is ill, you will need to travel at least 2 hours to get to the hospital....which is not open.  All of these things just confirm to us the need, the urgency to get things up and running.

When (and if) you pray, would you ask God to help us....
 - that we can keep the perspective right; that we remember that this is all His; we are His bondservants doing only what He asks; that we remember we are owners of nothing.
 - that we change well; that we keep priorities of God, family and ministry in right order.
 - that this not become a humanitarian effort but that we remember that without Jesus, the best healthcare in the world is worth nothing but is only a temporary fix.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. May this New year bring to you and your family health, strength, peace and above all else, a closer walk with our Lord Jesus!

Can it really be December 1st again so soon?! It seems like I just packed away all the Christmas paraphernalia! This year has flown by and I wish somehow that I could slow things down just a bit. There is so much to do in the short time that we have left of this year.

Dr. Luis' apartment should be finished within the month. Ruben, one of the young men who we have known and loved since we came to Guatemala has become quite the skilled woodworker. We still need to build
cabinets and put in the bathroom sink. But we should be able to finish by the end of January when they arrive. It is hard to believe that a few months ago, this was the garage/Duane's very messy workshop!

The hospital property apartment is underway as well. Ryan and Katie will move there until they can locate a more permanent living situation. The house was there on the property but was very rundown and had been the home to various cows and other wild creatures. The men gutted it, tore out walls, put in windows (most homes here don't have many windows), put down tile and added a bathroom. It is a pretty amazing transformation!
It too needs cabinets, bathroom fixtures, plumbing, a ceiling, and some electrical work.

Then there is the small problem of where to put the teams who will start to come to help with the construction beginning in January. We have decided to build a very simple concrete block building on the hospital property. In its two rooms (and bathroom) we hope to house up to 12 men.

And, the school needs an additional classroom to house the rapidly growing population of students. That too will be a very simple structure which, thankfully, will not need a bathroom. They make everything so much more complicated!

I haven't even begun to talk about the hospital. The fence is complete, the concrete plant is up and ready, and they have hauled literally hundreds of loads of dirt to bring the actual site up to grade...not really sure what that means,
 but I know it is important.
 

The hardest part is that the work that we did before all of this project began, continues. Duane still does emergency flights on a pretty regular basis, the tractor work for local farmers continues, and I am still gone a good portion of the time with clinic work. So, when you think of it, could you send up some extra prayers for Duane and the boys as the brunt of the construction responsibility lies on their shoulders? They are pretty stressed right now. And yet His grace is sufficient everyday!

Forgive me if it sounds like I am whining...I am not. We count it the greatest honor to serve the Lord in this way. We know that all of things are from Him and to Him...to serve His people well.The knowledge of that makes us want to do the very best that we can for Him.
"If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11

It's been a while since I've written. We've had so many visitors in the last couple of weeks. It's been really good but busy!

The Lord keeps confirming to us the need for this hospital - which is good and necessary for those days when it gets hard and the work seems overwhelming. We got a call about two weeks ago from an indigenous family who had a 3 week old baby. He wouldn't stop crying and although it was late and pouring down rain, they brought him. Dr. Sherwood and I saw him and knew that he probably had meningitis. There was nothing that we could do - he needed tests and treatment that we do not have. So we prayed and sent him off to Quiche (21/2 hours away, on really bad and muddy roads). They went the next morning and was immediately whisked away from his parents and placed in their "ICU." Pedro (the baby's dad) called us the next day, crying and saying that they could not find their son. We could hear screaming and sirens in the background and he said that there was a gas leak and that they were evacuating the hospital. It actually turned out to be chlorine gas that had been stored for many years and had begun to leak...they did evacuate the entire hospital! Pedro's son was taken to another facility there in the same town but still his parents were unable to see him and had no idea what was happening to him. Finally they told Pedro that his son had an infection but that there was nothing that they could do. So they sent him home and within a few hours he died. Now we know that even with the best, most up-to-date care children still die with meningitis. But we could have started his treatment earlier and hopefully cared for them in a more compassionate manner. Please help us Lord....

