I have been a Christian for a lot of years now. And I cannot count how many times I have read the Christmas story. But for some reason, this year, I have been completely undone by the story of the birth of our Savior. I have found myself meditating on why...why did He do it this way? Why was Jesus born in obscurity, in hiddeness, to poor young parents away from their home? Why was Mary alone having her first child? Why did the angels appear to shepherds - the lowest of all Jewish society at that time - why did they sing their praises to them? Why not announce the birth of our Savior to the religious leaders or the king or over at least, populated areas so that everyone would know that Jesus, the Messiah, was born? And what does that say about God's heart? What does it say about the poor? I think it says that God honors the poor and weak; that the things we count important - riches, fame, and recognition - are not all that important to Him.

Every week as we go up to Chiminisijuan, we pass the shepherds. They are usually young people or women who spend their entire day following after their animals. They do not go to school. They are alone all day, without recognition. It does not matter how cold or rainy it may be, they are there caring for animals. What do they think about all day? I can only imagine how amazing it would be for a host of angels to appear to them....singing praises to God.

May you find time today, in the midst of all the busyness, to rejoice with the angels who are still saying "Glory to God in the highest!" (Luke 2:14)

Juanita is a four year old in our nutrition program. She has cerebral palsy. We see many children like her, often due to home deliveries gone bad. She (as all of the children like her) has a special place in my heart. They are normal little people, with normal intelligence and emotions but trapped in a body which will not cooperate. Often times, they are mistaken as unintelligent because of their inability to communicate.  But when Juanita comes in she smiles and says "leche" (milk). She cannot sit or even hold her head up and she is getting heavy now for mom to carry her in every two weeks. Fortunately for Juanita, her mom has not yet had another baby. There is very little help for children like her...no therapy close by, no wheelchairs (yet....we are working on it). Because these children cannot contribute or help with the workload of the family, most often they are left lying on the dirt floor in a corner of the house, alone much of the day. They are truly one of the "least of these little brothers of Mine." (Matthew 25:40)

One of our goals for the coming year is to get a group of physical/occupational therapists together who are willing to come once a year. If we could get 12 therapists, we could ask them to work once a month with each of these children, in each of our clinics. We are asking the Lord to touch the hearts of those who have the expertise and knowledge to help these little ones.    

I am pretty sure that the Lord looks on us in the same way that He looks at these children. He is able to see past our weaknesses and failures. He sees our potential, not our handicaps. "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2 Corinthians 3:5.

Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His mercy endures forever. (1Chronicles 16:33)
I pray that somtime today you will have a moment to reflect on His goodness and mercy. I know sometimes that the preparation becomes so big that we cannot remember why we celebrate this wonderful day...

Of course, here in Guatemala there is no Thanksgiving celebration. Typically we invite whatever North Americans are in the area to celebrate with us. But this year there are none.... that we know of anyway. And only 4 of our 8 children can be here. So we have decided to invite our Guatemalan friends. As I was thinking about it, and trying to figure out how much of American history I wanted to share with them, I was struck by the similarity of our circumstances with those of the Pilgrams. Our reasons for being here are different but the actual celebration was to give thanks to God for His provision . And that provision and help came through friends who had come to the aid of these struggling settlers. So today, as we celebrate with a meal larger than many Guatemalans have seen, we will remember friends - whether here or in the US - who have helped us. May the awareness of His blessings overwhelm you today!

trusting in Him...

Holy cow! It has been too long since I have written! This has been a busy month with lots of visitors followed by a trip to the US. Rachel and I went "home" for two weeks to be with Ryan and Katie for the birth of their daughter, Audrey Nadine. Her name means "noble strength and hope"...and we trust that it is a prophetic statement for her life.

Rachel and I also spent several days looking at universities as she is ready for this next step in her education. Rachel was 4 years old when we came to Guatemala. It is the only life she has ever known. Living in the culture of the US will be a huge change for her and we covet your prayers for her in this time. Letting go of our children and trusting that He will guard and keep them is one of the hardest things that we are asked to do, isn't it?!

Saturday morning clinic started with a very sick baby girl whose oxygen levels were in the 60's (they should be over 90). She needed to be hospitalized - in an ICU. But her mama had left 5 other children at home and could not stay. So we loaded her up with antibiotics and much prayer and off she went. It will be a true miracle of God if she survives. And we may never know what her outcome is as she lives in a very remote village. We truly put her into the "hands of God" and I know that He will heal her - either here or there - for we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and do not lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 - my paraphrase)

 As Jesus said, our Heavenly Father knows even the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30) - and if our eyes are open to His grace - we will notice His provision in the smallest detail of our lives. This is one of my daily prayers, that I will be able to see His hand upon us each day. I know He is there....it is just that sometimes I get so busy that I don't notice and, more importantly, don't remember to say "thank you." But even when I am unfaithful to remember Him, His provision does not fail. He provides for each need even when I have not even asked!

