Adonai International Ministries

2012-02-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

It is hot again. The winds have changed in the last week and the dust blows continously. We have had no rain now since September. And the widows are beginning to come again, asking for food. Our nutrition program is filling up. Men are trying to earn cash by cutting sugar cane on the "coast". It is exhausting work, swinging a machete 12 hours a day in 100 degree weather. Women are left to care for children alone, often with little food and no money. Tuesday, Fransisca came into the clinic in Chiminisijuan with her 1 year old, sick and weighing just 12 pounds. Mom is 8 months pregnant with twins. She will need to go to the hospital to have these babies but her husband is gone and there is no one to care for the one year old. When I told her that there were 2 babies, big tears rolled down her face....the desperation so profound. We loaded her up with as much food as she could carry and medicine for the little one and sent her on her way with a prayer that Jesus would give her the strength that she needs.

There are so many like her - in need and desperate. What we have to give is so little. But we are learning the power of prayer because we know that without Jesus, the cycle can not be broken. Only He can bring healing. Only He can make the wrong things right. Only He can...
comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty for ashes
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:2-3

The hearts of the fathers

2012-02-01T03:47:00.000-08:00

As Duane and I go on thirteen years of serving here in Guatemala, there are a few things that we have learned. One is that Guatemalans are so much better at ministering to their own people than we could ever dream of. We have learned that our most effective way to reach people is to help those who are called to serve here, those who have a heart to see their country changed. And so it is that we find ourselves beginning this new year standing behind two young men whom we have found to be faithful in that calling.

We met Armando on our very first trip to Guatemala in 1996. He is one of about 70 children (he thinks) born to a local brujo (witchdoctor). We have watched him grow from an insecure, fearful young man into a humble, gentle, Godly leader of his own people. He has a passion to see his people educated in the knowledge of God. He completed Biblical training at ASELSI - a local Bible school - two years ago. We watched him go through a very dark time last year as the church which he grew up in split apart and at the same time he lost his second son - and very nearly his wife. We have seen him pass through difficult times without bitterness toward his brothers in Christ or anger at God for allowing his son to die. About three years ago he began to help me in the clinics, evangelizing at the beginning of each clinic, translating for us and ministering to the sick and hurting in prayer and counsel. In September of last year we began to financially support him monthly so that he could begin to work out in the villages and continue to help us in the clinics. And now this year, he feels a call from God to begin a church in San Andres - not an easy thing to do here. We feel called to stand behind him and support him in this call.

The second young man is Victor whom we have known for about 9 years. He pastored the local church here in Canilla for some years and we got to know him as he came and shared his heart at our table almost weekly. His passion and call from God is to reach out to drug addicts and alcoholics both of which he has been deliverd from. Three years ago, he began in a more formal way to minister to these men when he opened a very small home. He started literally with nothing and has seen God's provision as he has stepped out in faith to do what God has called him to do. We have watched him struggle to provide food and shelter for these men whom he picks up off of the street in drunken stupors. We know as well that it is God's heart that he expresses as he ministers to men who no one else cares for, taking them in over and over just as our Heavenly Father takes us in time after time as we fall in our weakness. And so we have decided to help Victor in a more formal way in the administration of this ministry and by supporting it financially each month.

Malachi 4:5 says "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers." We believe that God has set us as "fathers" to these two young men. And just as with our own children, our prayer is that they will be used by God and that they will grow each day in wisdom and understanding of this great God that we serve. Pray with us for them, that God will abundantly bless these two young men and give to them all that they need to complete the call of God upon their lives.

2012-01-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will direct you paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

It's been a while since I have posted...I apologize. Over the holidays I worked alone in the clinics - with the Guatemalan young women and Armondo - all of whom were great. I was a little nervous about it but as always God was faithful to only give what we could handle. On the days when we had lots of patients we found that none of them were very sick and on the days when the really sick folks came there would not be as many people waiting. And now we have help! Rachael came with our children as they returned from the One Thing youth conference in Kansas City. She is an RN who lived here in Guatemala for several years until she felt the Lord directing her to study nursing. She is great! I think that if the Lord had asked me what kind of help I would want, I would have described Rachael. She is gentle and kind, loves the people and most importantly loves Jesus. And she is a really good nurse.

Katie and Aaron arrived back home this week after a couple of weeks with Katie's family in the US. It was a good time for Kathy and Dave (Katie's parents) to get to know little Ethan and to spend some quality time with Anna. It is so hard being away from your grandchildren...

And the new Guatemalan president has been inaugurated - along with the local mayors - and the transition was a peaceful one. For this, we are very grateful. Once again, I am in awe of God's provision and protection over our lives and over this small work that we do here. As we begin our thirteenth year here, we ask for your prayers for ministry direction. We want to be found doing only what He has asked us to do and at times, when the need is so great all around us, it is difficult to discern.

2011-12-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

Grace....Webster's dictionary defines it as "unmerited divine assistance." Grace was what I experienced last week as we hosted the largest team in our short history. Joyce Meyer's ministry sends medical teams all over the world and when they first approached us, we said "no." They send large teams into heavily populated areas of great need...and they do an amazing work. They typically stay in hotels and eat in restaurants but there are none of those here...at least not to their standards. When they agreed to cut their team in half, we agreed to host them. They all arrived on Saturday - a wonderful, Godly group of people from all over the US and even Victoria who came from the United Kingdom. It was awesome to hear their stories of trips from all over the world.

Because virtually all of the villages that we planned to visit speak Quiche and very little Spanish, we needed not only English to Spanish translators but also Spanish to Quiche translators as there are very few people who can translate from Quiche to English. So we traveled with a group of over 35 each day....slightly overwhelming logistics - for me anyway. We went to three different villages in five days, treated around 1200 people, planted seeds of the Gospel in each heart and prayed for most.

On Thursday Little Ethan Aaron (Katie and Aaron's second child) made his entrance into the world. Duane and I flew them into the City early in the morning for the birth. Our daughters, Hannah and Rachel, stepped in to prepare and serve breakfast and get the team up to Cruz Chich. Thanks to God's grace, Ethan was born without problems and we were all home in the afternoon, just in time to get dinner ready for the team.

Even as I write, I am overwhelmed by God's grace to us. There was not a moment when we did not feel this completely "unmerited divine assistance." Our prayer is that each one who was touched last week - whether team member or patient - felt a touch from God and was changed in some way by His power and love. Because that's what it's all about.....

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." 2 Corinthians 3:4-5

2011-11-23T03:12:00.000-08:00

Rosa came to clinic at the end of the day last week. She was obviously pregnant and obviously trying to hide it, waiting until everyone left for the day. She is sixteen and the oldest of 7 children. Her father died several years ago leaving her mother to care for the family alone. Rosa, being the oldest, was sent to Guatemala City many months ago where she worked 15 - 16 hours a day, making tortillas. She met a young man who promised to marry her and care for not just her, but her family as well. And as so often happens, she was left pregnant with all the promises of security broken. So she came, asking us to hide her until her baby is born and then asking us to keep the baby.

Yesterday, she returned with her mother who we immediately recognized as one of the widows that we have helped with food over the course of many years. She is a sweet and humble woman who rarely asks for help. As we sat down to talk with her, she began to weep into her apron, her heart broken for all that had happened to her daughter. And although she did not express it, I knew as a mom, that much of her grief was guilt - guilt for having to put her daughter in the position of fending for this family. Even though our circumstances are very different our hearts as mothers are the same - wanting only good things for our children. We will, of course, help them in every way that we can.

I often ask God about this - why was I born in such different circumstances...why was I born in a country of opportunity? Why was I born to parents who could afford to give me a good education? Why have I never known hunger? Why have I been blessed with such a good marriage and children who love God? And as always, in my mind, I hear a voice saying, "To whom much is given, much is required." Last night as we worshiped together as a family with our son-in-law Matt, he played one of my favorite songs...this is the chorus -

Jesus, what can I give, what can I bring

To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King?

Savior, what can be said, what can be sung

As a praise of Your name

For the things You have done?

Oh my words could not tell, not even in part

Of the debt of love that is owed

By this thankful heart (I will offer up my life - Matt Redman)

I pray you have a very blessed Thanksgiving day tomorrow. And as you remember all that you are blessed with, that you too will ask, "What can I bring to so faithful a friend?"

2011-11-04T03:28:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Cidiaca. I have known her for many years as we have helped her with her diabetic medications. We have a few people that we help with insulin and she is one of them - so I see her every two weeks when we check her blood sugars and fill up her insulin syringes for the next weeks. She accepted Jesus as her Savior several years ago. Her life is bleak - she and her children often do not have enough food. Her husband is uncaring. But the Lord has blessed her with physical healing. Last year she came in and on both of her feet, her toes were black and necrotic. I knew that she would probably need to have both of her feet amputated if the Lord did not move. So we bought her some shoes, taught her how to care for her feet and we prayed! Gradually over several weeks, the necrosis disappeared and her toes returned to their normal pink color. It was truly a miracle!

About 6 months ago, after she left our clinic on a Sunday morning, she fell when some young people shoved her in the market. We ran up to the market to find the ambulance carrying her away. They told us that she had fractured her leg. I did not see her for a couple of months though her pastor came by to let me know that she was still in the hospital. One day a couple of months later, the ambulance pulled up in front of the clinic and there she was. They sent her home with her fracture unhealed - the surgeons unwilling to operate because of her diabetes. She was unable to even sit up. So Armando and I began to go out to her home and check on her. The first time that we went, we found her lying down on a straw mat, still unable to sit and barely able to turn from side to side. She gave me her x-ray which showed that the neck of her femur was in what looked like a thousand pieces. As we knelt on the ground to pray for her I noticed that her right leg was at least two inches shorter than the other. We left her that day promising to see if we couldn't find someone who would help her. During that week we made lots of phone calls and finally found a surgeon who was willing to help her...out in the Peten. So we returned to her home to give her this news and there she was up and walking! She told us that after we had prayed for her, she slept that night without any pain for the first time since her fall. The most amazing part was that her legs were the same size! I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical - which I guess comes from working in medicine for too many years. But this was undeniably a miracle...and we are all praising the Lord for His power and for His grace and kindness to this woman who has no where else to turn but to a faithful God!

And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always
having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

We talked with Cidica recently, encouraging her to ask God what it is that He has for her to do now...begining with testifying about His great love and power to those who believe! She just smiled...

2011-10-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

October 19th and it is still raining...alot. Usually the rains stop at the end of September but this year, thanks to a couple of tropical storms, the rains have continued. The Guatemalans, specifically those in Chiminisijuan where it gets pretty cold when it rains, have taught me to be grateful for the rain...no matter how much mud there is or how cold and wet one might be. I have never heard anyone complain here about rain. It is however, making life a little more challenging. 2 out of the the 3 roads out of Canilla are now completely closed and the third - which is usually a 21/2 hour drive to pavement - is now a 5-6 hour drive. The road that we take to get to our clinic in Chiminisijuan lost a bridge so that is only passable with the four wheeler. So for the last few weeks Duane has driven Armondo and I up on the 4 wheeler. Katie, now in her 35th week of pregnancy is not able to make that ride. So I have worked that clinic by myself - making for really long days. We Fickers, however...particularly the men .... like challenges, especially if it involves mud and vehicles! We have a clinic scheduled for Friday up in Cruz Chich where the road has been closed with a pretty significant mudslide. I am hoping that David will help us get through that with the help of the backhoe!

Here are a few pictures...

Sunday the cleft lip/palate team arrives at the hospital in Quiche from Texas. We have 8 children from our area who will have surgeries. Please be in prayer for good experiences and outcomes for each one. A portion of that team will also come to San Andres on Monday and Tuesday to do dental work. This group came last year and were a tremendous blessing as they not only pulled rotten teeth but filled and repaired - and even did a few root canals. There is a huge need for them here and we are grateful for their willingness to wade through the mud to get here!

2011-10-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

September has proven to be a month of change....not my favorite thing.

We said goodbye to Dr. Sherwood and his wife Areli this month. Dr. Sherwood came faithfully every week for two years to help in our clinic here in Canilla. He is currently in Mexico with Areli's family but will return to the US in December. You can follow them at MissionaryDoc.com In his place, Dra. Lindsy has come. She recently graduated from medical school here in Guatemala. She is gentle and very kind and we are grateful for her help each week. Her husband Paul will join her when he graduates as well in January.

Our son Ryan, his wife Katie and our two grandsons Jacob and Joshua left as well this month. They have returned to Illinois and are seeking God's plan for their future. They have left a huge hole not just in the ministry but mostly in my heart. Pray for them if you think of it. Waiting on God is not easy...

Katie Shaw (our son Aaron's wife) is starting her eighth month of pregnancy. Little Ethan will arrive late in November. Please pray for a safe and easy delivery...not in the plane this time as is what nearly happened with Anna! I try not to think too much about clinics without her help. I have e learned that God, in his great faithfulness, always supplies all that we need, just at the time when we need it.

Guatemala passed through the first phase of presidential election this month as well. The second phase will be in November. We had several municipal buildings burned in our area as voters expressed their discontentment with results. Fortunately we had no deaths...at least not in our local area. Living as foreigners, in a country where violence is so close to the surface, is a little nerve wracking at times...especially in election times.

As changing circumstances swirl all around me, and I stress about the future, I find myself looking more and more to the Rock of my salvation. He alone is that safe and secure place where I can find rest for my soul, and my emotions. All else is "shifting sand"....

Psalm 62:2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation: he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

2011-09-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, I wrote about little Paula who the Lord supernaturally healed. This week I want to tell you about Alex. I got to know 11 year old Alex and his parents several years ago. They moved from Guatemala City because of Alex's asthma. They felt that the air was purer here. We helped him with his medication and often he would come when he was having an especially difficult bout. Last Sunday he was at a birthday party with his friends when his asthma began to flair up again. He finally left the party to go home and use his nebulizer. But the power was out in town that day. His parents borrowed a truck to take him into the government clinic. But they didn't have power or a generator. So they tried to bring him here. This is an election year and last week there were endless parades and parties in the streets in an effort to gain favor with voters. Alex's parents tried to get through town (and Canilla is very small) but they could not. But the time he arrived, he was unconscious. Ryan and Joseph were the only ones at home. I was in clinic in San Andres so they called Duane who ran home as quickly as he could. They began oxygen and started the generator. By the time they started to nebulize him, he had stopped breathing. Duane tried to do CPR and was still working when I arrived many minutes later. I wish I could say that we prayed and the Lord supernaturally intervened. But He did not.

All week we asked ourselves why? What could we have done differently? We have all had sleepless nights. I would like to say that we have had a revelation that has helped us understand. All we know is that HE is sovereign - He knows the beginning from the end, He understands all of our human suffering. And we trust Him - even when circumstances are impossible to understand.

It has always been a dream of ours to open an acute care center - where we could have someone here 24 hours a day to provide care. As I was talking our children though all of this by phone on Sunday, Ryan kept saying with such anguish, "what else can we do Mom?" Unfortunately, for Alex, there was nothing else that we could do. We do not have a hospital, I am not a physician.We do not want it to happen again though. So we are once again asking the Lord to send all that we need to that - physical and financial help.

Show me your way, O Lord
Teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
For you are the God of my salvation;
On you I wait all the day.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for you.
Psalm 25;4,5,21

Paula

2011-09-02T13:42:00.001-07:00

Clinics have been so busy in the last few weeks with little ones sick with pneumonia. I have no way of knowing for sure but I think it is RSV - a virus which causes severe illness in children under a year or children whose immune systems are compromised. Since it is a virus, antibiotics
do not work. Two Tuesdays ago in Chiminisijuan, we had 11 children from the same village who all had pneumonia and were so sick. We always ask mom's to take their little ones into the hospital knowing that, especially there, that they probably won't go. So we give them oral medications and pray for them and send them on their way. Rarely do we know what happens to them.

This Tuesday was no different. As Armando and Bob were praying with the people, I noticed a little girl who was breathing about 60 times a minute and appeared to not have enough strength to hold her head up. We brought her in right away and put on the oximeter (a little machine which reads out the oxygen level). Paula was reading in the 60's (normal is above 90). We asked her mom if we could take her into the hospital - but she would not go. Her husband died 7 months ago and Paula was the youngest of 6 other children. There was no one to care for the other children. I cannot explain the sense of helplessness that we felt as we watched this little one struggle to breathe. Kim (a visiting nurse practitioner) and I agreed that we would try to get some IV fluids going and give her the strongest antibiotic that I have through her veins. And we all started praying and didn't stop until she left. She was so weak that she didn't even cry when we started her IV. Over the course of about 2 hours, her oxygen levels gradually dropped down into the 40's. Kim and I agreed that it would be better for her to die at home than in the clinic. We gave mom a bag of food and drove her as far as we could with the 4-wheeler and said good-bye. Under normal conditions, there is no way that she should have lived. But today Tomas called with the good...no, amazing...news that she was "doing well"!!! Now we pray that her mother - who is not a believer - will understand what a miracle God has done!

I will sing about the LORD's faithful love forever;
With my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
For I will declare, "Faithful love is built up forever;
You establish Your faithfulness in the heavens." Psalm 89:1,2

2011-08-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we made our monthly trip up to Cruz Chich. We were greeted by over 140 people...more than we have seen there and way more than Katie and I can usually care for by ourselves. But they were all there waiting so we dug in. We are getting to know many of the faces as people return each month. One gentleman who came 3 months ago for the first time, comes each month now. He initially came with what I thought was pneumonia or possibly lung cancer or both. He had been sick for some time and was wasted and febrile. I encouraged him to go to the hospital but he said that he would not and I was concerned that he would die within a few days. Armondo and I talked with him about Jesus and salvation but he was not too interested. He is a brujo (witchdoctor). So we gave him his medication and asked if we could pray for him. He agreed...poor thing, he felt so bad...any other time I am pretty sure that he would have refused. But we prayed that God would heal him, that he would understand the power of our God to heal and to love. I honestly was surprised to see him the next month but he was there smiling and healthy. He waited until the very end, watching all that was going on that day. I asked him if he realized that God had supernaturally intervened to heal him. He just smiled. Yesterday he was back...and again, waited until everyone left before he came in. Again, we talked about the Lord and His power to save. He just smiles but I know that he is thinking... I know that the Spirit of God is stirring him. So we pray, trusting that as we have planted and watered, that God will bring forth the harvest.