Psalm 145:9

The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

 

“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves….” Genesis 11:4  

I have to admit that I have never really understood this passage but as we begin this huge building project, it has come to me several times. Construction projects have always scared me. I have watched plenty of marriages struggle through the building of a new home. I have watched church expansion projects become just about squeezing a little more money out of members each week. And yet, it seems that construction is just what the Lord is asking of us right now. Somehow, we have to figure out how to do just what He asks of us, while remembering that we are just His bond-servants….owners of nothing but managers of all that He places under our care. It is a tricky balance. As David said the other day, how do we do it well without it consuming us? How do we keep our eyes just on Him in the midst of a thousand details that need attention immediately? How do we make it only about Him and honoring Him and not in any way about “making a name for ourselves”? Please pray for us… 

On the flip side, we are in awe of how God is supplying all that is necessary to begin the construction…from skid loaders to cement truck. The fence is close to being done and the gate is completed. We are still waiting on the final approval from the Ministry of Health but trust that it will come just as we are completely ready to begin the actual construction.  

Our son Ryan, his wife Katie, and their three children arrived this week. It is an amazing miracle of God that we are able to have 7 of our 8 children here with us working together on this project. What a joy to have almost all of our grandchildren here as well. I know that it is only God’s grace to us….and we are so very thankful! Hannah and Matt remain in the US and help in so many things that can only be done there.

 

 

Last Tuesday in Chiminisijuan, a little 100 year old woman came in to clinic.  Completely blind,she had walked at least 3 miles and one of the paths is so narrow on the side of the mountain....I have no idea how she actually made it. She was alone and as she walked up the last few steps to the clinic, she had to crawl. Finally one of the widows who we know very well stopped to help her in. She came for her body pain...nothing too specific - just old age aches and pains. When we finished working, we woke her up where she had fallen asleep outside in the grass and we drove her out to the main road. We had to stop and ask several people if they knew this little lady sitting in the backseat of my car until we found someone who identified her. She walked on home then from there.

It has occurred to me several times since then that our life right now is so much like hers. We walk - not really knowing what is ahead - knowing that if we make a wrong step, we could tumble down the mountainside. That's a lot of pressure.... We just trust though, that He will lead and guide us and keep us from falling . Psalm 119:105 says "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."


Here's a quick update on all that has happened in the last few weeks -
 - Duane made a super-fast trip to the US to help Ryan organize a load of construction equipment to be shipped. We have never taken loads this way and it (so far) has gone really well. It all has actually already arrived in Port Barrios and we are waiting for the government to release it. The taxes turned out to be much lower than we expected - Thanks be to GOD!
 - There has been an amazing amount of equipment donated (and I am not the one to tell you about it!) including a concrete truck, a skid loader, concrete forms and a long list of other necessary tools.
Many thanks to all the men who have worked so diligently and tirelessly to accumulate all of this. Again, all praise be to GOD!
 - Our son Ryan, his wife Katie, and their three children will arrive on the 13th of September. They feel that the Lord is directing them to come on a permanent basis and they will be an enormous help. Ryan is a manager and will be invaluable in helping Duane manage all the workers as we start the actual hospital construction. Katie will be a mom first but is a great hostess who has an ability to see all the details that folks need when they arrive. And I will be soooo happy to have more of our grandchildren close! Thanks be to GOD!
 - The construction of the apartment for Dr. Luis and his family is underway. It will be small but hopefully adequate for their growing family. Our friend Juan has stepped up to take the responsibility of this and is doing a great job. All thanksgiving to GOD!
 - The fence is about 2/3 of the way to completion around the first phase of the hospital, a new gate has been made and is 1/2 up (we had to pour a new bridge over the canal and it needs many days to "cure" before we can put up the other section.) 
 - We have had a good couple of weeks working with Dr. Jared and his wife, Dr. Melissa. They have been great! And Dr. Heidi was here to bring such encouragement - as she always does. We also hosted a youth team from Destiny Church (our home church). They did lots of painting, poured a new porch to accommodate the changes to the house (dividing it into three apartments - eventually), and we had amazing nights of worship in the evenings. They were a huge blessing to us and even when we did not have water for the last 4 days of their trip, their attitudes remained enthusiastic and grateful. All praise be to GOD! 

We continue to be in awe of all that God is doing here. Please pray that we have wisdom that can come only from God. Pray that we will continue to put Him first in all things - no matter how busy and chaotic it all seems at times. Thanks for reading!