We go through an amazing amount of vitamins each week. All of our prenatal patients (about 75 each week) get a month's worth of vitamins at each visit. Our nutrition children (around 200 of them) get vitamins every two weeks. And many of the 250-300 patients that we see each week get vitamins as well. And while vitamins may seem unecessary for those who eat a healthy diet, for people who eat only tortillas and beans daily, they can make a significant difference in one's health and well being. We depend on a variety of sources. We can buy some (prenatals) from the government when they have them. Most come from generous people who come to visit, and for those we are very grateful. Recently though we have run pretty low on children's vitamins. Katie's mom, who is coming for a visit tomorrow, went into a store this week to buy 2000 vitamins for us. When she explained where they were going, the woman said that she would like to donate them - only not 2000 but 200,000!

Last week in Chumisa, we saw so many little ones who needed milk and several families who needed food. We only bring a limited amount of food each time by estimating how many we should see plus a few extra. Each time I went back to the bag, I would think, "only one more bag of milk left." Then, in would come another family. I would go back to the bag, and there would be another bag. This happened three or four times....I am pretty sure that God was multiplying the "loaves and fish." 

I could go on for a really long time describing the graciousness of His provision each day. As I remember how timidly we began this walk of faith, this total dependence on His hand to provide for all of these people, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. 

"Bless the Lord O my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy name" Psalm 103:1

Little Pedro (not his real name) is over a year old and has been in our nutrition program for most of his short life. He came for the first time when he was just a couple of weeks old with a severe pneumonia. He was so sick that I feared he would not live through the afternoon. We quickly got him into the ambulance and he spent several days in the national hospital. Since that time, he has been a "failure to thrive" baby - a term that just means he never seems to grow no matter how much food we give him. At one point, his mom told me that her husband was sick as well, and asked that we see him. He too, had a pneumonia, but otherwise seemed healthy and strong. We recommended that he have blood work done to check for HIV - which amazingly, he did. Unfortunately, he tested positive, as did his wife and little Pedro.

The government here offers limited help for those who are HIV positive. In this case, the family needs to go to a city about 5 hours from here, where no one speaks their native Quiche. Dad is very sick now and has begun to drink heavily. Mom has a very limited understanding of her diagnosis, and at the moment is asymptomatic, which makes her less likely to fight for her family. I felt her desperation as she explained that they had no money, no food and no way of paying for a stay in another city. And who would take care of her other children? And even though the medical care is free, how will she buy diapers and food while they are in treatment? And what if her husband dies there....how will she get his body home for burial?  As she spoke, I asked the Lord for wisdom. What words could I give her that would turn her eyes to her only hope at this point....Jesus? Weak words seemed so small in the face of her pain and desperation. We prayed for her, and let her know that we would continue to daily pray, and offered to help in any other way that we could. I ask for your prayers for this family as well. For we know that HE alone is the only hope that she has...

We wait  in hope for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

I met Ignacia several years ago. She is a young woman terribly crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. She never knew her father and her mother left her when she was a child. (In this culture, typically,  when a woman "re-marries", the children from her first marriage are not welcomed into the new family.) So Iganacia was left alone. When we met her she was living in a hut that was about the size of a dog house, made of corn stalks. She is in tremendous pain all of the time and she had no way of supporting herself. So she lived off of the kindness of her very poor neighbors.We gathered the support of the local church and built her a little house and twice a month we help her with food and medication for her pain. She was depressed and discouraged at that time - thinking that her life was of no value. I remember talking with her, trying to encourage her with words about the kindness and love of God; telling her that the Lord had a purpose for her life - and even if she could do nothing else, she could pray for those around her. And I remember going away from that conversation thinking that those were the weakest, most ineffective words...but somehow, God used them. She has made it her life work to pray for those around her. 


I do not see her often as it is so difficult for her to walk, so it is always a treat when she is able to come. She is well known now in the area and is often called to pray for the sick. She told me of how she had just spent a month with a family, praying day and night for a man who was making the long and dangerous trip to the US. She is a gentle, humble woman of God and I am honored to know her. I know that she will have a very special place in heaven... She daily walks out Jesus' instructions to "Go...as you go, preach this message The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freeely give." Matt. 10:6,7