There is a lot of need in Cruz Chich - lots of folks with hypertension and diabetes. We continue to see mostly adults. I know that they do not trust us yet with their children. They are still testing us, waiting to see what we will do....waiting to see if we will snatch away their children to eat them or make soap out of them. I know that sounds so ludicrous but it is a common thought among the indigenous. It began during the war and has continued in these remote areas. Interestingly, it is the same rumor that the Nazis spread about the Jews before and during World War II. The enemy has no new tricks...just the same old lies. So we wait and continue to love and serve these people whom I have grown to love so much...trusting that God will open their eyes and their hearts to Himself.

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

2011-08-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah is the nine month old son of our good friend Tomas. He has 8 older sisters and one brother who all adore him. He is not Tomas's natural son - he was "gifted" to them as they say here. Now, Tomas often does not have enough food in his house, but he has lots of love to give. And when this little baby was offered to him, he and his wife really prayed about it before they took him. He has thrived...and is spoiled rotten!

Tomas called last week and asked if he could bring Jeremiah in because he was sick. He arrived in record time (it is normally a three hour walk) and he was pretty sick with pneumonia. It was late in the evening so we put him on oxygen and decided to keep him here for the night...which means that I did not get much sleep. He was still sick in the morning and I told Tomas that we really needed to send him on to the hospital in Quiche. I am not qualified to care for children that sick without a physician's input. But Tomas has been around enough in the clinics to see God miraculously heal children on many occasions. So when I told him that he just looked at me and said, "No mi Hermana (my sister) I don't want to take him to the hospital. I feel peace with him here. I know he will get better care here than in the hospital." Now, I know that he did not say that because we can actually give better care - but that we will pray and love him. So, he stayed for three days. It is more than a little unnerving in the middle of the night watching him struggle to breath with his oxygen levels dropping. But Saturday afternoon, after 2 sleepless nights and countless prayers, we turned off the oxygen, watched him for a few hours and then sent him home. His parents cried tears of gratitude to our God who cares for and heals His little ones.
He is faithful!

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26

power in prayer

2011-07-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
Psalm 145:18-19

Every Sunday in San Andres, we have women who come at the end of our day - when we are tired and ready to go home. We call them "the stragglers". I have learned that many times they are the ones who come for prayer. Yesterday, two women came who I remembered from some months ago. They had come asking for food. They told me similar stories of their lives married to men who drink too much and cannot care for their families. They told me about how there was no food in the house, about men who were angry and violent toward them and their children. We of course, gave them a small bag of food. But more importantly, we talked with them about a God who sees and hears the cry of His children, who had seen the injustice in their lives. As we prayed for them they both cried tears of anguish and pain. We promised to continue to pray for their husbands - that the Lord would open their eyes and soften their hearts to Jesus. I always write down the names of husbands or other family members and take them home to add to my prayer list. So yesterday when they came, they told us about how, since we prayed, their husbands had stopped drinking and how their homes had changed. They - along with another friend that they brought with them - expressed a desire to accept the Lord as their Savior. Their husbands however, had said that they could not until the men had (women are not allowed to lead...in anything here). But they asked that we write down all the names of their family members that we could continue to pray for them.

It is not uncommon for women to come and say that they want to have a relationship with Jesus but that their husbands will not let them. Indignation always rises within me when I hear that. But I have learned that this is how this culture is and to ask a woman to defy her husband only creates confusion. So we pray for a heart change in her husband and we encourage women to begin to pray themselves, for their husbands. Often, we have to clarify that to pray for her husband doesn't mean that she can pray that the Lord will stike her husband dead! So many times we have seen the Lord begin to move in the hearts of these men and as a result, entire families come to Jesus. He truly is "near to those who call upon Him..."

2011-07-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

The rains have come and we are so grateful...but they do create some challenges. We have been without power off and on for almost a week. The roads are so muddy now that the buses have to use chains, and although they help for the moment, they pretty much destroy the road, which is precarious at best. But we are so thankful to see the green and to watch the corn beginning to grow. No matter how wet and cold one is, they always say the same..."it is a blessing from God!"

We have worked now for years to establish trust up in Chiminisijuan. So no matter how wet or muddy the roads are, we work as hard as we can to get there. Usually those times when we have to work the hardest, when it would be the easiest to just say, "lets not go today", those are the times when we really need to be there. No exception Tuesday. Both of our translators called to say that they would not be coming, our back-up translator was not available either. Finally Armando called back and said he would come...fever and all. We can drive to a point now, and then we walk, as the road down to the clinic is impassable when there is more than a little rain. Duane usually drives the 4 wheeler down with supplies, but he was unavailable so David agreed, but he planned to come later. We arrived late, with mud squishing between our toes, to find one of our ladies in active labor and about 2 months early. After some discussion, we realized that they would not take her into the hospital...so we started her on some IV fluids, gave her some antibiotics for a possible urinary tract infection and PRAYED...hard. When we finished getting her situated we turned to another woman whom we know well. She had her 3 year old strapped to her back and began to tell us about how she had been burned. Little Berta had fallen into a pot of boiling water. As she uncovered her, Berta began to scream. Her momma had packed her wounds (which turned out to be severe burns over one fourth of her body - from the waist down) with some kind of grass and a little bit of burn cream that she had been given in the government clinic. The smell was overwhelming and it took me over half an hour to remove all of the grass. We dressed it as well as we could, started her on antibiotics and ibuprofen for pain....such a pathetic little bit for so much suffering. It seems however, that God takes the little bit that we have and multiplies it to make it more than enough...much like the loaves and fish. The woman in labor didn't have another pain after we prayed and snored her way through the rest of clinic as her IV fluids ran. And Joseph took me up the next day to see little Berta. The smell was better and although she will be in pain for some time to come, she was smiling a little when I left.

As always, I am so grateful for His graciousness to us!

"My grace is suffficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

2011-06-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

These have been a couple of very busy weeks...beginning with the youth team from the Woodlands church in Houston. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to go out to several of the local schools with them. They taught a lesson on world cultures and how different we are but that ultimately we all have the same need for love...for a Savior. We have an open door with the local schools and still have the freedom to openly talk about Jesus which is a tremendous blessing. The youth left each school with a map of the world painted on the wall and various activities for the children to finish. Most people here have a very limited, very small view of the world...I guess because most do not have television nor computers. Even the teachers all said that this was new material for them - that they focus mainly on Guatemala. It was fun! And it is always fun to work with young people who have so much energy!

This week we did an additional clinic in Cruz Chich. This was our third trip out to this very large, very needy village. We had to limit our numbers to 100 and turned many away...which I do not like to do. In our past visits, we have mainly seen men - which I have learned is their way of "checking us out". When we talked with the community leaders a couple of weeks ago, I told them that we would really like to see their wives and children as well - that we would not steal away their children - which is a common belief here. I guess they believed me because we saw lots of children this time, and more women. Little Diego broke my heart. I knew his mom from previous visits to the clinic in Canilla. Diego had a high fever when he was a few months old and was left with brain damage. He could not sit or hold his head up at that time - which was several years ago. We helped her with milk and some very basic physical therapy. She had seven other children at that time and in the four years that have passed since then, she has had two other babies. Diego is five now and weighed 13 pounds on Friday. Mom gives him just two bottles of corn "atol" (corn meal, sugar and water) each day. He is starving - literally - to death. This is so often what happens to children like Diego who are unable to help themselves. There is no help for these families so these imperfect children are left on the floor, being fed when they cry and nothing more. Diego's dad drinks alot and is angry and abusive. When we prayed for Diego, his mom cried huge sobs of grief. I cannot imagine how difficult her life must be. Please remember this family in your prayers for only "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

Maria

2011-06-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

This is Maria. Her parents brought her into our San Andres clinic two weeks ago. She was 4 days old at that time and was very sick. She had fever, was dehydrated, limp, not able to nurse and was spitting up blood. I strongly encouraged her parents to take her into the hospital but they wouldn't. I know there were several reasons for this - the first being economic. It cost about $5 now to travel to Quiche. That is nearly a day's wages for most men here. The second reason was that she is a girl...not highly valued in this culture. And the third reason being that if she were to die in the hospital, it is expensive (relatively) and complicated (if you don't speak Spanish) to get a body released for burial. So after realizing that they would not go, we began to tell them that they really needed a miracle....a miracle that only Jesus Christ could do. They agreed to prayer somewhat hesitantly. And we sent them away, thinking that she only had hours to live. But there she was again on Sunday...not only alive but healthy and nursing well! Her parents are "thinking about" accepting Jesus as their Savior. They do not understand what a miracle God has done in their lives but I do....and I am - once again- amazed at His power and His love! Please pray that their eyes will be opened to that love.

Thank you for your prayers for the men as they traveled through Mexico. Everyone is home safely and we are grateful for God's protection and provision.

We will host a team of high school students from Houston in the next week. Please pray for their safety and health...and more than anything that they encounter God and grow in their relationships with Him in the time away from their culture. Thanks for standing with us!

Please Pray

2011-05-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

We would like to ask you this morning and for the next couple days to join us in prayer for the two men, Byron and Edwin, who are driving our trucks down through Mexico, and our good friend Martin, who is driving one of his own trucks down through Mexico. Martin crossed the border into Mexico a couple of days ago, and our two trucks crossed this morning.

Please pray for favor, that God's protection will be over them, that the trucks will remain in working order, and that they will not confront situations where their integrity is at stake (bribes and such).

Thank you for your prayers, and God bless you all today!

2011-05-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

I don't have pictures very often. I almost never carry a camera but last week Rachel went with us to our newest clinic in Cruz Chich. The people there are from the township of Joyaba and their dress is very different and beautiful, I think. We saw about 80 people with Drs. Heidi and Chris.
It was good day of "sowing seeds". Hearing the good news about Jesus is a relatively new event there. One woman who came a month ago, came again this time. She felt much better with the tylenol that we had given her but her headaches persist once the medication's effect wears off. We talked to her a little more about her life here as her headaches appeared to be from stress. It seems that her husband has been in the US for 14 years and has another family there. She is raising her two children alone and living with her inlaws - who talk with their son each week about his new family. So many women have similar stories. We talked to her about the love of Jesus and how although it seems that her husband has rejected her, Jesus never will. We asked her if we could pray with her but her response was, "Next time maybe." She left smiling though and I think she'll be back.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Rachel is getting quite good with her camera...not that I am biased or anything!

friends...

2011-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago we made the decision to come to Guatemala. We sold almost everything we owned and took our kids out of public school and basketball and dancing classes. We bought an old school bus and loaded it with everything we thought we would need for a year. We didn't speak a word of Spanish and we were not really sure what we would be doing. We only knew, without a doubt, that this was God's plan for our lives. There are times when God asks us to do things that require so much more faith than we have but when we step out in obedience, He always meets us.

I was so scared to take our children through Mexico. We had been told about bandits and hazards all the way through. I remember sitting in line to cross the border, crying...telling the Lord that I didn't think I had enough strength to do this thing that He was asking of us. Our little Rachel was only 3. But as I was crying to God, Duane and the boys were talking to the man who was in the truck in front of us. There were only three of us in the line and this was the route that led not just through Mexico but all the way down to South America. As Duane asked this gentleman where he was going, I listened from the back of the bus and was amazed to hear that he was going to the very same town that we were going to in the same department of Guatemala! The man, Martin, started to cry as the Lord touched him. He said in his broken English that he knew that he needed to help us get to Guatemala. And help us he did! He helped us navigate the paperwork and legalities of crossing the border and he showed us the way to go. When there were bandits ahead, he knew and would tell us that we needed to stop. When we had an accident that totaled the truck we were driving, he was right there, calling all of his friends who came from all over. They fixed the truck so that we could continue...in one day! At the border of Guatemala, we got separated and did not see him for many months. I truly thought he was an angel that the Lord had sent to help us! Now we know that he is a very good friend who has helped us so many times, in so many ways in our twelve years here.

It is Martin who will be driving the trucks through Mexico for us now. Please remember to pray for him as he makes this long and now, very dangerous trip through Mexico. He will fly into the US in the morning and will hopefully get to Guatemala by the end of the month.

"The Lord your God, who goes before you. He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes." Deuteronomy 1:30

everyday life...

2011-05-05T03:58:00.000-07:00

This is an election year here in Guatemala. Already every rock and electric line pole has been painted. Because of the large illiterate population, voting is done by color or symbol so each party makes itself as visible as possible. The" free gifts in exchange for your vote" has already started as well. Anything from fertilizer to machetes are given from now until November. Government agencies such as the medical clinics find themselves out of money and supplies now. Many teachers have not recieved their salaries for many months. There is a feeling of unsettledness and frustration as voters try to sort out which direction to go. Please pray with us that God's will will be done and His purposes accomplished here in Guatemala.

Here at home, we are gearing up for a busy summer. We have two big teams and lots of individuals coming from now until the end of August. Our good friend Victor (who directs the drug and alcohol rehab center in Quiche) will be married this weekend. We will help with the flowers and decorations - a task that we all look forward to! And the next week our good friends Heidi and Chris will arrive in country to do GYN surgeries in Chichi. Then they will come out here to help us with our second outreach in Cruz Chich. We are looking forward to meeting Heidi and Matt's new baby girl, Micah who will be 6 weeks old when they arrive.

The tractor trailers wait at the US/ Mexico border to be brought through by our friend Martin. Please pray for him as he is having some health issues. I am so grateful to have all of the boys back home and for God's faithfulness to guard and protect them as they loaded and drove those two huge trucks to Texas. We pray that God will protect the second half of this journey as well!

Thanks for reading and continuing to pray!

2011-04-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Juana came into the clinic on Sunday with her friend Candalaria, a woman who I have know for many years and whose family we have helped on several occasions. Juana is the mother of 5 small children. Her husband recently became ill and has been hospitalized and unable to work. Juana and her children have been living on a little piece of property which they bought on payments. It does not have a house, so they have been living under a 10x10 piece of plastic...which is fine until the rains begin in just a few weeks. She came with Candalaria asking for help. So today we flew out to their village, met with one of the local pastors and went to visit Juana. What she said was true and her pastor came as well. The church is willing to help with the labor and some of the materials and we will help them with the roof. So it becomes not just the "rich Americans" helping, but the body of believers reaching out to a family in need....just the way it is supposed to be. The best part of this morning however was to see Candalaria. She is a woman for whom we have prayed for for years. Her husband drank, was unfaithful, left her for a time, beat her and the children - in short, they have been a family in great distress since I met them. Recently however, Felipe (her husband) gave his life to the Lord, has stopped drinking and is working to feed and care for his children. They live in a tiny adobe one room house...but it is theirs. It is such a testimony of the faithfulness of God to hear our prayers and His power to change hearts! Please continue to pray for them though, they are so poor. We have reached the time of year now where the corn, which is the main staple of their diet, is gone. No one can plant until the rains begin and then there is the 5 month wait for harvest. So folks who are out of corn now have almost 6 months in which they will need to buy corn - which is unaffordable for some...like this family. In the last month I have noticed the change, the desperation in the faces of women who come into the clinic, battling for their children. It happens every year but every year it hits us the same. The burden to help overwhelms us. Knowing how is the problem. So pray for us too if you think of it. We need His wisdom and His provision. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Cruz Chich

2011-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

This has been a really busy month with lots of visitors. As the last group left, we did too. We spent a couple of days resting with our daughter Hannah and her husband Matt in Costa Rica. It was just what we needed! Hannah had a continuing education course that she needed to take and we couldn't miss the opportunity to see them when they were so close! I am including the post that I wrote and never sent before we left. We were so thankful for all the help from the Destiny team! "In the fullness of time" was the phrase that kept going through my mind as we climbed up to Cruz Chich yesterday. Cruz Chich is a large village at the top of the mountain that I have prayed for for many years now. I have always asked that Lord to open a door into that community as we have felt that it is an area in great need. It is on the outermost edge of the township of Joyaba but closer to us here in Canilla so we often see folks from this community in our Saturday clinic here. And although it is a good sized village of about 5,ooo, it has been neglected. There is very little government help there, no government clinic, they are just now building a school, and only recently have electricity. Three weeks ago we met with the community leaders to ask if we could bring a large medical team in December. They responded that they would not only welcome the team but asked if we could start monthly clinics there. So yesterday we went for the first time with the help of the team that has been here all week from Destiny Church. I expected to see only a few patients but was surprised by the well organized reception of the community and we saw 120 people. The village is very strongly Catholic - there is only one very small congregation of evangelical Christians - so I was unsure how our request to speak to the people about salvation would be received but they were very open and receptive. We prayed with many people...planting seeds and we pray that the Lord of the harvest brings many out of the darkness into the Light! Please pray for David and Aaron as they are in the US preparing a load of equipment to be brought down in the next month or so. Joseph will go to help as well this week. They will load two tractor trailers of donated equipment and drive them to the Mexican border where our friend Martin from here in Guatemala will meet them. He will drive the loads through Mexico as we have been advised that it is not safe for us to make that trip. We are so grateful to those who have donated this equipment and have been talking and planning for months about how to make all of this happen. It is a huge undertaking to get two tractor trailers...and to get them loaded and down the road safely. We are sorry that we cannot get our blogger to put this post in paragraph format! So, you can put in the paragraphs wherever you see fit :)

New Email Address!

2011-04-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Our Fickerfam@intelnett.com email address is no longer working, but please use Fickerfam@gmail.com to contact us from now on. If you have tried to email us on Fickerfam @intelnett.com anytime in the last 6 weeks, we have probably not received it, so if you would not mind resending it to our new email address, that would be great.

Thanks so much!

2011-03-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

One of the hardest parts about living in this country is saying goodbye. Friends come and we have fun and fellowship, we share and serve together and then they are gone. Our children have grown up this way and I wonder sometimes if they are quiet and reserved because of it. It is hard to stay in touch once people return to the US. Despite promises to stay in touch, it is difficult...our lives are so different. So this morning was hard...saying goodbye to Lori and Don and their children. Our little girls had so much fun playing with them. And Don and Lori have become such good friends - we will miss them.

Although Duane and Joseph tried to get on the same flight as the Allison's with their buddy passes, they could not. They did get out this morning however. Joseph is ready to take his final exam for his private pilot's license and Duane wants to get the load of equipment that has been donated a little more organized. We are hopeful that we will be able to get that load down sometime this spring. I tend to get pretty whinny without my husband so pray with me that they will get home quickly.