Angelita and Josephina are two of my favorite people. They have both lived in the orphanage in San Andres for many years. Josephina has a lesion in her brain which has gotten progressively worse over the 15 years that I have known her. She is confined to a wheelchair now and has trouble with normal activities like eating and dressing herself but she is sharp. She never complains and always has a smile on her face. Angelita has Down's syndrome. She too, has been in the Home for as long as I can remember. She is like a grandmother now for the younger kids - no one really knows how old she is. The government has advised the directors to send both of them to an adult home in the City but for both of these women, this has been the only home that they have ever known. So even though they are lots more work for the staff, they stay and are cared for with so much love....it humbles me. Both women share not only a room but their bed as well - along with their cat. They try, to the best of their ability, to take care of each other and when one is sick, the other grieves.

In the last couple of years Angelita has had trouble with urinary tract infections. She was seen by a visiting urologist a couple of years ago who eventually had to catheterize her under anesthesia. Since then, when she begins to have trouble, I end of doing this "evil thing". She never complains about the pain that she has or the fact that she pees blood (at least not appropriately or to the right people who can help her) but when she stops eating we know something is wrong. This time she was quiet for so long that her kidneys have become affected - which makes her treatment much more difficult (not only catheterization and antibiotics but daily injections of antibiotics). When she sees me now, she begins to cry. It is impossible for her to understand the long term consequences of infection left untreated. But she does understand that she does not want to be in the hospital - which would be her only other option. I so admire the staff there who, while so understaffed, give her so much love. When her time to die comes, I know that she will be in the place that she calls home surrounded by the people who are the only family that she has ever known.  

James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Other updates here -
 - The school started their second semester last week. Adrienne brought her biology class down to the clinic on Friday to observe ultrasounds. They are beginning to study fetal development and were super excited about what they got to see. It was lots of fun to see their enthusiasm!
 - The professional nursing (RN equivalent) is still on track to start in January.
 - Pre-construction activities - like, getting power and water to the site have begun. We will still need a well dug and are looking into prices for that. Lots of loads of dirt have been hauled in the get the building site "on grade".....whatever that means. The fence has been begun - the street side with gate should be completed this week.
 - Duane will probably be making a trip to the US next week to help get the load of construction equipment loaded and ready for shipment. We are amazed at the amount and quality of equipment that the Lord is providing!
 - The apartment for Dr. Luis and his family has been started...

Please pray that the final government approval for the hospital will come through this week! It has been - and continues to be quite the process!

Amid all the changes and visitors coming and going, clinic still proceeds. A few weeks ago, a young mother whom we have known for several years came into Chiminisijuan. I had not seen her for a while and she had lost quite a bit of weight and had a huge belly. On ultrasound we found that she had ascites (liquid that accumulates in the abdomen) which often means some sort of malignancy. We sent her to our friend Dr. Heidi who happened to be in Chichicastenango to do GYN surgeries. They did all sorts of tests and did not find any cancer. They drained the fluid and sent her home without a diagnosis but with advice to seek help in the City (which I knew she would not do).

About 10 days later, Heidi called me with the really good news that some of her exams had come back and that she had tuberculosis...pretty advanced but still treatable. So we contacted her husband and her sister to let them know, gave them all the instruction about where they could get treatment and trusted that they would do that. The next week I asked several from their village if she had gone, tried to call her again, spoke with her daughter but still they did not take her. In their defense, she would have had to be carried up a steep mountain on a stretcher between 4 men, then rent a truck to take her the 4 hours to the hospital - at the cost of about $150. They have 6 children and very little food, much less money to rent a car. And they had tried...her husband had taken her 3 times into the government clinic, once to the hospital, and then to us. They had little hope that anyone would actually help them. 

This weekend, I saw Isabella's husband on the street in San Andres. When I asked him about her, he said that she was dying, that she could no longer eat and was in severe pain. We went together to the government clinic to ask if they might be able to pick her up in the ambulance and get her into the hospital. The doctor in charge said, no, that the hospital was full. There were no options. Isabella has asked Jesus into her heart, so I know that soon her suffering will be over. There is a pretty good possibility though, that her children may have tuberculosis. And, if they go to be tested, will they get treatment? 