We had an interesting morning in clinic today. After we finished with our normal patients, we were asked to do a home visit for a young man who had had an "ataque" (seizure) earlier in the day. As we walked into the house, the odor was overwhelming and an older woman was hidden behind the door, next to this young man's bed. She was vigorously rubbing his legs and feet and intermittently spitting....on him. As we tried to figure out what had happened to him, she continued and gradually moved up from his feet until she got to his face. She would spit into her hand and then rub it on his face. I soon realized that she was chewing up garlic and rubbing that on him. Then she changed and began to use "Kofal" which is a menthol rub. I was told later that whole process was to ward off evil spirits. As it turned out, he probably did not have a seizure but only passed out. He had recently returned from the "coast" where men go to cut sugar cane. It is horribly difficult work...working in hot, humid conditions, in the sun all day, cutting sugar cane with a machete. Often men take "pills" to make them work faster and harder so that they can earn more money. That, in addition to the fact that he had not eaten for 12 hours, probably caused him to faint. Just when I think I have seen it all..... So we prayed for him and trust that the Lord will touch this family.

2011-02-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

David and Joseph were asked a couple of weekends ago to participate in another enduro race in Joyaba, a town about an hour away. They went with their friends from here in Canilla and at some point during the race, two of these young men were stopped, robbed, and their bikes were thrown down off the side of the mountain. The men who stopped them said that they were looking for the "Americanos". They were angry because the Americans are stealing their gold! Fortunately our boys were warned by their friends and they just changed their route a little.

We have not mentioned going out to the Zona Reina recently because... we have not gone. Just before Christmas the president declared that part of the country "under a state of siege" and sent the military out to protect the local people there. Apparently the drug cartels are crossing the Mexican borders and coming in, stealing land and killing those who get in their way. Any planes coming in or going out are suspect and we have been advised to wait until things settle down. That along with the murder of two men here in Canilla - gunned down by the Zetas, has made us pray for protection more faithfully. We are very grateful that the Lord has placed people in our lives who care about us and who give us wise counsel about what is really happening. As outsiders, it would be so easy to stumble into danger without really understanding what is happening.

We are not afraid. As cliche as it sounds, we know that there is not a safer place to be than in the center of God's will. As the news blasts disaster and unrest in all the world, I pray that you have the peace of knowing that you are right where God wants you today.

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

2011-01-16T02:55:00.000-08:00

My father, who was part Native American, always told me, "You can't really understand someone unless you have walked a mile in their moccasins." I always think of that here. There are so many times that I try to squeeze into the shoes of people here - to try and understand what they are thinking, how they make some of the decisions that they do. One of the hardest things for me to understand is why so many young people want to leave their homes to travel to the US illegally, making a very long, costly and dangerous trip - much of it on foot through the desert areas of Mexico. Why do young people who are equipped here to make a living here want to work in the US - many times in factories doing the least desirable work, living in the slum areas of large cities? I used to be very vocal, expressing my opinions about why they should not do leave. On one occasion we had a young man stay in the clinic overnight until we could take him into the hospital the next morning (he had broken his leg). He was so disappointed because he was scheduled to leave in the next week for the US. He had borrowed his Q40,000 (about $5000) to pay for his illegal transportation across the border. We talked for a long time and I tried to convince him of the foolishness of his decision. At one point, he looked at me and said, "How can you ever understand? You have never had to go without food, you have never felt hunger, you have never had to make the decision to not take your child to the hospital because you could not pay for the trip to get there." In that moment, I realized that he was right...I could never squeeze myself into his shoes. I have always had options. Here, young people have basically one career choice. If they are fortunate enough to be able to get an education, they are almost always trained to be teachers - whether they want to teach or not. And when they leave school, the jobs that are available are controlled by politics and money. Those who can pay the bribe required to those who hire, are the ones who will work. And even if they are able to work, they will never earn enough to buy property or build a home for themselves. As I was praying this morning for two young men who came yesterday to tell us that they were leaving, I was reminded of the scripture in Hosea which says, "...I will block her path with thorn bushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way."(Hosea 2:6) Hosea's point of course, was that in those times when there seem to be no options, when our paths appear blocked, He is the way out. But it requires trust in a God that we cannot see. Please pray for these two young men, men of God whose paths are blocked on every side. Pray that they can see God in this difficult time - that instead of feeling hemmed in by circumstances, that they see that they are hemmed in by God. "Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." (Psalm 133:4-5) Pray that they will understand that true security is only found in by being in the center of God's will for our lives.

2011-01-07T05:09:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be good to update you on several of the families that I have written about. Remember the mom who was pregnant with triplets? She did go to the hospital and waited there until the babies were big enough. They did a C-section when she was about 34 weeks and all three babies did really well. They are home and came this last week to the clinic in San Andres for formula. They are beautiful and their parents are taking such good care of them!

And remember the baby with pneumonia that I wrote about a few weeks ago whose parent would not take her into the hospital? We prayed for her and sent her home. Honestly, my faith was pretty small and I expected to hear that she had died...she was so sick. But Tomas took their phone number and called them a few days later. She was not only alive but well! All the honor belongs to God!!!

For those of you who were praying for the pastor's meeting this week...it went really well. We were able to serve about 35 pastors and their wives a lunch of fish and steak (favorites here) and afterward we had a time of worship, teaching and prayer. Before it was over, several of the pastors had recommitted to meet and pray together monthly. It was a privilege for us to be able to serve in this way! Thanks so much for your prayers!

2010-12-24T04:10:00.000-08:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is the Messiah, the Lord." Luke 2:11

Here in Guatemala, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th at midnight with fireworks and tamales. Our family will wait for Hannah and Matt to arrive on Monday. It works quite nicely...while everyone here is celebrating, we are finishing up our own preparations!

This has been a busy week, first with a Christmas party given in Chiminisijuan for close to 200 children. Our good friend Oralia went to share the story of Jesus' birth in the language and form that they can understand. I loved watching the faces of the children as they listened intently. The story that we are so familiar with is new to many of them and one that they can relate to...a child born into physical circumstances similar to their own, angels appearing to shepherds - which many of them literally are. Our desire of course is that they realize the reason for His coming. We really strive to avoid the temptation to make the celebration look like ours...with gift giving and traditions that our culture brings. So after the story we had them color and glitter a craft to hang in their homes with the text above and then gave away apples... the traditional Christmas treat here. It was quiet and simple...but lots of fun for both the children and the adults.

The next day we invited all the children and staff from the orphanage in San Andres to come for the day. They love to "pasiar" (to leave the Home). We fixed lunch - an enormous amount of it - and everyone ate until it was all gone and then we played. The older kids played volleyball and the younger ones...hours of freeze tag. The Hogar de Vida (Home of Life) has always held a very special place in our hearts and it was wonderful to have everyone here.

Early yesterday morning we recieved a call from our good friends, Rosa and Armando. Armando is a pastor who helps us in the clinics. Rosa gave birth to little Samuel on Tuesday. He struggled for life on a ventilator until he finally died yesterday. Duane flew to Quiche to bring them home with the casket next to Rosa. Pray for them when you can...their faith is strong but their hearts are broken.

We pray that this Christmas brings joy and peace to you!

2010-12-14T03:23:00.000-08:00

We have had a long spell of cold weather - well, relatively cold. It gets down into the 40's at night which I know for many of you sounds wonderful right now. But for those of us who have no heat in our homes it is...uncomfortable. Saturday morning it was really cold and I always feel so badly for those who have walked early in the morning to get one of the first numbers for clinic. They begin to form a line at about 4 in the morning so I know that by the time we open the door, they are really cold. So when moms push forward asking for their babies to be seen first, I understand. Saturday when Martina's mom asked to be seen first, I let her in thinking that she was just cold. But when I unwrapped her, I found that she was breathing about 60 times a minute and her color was not good. We started her on some oxygen and asked if we could take her into the hospital - about 2 1/2 hours away. Mom's tearful response was that her husband was traveling from the coast where he had been cutting sugar cane, and that she could not go to the hospital without his permission. So with Tomas's (our translator) help, we finally were able to talk with dad. He thought it better to meet mom at their home in the mountain and then make a decision. Although we did our best to try and convince them that waiting was probably not the best, mom could not - and would not - go against her husband's decision. So we kept them as long as they would stay, gave them all the medications that we could, and we prayed. When mom finally said that she needed to go, that the last car was leaving, I really struggled as I turned off her oxygen. I knew that without a miracle from God, that she would die within a few hours. I wish I could say that I know that the Lord stepped in and healed her...but I don't. I only know that we did all that we could humanly do, that we did all that God asks us to do, and that the only thing left to do was to trust in the sovereignty of God who "gives and takes away." Not always easy..... Please pray with us for this family who has been so heavily on my heart this week.

On a much happier note, yesterday was the Canilla's annual "enduro" motorcycle competition. David and Joseph both helped to set it up and participated in the race which started with a sort of obsticle course involving jumps and crossing a balance beam, and climbing a teeter toter sort of contraption....all of which greatly enhanced my prayer life! Then they raced off up the mountain for a 45 minute race of endurance over difficult terrain. There were riders from several surrounding villages and about twice as many spectators this year. It was fun for everyone!

2010-12-03T03:16:00.000-08:00

Luke 14:13 "....when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed..."

We have been given the great privilege of helping in the local drug and alcohol rehab center, directed by our good friend Victor. He goes out into the streets and the cantinas looking for those whom he can help. It is cold now and the police bring to him those who are passed out in the streets, for a night of warmth and shelter even though they may leave again in the morning to repeat the same behavior. They will not leave without the word of God however. About once a month we take a meal to the men (there are usually between 15 and 20 men) and to encourage Victor. His is a difficult call, taking in men who are as low as they can get, working to sober them, feed them physically and spiritually and many times, only to have them return to the same lifestyle. They do not leave though without having experienced the love of Christ. Often they return time and time again asking for another chance. The temptation is to say no...how many times should we do this? But Victor takes them in, time and time again. And so thankfully, is Jesus with us...forgiving us over and over again. It is an honor to encourage and support him in this work.

Yesterday Duane flew to Santiago to pick up a young couple who are working in an orphanage there. They have recently taken in 5 newborns and their Home is full! For those of you who remember Martina - a young child who lived with us and is physically, emotionally and mentally handicapped- she is in their home and doing well. They came for a night away from the stress and labor of caring for a house full - literally - of young children. Since adoptions out of Guatemala have come to an almost complete stop, there is a flood of babies coming into the system. They are difficult and expensive to care for and most Homes are not accepting anymore infants. Duane flew this young couple into Quiche last week to pick up 3 new newborns - two were found near the river, left to die. And one came from here in Canilla. She has a fractured tailbone from being thrown down to the ground and left to die as well. Please pray for strength and wisdom for this young couple, and for laborers to come to help them.

Much of what we do, in addition to medical outreach, involves encouraging young people who have been called by God to serve. Last night as I looked at our living room filled with young people - from our own, to those who have come briefly to visit, I remembered the word of Malachi 4:5-6, "Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to (their) children and the hearts of children to their fathers." What an honor it is to serve Him in this way!

2010-11-25T03:08:00.000-08:00

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good; because His mercy endures forever! Psalm 118:1

Of course, Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in Guatemala. But as I began to teach Grace and Abi about why we celebrate today, I realized some similarities in the pilgrim's story and ours. The Pilgrims left their homes and traveled to a land that was not their own, to live among people who lived very differently than they. And the indigenous people came to their aid, they taught them and protected them. So are our friends who have helped and taught us so much. We are grateful to God for each one,,, (and there are so many more than those who are pictured here...but my computer is not cooperating.)

Today as you celebrate with friends and families, I pray that you will take a moment to remember to thank Him for all of blessings to you. Talmud Berachot 35A says, "If you enjoy something in this world without saying a blessing, it is as if you stole it." All good gifts come from Him and He is deserving of all of our praise! May your day be blessed!

2010-11-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

It was a joy to spend time with Matt and Heidi Bell and their son Isaac along with Dr Calvin Williams, his wife Latrice and daughter Brittany this past week! These two doctors came to do surgeries in Chichicastenango with Dr. Tom Hoak and then came to spend some time with us here for a clinic out in the Zona Reina on Friday and Saturday clinic here in Canilla. As Leslie mentioned in the last post, we are immensely blessed knowing that we have a referral system through Buen Samaritano Hospital for those patients that we see that are in need of surgery. The girl that we mentioned in the last post who received Christ did not show up for her surgery; we are unsure why, but we continue to pray for her, remembering again that so often once they leave the door of our clinic, all we can do is leave them in God's hands.

Our clinic in San Pedro also brought about a feeling that change is in the air there. Their leadership changed about 6 months ago to, as far as we understand, a non-Christian mayor. This trip, we noticed that the usual cheerful and excited atmosphere was replaced with an apathy and seeming sadness even on the faces of some who often bring the most smiles. We had about one third of the amount of patients we have ever had show up in about two years of working there - further signifying a change - and one of our favorite Christian translators listened to music in one ear the entire time he translated and also displayed a Catholic symbol around his neck. Please pray for the leaders and people of San Pedro that God will turn their hearts back to Him with the passion and joy that has always characterized this village. We know that God never gives up on those He loves, and we pray that his love and mercy will once again draw these people back to Him. Please also pray for discernment for us as we seek guidance on our role at this time.

We look forward to friends Bob and Jodi arriving this weekend for a week long visit, staying through Thanksgiving... it is always a blessing to be able to celebrate this American holiday with fellow Americans!

Please also note that you can keep up with us on Facebook under our page - Adonai International Ministries (just make sure to check out the one based in Guatemala, as there is another Adonai International Ministries as well).

2010-11-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed to have a group of doctors who are committed to doing surgeries for those who cannot afford private care and who cannot find resolution within the government health care system. Dr. Tom lives in Chichicastenango (about 2 hours from here) and gave up his private general surgery practise in the US to come and serve here. He works out of a private Methodist hospital in Chichi. Every three months our good friend Dr. Heidi (ob/gyn) comes to serve alongside of him. It gives us a really good option to present to people who are in need of surgical intervention. We know that they will receive caring, compassionate, excellent care and that they will be presented with the Gospel and covered with prayer as well.

This last weekend when Maria came into San Andres, we were so grateful to have this option for her. She was brought by a cousin who is a Christian and knew that this young girl had been repeatedly raped. She brought her to us because they were afraid that she was pregnant. They told us that she was mute as well...although she could obviously hear. Her pregnancy test was negative but her ultrasound showed what looked like a very large abdominal tumor. We talked with her and her family for a long time about her options and about a God who sees and who has compassion for His children and in the end Maria prayed the prayer of salvation - and she was not mute! It is so great to know that as she goes to Chichicastenango this weekend to consult with the surgeons there, that she will be cared for with the love of Jesus. Please pray for her - that God will supernaturally heal her body and her heart.

2010-10-29T04:38:00.000-07:00

Fifteen year old Juana came Sunday to our clinic in San Andres from a village about 2 hours away. Her two front teeth were badly decayed, painful and needed to be pulled. The medical team from McAllen Texas examined her and said that they could do not one, but two root canals for her. It took some time to convince her that this would be a good thing for her and that it was worth her missing her ride back to her village. I was amazed...normally those teeth would have just been pulled and she would have gone the rest of her life without her two front teeth. No one is our area does that kind of dental care...bad teeth are pulled...not even filled. This team came with excellence and compassion - a rare combination - and we were honored to have them in our clinic. At one point one of the men came down fro the dental area with a little boy whose face was already swollen. As George came into the pharmacy area, he began to cry, telling me that they had had to pull all of this little boys permanent teeth...that he would for the rest of his life be without teeth.

In a culture where people are mainly concerned about where today's food will come from, dental hygiene is not a priority. And while it seems that we have given out enough tooth brushes and toothpaste to supply the entire population, there are still many who do not own or use a toothbrush. Teeth rot slowly and the nerve dies slowly as well, not producing tons of pain...or at least that is what I have been taught. I am unconvinced though when I look into mouths full of teeth blackened with decay. All of this to say, that it was a huge blessing to have this team here.

Yesterday, Duane, Ivan and I flew to Quiche to visit the men in Victor's drug rehab center. There are 15 men there at the moment - all sober and recovering, receiving care for their bodies and their souls. Ivan made them a nutritious lunch of beef stew and rice. It was a treat as they rarely have meat. Victor told us about one of the men whose 8 year old son brought him to the Center. He came in a Tuk-tuk (a small taxi - with a motorcycle engine) with his dad's suitcases packed. He knocked on the door asking that Victor care for his dad. It is so often the children's responsibility to care for their drunken parents. It is not uncommon to see men passed out, lying in the dirt, with a small child sitting nearby, waiting, watching over his father. Again, we are grateful for people like Victor who are making a difference in the lives of these people whom we have grown to love so much. It is a small difference...a drop in the ocean of need. But we do not "despise the day of small beginnings." And we know that as one person's life is affected by a demonstration of the love of Jesus, the ripple effect that it has upon that person's family and friends is often very great. So we wait...and trust...knowing that what is impossible for us, is an easy thing for God.

2010-10-23T04:04:00.001-07:00

Tuesday after clinic, Tomasa - a woman whom I have known for many years - came and asked for help with her son oldest George. George is 22 years old and has taken the role of provider since his father's death 6 years ago. I have watched him grow from a little boy to a man. Tomasa told me that he was sick with a fever and unable to get out of bed. I gave her some antibiotics and Tylenol and promised to do all in my power to visit them as soon as possible.

Yesterday Duane, Abi, Tomas (our Quiche translator) and I hiked down to their home. It is an incredibly difficult walk - descending about 3,000 feet - and an incredibly beautiful one as well. George, thankfully was better and had been up that day to work in their fields, harvesting their corn. We prayed for him...mostly because he has chosen to leave the church - and God - for the moment. Tomasa then began to cry and ask for prayer. She has eight children, lives in a two room house perched on the side of this mountain. Her husband, before he died, had planted coffee which has sustained them over the last 6 years but now has reached the end of its productivity and yielded very little harvest this year. Her corn crop was stricken with a blight and produced only 2-100 pound bags, which will feed them for less than a month. She had no other food in the house. She did not ask for prayer for all of this however...it was only after we had prayed that I began to ask. She asked for prayer because she is lonely and although she did not express it, she is weary as well. I tried to put myself in her shoes...and found them unbearable. And yet I know that God sees her struggling to provide for her children, to raise them in the faith, to love them, and I know that He is pleased. I know as well that He will provide justice...whether in this life or the next. Psalm 140:12 says, "I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." And I trust that His word is true.

We will help Tomasa with food for her family - hopefully in a way that will not defy her dignity. As always, we remember, "that too whom much is given, much is required." And we have been given so much... Please pray for her and her family when you think of it - pray that the Lord will give her the strength to perservere and that He will allow her to feel His presence and His love in her daily life. For it is in those moments when we feel His presence that we are refreshed and strengthened to continue.

2010-10-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

Katie Shaw wrote the last entry but the scripture is so fitting..."let the children come to me..." as Little Winter went home to be with Jesus on Monday. Duane returned to the capital to help them maneuver the completely foreign process of taking the body out of the hospital and to fly them back out to their village in the Zona Reina. He landed briefly here in Canilla to re-fuel and they stoically held the little casket on their laps. They spoke not a word nor shed a tear.

And the triplets... We found a doctor who was willing to care for the mom until she delivered. He asked that she come into the hospital on Thursday where she was to stay until they are born. We walked out to her village Sunday to give her that good news and to let her know that we were available to help her get there. We even talked about resources to help her with her other children (as she has no other living family) while she is in the hospital. We left our phone number, agreeing to talk on Tuesday. She didn't call. As is so often the case, we do all in our power to help, but we cannot make them accept that help.

Our constant prayer is that in all that we do, that the love of Christ will shine through and men will be drawn to Him. In both of these families, we are left without seeing any change...no miracles, no hearts changed. The temptation is to become discouraged and to give up. However we know that we are just laborers, planting seeds where we can, watering when we can. But the harvest comes in the timing of the Lord. Only He can make those seeds grow to maturity.

On a happier note, the baby who we took back to the orphanage last week will go home to his family this weekend! We are rejoicing in this happy outcome...that he will not remain an orphan...and this is a miracle!

Let The Children Come

2010-10-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matt 19:14

In a land that is sometimes seemingly made up of primarily women and children, these verse often seem fitting for this land. And as we have seen many children that have needed a savior to come to, they have been a source of comfort this week as well.

Little Winter has continued to struggle, and the hospital placed him on life-support a couple days ago. His family has decided to take him off life support and home where he can pass into the arms of His Savior. Once again, our prayer is that this whole situation has been an opportunity where they might all find the grace, mercy and love of Jesus.

We have also had the privilege of helping a local orphanage take care of a little baby born premature. While we have full confidence that he will be loved, taken care of, and taught Truth, it has been another reminder of the sad situation that some babies enter into in this world, fighting against a sense of rejection and loss from the get go.

And last week in clinic, we saw a woman who was pregnant with triplets! Aside from the reminder of the creative God we serve, there is a level of stress that comes with delivering triplets in our area of the country, mostly stemming from the fact that there is such a high risk that they will deliver prematurely. This particular indigenous family is very poor, has two children, and no living family members to help them. So, for the mother to go into the hospital on bed rest (the recommended situation for how far along she is) means that someone will need to watch her other two children and that the husband will be unable to work for that time while he stays with his wife. Then the issue becomes supporting these three babies should they be born early; we have a good friend in the City who has hooked us up with a doctor in the government hospital system, and so the family will move forward to work within this system to get the help needed, praying that the equipment and skill is available when these babies are born. And then of course once the babies are born, the mother will need help also with general care and most likely formula to help supplement breastfeeding.

And the stories could go on...

And yet, in the midst of these children and more, I am reminded that while there are times that our human hands can do no more, each of them has a Savior - arms wide open - continuously asking that we not hinder in any way their ability to come unto Him, but instead point them in the direction of His welcome embrace... this side of Heaven or the other. And that there, inside His loving arms, they will find an end to their physical suffering, a sense of belonging beyond any they could ever find in the things of this earth, and the miracle of life... even three at once!

Please pray today for these five children and the children of this country... that we will not ever hinder them to find the arms of their Savior, and that they will find life there in His embrace.

2010-10-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

"The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7.

I am writing quickly this morning, before we take off for the City, to ask for your prayers for a baby who came yesterday. Little Winter (yes, that is really his name - but in Spanish it is pronounced Weenter) is from the Zona Reina. Silvia called last week about this baby but because of all the rain we could not fly out there nor could they make the 6 hour walk across the mountain to find a micro-bus. This week, thankfully, the rains have stopped and Silvia with her year old son, Winter and his mom left their homes on Tuesday morning and made the two day trip to get to Canilla. Winter is 5 months old and is gravely ill. His belly is enormous and his body is wasting away. We talked with our friend Dr. Pedro in the City (which is the only option to get the kind of help that he will need) and he informed us that both of the national hospitals were closed. One because the staff is protesting and the other because they do not have water! Seems a little hard to fathom... However, he graciously made some phone calls to a couple of his friends and we will be seen this morning by the chief of pediatric surgery. Please pray that little Winter will find help and healing for his body and that his family will be drawn to Jesus.

Thank you for your friendship and prayers!

Ana

2010-09-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Clinic today in Chiminisijuan was...challenging. We have had so much rain that the road was impassable with the truck so we took 2 four-wheelers loaded with as much milk and food as we could - plus 3 of us on each one. It was a load for even the four-wheelers which never really complain about whatever abuse we give them. But we made it. Fortunately for us, today was vaccination day so almost all of our patients were waiting on the side of the road for the tech to come and give vaccines. With the new president, if families have their children in school and have them vaccinated, they receive Q300/month (~$50). So they do not miss vaccine days. Even with all of them gone, we still had about 75 people there waiting at the clinic.

It was a pretty normal day until little Ana and her father came in. Ana is three and was obviously ill. Her father told us about how he had taken her into Guatemala City where they told them that she has cancer. I am assuming it is some sort of leukemia. Chemotherapy for them would consist of 6 months of hospitalization and then monthly trips to the City for follow-up chemo. He told of how his mother-in-law had stormed into the hospital and said that they could not afford that kind of care and so they brought her home. They, of course, were asking if there was some way that we could help. He was pretty disappointed to know that we could not give her the treatment that she needs. He and his wife are not Christians but were very willing to talk about it. We told him that of course, salvation would not guarantee that God would heal Ana. But it would guarantee her a spot in heaven should she die. He was agreeable but wants his wife to be with him. So we prayed - and we ask that you pray as well. Pray that God will stretch forth His hand to do signs and wonders; pray that this family would see the power of God and understand the love that He has for them; pray that God would perform a miracle that would lead an entire village to repentance; and pray that Ana will live.

And then for the most frustrating part of the story...They are from a village where there is only one evangelical church and we have heard many things about this church. It seems that the pastor charges his congregation for prayer - among other things. So while you are praying for Ana, would you also pray that God sends laborers into that area who will speak the truth and will love and care for these people who badly need a shepherd.

Thank you for reading this and for praying for Ana. "For where two or more are gathered...."

Facebook

2010-09-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well, after a month of hearing "Goodbye... we'll see you on Facebook," we now have a Facebook page! We hope to be able to use this for quick updates, while the Blog will still be used for more lengthy posts.

Hope to see you there!

2010-09-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

Home again! It was so good to sleep in our own beds! We are thankful to Cali, Juan and Rolindo for keeping things going here...and to God for His protection over our ministry while we were in the US. There have been several robberies in town and some drug related incidents so we are especially grateful for His hand of protection over our home. We are also grateful that although the roads are horrible now because of all the rain that has fallen in the last few weeks, we made it home without incident. Many of the bridges have been washed away and lots of roads are closed because of mudslides. The roads that remain open are knee deep in mud in some places - so travel is...challenging.

Clinic should be busy this morning but I am ready to get back to work!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 136:1

2010-08-21T04:21:00.001-07:00

Psalm 68:5 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."

The Real Life Church team left Canilla early yesterday morning. They were a great group who came to work alongside of us - and they did it with pure hearts of service. Together, we built a small house for a widow and her son up near Chiminisjuan. Estella and her son Juan Daniel have been living in small room made of corn stalks and the remains of their adobe home. Estella's husband died about 5 years ago from alcoholism. She and her 11 year old son have been receiving food in our nutrition program since the beginning. And it gave us great joy to be able to bless her with this new home which is way beyond anything that she could ever have hoped for. What a privilege it is to be able to be the hands and feet of the Lord as He defends the cause of the poor!

We also spent three days working in village schools teaching the children about the miracle of our bodies which are "fearfully and wonderfully made." It was a great opportunity for us to teach young children about simple things like covering your mouth when you cough, and how to protect our bodies...not smoking, drinking, taking drugs etc. We are given an open door in the schools to talk about the love of Jesus as well - which we did! We go each year with this group and this year the director of all the schools here, asked if we couldn't somehow go into each of the 28 schools in our township! Maybe next year.....

That, in addition to our 3 weekly clinics, made for a very full couple of weeks. We also made two trips out to a village way up in the mountains to see a young man who was sick with a severe infection. We gave him the medication that we could and then asked if his heart was well with Jesus. He prayed for forgiveness and accepted the gift of salvation. And then both of his parents asked to pray as well. So the entire household knelt in prayer as they asked Jesus into their hearts. This week, I heard that this young man died. What a blessing to know that he is with the Lord now and is no longer suffering!

We continue our countdown of days until we leave for the US - as of today, only 4 more. Grace and Abi have their backpacks packed and are ready!! Although they have no idea really, of what to expect as the travel for the first time outside of their country, the anticipation exceeds that of Christmas. They ask about a thousand questions each day about what they will see. We, too, are anxious to be with family and friends as we celebrate the marriage of Hannah and Matt. We hope to see you soon!

we have a website!

2010-08-01T19:01:00.003-07:00

Our website is now up and running again. Please visit us at:

http://www.adonaiinternationalministries.org

2010-08-01T03:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday is the day when we distribute corn. The truck is fully loaded and waiting this morning to go to San Andres. Thankfully, this year has brought lots of rain and the fields are green. A few people are beginning to harvest the early corn. Yesterday I saw beans drying on the street in front of our neighbors house. Once the corn is fully harvested( in November), we will bring an end to this project which was designed to meet the need of those who were hardest hit during the drought of last year. However, what we discovered when we began to evaluate the need last fall, was a large number of women - mostly widows, but some women abandoned or whose husbands are incapacitated by alcoholism - who are hungry. Some are "viajitas" (older women) who for some reason do not have families to help them. Others are women with young children. Women here who do not have husbands to plant and harvest the food that will be needed for the year, are left without a way to earn money. Some will make patates - which are large woven sleeping mats made of grass. A weeks worth of work will yield Q25-30 (about $3.50) - not enough to buy corn, much less the other (more nutritious) foods, or clothing, or school supplies, or medicines that their children need. So we began to help these women with "viveres" ( a 25 pound bag of beans, rice, oatmeal, and sugar) which we distribute every two weeks. This project will not end. Even though we are financially stretched as we buy more 100 pound bags of food each week, we can find no way around God's repeated command to feed the widows and orphans. For we know that this is the fast that He requires. Isaiah 58:6-7 says, "Isn't the fast I choose: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own flesh and blood?"

Here at home we are busy getting ready for our annual visit from the Real Life church in Washington. We will again be going out to several of the local schools to teach a lesson about how God has created our bodies, and how to care for them. They will also be building a small house for one of the widows up in Chiminisijuan whose house is falling down. It should be a fun week! Four days after they leave, we will close down the clinics and leave for Houston to celebrate the wedding of Hannah and Matt. We will continue food distribution during the time that we are gone but will not operate the clinics. It is challenging to make sure that all those folks who get monthly help with their medications for diabetes, or hypertension or asthma have enough to continue their treatments during that time when we are gone.

We will be at home in the Marine for a few weeks after the wedding (from September 2-23). We hope to see some of you during that time!

2010-07-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy two weeks with lots of visitors. We have also had lots of rain which is wonderful...but sometimes makes life a little more...challenging. Last week we had so much rain for so many days in a row that the main road out became impassable. On Tuesday there were lots of vehicles trying to get to Quiche and onto the City by way of the road to Zacualpa - the road that we use to get to Chiminisijuan. Anyone now who tries to get by with a two-wheel vehicle is doomed to hours of pushing their way through knee-deep mud...and slowing down the rest of the traffic. So it was on Tuesday as we attempted to get to clinic. We finally reached the path we can walk now (the road to the clinic is too muddy to drive) to get to clinic at about 10:30. After a brisk 30 minute walk we discovered that we were missing the key to the front door - so we had everyone enter through the window! People here are so accustomed to being flexible - they never even bat an eye, much less complained when we arrived 2 hours late and they then had to climb through the window!

The mud also makes flights in and out more challenging as the runway now is pretty slippery. We had planned a day out in San Pedro on Friday but by Wednesday night, the runway was so slick that Duane made the decision to cancel. On Thursday the sun began to shine a little in the afternoon and as we had not been able to reach the community leaders there, we decided to wait until morning to see if we could get out. Dawn on Friday morning proved to be beautiful and sunny, so Duane flew out to see how the runway was in San Pedro. He came back smiling and said it was a "go". So we packed up and flew out, saw about 125 people with the help of Dr. Lisa and her husband Brad, Heather and LeAnn who are all three in medical school. We treated lots of sick children and about 35 pregnant women. As soon as we got back home to Canilla, it clouded up and was raining again during the night. God's faithfulness to us, as always, is so much bigger than we can ever anticipate! Even when circumstances seem to scream that it is impossible, God seem to make a way. I pray today that you will see God's faithfulness even when it seems that the road is closed, that there is no way out. "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD." Psalm 31:24.

2010-07-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

We have visas!!! Thanks so much for all your prayers and support!

2010-07-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Juan and his family live in a three sided one room house made of sticks and aluminum sheeting that someone gave them. They have 4 sons ranging in age from 3 - 15 all whom appeared malnourished. We went to see them last week when we were told that they had no food. It was true. We found mom sick in bed with a fever, along with her 3 year old son who was sicker than she was. There was a campfire going with a small pot of corn cooking for tortillas to be prepared later - but that was it. We have had lots of rain in the last few weeks (thankfully) but there was nothing to keep them dry. They had a long story about how they arrived at this point...no property, no money, no work. It is a familiar story. And the dilemma is the same...how do you help someone help themselves - how do you teach them to fish instead of just giving them fish. It is a conversation that we have had around our dinner table a thousand times. Of course, we help with the immediate need of food and medicine but how can we help all of the Juans in this area for more than just a few weeks? How can we help them to help themselves? We don't have any good answers but we pray for Divine wisdom. And we pray that somehow He would be glorified, not just in our words to Juan and his family, but in the acts of kindness and service...that the Lord would be lifted up and honored. Because we know that when His name is lifted up, that men are drawn to Him. And that is the greatest need - but difficult to see when your belly is empty.

We ask for your prayers today as we go to the US Embassy. We have one final step before we can make our trip to Houston for Hannah's wedding and our time in the US. Grace and Abi need visas before they can travel outside of Guatemala. So we are praying for favor...that the US Embassy will not view our little girls as a "national threat."

Rachel is in Kentucky this week at the national "Life 2010" conference for young people. She left last week and will spend two weeks with our friend Adrienne who very generously arranged this trip for her. It is not an easy transition for our children to go from life here to American culture. They don't seem to "fit" anywhere (nor do we!) - not in the culture here or in the US. So before Rachel goes off to college, we are hoping to expose her a little to a country that she knows very little of...she has been here since she was 3. Thankfully, she is having a great time and we are grateful for this opportunity for her.

2010-06-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

I spent a wonderful weekend in Houston with Hannah and Matt. It was great to get to know Matt a little bit more and to help Hannah with wedding plans. They will have a very simple wedding celebration in Houston at the end of August. Matt works as the worship leader at a large Methodist church in the Woodlands (an afluent area close to Houston). The church is enormous and beautiful, and it is there where Hannah and Matt will be married.

I came home Monday afternoon and got ready for clinic the next day in Chiminisijuan. It has been raining quite a bit and there was a new mudslide covering the road to the clinic so we walked through the mud to get there. Each week as the men share the Word with those who are waiting, we sit and (while we listen) we try to assess those with the most need. Sometimes it is a child who is having difficulty breathing, sometimes it is a little one with the sunken eyes of dehydration. Tuesday it was a very thin mom leaning against a tree with her obviously malnourished baby. She waited quietly in the line with those receiving food and milk and when it was her turn she stated only that she had very little milk to give her baby. When I asked her what she and her 5 other children had eaten that day, she told me they had had only herbs that they had gathered. I know from the experience of questioning many women that if they did not eat tortillas, then there was no other food in the house. Many times people will say that they had only salt to put on their tortilla and I will know that they are in distress but this family did not even have a little bit of corn to make tortillas with. So we loaded her up with food and vitamins and talked to her about the Lord. She is a Christian but her husband is an alcoholic who remains drunk for weeks at a time. She was so quiet and defeated...my heart broke for her.

There were several others asking for food as well that day. It is always difficult to make the transition from US culture to the culture here. The contrast from life in the Woodlands to life in Chiminisijuan is...overwhelming. Most of the time I find that I prefer the simplicity of the lives here that are not complicated with things and the striving that comes from that lifestyle. However, when people are hungry...the injustice saddens me. I am not saying that in any sort of judgment. When I look at our home and the accumulation of stuff, I am ashamed and convicted. Jesus said to the rich young ruler, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." (Luke 18:22) Well...got to go - I have some things to sell.

2010-06-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

I did not write last week. It was a challenging and frustrating week....one which we lovingly call "a Guatemala hug" week. We spent 3 days (plus the two from the week before) in the City, with both of the girls, waiting on paperwork for their passports. Grace and especially Abi are not very patient waiters and it was more than a little challenging to keep them occupied all those long hours. But it was worth it Friday evening at 5:15 (the office closed at 5) with two Guatemalan passports for both of the girls. Now...on to the next challenge...visas for two.

At the same time while we were waiting, David, Juan and Joseph traveled to the coast to buy our first load of corn in bulk. They transported pounds of corn plus pounds of sheet metal for a project in the Home in the tractor trailer that was recently brought down. It took them 20 hours to return home - with a short nap on top of the corn. Here is a picture of the boys putting the finishing touches on the grain bin just before the corn arrived.

And from out of somewhere...I really have no idea where...a profecy spoken over us probably 8 years ago found it's way to my desk today. I had forgotten all about it but it was given to us while we were still working in the orphanage by Angie, a long time friend who we have not seen for many years. She wrote, "Give to Me the rice and the grain in which I have placed in your path and watch the grain bins double. You are not caught by your imaginations but by your beliefs. That is what will strengthen you in the rough times...." The amazing thing is that that is exactly what we have...two grain bins stacked on top of one another. And we have felt, in the the last few months that we were caught in our imaginations...to think that we would be able to afford to continue this project. Our beliefs though, say that it is the right thing to feed the poor and the widows. And so we press on....