God keeps confirming over and over the importance of getting this hospital up and running.  It seems pretty overwhelming most days but we wait on Him for we know that "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

 

It has been a few weeks since I have written. We were first in Switzerland for our son Joseph's wedding. It was wonderful! Jessica is  a beautiful addition to our family and we were honored to get to know her family. Jo and Jess will be here with us in Guatemala.

After the wedding we went back to the US for 10 days with all of our family. We have 7 grandchildren now (all under the age of 6) plus Abi and Grace. It was joyful chaos from beginning to end....a privilege that we do not often have.

But back here in Canilla things are moving! The closing date for the hospital property is the 8th of May and I can thankfully report that all $192,000 has been gathered. God is amazing and we stand in awe of His miraculous provision....in just 6 months! Equipment is beginning to come as well. We have a trailer full of hospital beds, tables, nursery equipment, exam tables and medicines waiting to be transported to Guatemala. The x-ray equipment is already here in country and waiting to be transported to Canilla.

The school is growing daily and yesterday we received notification that the University San Pablo has approved our petition to open a branch here in Canilla. We will be getting the professional nursing program up and running as quickly as possible and there are dreams of a medical school here as well. The way that God has been moving in the last few months, nothing would surprise me!

Please continue to pray that we have wisdom to manage all that God has placed in our hands. We are daily reminded that we are owners of nothing but in charge of all that He gives. We need lots of wisdom, discernment, and grace!

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5.



Hospital Adonai is finally starting to come together after it has been a vision for so many years. The plans have been drawn and are in the final stages of approval with the government. In November 2013, the ministry took a step of faith by putting a down payment on a piece of property that we believed was the correct location for the hospital to be built. The final payment ($186,000) is due in May 2014. We have nearly $150,000 (the majority of that coming from DOCS for HOPE) at this point in time - an absolute miracle! We are also praying for financial provision for building materials so that we can begin construction as soon as possible. The total cost for this is estimated to be around $328,000. Phase one will include outpatient clinics, x-ray,  lab, two surgical suites, a delivery suite as well as inpatient capacity of twenty. God is really moving here, and we are more than excited to be part of it and to watch in awe as He brings the pieces together.                        

 

DOCS for Hope are a group of Family Practice doctors from Iowa who have recently committed to AIM and to be part of opening and running the hospital. Starting in January, they have been rotating through Guatemala to get a feel for language, clinics, and the true heart of the ministry. Please pray for them as they continue to come and visit throughout this year! Check out their website at docsforhope.org. They also have a couple of blogs from the doctors who have come down already this year - Epperlyadventures.blogspot.com and McQuillen'sfor hope.blogspot.com - to see their perspective on what God is doing here.

Instituto Adonai opened in February 2014 and is in session now. In this area, God has done so much more than we ever imagined. Aaron and Katie were joined by Greg and Helaine Walton, (a South African missionary couple) who committed to help start the school, and in the process, it has been completely transformed.  It is pretty amazing how God placed the vision in Katie and Aaron and then supplied this couple, who have had 15 years of experience within the Guatemalan educational system, alongside of them to guide and train them. Currently we are running a pre-medicine diploma program that prepares students to enter into medical or professional nursing school. There is also an English school in place that is being run by volunteers—some are just rotating through while others are here to stay.  And we are hopeful as we begin to talk with the University of San Pablo about opening a professional nursing program (the equivalent to RN) here as well. Please pray that God opens those doors as we will very soon need a qualified nursing staff! Education has proven to be such a valuable tool in our region to reach out to the people, so we are excited to see what this new area of ministry will bring.                                   

  Personal Update  We are happy to report that all is well in our family, even in the midst of adjustments to so many changes! Joseph and Jessica will get married in Switzerland in April, something we are all very excited about. The family is planning a trip to the States around that time as well. Everyone is looking forward to this time to come together as a family!

It seems that 2014 swung us into full transition mode. Many have come to visit and learn more about what God is doing here. It has been a gift to get to know so many people with hearts that desire to serve Jesus. So, while we have been essentially waiting on the timing and provision of God, we have been plenty busy! During AIM’s transition, every day looks a little different and things are constantly changing. Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this season of our lives!