I leave in the morning for a three day trip to help Hannah with wedding preparations. With the wedding only a few weeks away, we have lots to do. And it will be so much fun!!

2010-05-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

I am sure that most of you have heard by now about tropical storm Agatha which poured down 10-15 inches of rain over about a 36 hours period of time this weekend. Once again, the country is in a state of crisis as over 152 people have died and many thousands are homeless. Mudslides have closed countless roads and many bridges have been destroyed. Here in our area, two families lost their homes but fortunately no one died. I was a little concerned about those up in Chiminisijuan who live in very poor housing on the side of mountains. When we went this morning we found the road completely closed with two large mudslides (so we walked) but life was as it always is there.

One of the many things that I love about the Guatemalan people is their acceptance of circumstances beyond their control. I have heard almost no one complain about delayed schedules or lack of supplies because of impassable roads. I will never forget one occasion up in Chiminisijuan when is was so cold and raining. The people walked to clinic in the rain and many were soaked to the bone, the children shivering with the cold, some without shoes or coats. I was whining about how cold I was to one man who told me very kindly, "but my sister, the rain is a blessing of God." I felt thoroughly rebuked! But I have remembered it. Life is so hard here and yet it is taken with gratitude. There is no insurance company to call to fix the leaky roof or replace the crops that have washed away. There are not even washing machines to wash all the muddy clothes. And yet life continues...without complaint.

2010-05-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

We are celebrating here in Canilla, the completion of Abi's adoption! Last Friday we were finally given her birth certificate with her official name - Abigail Esperanza Ficker Ficker. In keeping with the Latin culture custom of taking both the father's and mother's last name, she is Abi Ficker Ficker...as if one Ficker were not enough! Now we start the next process of getting visa's and passports for both of the girls so that they can travel with us. We hope to be able to take a few weeks after Hannah's wedding to be at "home." It has been over 5 years since we have had time as a family, in the US.

Duane broke down last week and made a larger table for our dining room. It is one of my most challenging tasks each day to figure out how many will be at our table for lunch. Today it will be 18. Our good friends Oralia and Sebastian together with newly arrived missionaries, Vicki and Norm will be with us today from the orphanage in San Andres. When I think back on my "other life" in the US, I remember how stressed out I became if I had to cook for more than my family. Now I love hosting guests and sharing our table with friends. How God has changed me! Here in this culture, it is an honor to have visitors - announced or unannounced. So 18 may grow to 25... but relationship is so important here, so much more important than work accomplished.

Clinics have been really busy with lots of sick children. In Chiminisijuan especially we have had so many kids with pneumonia. They are so sick and need to be in the hospital but almost none will go. It is times like these, when we feel so inadequate with what we have to offer, that we learn to lean into God; when we begin to understand that all of our most valiant efforts amount to nothing if God doesn't show up; that only God can heal. So we do all that we can physically and then we pray, trusting ultimately in the power of God. "And He has said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9. May His grace be sufficient for you today!

2010-05-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have known Manuela for many years and I have never seen her smile. She has 11 children and a husband who is an alcoholic. She takes good care of her children - they are always clean and well groomed. But more than that, she fights for them to the point that, honestly, she has always irritated me. When she comes, her list of complaints and requests is seemingly unending. She asks for food and corn and medical help...and still she never smiles. About a month ago, I asked her how her heart was, if she was sad. And she began to cry and tell me about her husband who is drunk almost all of the time, how he beats her and throws the little children (the older ones run away as soon as he comes in). She told me how he threatens to kill her and to eat her flesh, how he gets on his knees and prays that God will kill her. We talked with her for a long time about the Lord, about how He sees the injustice of her life, how He knows and understands the pain in her heart. We told her to pray for this man who torments her - not to pray that the Lord would strike him dead, but to pray that the Lord would bless him and set him free from the alcoholism that is destroying both he and his family.

The next week she was back and we prayed with her again. She came again the following week, this time asking for prayer. This week she came again, now asking for us to pray with her for salvation...and I actually saw her smile for the first time. I don't know when the Lord will change her circumstances. But I know that He has changed her heart. I know that she has hope now in a place where there was none - hope in a God who loves her enough to lay down His life for her. Pray for her when you think of her - and pray for her husband. Pray that his eyes will be opened to see that which his heart is longing for.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds." Psalm 147:3

2010-05-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Our friend Arlen joined us this last week to help in the clinics. We have known Arlen for many years and he always brings us encouragement and perspective. Times of worship are sweet and refreshing. He also comes to work so we planned a trip out to San Pedro when we learned that he was coming. Thursday, it was too cloudy to fly out early in the morning. So we waited until about 11 to cancel and reschedule for another day. 30 Minutes later they called from San Pedro to say that many people had arrived from the Coban area – a 4-5 hour walk. They asked us to just come and see those folks who had walked so far. So of course, we got into the plane and went out. We thought we would be able to finish quickly but more and more people trickled in and we (just three of us) saw over 120 people. It was incredibly hot and humid and we were completely exhausted when we returned home…just 5 minutes before the rains started here in Canilla.

Sunday’s clinic was very busy with many sick children. We have been seeing lots of children with pneumonia recently and they are so sick and often need to be in the hospital. Most of the time, they will not go so we pray and give what little help we can. As we ended the day, little Pedro came in. He is 15 months old and weighs just 7 pounds. I have never seen a baby so malnourished. He has, I think, Down’s Syndrome and cannot sit or roll over. He mom was gentle and quiet but did not seem overly concerned…just with the fact that his belly was so big. Pray for him when you can.

Monday we had the honor of joining with our friend Victor (who has the Drug and Alcohol Rehab center in Quiche) in a celebration of gratitude to God for the purchase of property where the new center will be built. We have known Victor for many years and a little over a year ago he began a ministry that God placed on his heart. He takes men literally off of the street, men who have no homes, men whom no one else cares about and takes them into the Center, helps them physically through detoxification and then gives them a Home. He shares the Gospel with them and becomes their “family.” We have watched God supply all that he needs to care for these men in miraculous ways and have helped in small ways as we can. And we have seen men’s lives changed. We are honored to be a very small part of what God is doing in these men’s lives.

And finally, on a personal note, our daughter Hannah announced this week her engagement to Matt Brouwer! She and Matt have been friends for several years and dating for several months now. Matt is a very talented musician and has a heart after God’s. We are pleased to know that he will be an official member of our family!

2010-04-27T04:23:00.000-07:00

" Whenever you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior..." Isaiah 43:2,3.

We are so grateful to the LORD our God, who kept and protected David. Duane and I have agreed that seeing David lying unconscious, with his motorcycle on top of him, was probably one of the worst moments in all of our years as parents. And traveling to the City in the dark, trying to keep David from slipping back into unconsciousness, holding him as he vomited over and over again (a "danger"sign after a head injury) was one of the most frightening moments of my life. I knew that the emergency room staff was very concerned as well. But once again, God was faithful and so very good to us! David is completely back to normal.

Friday Duane and I were invited to attend a retreat with a group of pastors from Esquintla. Pastor Phil came, working with fellow missionaries, Don and Barb Castelbaum, and spoke to a group of about 50 about being a father to the church. It was excellent and really good to get to know Don and Barb. We flew back in to Canilla early Saturday morning for a very busy day of clinic. Duane flew back into the City with a woman who we think was having a heart attack. We spent many hours ministering physically and spiritually to a woman from one of the villages. She lost her husband 8 months ago when he took "veneno" (rat poisoning) and killed himself. It is fairly common here...for men here to commit suicide in this way. He left her with 4 young children and no way to feed them. She weighed about 70 pounds and unless God intervenes, those children will lose their mother as well. Please pray that she not only recovers physically but accepts the salvation that Jesus offers as well.

Sunday we were greeted by the one hundred people who had come for clinic the week before (when we were in the hospital with David). They all had their numbers and then those who came for a normal day of clinic as well. So we saw probably close to 150 people. I was thankful for the help of Jason (a visiting nurse practitioner) and Sally. She and her husband have come to live and work alongside of us for an indefinite period of time. They have been a huge blessing to us! And of course, I am so thankful to have Katie back. I realized during her time off after the birth of Anna, how much I have learned to depend on her. And I have learned as well the truth in the scripture that says that God will not send us more than we can endure. We were able to see all of those people and we hope that no one left without feeling better...whether from the medicine that they received or the prayers spoken over them.

We will fly out to San Pedro on Thursday for a day of clinic. It is so hot here, I cannot imagine how hot it will be there but weather permiting, we will go. One of the local volcanos has erupted a large cloud of dust and may make it impossible to fly for a while. Please pray, once again, that eyes will be opened to see the love of Jesus.

home safe and sound

2010-04-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

again, thanks to everyone for all their prayers... david was released from the hospital today at 1:00 with a complete recovery of his memory and all four arrived safely home at around 3:00 . again, we find all we can do is thank our Father for His constant grace and mercy.

praise

2010-04-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

if you read the post below, thank you for your prayers, and here is a follow up. everyone made it to the hospital in the city safely, and it looks like david has a concussion, a broken nose, and some bruises from the fall... his memory seems to be improving, but we are still praying for a full recovery. the doctors say that everything looks okay, but they would like to keep him overnight and all day tomorrow to monitor him. thank you so much for your prayers.

please pray

2010-04-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

i am writing this on saturday night... coming up from the river about 1 hour ago, david fell on his bike and hit his head on some rocks. he does not look like he broke anything (other than maybe his nose) and he is currently conscious, although he does not remember anything. we are guessing that at the least he is suffering from a concussion. duane, leslie, david and joe all flew into guatemala city to a hospital there and are in the air right now. we ask for your prayers right now... for safety during the flight, david's safety and health, and peace and clarity of mind for duane and leslie. thank you.

Grace in all things...

2010-04-13T00:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things I learned long ago, working as a nurse in the pediatric ICU, is that it is easy to build walls around your heart...walls of protection against the pain of watching children and parents suffer. But I also learned that once those walls are there, you become hardened to the suffering and you can no longer feel the compassion of God - either flowing to you or through you to others. I remember the days of asking God to make my heart soft again, to make me compassionate again. And He did.

It is a temptation once again, to build those walls, as I spend yet another sleepless night, remembering the faces and conversations that I have had in the last few weeks with people who are desperate. They are desperate because they are running out of food, and there is no work and no rain. Food prices are soaring as corn becomes more scarce. So they come asking, many times begging for food. Now, I know that some needs are not really legitimate...but many others are - and how do I know? And how do I tell people about a God who loves and cares for them and then say "no, I can't help you." So "I earnestly ask for your prayers..." (Psalm 38:22). Pray that our hearts remain soft, that we have discernment to judge rightly the need, that we manage the resources that we are given wisely, and that we can effectively share the love of God.

Not everything has been difficult. The arrival of our son Ryan, his wife Katie and our two grandsons has brought us much joy. How blessed we are to have all three of our grandchildren so close! One of my favorite quotes is from a man named Graham Cooke. He talks a lot about the kindness of God to us each day - but that we have to look for that kindness. He says, "God always gives us grace - some days it is grace to enjoy, other days it is grace to endure." How true....

2010-03-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Craig announced last week that he will be leaving by the end of the month. After much prayer, he feels that this is what God is calling him to do. For the last year, Craig has lived with us and has become like one of our sons. He helps me in the clinic in so many ways, evangelizing, praying for people, leading us in worship and prayer before each clinic day, organizing and managing the corn project, helping with all of the nutrition children, helping in so many ways each day. I have to admit that when he said that he was leaving, I was very sad. My biggest enemy is self-pity and I was wallowing in it last week! The thought of facing over 1,000 patients each month without Craig's help was...and still is, overwhelming.

We do not recruit people to come here but choose to trust that the Spirit of God will draw those that He chooses to come. It is much the same with our financial need. We almost never ask for money, but trust that God will supply for the need by touching hearts to give. There are so many times when we (well, mostly me) want to jump in and take over when it seems that God is slow to answer. But trusting in the Creator of the Universe has always proved to be the best path to follow. And so we trust now, that God will provide someone to fill the gap that Craig will leave. We trust as well, that God will bless Craig in this new direction that he is heading in. Pray for him - and for us - as we walk through these changes.

We will say good-by to the Allison's tomorrow as well. They have been here for the last three weeks helping in so many ways. Don has filled in in the clinic in Katie's absence, Lori has organized our bookwork, and their children have played with ours. They planned their trip many months ago, not knowing when our need in the clinic would be the greatest. But as always, God is faithful to provide exactly what we need, in exactly the right timing. He is so good...always!

2010-03-04T03:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our "Sabbath" and as always, it was wonderful to rest and spend time with our family and the Lord. This has been a difficult week for a lot of reasons...but as we set this time apart to pray and reflect on the goodness of the Lord, we find refreshment and strength to start again this week.

Yesterday morning two nurses from the Puesto de Salud (the government clinic here in town) knocked at our gate asking for help with twins that were born early Tuesday morning up in one of the villages. We have been helping them prenatally and with milk for the one year old sister. It seems that mom gave birth in the morning but the placenta did not descend afterward and 12 hours later she died. Her husband is away working on the coast leaving grandma to care for all their children and now these twin babies who seem amazingly, very healthy. It is hard to believe that they did not seek help when mom was hemorrhaging but there is no 911 here and I am sure the grandma had no way of calling for someone to help, nor the means to pay for a rented car to come down to Canilla where someone could have helped them. Senseless...

Then in the afternoon, we received a call from our friend Victor who runs the drug and alcohol rehab center in Quiche. One of the young men who lived there for almost a year...a young man who had recovered from alcohol addiction and whose diabetes had come under control, who had accepted Jesus as his Savior and who had begun to live and work and recuperate...was dead. He started drinking again a week ago and although Victor had chased him down and pleaded with him to return on two different occasions, he did not. He said he didn't want to live. They found him dead on the street yesterday and the autopsy showed that he died of intoxication. Senseless...

Sunday in clinic Armondo and I spent over an hour talking with a woman who has 11 children and is beaten almost daily by her husband. I have known her for several years and never seen her smile. By law here in Guatemala, if she leaves, she will loose the right to her home and she will be destined to live on the street with her 11 children. So she continues to live with the fear that this man may kill her or one of her children. Senseless...

I could go on and on telling stories of the suffering and pain that we are faced with every single day. The weak words of encouragement and the little bit of food or medicine that we offer seem so inadequate in the face of such huge need. But prayers offered up to the Creator of the Universe, to the only One who can bring change...in this we trust that true change can come. In Him we trust that hearts can be healed and pain be relieved...because we know and we rest in the fact that God is a righteous judge who sees and understands. And as I laid all of these - and other situations before the Lord in prayer, I could almost hear Him say, "Be still...and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) We trust that somehow out of all of these "senseless" situations, that He will be exalted, that He will change "mourning into dancing."

2010-02-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

We leave in a few minutes for San Pedro (out in the Zona Reina). We are waiting for the call to say that it is safe to land there. We have not been out to San Pedro since the end of December to do a day of clinic. But we have been out several times for emergencies. One little boy who was shot in the head while at school, another who fell off a horse and was unconscious several hours later, another two day old baby who needed emergency surgery. At times like these we are so grateful to have the airplane and the ability to get out to these areas to help. And at the same time we become so frustrated with the lack of help once the children get to the hospital. The little boy with the gun shot wound was left waiting in the ICU in Xela because the CT scan was "broken down". But at least now they have a CT scan...that works sometimes.

I have postponed our clinic day in San Pedro until today because I have been a little short of help with Katie recuperating from the birth of Anna. Thankfully, Don Allison is here to help me shoulder some of the responsibility that I feel. I have several others who will come to help as well...Craig, Sally and Armondo. As I was praying this morning, I remembered what my friend Bonnie always said to me, "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips those He calls." I am feeling pretty inadequate this morning but trusting that He will give to us all that we will need today.

More when we return....

Friday evening... We had a great day in San Pedro. We made it in even though it was pretty cloudy and drizzly all day. Duane is so familiar now with the area that it was "no problem" as he said. It was cloudy all day so it was cool...so cool that I never took my sweater off! Normally you start to sweat the moment you step out of the plane. We saw around 100 people - lots of sick children with pneumonia and ear infections. We did one house visit to a young woman who could not get out of bed. She had been told by the traveling medicine salesman that she had an incurable disease and that she would die soon. She was afraid and started to cry when we talked to her about Jesus. Amazingly, her husband told us about his recurring dreams where the Lord was calling him to "come to Him." So they accepted the Lord and we are believing that she will begin to recuperate quickly. That made out entire trip worth it!!

2010-02-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

Praise God for the safe arrival of Joshua and Anna!

I went back to Illinois last Monday to help Ryan and Katie during the planned induction of Joshua. It turned out to be a very easy, (much easier than the first!) gentle birth. Joshua weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and seems to be a very peaceful little baby. His older brother Jacob is already protective and very much the "big brother" who became very upset when the nurses carried Joshua off to the nursery. Katie came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening I recieved a call from Katie Shaw...who was in labor in Guatemala. So early the next morning I left Marine hoping to make it home in time to help her in whatever way I could. Duane and Aaron flew her into the City early Thursday morning, barely making into the birthing center in time for Anna's arrival. 13 Minutes and 5 pushes later she was born - also a very easy delivery for a first time mom! By God's grace, both Katies and both babies are healthy and strong and most definitely beautiful! Two grandchildren in two days...as my sister said, "my cup overflows!"

Without Katie's help in the clinics for the next several weeks, I have been concerned about how I would care for everyone...but as always, God is faithful to supply for every need. Dr. Heidi "just happened" to be here for the week doing surgeries in Chichicastenengo and finished a day early so she came out here to Canilla to greet baby Anna. Saturday morning, before Duane flew her into the City for her return flight to the US, she helped me finish care for all the pregnant women. About 15 minutes after she left, we had a small team of medical students and Dr. Richard arrive to help finish the day and they stayed to help me yesterday in San Andres where we saw about 120 patients. Don and Lori Allison arrive on Thursday with their family. They will be here for the next few weeks to help in clinics as well. God is so good and His faithfulness to supply for all of our needs never ceases to amaze me!

2010-02-01T03:38:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am in a "holding pattern" - a term that I am familiar with, being married to a pilot for many years. I am circling, waiting...for many things to fall into place. Both of our daughter in laws are pregnant and due any second - one here in Guatemala, the other in the US. I want to be there for both births, knowing that to do that, I will need a miracle from God. But beyond that immediate waiting, I sense that there is more.

Early Saturday morning we recieved a call from a health care worker in San Marcos, out in the Zona Reina. He had a mom in labor who needed to get to the hospital right away. So Duane and I rushed to get out there as quickly as possible, only to find on our arrival, that the baby had died. She was born breech ( feet first). That is the second call that we have had from that village in the last few weeks for a complicated birth. None of the women there recieve prenatal care. I am frustrated by that - knowing that we could provide it - but knowing as well that I cannot take on much more responsibilty without more help. And so we wait...in that holding pattern...trusting that God's timing is perfect.

We have several construction projects going, in the anticipation of many folks who are coming this year. We are adding a room onto the clinic, and re-modeling another here in the house. Most of those who are coming are not medically oriented but we have learned that when God has a plan, He begins to move people around like puzzle peices. We don't know what His puzzle will ultimately look like but we are confident that it will be beautiful...and so we wait.

In this season of waiting, the Lord has led me several times to Psalm 23. If you are like me, waiting is frustrating and difficult. But I find great comfort in knowing that He is my Shepherd and that I lack...nothing. And when I let Him, He leads me to grassy pastures and beside quiet waters where my spirit is restored. I find that in those times, I can wait patiently, trusting that He has all things in His hand.

Here is a small family update:
Grace will be 5 tomorrow. We are still waiting for her final name change (at the moment she is "Grace Ficker Ficker" from the Latin tradition of taking both the mother and the father's last names. (One Ficker is bad enough!). Abi's adoption has finally made is through the national process and we are waiting for approval from our local judge.

Hannah will start work today at MD Anderson. We enjoyed getting to know Matt a little better during his brief visit. Rachel is working now as well, teaching an English class to a small group of bi-lingual secretary students at the local high school. She is younger than most of her students! Aaron, David, and Joseph remain busy repairing vehicles...from airplanes to motorcycles...some our own and some for others here in the community. They, along with Craig, have quite a ministry going to a group of young men here in this community who need to experience the love of Jesus.

2010-01-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

2010 has come in with a flurry of activities that have kept us on the run. The first week found Duane and Craig in the US at our home church (Destiny) for a missionary conference. They, along with Ryan and Katie, met lots of new friends and were refreshed. They returned home with a renewed vision and energy. Thank you Destiny Church!

The day after Duane and Craig returned, I left to go home for a few days to be with my Uncle Tom (who was like my grandfather) as he went home to be with the Lord. He was 94 and his death was peaceful. My family is small, my parents have both died, so it was good to be with my 2 sisters...even under the difficult circumstances. And to spend a few days with our grandson was wonderful!

As I returned to Guatemala, I was accompanied by our friend Bob Gay and later in the day by Pastor Phil and Kent Henry. Our pastor comes each year to encourage us and this year was no exception. Kent ministered especially to our children in times of sweet worship. It was wonderful and just what we needed to start the New Year off right.

Clinics have been busy but easier with the help of Hannah who has been here since Christmas. She passed her Physician Assistant Boards in December and is waiting for all of her license paperwork to be completed before she starts working at M.D. Anderson as part of a surgical oncology team. We are very proud of her accomplishment and grateful to the Lord for keeping her during that long and difficult process.

This year will hold many changes here with the birth of our two grandchildren in February. Katie Shaw (Aaron's wife) will give birth to Catherine Anna and Katie Ann (Ryan's wife) will have a baby boy - whom they have not yet named. And the best news is that Ryan and Katie will be joining us here in Guatemala in April for a 6 month visit which will hopefully extend to a permanent move. How good is God who has blessed us with the privilege of watching our grandchildren grow up near us! It is an answer to many years of prayer for me and I am so very grateful. We see this coming year as one of change in which we see the Lord expanding our "tent pegs" in many ways and we are excited as we wait upon Him. For we know that "those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31. And that is our prayer for you in this new year...that as you wait upon Him, that your strength would be renewed to persevere in that to which He has called you.

2009-12-24T03:27:00.000-08:00

Almost every evening, Duane and I try to take a walk with the girls. And every evening, we ask them the same question..."What color did God paint the sky for you tonight?" The sun setting over the mountains here is always beautiful but much of the time we are too busy to see it.

My prayer for you is that you will - amid all the busy-ness of the season - see the beauty in all of the gifts that God has given you. And most importantly that you will see the greatest gift that He has given...Jesus

2009-12-18T03:44:00.000-08:00

In the ten years that we have been here, we have celebrated Christmas only once in the US. Because we live where we do, among the indigenous poor who do not really celebrate our biggest holiday, we have carved out our own traditions to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Finding a tree is quite the process...there are lots of pine trees here but to find one small enough to fit into our house and to find the owner of the property where that tree is growing to ask him for permission to cut one of his trees is always challenging. But we have a beautiful tree this year with all of our homemade ornaments. The little girls are having so much fun anticipating "Baby Jesus' birthday party". All of our children will be here this year except for Ryan, Katie and little Jacob. Katie is getting too close to the arrival date of their new little baby boy to travel this year. We will miss them terribly! Maybe next year....

Amid all of the Christmas anticipation in our home, we continue to work in clinics and on the corn project. Yesterday we did a clinic out in San Pedro (in the Zona Reina). It was closed in early in the morning so we waited until the clouds blew away enough for us to land and saw the 70-80 people that were waiting for us. Duane flew one woman into the hospital who was full term and had a very low placenta. She will be better off delivering in the hospital and amazingly, her family was all in agreement. It is so much better to have those ladies in a place where they, hopefully, can care for those complicated births. The day before yesterday (on our "Sabbath" day) we recieved a call from a village out in that same area. They were frantic with a woman in labor whose baby was "atravesado" (sideways). Duane and I flew out quickly with the ultrasound to find a woman in active labor with the umbilical cord hanging between her legs. Oh, how I wished that Heidi were here!! We hurried her off to the hospital in Quiche where we have heard that she is fine and her baby is alive - although in the ICU.

In other years we have had a small Christmas party for the children up in Chiminisijuan. This year we chose to use the money that we normally spend for apples and grapes (traditional Christmas food here) on food for the 60 widows that we are helping every 15 days. This along with the milk program that has almost tripled, and the families that we are helping with corn each month, is stretching out finances and our time to the max. We spend many hours each week bagging milk, beans, rice, sugar and oatmeal to give out in the weekly clinics. Craig, Tomas, Juan and Mario have spent hours walking in villages looking for families that we have seen in the clinics to assess their need. And Katie and Craig have spent so many hours organizing and getting corn out to areas of need. This week we ran out of milk with two days of clinic left in the week. We cannot really buy it locally so we prayed over the small supply that we had left, that God would multiply it as He did the loaves and fish. Amazingly, not one child left without his two week supply of milk...and we had absolutely not a drop left!! These are days when our faith is being stretched every single day! But we serve a faithful God who always supplies for our need!

Here are a few of the families that we (through the generous giving of people like you) are helping...

Ooops!

2009-12-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

It was just brought to our attention that the Corn Blog link on our website here was not working. Please note that it is now in proper working order, and all you need to do is click on the picture to be brought to the latest news about the corn blog. Sorry about that!!

2009-11-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving....my very favorite holiday. What a great idea - a day set apart to give thanks to God for all the great gifts He has given us. Ours will be small this year. Rachel, Katie and Aaron left this morning to spend the holidays with Katie's family and Rachel will be with Hannah in Houston. Our friend Cali will join us tomorrow - and hopefully help me with the meal as all of the women have abandoned me!!

Late November and early December here in our area are the times of fiesta - first in San Andres and then here in Canilla. They are fiestas dedicated to the patron saints of each village and coincide with the end of the harvest. It is a week long celebration marked by drunkeness and sin of all kind. This year in San Andres, the witchdoctors are especially angry with the "evangelicos" who are cutting into their activities, as many who have become Christians will not participate. The municipal government typically pays a good portion toward the festivities but this year, the mayor (who is a Christian) has cut way back on contributions. The blame for the decrease is also blamed on the evangelicos - particularly the pastors. One of our good friends in San Andres came over the other night asking for prayer as his life, as well as those of his children have been threatened. His wife told us tearfully that their children have all moved out of their rooms to the backside of the house because they are afraid and cannot sleep at night. These are very real fears as with each fiesta there are often several dead at the end of the week. All of the men who have helped us on the corn project, are too afraid to go out this week, so we will resume next week. Please pray for the believers in San Andres; pray for their protection, pray that they will not be immobilized by fear; pray that the God of peace will invade their hearts and minds.

Home again...

2009-11-18T03:27:00.000-08:00

Many months ago, the Lord began to lead me, in my quiet times with Him, to study our Hebrew roots. Jesus was a Jewish man, born of Jewish parents, in a Jewish culture. I began to understand that my Western church upbringing left me without a context to understand this man who I call my Savior. At the same time, I began to understand that Guatemala has a very different relationship with Israel than the US has. And I began to wonder how the two things were connected. My children, and my husband, thought I was a little crazy - as always. Then at the beginning of the year, out of the clear blue sky, we were offered a trip to Israel. We at first said no - that we were too busy here and we could not leave for 10 days. But as we prayed about it, we realized that this was a gift that God was offering us - and who wants to turn away a gift that the Lord hands to you?!

So, two weeks ago, Duane and I left Canilla and spent a couple of days helping Ryan (our son who lives in the US) to prepare a load of equipment which will be driven to Guatemala in December. It is mostly equipment that will help us more effectively manage the corn project - a grain bin, etc.

From Marine, we left with a group from Destiny Church and a church from Oklahoma (House of David) to arrive in Israel. Because we knew that this was a trip that the Lord had orchestrated, we felt a burden to be attentive to all that He wanted us to hear and understand. And while I am still processing much of our amazing experience there, I know a few things...

- I understand that we as gentile believers and as citizens of the United States, have a responsibility to stand with Israel. As we traveled into Sderot, a town bordering the Gaza strip, we began to understand in a very small part what the people are enduring there as the Palestinians have sent missiles into their town. We worked to help a dental clinic prepare to open, with the instructions that if the sirens sounded, that we had just a few seconds to get into the bomb shelter. We understood that we had little to worry about as the missiles were usually launched at 8 in the morning or around 3 in the afternoon because those were the times when the children would be going to or leaving school. We heard stories from people who had been in the Cast Lead conflict just a few months ago, men who were immobilized because the Palestinians would shoot at them from between the legs of old women or children. So we "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6), remembering the promise of God to Abraham as he left his home to enter the land promised to him, that "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse." (Genesis 12:3).

- I have a new and very small revelation of the unity that Christ brings (Ephesians 2:11-22) - that "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two..." (Jew and gentile). I understand that we as believers are eager to claim for ourselves all of the promises given to the children of Abraham, but not quite as eager to take up the responsibility that we have as brothers to a people that we do not quite understand.

It is a mystery to us that in a time when our hearts are so broken by the people here in Guatemala that the Lord would choose to open our eyes to yet another area of need. The only thing that we know for sure is that there is great power in prayer. And so we will stand "in the gap" for not just this nation but for our Jewish brothers and sisters - wherever they may be.

So, we are home and trying to get back into our routine. It was an amazing trip and we are so very thankful for the opportunity that was given to us. Our family all worked together to keep things going here and did a great job! God is certainly very, very good.

Chuchitos

2009-10-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks I have been feeling much like the disciples must have felt when Jesus told them to feed the 4 thousand. Matthew 8 records that when Jesus said he wanted to feed everyone before they left, his disciples said, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" I have said just about those exact words to the Lord a thousand times in the last couple of weeks.

We have decided to concentrate our corn project to those areas which have been hardest hit by the drought. The last two weeks have been spent sending Juan out to various villages, talking directly to people in their homes. In some villages all of the corn plants died before they could make ears. In others, the yield was much smaller than normal. And since most have just finished harvesting, they have small amounts at the moment. The biggest need will come in the next few weeks when that small supply runs out. We have begun to distribute corn on a small scale to those most in need at the moment but are preparing for a much bigger distribution in the next few months.

But aside from the corn project, the amount of "viveras" (bags of beans, rice, oatmeal, sugar, soap) that we distribute in the clinics has more than quadrupled in the last month. Children who are in our nutrition program are weighed every 2 weeks so that we can make sure they are thriving and we are finding that many are not. When I talk to parents about how the milk and protein drink are meant to supplement their diet, not to supply all that they need, I find that there is no other food in the home. Many families are eating only once or twice a day now to make the corn supply stretch and there is no money to buy other food. So they are eating only tortillas - sometimes with salt.

I could write stories all day long of families who are living in circumstances that are beyond my imagination but I will share just one with you. We always give numbers in the clinics so that we can have some semblance of order and yesterday we had over 80 people waiting. They give out numbers early (around 5am) and again around 9am for those who cannot get to town any earlier. So people wait all day - literally. One little family - mom with a 3 month old, dad with the 2 year old and another child of about 5 waited until 3pm to be seen. All the food that I brought in the morning was gone. Every time I opened the door, I would see this man standing closest to the door, with his toddler resting in his arms. He was not pushy as so many are, he just waited. It is uncommon for dads to come, so I noticed him right away. When they came in, he just told me about his child who was not eating and about his wife who did not have enough breast milk for the baby. When I asked, he told me about how poor his harvest was this year and all he had was already gone. The little boy began to whimper and the dad stood up to try to quiet him, and in that moment I realized that this little boy had not eaten all day. I stepped into the shoes of this father for one brief moment and I thought my heart would break as I thought about one of my own children going without food all day and returning to a home without food. So I walked out of the clinic to buy food for them. I bought staples and a bag of "chuchitos" (little corn and bean patties that are sold for less than a nickle). As I handed him the bag of chuchitos, a small, brief smile crossed his face and he gave one to his son who stopped crying and filled his mouth as quickly as he could. So we loaded them up with what we had, and told them to return in 2 weeks.

And so I am like the disciples, looking at this huge need and wondering, how are we going to do this? But at the same time trusting in a God who is so much bigger than the need and One whom we know is kind and compassionate and who sees the need of His children. And we trust that He will supply.

2009-10-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Duane and I took out a very secure insurance policy against the "empty nest" syndrome that most folks our age feel when we agreed to adopt Grace and Abi. But with David and Joseph in the US now for going on 6 weeks, and now with Craig gone as well, we are getting close. Our house is so quiet without the boys...well, as quiet as we can get with Abi around. They hope to be home within a week or so. They originally went home to help Katie and Ryan get their house and all the barns painted but then after much investigation on corn storage, it has become a hunt for grain bins. They have found 1 which a man whom we have never met, has generously donated for this project. The boys, with lots of help will dismantle it and get it loaded onto a truck that our friend Martin will drive down, hopefully within the next few weeks. We purchased and began distributing corn last weekend to folks within our nutrition program.

Little Irma and her mom (see last week's entry) came on Sunday. Irma was better but still very listless. Her sister was very sick this week with pneumonia as well and after we weighed her (22 pounds at age 4), she just laid down on the floor in the middle of the clinic and went to sleep. The beginnings of our clinic days in San Andres are always so chaotic but we all just walked over her until we could gather around her on the floor and pray for her and her family. We sent them off with enough food to last the week and instruction for her husband to return this weekend so we can follow up on them. There were others as well. One woman insisted that she was fine carrying 50 pounds of corn along with 20 pounds of rice and beans and the milk that she comes for bi-monthly along with the baby on her back. She had an enormous smile to go with her enormous load as she walked out of the clinic.

We finally were able to speak with the mayor of San Andres this week...he is a very busy man and almost never in San Andres. He spoke of being overwhelmed with the need and that was obvious by the long line of people waiting outside of his door. In the US our mayors are typically surrounded by people who are delegated to take care of the needy so that he can take care of the business of running a city. Not here. Those who are hungry. those who are needy in whatever way come directly to the mayor. He told us of his Sundays with his family when he has a line of people waiting outside of his home with their needs. He has a list of over 4,000 women who are either widowed or abandoned. He told us of a prophetic word that was spoken over him by one of the local pastors who said that corn was coming, corn to feed the people. It was given to him over a month ago - even before we began to talk about it outside of our home. So we will work with both he and the mayor of Canilla and those pastors who have come for with an interest to help. Please pray that we have wisdom and that it is obvious to all that our help comes from the Lord...

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalms 121:1-2

little Irma

2009-10-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

Last evening, just as we returned from a long day in clinic in San Andres, Duane got a phone call from a pastor out in Mixcoloja. Mixcoloja is a tiny, mainly Mennonite community, out in the middle of nowhere at the complete opposite end of our valley. We have know Pastor Humberto and his family for many years but recently worked together with them to help Candalaria - the woman who had lost her home. By the way, she just had her baby, is living once again in her home, her husband is back and has rededicated his life to the Lord. God is certainly good!! Anyway, Pastor Huberto said a woman had come to them with her very sick baby, and they were hoping that we could help them. Mixcoloja, fortunately has a very rough little landing strip and by air is only 5 minutes from our house. It would take about 5 hours to get to them in car. So we packed up a few supplies and flew out to see them.

We were greeted by a small group of Mennonites with a little Indian woman and her two children sitting in the middle of them. Irma, a little over 2 years old was so sick with pneumonia. She was dehydrated and malnourished - weighing only 17 pounds. Her 4 year old sister was malnourished as well with a swollen face, hands and feet and an enormous belly. Maria, Irma's mom is 7 months pregnant. She held her baby out for me to examine and I thought my heart would break. She was so listless and pale. I told Maria that we needed to take Irma into the hospital but she shook her head and said that her husband would not let her...there was no money. They are buying enough corn each day to get through the day. There is no other food...no beans, no rice, not even salt to put on their tortillas. Their entire corn crop died in the field this year. So we gave her an antibiotic and some pedialyte and some food and then we prayed - entrusting her to a God who sees and knows the injustice that this family is suffering. As we prayed, all I could think of was Matthew 10:29 which says "Aren't two sparrows sold for next to nothing,,,and yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's consent....so don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows." I told Maria that Irma was like one of those little sparrows and that God had not forgotten them. Pray for this little sparrow...that God will heal her body and that this family will understand that He is a kind and merciful God who always cares for His children.