Change has almost become routine around here lately—what an oxymoron that is. In a time of such transition, there are many people coming alongside AIM, some visiting while others are here to stay. Rotating through, there are so many different kinds of people with different gifts—from teachers to doctors (namely DOCS for Hope members), engineers to pilots, and everything in between. God is bringing together a very diverse group for this “big picture” vision of school and hospital functioning together and sustaining each other. Everyone is trying to find their roll and many are changing rolls. Honestly, it’s exciting and exhausting all at once. To actually be part of something of God and to know that his hand is on it is extraordinary. That’s what it feels like to be in Guatemala working with AIM right now. God is bringing people together who have vowed to be faithful to him and is putting their promise to the test. Day by day, He is piecing this vision together.

But do you know what is hard about this time? It’s that life is up in the air for almost every single person here. No one has the slightest idea what is going to happen or when it is going to happen. No one knows how or when God is going to provide, how or when he is going to reveal himself and his full plan to us. In many ways, we are truly practicing faith without seeing right now.

 “And without faith it is impossible to please him…(Hebrews11:6a).” So while faith is super hard to live out, Hebrews says it is literally impossible to please God apart from it. And that is what we live our lives for—to please our Creator. So faith has to be a natural extension of that.

Last week on the way home from clinic, we stopped the car in the middle of the road to find our once round tire as flat as a pancake. What an interesting time I knew we were in for when I looked at the four of us and decided in my mind that none of us had probably ever changed a tire in our lives. Out came the car manual, which may as well have been written in Morse code—our Spanish automotive repair vocabulary was surprisingly limited. We awkwardly looked for the jack (conveniently called “el gato” in the manual?), found it, and got to work. Half an hour of sweating later the tire was changed and we were on our way. It was not a particularly smooth or graceful process, but we just kind of figured it out as we went and got it done. For me, that’s kind of how faith is. It’s messy. I don’t really know what I’m doing most of the time—I just tell God that everything is His, pray a lot for discernment and wisdom, and use the Bible as a roadmap. It’s usually not graceful; it’s usually challenging and uncomfortable. But God can use the not-so-graceful—He can use anyone that comes to Him with an open heart.  “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).  

In the end, we are just here to serve God the best that we can. We are instruments for Him to use, and gladly so. Please pray that our faith and dependence on God would come more and more naturally to us everyday, that it would be as easy as breathing to put complete trust in Him—a time of dependence on God can mean a time of spiritual growth. So glad that we serve a God who is always faithful!

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
    a time to be born, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what its planted;
    a time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to break down, and a time to build up..... Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

So much of the time in our Christian walk, we wait. We do what is before us, but it often seems that we just plod along, persevering through circumstances that are difficult or mundane. But always there is a sense that something will change. We find ourselves in a season of change now....big changes. We see God moving in amazing ways, ways that are so much bigger than anything we could ever imagine. If we just look at our immediate circumstances, we become overwhelmed, thinking "ahh, there is no way God..." But when we surrender and do that which is before us, one step at a time, He is always there, leading, guiding, and giving to us that which we need.

I was talking to a gentleman yesterday about just that and I remembered back to our initial trip to Guatemala when we made the decision to come, sold all of our belongings and packed up a bus to drive through Mexico. Every single day of that trip was packed with difficulties and challenges, which were way out of our "comfort zone." But in each of those times He was there to sustain. The very first day that we left our home in Illinois, as we traveled through Oklahoma, it began to snow. We watched car after car slide down on either side of the road and we watched our son Aaron in the rearview mirror in our truck and attached trailer fishtail all over the road. When he radioed up to us and said, "Dad, I can't do this!", Duane looked at me and said, "Leslie, you drive the bus." Never in my life had I driven a bus - much less in the middle of a snow storm! But somehow - by God's grace, we made it to the hotel. When we turned on the news that night, they announced that we had just driven through the worst snowstorm in Oklahoma history.

I have remembered God's faithfulness in that moment so many times in the last few weeks. That is a little how we feel.....driving through circumstances that we have no experience for, with no knowledge of how to do it. But we feel His presence, His hand upon us, so we press on.... knowing that it is only by His grace that we are able to finish each day. Graham Cook says it this way, "there are no longer good days or bad days....just days of grace." May you feel His grace upon you today as you face whatever comes your way!