The Poor Among Us

2009-09-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Our house, for the last two weeks, has been full of phone calls, emails, and endless brainstorming about how we can get corn here to this valley for the least amount of money and as quickly as possible. We have been told that we need to move quickly because the corn that is available is being bought rapidly by speculators and companies in Mexico. These are things that the Ficker men (Craig included) are particulary good at.

We have thought and prayed long and hard about how to involve the community - especially the local church - in this project. We have asked for help from our good friends Oralia and Sebastian in San Andres. They are the directors of the orphanage there and have a feeding program as well which is being stretched to the breaking point. We will host pastors of the local churches to a lunch on Friday to enlist their help as well. Our thoughts right now are to ask for donations of rice, beans, oatmeal, atol and oil from the churches as well as their help in locating families who are at risk. It is a different way of thinking for most here who are used to receiving and not so much in giving. Pray with us that their hearts will be open to helping...that they will understand that giving is so much more blessed than receiving!

My prayer for many years has been to have a deeper understanding of the man Christ Jesus - this man who died for me; this man who is fully God - in whom I put all of my trust. I have come to realize something profound...that He was (and is - because He never changes) Jewish. And if I want to understand Him, I need to understand Him in His Jewishness. Now, I know very little about the Jewish faith and I do not desire to live under endless laws about how to wash my pots and pans but I do want to know what it is that moved Him; how did He think? So I have begun to study...and what I am finding has opened my eyes to so many things that I have never understood. For example, one of my favorite scriptures is John 12:1-3 where Mary, in deepest worship anoints Jesus' feet with costly perfume. I have meditated long on that and wished that I could have been Mary. But as I read the next few verses, I find Jesus saying, "you will always have the poor among you..." It has always confused me and because I now find myself living among the very poor, I want to understand why He said that. Couldn't He in all of His power, fix that? And then I read in Deuteronomy as Moses gives final instructions to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land about the tithes that they are to give. My understanding of the tithe has always been 10% of our income to the church but now I see that it is so much more. God instructed the Jewish farmers to leave grain at the edge of their fields so that the poor could harvest it every season. They would leave 1/50th of their crop, as well as "leket"or the leaving of dropped stalks for the poor. In addition, Moses commanded that 10% of the crop every third and sixth year of the seven year cycle was to be given to the poor. Now that is a lot of rules and regulations, but the heart of the law behind all of that is that the poor are provided for; that although they are poor, they are not to be hungry; that it is our responsibility to provide for the poor. And in this agricultural culture, that is what we hope to express to the church - the body of believers here. Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow give these farmers a vision of how God designed provision for the poor? And even greater, that as we here begin to live by His rules, we would reap the benefit of His blessing - "All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." Deuteronomy 28:2-6. Would you pray that we will be able to express our hearts to these pastors as they gather here Friday? Would you pray that above all else, that the Name of the Lord will be honored in this project?

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed...

2009-09-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

I usually don't write anyone or pretty much talk with anyone on Sunday evenings. I'm usually too exhausted to think...much less talk. But tonight is different. I...we, are so burdened by what we are seeing in our community that I have to share it. Friday we went out to a remote village to do a mobile clinic. We have been there several times and it is a very isolated community of indigenous people with the normal needs of most communities in this area. This time however, we were stuck by the overwhelming need. Although we only saw about 60 people, almost all of the children were very sick or very malnourished or both. When we asked if there was enough food, most said no, some said that their harvest this year would be small.

Saturday, we had a pretty normal clinic day, adding only one new child to our already full feeding program. But later that evening, Cali, our friend from the Peace Corps who works in the city office came with news of the "red alert" in our area - signifying the urgent need for food. We spent much of the evening trying to figure out ways to help.

And today, I was overwhelmed with requests for food. Almost everyone we talked to said they were out of corn, some asked for corn, others asked for money, and almost all seemed resigned and without hope. These are people who live always on the edge of desperation...even in the best of times. One woman came asking for prayer for her husband who was threatening suicide. She is 8 months pregnant and told me that her husband said that if the baby was a girl, he would feed her poison as well...but if it is a boy, he will let him live. And so we prayed for Felipe, we prayed that God would open his eyes to see his value as a husband, as a father, as a child of God; that he would see the importance of his life, that he would understand and know his God and Father who longs to love him.

But somehow in the middle of circumstances that leave me overwhelmed and grieved beyond words, I know that God is still God, that He holds the universe in His hand. I know that He sees and is grieved even more than I am.

"You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed...Psalm 10:17,18

"Feed my sheep."

2009-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

It is hot and dry...so much like April here at the height of the dry season. With September usually come the torrential rains. Not so this year. The corn is dried and much of it died before ears were formed. This will be a difficult year.

Here in this culture, corn is the main staple. Those who are prosperous have dried corn stacked neatly against the adobe wall in their bedroom. It is taken out as needed, ground into meal and made into tortillas. A healthy man can eat 10-12 tortillas with each meal. A woman recently told me that her family of seven will eat 10 pounds of corn in 3 days. A hundred pound bag of corn costs about $20 - often more than a week's wages IF a man is working. When we are trying to assess the level of need in the clinic, asking if they are buying their corn is a defining question. Growing corn is a loosing proposition. Because it is so important to their diet, corn is planted year after year in the same field with seed from the last year's poor harvest. Corn will not grow without fertilizer now and that costs nearly $30/bag. So each year people actually loose money by growing corn...not as much as they loose however if they have to buy it.

In the last month, the price of a bag of corn has risen Q60 ($7.50). We have added 7-8 children to our nutrition program each week for the last 2 months. Last week we added three infants less than 3 months of age. All of their moms had very little milk because they were not eating. When mom is not eating, neither are the other children in the house. So in addition to formula for the babies, we are giving large bags of beans, rice, oatmeal, and sugar to entire families. I am concerned - this is only the beginning of a year that may prove very difficult for many families. Today, President Colom declared Guatemala in a state of emergency due to the large number of chronically malnourished. Sadly, we have the highest rate of malnutrition in Central America and fourth highest in the world. And rural areas like ours are the hardest hit.

Duane and the boys are looking into getting a container of corn shipped down from Illinois. We are not sure how it will work with government regulations and such, but we are doing some investigation. We rest in the fact that God is our provision, that He is faithful and that He is a just God. We trust that He will open doors and that He will give us creative ideas to provide all that we need to serve these people whom we have grown to love so much.

Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things: you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

2009-08-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for a while. We have had lots happening...most of it good, some of it sad. Two weeks ago we hosted a group of young people from Washington for a week. They were a great group. We went out to several different schools and we taught about creation and how important each one is in the plan of our Creator. We still have the freedom here to talk about God without intimidation. The teachers were all grateful for the encouragement that the team brought and each one said that they would continue to reinforce what we taught the children. My favorite school was in a village called Pajopop. It was a very long hard walk down to the school after a 45 minute drive. The teachers work with nothing...no books, very few pencils, no crayons. Most of the teaching is done by oral repetition with very little room for creativity. And because all of the children enter 1st grade not knowing any Spanish, there is a huge language barrier which stands in the way of much learning - outside of learning Spanish - which is important. As we began our long walk up the hill from the school, Duane called me...a little frantically...saying that the social worker, child psychologist, and the pediatrician working on Abi's adoption would be arriving within the hour. We raced up the hill and arrived before they did. The visit went well and was another step closer to finalization of Abi's adoption.

Typically on the last day of a team's visit here we take them to do a little shopping in either Panajachel or Antigua. As we finished our day in Pana, we received a call from the retirement center where my aunt and uncle have lived for the last several years. They have been like grandparents to our family and their health has been deteriorating for the last year. My Aunt Verna had been admitted into the ICU. We made arrangements for me to leave the next day with the team. Unfortunately Aunt Verna died Sunday morning but we have the confidence that she is with Jesus. She died quietly, without suffering and I am grateful to have had the last days of her life at her bedside. I also got to spend some time with Ryan, Katie and Jacob, as well as my two sisters - a tremendous blessing and joy for me.

While I was gone, Katie and Craig kept the clinics going and even made a trip out to San Pedro with Heidi and Chris - another doctor who came to help. They were overwhelmed with patients and the heat but were able to make it back by evening as Heidi and Chris had early morning flights out of Guatemala. It was a tremendous amount of work for them to do and I am so grateful that they were willing to do it!

I returned from the US Tuesday afternoon, completely exhausted. Fortunately, Wednesday continues to be our day of rest...so that is exactly what we did. In the afternoon we flew out to a village called Mixcoloja to visit with a woman whom we have helped in the clinics for several years. She is 8 months pregnant, has 6 other children and a husband who is unfaithful and regularly beats her. He recently lost their home and they have been living under a piece of plastic in the middle of nowhere, eating some days, and some days they have no food. We wanted to see her situation first hand and find out in what way we could help her. In the end we decided that we will pay the debt owed on her house and put the title in her hands and not those of her husband. We left her with food, prayer and the promise to work toward a solution to her situation. She sobbed great sobs as we prayed for her, and her children surrounded her in an effort to console her. She broke our hearts. Pray for her when you can...her name is Candalaria. She is a Christian but has been put in "discipline" (she is not allowed to go to church) by her pastor until she apologizes to the woman her husband is living with. Apparently Candalaria hit her...go figure.

And today, our friend Victor (who runs the drug and alcohol rehab center about 2 hours from here) invited us to a service at his center. We had a great time of worship, testimonies from the men, and prayer followed by a lunch which Victor had very thoughtfully prepared for us "gringos." He is doing an amazing job of loving and caring for men who are rejected by everyone else. Many days he collects them up out of the street in drunken stupors, brings them back to the home, detoxifies them and shares Jesus with them. What better way to learn of His love.

"I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!"Matthew 25:40

2009-07-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

A week has passed since I wrote about little Domingo from Chiminisijuan. He is the 3 year old, severely malnourished child whose mom and two siblings accepted the Lord last week. He was there waiting yesterday for clinic with his mom. He at least cried when we weighed him and his mom says that he is beginning to eat (he was eating a bag of chips as they waited). When I asked how her husband was, she told me that he had come - so she called him in. He was sober and said that he had stopped drinking and given his life to Jesus this week. We rejoiced with them and then prayed for them - that God would give him the strength to resist when the temptation comes to drink again. Mom was beaming. God is so good!!

Monday afternoon we had a gentleman come into the clinic who was having difficulty breathing. We put an oximeter on to see what his oxygen level was and found that it was 60 (normal is 90 - 100 - 60 is an indication that he would not live long - hours maybe). We gave him some oxygen and talked with them only to find out that a doctor in Quiche told them a year ago that he had a spot on his lung and sent him home to die. He did not want to go to the hospital so we talked with him about Jesus. He was a Christian although his family all walked out the door when I began to talk with him about the Lord. He finally looked at me and said, "I am going to die, aren't I?" I said yes, that I thought he probably would not live very long but we talked about heaven and we prayed together. He cried and said he would miss his children so much. We sent him home with a small oxygen tank to use until his family could all get there. This afternoon, his family came to return the oxygen tank and to thank us for our prayers. It seems that he began to perk up when he got home and is no longer having any difficulty breathing. They understood that it could only have been the power of God that has given this gentleman life instead of death. I don't know how long he will live - he is elderly - but until he leaves this earth, I believe he will be testifying about the power and love of our God!

And a funny story... We live next door to a very sweet elderly couple. I recently went over to visit with Dona Reyna. Her cat began rubbing up against my legs so I asked her if he caught rats for her as I know firsthand that they have a large population living with them. We treated their son for an infected rat bite several years ago. She replied that he was a horrible mouser and that he would only eat them when she caught them and fried them in a little oil! It is at times like this that I realize our cultural differences are very great!

Our friend Adrienne is here for the month. She comes in and immediately steps in to help and keeps us in line. She is great and we are grateful that she continues to come each year. This will be a busy month here with lots of visitors and a team of young people from Washington. We are thankful for each one who comes to help and serve alongside of us!

waiting...

2009-07-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have not written for a few weeks - there are never enough hours in the day. It seems that we have more work and less help these days. Honestly, I have been a little discouraged and have been asking the Lord if we are doing what He desires or if we have missed Him somehow. I don't know why...He is always so faithful to provide all that we need. Rachel was cleaning out a drawer earlier in the week and found the first letter that I wrote before we had even left the US, 11 years ago. In it we were explaining all that the Lord had put on our hearts to do here in Guatemala, and I wrote, "There are also groups of completely unreached indians over the mountain range north of the orphanage. Our dream is to be able to take the Gospel to this area, 'to prepare the way in the wilderness, the way of the Lord; to make straight and smooth in the desert the highway of our God.' (Isaiah 40:3) As we all re-read it, it was clear that this is the right direction. So we wait on Him - trusting that He will bring the right people alongside of us to help - in His time. My friend Bonnie Wallace used to say, that waiting on the Lord was just that - like a waiter in a restaurant - serving.

Yesterday in Chiminisijuan in our line of children receiving milk from the nutrition program (we weigh each baby every 2 weeks) was a little boy whom I had never seen. His mom handed me her newborn first who was fat and healthy and then she laid her 19 month-old on the scale. He was severely malnourished with edematous hands and feet and the skin hanging off of the rest of him. He just laid on the scale without a fight - lethargic from a lack of food. Upon questioning, his mom told me that he would eat beans when they had them but mostly they just gave him coffee. Giving coffee to very young children is cultural - it is weak, warm and full of sugar - I often see it in baby bottles. She had the saddest eyes as she told me that she has 7 children and a husband who is drunk all the time. They are buying their corn which is an indication that they don't have enough to eat - all of their money goes to buy corn to make tortillas - which is their most important food. Armando began to talk with her about the Lord, asking her if she went to church. She said that she had in the past but her always drunk husband was an embarrassment to her. Armando included her two older children in the conversation and when he asked them if they wanted to accept the Lord again, the little boy said, "Do it mom, do it!" So all of them together repeated the prayer of salvation. The little boy, Pedro, said that he could read, so we gave them a Bible which he proudly tucked under his arm, with instructions to start in the book of John and read to his family each day.

I have struggled to find a way to make the God that I know...a God who is so faithful and kind to me - relevant to people who never have a moment of joy, who watch their children go to bed hungry, who are beaten down by their desperate struggle to stay alive. How do I talk to them about a God who loves them and cares for them when their circumstances shout otherwise? These are questions that I have asked the Lord since our arrival here and while to this day, my understanding is very small, I am beginning to understand that He is our judge. Not a judge who is ready to condemn (although we may eventually see that side of him), but a judge who is our advocate; a judge who sees and will bring justice where there is injustice. So we talk to people about this characteristic of our God; about how He is watching and waiting to bring justice to those who put their trust in Him. We talk with them about the judgment that awaits those who hurt his children, and we talk with them about the hell that awaits those who mistreat his chosen ones. We talk with them about the need to pray for those who hurt them, knowing that this will bring freedom from the bitterness that grows out of unforgiveness. And we encourage them that even though their outward circumstances may not - and probably won't immediately change, that they become part of a community who will stand with them in prayer - that they are no longer alone. So would you pray for this family? Would you pray that Fermanina's husband would be freed from the bondage of alcoholism and that his eyes would be opened to the salvation that Jesus brings? Would you pray that he would begin to be the father and husband that this family needs? And would you pray that little Domingo would live and not die?

"Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady to knees that give way

say to those with fearful hearts,

"Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you." Isaiah 35:3-4

Juana

2009-06-16T04:26:00.001-07:00

There are times when I think that we are seeing changes, that we are making progress, that we are able to shed a little light in the darkness. And then there are others times when I am knocked off balance by the depth of ignorance and darkness that still exists here. Yesterday was one of those days. Remember the young woman in Unilla (in the Zona Reina) that I wrote about 2 weeks ago? Juana, 5 months pregnant, had been sick for many weeks. Her husband had tried to care for her by taking her to the witchdoctors, following their instruction carefully until he finally had her walk, in her very weakened state, in the middle of the night, to their home village, where we are told she died. In her last hours, we are told, they tried to call us to take her to medical help but it was too late. I am grieved because she did not have to die, she had options...not that I have delusions about "our abilities". But a hand, an offer of help was extended and they refused it. And I am grieved because she died without knowing the hope of eternal life...without knowing the eternal God.

So we grieve for her, for her husband - who tried to care for her - in his way, and for her 3 young children who will grow up without their mother's love. And then we go on, continuing to pray that God will open up eyes, that His light will shine in this darkness. When Duane spoke with Rudolfo (the community leader of Unilla) yesterday, he invited us back to his village. So we will return at the end of this month. Would you pray with us for this family and for this village?

on the field....

2009-05-30T04:15:00.000-07:00

We made our second trip into Unilla on Thursday of this week. For those who do not remember, Unilla is a small community of about 7,000 on the border of Coban. It is inaccessible by road so we fly in - this time making 2 trips in with loaded with medicine, equipment and medical personnel. As we unpacked and set up the clinic, Francisco, (the medical advocate for the community) asked us to go and see a young woman who was "grave" (very ill). We walked into a wood shack to find Juana lying on the dirt floor, covered with woolen blankets in the 100 degree weather. She emaciated and appeared semi-conscious. Her family told us that she had been sick for 3 years and that they had just returned from the "spiritist" (witchdoctor) - a two day trip away. She was vomiting 10-12 times a day. We gave her some IV fluids, and did an ultrasound to find that she was 5 months pregnant (which they had vehemently denied). Her husband was not there - he had gone to get medicine for her. He arrived later with a two liter bottle of green liquid that he had been instructed to pour over her head in an effort to cure her. He immediately left again to bring back to the house another witchdoctor. The house was crowded with 30 - 35 people who had come to watch as Juana continued to vomit, never making eye contact with us, never changing expression when we told her she was pregnant with a baby boy. We prayed and tried to express to them the power of our God to heal, to save. We returned the next day to give her another liter of fluids, her vomiting had slowed some but she still would not eat nor would she make eye-contact with us. Please pray for her. I felt such darkness in that house and we know that only the light of Jesus' love deliver them.

We returned to the clinic and began seeing patients - working until 5. Craig and Malachi stayed the night and showed the Jesus film to well over 300 people. The rest of us returned to Canilla for the night and Duane and I returned in the morning to finish the second day. We saw around 300 people - with more women and children coming this time. We know that these first trips are times to gain the confidence of the people. We were told repeatedly that they are afraid of us. I spoke at length to the midwife - a woman who never smiled. I tried to explain that we had no desire to steal their children or their gold (a common belief here) and that we came only because the Lord has put a incredibly deep love in our hearts for the Mayan people. She stayed in the clinic area the entire time that we were there - both days - just observing. By the end of the second day, she began to smile. We are hopeful that God is beginning to break down the walls of fear and distrust.

Well, maybe I'll get this post done soon...a week has gone by already! Tomorrow we fly out to San Pedro. We don't usually plan trips out to the Zona Reina in two consecutive weeks as they require so much planning and are so physically draining. But since it is sometimes difficult to get medical help that is willing to make this kind of trip, we are taking advantage of the time that Malachi and Heather are here - since they both have willing and adventurous spirits! We will also be accompanied by Dr. Pedro, the dentist from Guatemala City who went with us last month. Although he saw over 60 patients last time, he had to turn away many people. The community leaders were very happy to hear that he was willing to return. Please pray that the weather cooperates, that we have safe flights in and out, and most importantly that the Lord will open hearts to receive salvation.

Our clinics in the past two weeks have been extremely busy with lots of sick children. Yesterday in Chiminisijuan we saw over 100 people - many who were very sick. Again, we were very thankful to have Malachi and Heather here to help us. Last week was almost as busy in this small community and I saw one little baby who really needed to be in the hospital. She had pneumonia and needed more medical attention than we could give her. When I asked her mom if she could take her into the hospital, she said no, that it was impossible. So we prayed and asked Jesus to heal her. Yesterday she came and when I asked how the baby was, thinking that she was probably still sick (my faith is so small sometimes!) she said, "Oh she's fine. I am here for my other daughter." She did not understand what a miracle it was that her daughter was alive - but I certainly did! We also had a young woman whom we had seen a few months ago. She and her husband had been together for almost five years and she had not conceived. In this culture it is assumed that infertility is always the woman's fault and many times men will not stay with women who cannot give them children. So we had prayed for her...we have no way of addressing that problem here. She came in yesterday, 3 months pregnant! God is so faithful!!

Here are some pictures from our trip to Unilla.

The runway...

Our greeting "committee".

On our knees...

2009-05-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Prayer is probably the most important thing that we do here. It is always a temptation to skip that part, to relegate it to the last thing that we do. But we know that without it, nothing is really worth the effort. Lately our hours of prayer have increased. Guatemala's newly elected president was recently implicated in several murders and there has been talk of removing him from office. And in typical Guatemalan fashion, those in support as well as those who oppose him have been demonstrating in the streets of Guatemala City. So we pray...

On a more positive note, on the 30th of this month, there will be a service in San Andres designed to unite the pastors not just in San Andres but in all of the surrounding villages. This is something that we have prayed for since our arrival 10 years ago. The mayor, who is a Christian and our good friend Pastor Rodi are organizing everything and met with over 50 pastors on Monday. They are anticipating around 5,000 people who will attend the 2 day event. We pray that God will grant these congregations to be like-minded toward one another...that they with one mind and one mouth will glorify the Father. (Romans 15:5-6 - my paraphrase). We pray as well that this will be the beginning of a powerful movement of God in this place.

And today, after much prayer and many hours of preparation gathering paperwork from all parts of this country and the US, we submitted Abi's adoption to the final agency for approval. With regulations changing daily, we are told to anticipate another 3 months but this, we are told, is the final hurtle. We are hopeful that all will be complete so that we can attend Hannah's graduation in December.

And always, we pray for those we see in clinic. Yesterday was an especially difficult day in Chiminisijuan with so many sick children. We saw 2 little babies who needed to be hospitalized but as is so often the case in this village, they will not go. So we do the best that we can do medically and then we pray, trusting in God to do the miraculous. As we arrived here in Canilla after clinc, I was greeted with a woman who comes frequently for her asthma. She was very sick and gasping for every breath. We did all we could do here, started her on some oxygen and then Duane quickly flew her into the hospital in Quiche. So, much of my sleepless night last night was spent praying for these and others.

As we anticipate 2 trips to the Zona Reina in the next two weeks, we ask for you prayers as well. Please pray that God will touch hearts with His love and mercy and that these people can know and understand the free gift of salvation that only He has to offer. Thank you!

Green Pastures

2009-05-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

"He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He refeshes and restores my life... I will fear no evil, for He is with me..."

With everything becoming more and more green, it is hard to not feel refreshed as well. Of course this refreshing goes beyond simply the external refreshing, but as we come to understand more and more what it means that "He is with us..." in the midst of death or life, the refreshing waters pour over our souls as well.

A few weeks ago, a prophet came to San Andres with another call towards unity for the Christians, specifically the pastors, in San Andres. We have known this Truth for a long time, not only because of its obvious Biblical roots, but also because we have watched the town fall apart as the unity among the pastors has been destroyed. After leaving the service, we felt that it was time to start a weekly prayer and worship time, interceding for San Andres - for unity among the Christians, for the salvation and discipleship of those not saved, for forgiveness for the sins of the past and present, of Guatemalans and Americans. Our prayer is that this will be a time that will join together believers regardless of race, age, background, and the biggest stumbling block here - the church you attend. We know that we cannot move forward without His lead, and we know that nothing moves us along like prayer. So a couple of weeks ago we started meeting in our clinic in San Andres, and as we get ready to meet for the third time, would you also pray with us that this will be a time that will bring unity among the people and bring all of our hearts in rightness before God again?

As this greeness continues, so does David's tractor work. He and some of the other boys have been out working each day, trying to dance around the rain to get the work done before the rain saturates the ground too much and they have to wait a day for it to dry out. The men continue to line up daily, and it is great to see these relationships being built.

Clinics have continued to keep us busy as well, although God always shows His grace and faithfulness throughout each one. The lady from San Pedro who slipped and broke her arm had her surgery a couple days ago and we should be able to fly her home as soon as the doctor gives the okay. Due to some miscommunication, we were unable to do a clinic in San Pedro as planned for yesterday, but we are planning for trips out to both San Pedro and Unilla in June.

We also look forward to some visitors in the next couple of weeks. Heather, a friend who will start medical school in the fall, will arrive tomorrow and stay for five weeks, and Malachi, another friend who will start residency at the end of June, will also be coming for a couple of weeks. We are looking forward to catching up with these friends as they come to help out and work alongside of us for a little bit this summer.

We pray that today you also feel the comfort of knowing that as you walk through this life, God is with each and everyone of you.... bringing you by green pastures and refreshing and restoring your life.

It's raining!

2009-05-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

It is raining today! For those of you who have never experienced 6 months without it, I am not sure that I can explain how wonderful it is when that first rain of the season begins. The smell of it, the sound of it on the roof...it is just that...wonderful! The children are all outside standing in it, screaming with delight. Now, our desert will turn green and the river will flow once again. This week as the skies signaled the beginnings, the men have come each morning asking for their turn with David to have their fields cultivated. He has been working all week to get the tractor and equipment ready. What a great time of year!

It has been a quiet week here with time to catch up on school work and all that has piled up in the last few weeks. Grace and Abi have officially started their pre-school activities. It is quite the challenge to keep Abi's attention for more than 30 seconds, but when we can, we find that she has a remarkable memory. And Grace, typical "first" child is a perfectionist and very emotional when her hand does not cooperate.

Duane was called out to San Pedro yesterday to pick up an elderly woman who fell and broke her arm. When they say that she broke her arm, they really mean that she almost completely broke it off. With the bone exposed, her arm hung at an odd angle as Duane carefully transported her to the Quiche hospital where she was immediately taken to surgery. She will have another surgery on Monday as well. Unfortunately, she waited more than 24 hours in that condition and the risk of severe infection is high. Pray for her if you think of it, her name is Dominga. What seemed like the entire village greeted Duane as he landed there in San Pedro. It has rained there pretty continuously for the last 3 weeks and the grass had grown up on the landing strip so all of the available men had been called out at dawn to cut the grass - with their machetes. "Community" takes on a whole new meaning in these remote villages.

As the rain continues to fall outside, I am reminded of God's promise..."I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." (Lev. 26:4). He is a faithful God!

bearing our burdens....

2009-04-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burden." Psalms 68:19

There are days when I, like everyone, don't feel the strength to do what is in front of me for the day. This morning as I looked out to the clinic waiting area full of people lined up for numbers, that is exactly how I felt. And yet, as we gathered together to pray before we started, I felt as if my burden lifted, and as we began to see patients, I began to feel like maybe I could do this today. We saw over 75 people with the help of Dr. Sherwood, Areli, Brad, Christy and Chris who all came to work alongside of us. Here in Canilla, we continue to serve lots of pregnant women and today was no exception as we did over 40 ultrasounds.

This week we were pleased to have Pastors Phil, Micheal, Vinny and Wade visiting from our home church in St. Louis. They ministered in 5 different churches, encouraging the local pastors and leaders. We know so many of the people in the various churches from the clinics - we know their stories. In the first church was a woman who had told me just the week before that she was so sad, she just wanted to die. In another, was a woman whose husband beats her regularly. And in another, an unmarried woman of 2 small children cried great sobs as the pastors prayed for her. We know the pain that so many suffer here and yet we know that in Christ they will find the strength and the love that they so desperately want and need. The pastors were a great blessing to us as well as we fellowshiped together. Pastor Phil has such wisdom not just as our pastor but as the father of 10 children, he also encourages us as parents. We were blessed to have them here.

On Thursday we, along with the pastors, were able to visit our good Guatemalan friend Victor's new drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. It was not only a blessing to be able to bring the men there a meal and minster to them through some worship music and preaching, but it was also such a joy to see Victor working in the area God has called him to. We have watched him pray through this for many years, waiting for God's timing, and many of you have joined us and him as well in this prayer and support. Despite the challenges, it is always a blessing to see a friend fulfilled in His calling - not only for him but for the men who are being set free from their addictions as a result of his obedience to that call of God.

Her Father's Delight

2009-04-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name!" That was all that went through my head as we walked out of the courthouse with our Abi in our arms. For those of you who do not know Abi, she is a 3 year old bundle of energy that we took into our home the day she was born. Her mom died shortly after giving birth to her, her grandma died 6 months before that and her grandfather had a house full of young children to care for. We named her Abigail, which means "her Father's delight" - and that she is! We have been struggling through the adoption process now for the last 3 years and when they closed foreign adoptions last year, things got a little more difficult as they threatened to take her out of our home and place in a government institution. At one point our lawyers advised us that if they came to take her, to run out the back door and hide. There was one judge in particular who was giving us the biggest problems. Yesterday, we finally had our hearing which we entered with more than a little apprehension - we were to meet with this judge. Our lawyer met us with concern that Abi would be taken before the end of the day. As we entered the we were advised to keep Abi quiet (that is next to impossible), and to have her sit on our laps and tell the judge how much she loved us (she doesn't speak much spanish.) The lawyer for the PGN began first and spoke against us - they were the ones that we thought would support us. Then our lawyer spoke briefly and finally the judge - who I didn't even realize was the judge because it wasn't the woman who had given us so much trouble - she was on vacation! He read off all of the violations that Abi's grandfather had committed and then said that under the circumstances, he felt that it was better for her to remain with us! The court reporter told us afterward that this was the first time since the new regulations have gone into effect, that they have given custody to North Americans. We know that it was only by God's grace that she is here with us now and there are not words to express our gratitude. This was our biggest hurdle and we are hopeful that within a few weeks she too, will have our last name.

It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to the Allison's this week. After completing their 7 month commitment to serve with us, they returned to the US. They helped us in so many ways but more than that they became good friends and we already miss them. Please pray for them as they seek God's will for their future.

Nanci, a 23 year old young woman with cerebral palsy received a new wheelchair yesterday from El Shaddai church in the City. We were the lucky ones who got to deliver it to her. She has spent much of her life either lying in bed or in the cowhide chair that we gave her many years ago. There are so many of these young people tucked away in houses here. There is no help for them, no physical therapy, no relief for their caretakers. Because most babies are born at home, many times there are complications which lead to conditions like Nanci's. It is our desire, some day, if the Lord opens the doors and provides the help, to have a place where children could at receive physical therapy and assistance with daily living activities.

happy easter

2009-04-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

Easter here is not like Easter in the mid west. It is so hot and dry and brown. When it seems that the newness of life should be coming forth - whether physical or spiritual, all seems dried up and dead here. The Evangelical churches do not emphasize the resurrection of our Lord - not at this time of year anyway. In an effort, I think, to move away from the ritual of the re-enactment of the crucifixion which takes place in the streets, filled with drunkenness and pagan worship, very little is said in the church. It is hard not to be homesick...

Our trip to San Pedro was really good. Dr. Pedro (the dentist from the City) went with us and pulled a minimum of 120 teeth out of about 65 people. No one there owns a toothbrush and oral hygiene is a low priority. We also saw lots of people for general consults and Katie did almost 35 ultrasounds. Compared to a year ago when the women were all afraid, we were thrilled. Our friend Silvia, who advocates for the women in the village has offered to go out with us to Unilla the next time to help us get to know some of the women there.

And since we have cancelled all of our regular clinics this week we have gotten to do some of the things that I always want to do but never have time for. One was to visit our friend Victor in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that he opened 6 months ago. Victor was a pastor here in Canilla and we became good friends during that time. He is young and many times sat at our table talking with us much like a son would. The desire of his heart has always been to minister to men like these - a desire that was birthed out of his own history of drug use and abandonment as a child. This is a work that no one else wants to do...and the need is great. Thursday when we went (the day that all of the Holy Week festivities really began) he had only 16 men there but normally has up to 26. Most are men that he picks up off the street, abandoned by their families as unworthy of helping. We fixed a lunch for them, made tortillas on the open fire and attempted to encourage them. He is doing great things there, making a difference in many lives, and living completely dependent on God's faithfulness. He has awesome stories already!

I pray that as you celebrate Easter with your family and friends that you will remember the reason that we celebrate. For "Christ has made all things right. I had nothing to do but accept it as a free gift from Him." Hannah Whitall Smith

Loaves and Fish

2009-04-04T04:55:00.000-07:00

One of the most amazing things about what we do here is how faithfully God supplies all that we need. When we said 'yes' to starting up another clinic out in the Zona Reina, my faith was stretched a little as adding another clinic would add another drain on our supply of medications coming in. We give everyone who comes something...if they are not sick then they get vitamins -but almost no one goes away empty handed. We get medications from a variety of sources, many are donated and hand carried down with friends. Some we buy here in country from the government. This week as we prepared to go out again to San Pedro, I knew we were in need of several things that we did not have. Thursday morning I received an email from a friend in the City who said they had just received a shipment of medications and to come and get what we needed. So Duane and I flew in, went by El Shaddai (the church who came and helped us with a medical team not long ago) and picked up a wheelchair for a young woman with cerebral palsy and cannot walk, and then we went on to this warehouse filled with medical supplies and medications. Dennis said "Take whatever you need!" And there were all the medications that we needed to take with us out to the Zona Reina! Our friend Heidi used to say in moments like that, "Loaves and fishes...." And that is exactly what it is. He amazingly supplies and multiplies all that we offer to Him and makes it enough - always enough.

We will leave Monday morning for San Pedro with our normal team plus Dr. Pedro (a dentist from El Shaddai), Dr. Sherwood (from Agape in Action) and two 4th year medical students who are visiting him. It will be a full day. The dental needs are overwhelming in this area of sugar cane. No one has a toothbrush...new concept. Please pray for safety as we travel, for wisdom as we work medically, and most importantly that these people might come to understand and know this God who loves them enough to come and die for them.

Unilla

2009-03-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

It always takes me a few days to process all that has happened after a trip like Unilla. We planned and prayed for so long beforehand that I need time to pray through and understand it all. The trip itself was great - the people were welcoming and helpful. The mayor had organized everyone so well. The building where we worked was clean and adequate in all ways. There was even a bathroom, of sorts, which is always a bonus. The weather cooperated although we were praying pretty hard when we woke up to rain on Friday. And most importantly we learned that there has been some evangelism done in this tiny village as there are 2 small but seemingly thriving evangelical churches.

Disturbingly though, were several facts that indicate a deeper spiritual need. One is that this village in the middle of nowhere, is famous for the sugar cane liquor that they make. We had many men confess to drinking problems and in the evening, that drunkenness became more visible. The other problem was that very few women or children came. They were there - in the evening, as we walked through the village they hung back, lots of the children appearing malnourished and many visibly sick with skin infections. When I asked, I was told that they were afraid of us. But the other thing that concerned me was the lack of an advocate for the women. Always in the past the local mid-wives come either to translate or to be with their pregnant patients. Here, there was no one speaking for these women. And in a culture were woman are considered servants - at best - this was disturbing to me. My prayer is that we will be invited to return and that the Lord will provide someway for us to be able to reach this overlooked group.

We returned from that trip Friday night and turned around to do 2 more busy days of our normal weekend clinics. We were so grateful to have the help of our friend Arlen. His energy and humor always keep us going! By Monday night though, I was so tired all I could do was cry. So Tuesday after clinic, Duane packed us all up and we left to spent our Sabbath at the lake in Panajachel. It was great to get away and relax for a little bit.

This weekend will be a busy one as well as Katie and Aaron are scheduled to take 2 of our cleft lip babies into Antigua to have their surgeries done by a visiting team of surgeons. That will leave Don and I alone to work in the clinics.

Enough whining.... Here are some pictures from Unilla. It is a beautiful place!

For those of you who wait for news about the airplanes, the props are on the Aztec! The boys hope to get it started up this week.

And some other good news...Abi's hearing for her adoption is finally scheduled for the 16th of April. We will take her in and meet with the judge. If all goes well - and we are not anticipating any problems - we should have her legal Guatemalan adoption within a few weeks. Please pray that the judge will rule in our favor!

2009-03-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

God is faithful!

2009-03-15T04:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were praying for Joseph and Duane's safe return home, thank-you! They got home just before nightfall last night. I am overwhelmed this morning with gratitude to the Lord for His amazing faithfulness to us. He asks us to do difficult things at times and always asks that we walk in integrity, but as we do all in our power to follow His ways, He always provides a "way out". This trip was no exception.

It was an 11 hour flight in the 182. They left in the morning Thursday, arrived in Brownsville late in the midst of rain and fog, spent one day there and left to return to Guatemala yesterday morning. As you may have been reading in the news, the situation in Mexico is volatile right now between the drug enforcement agencies and the drug rings, so all of the airports are on "red alert". And when you fly internationally, you must pass through immigration in whatever country you pass through. Yesterday when they landed in Tampico Mexico, they were immediately surrounded by 3 heavily armed guards and the supervisor of the "aduana" (the agency which assesses taxes). They demanded that Duane and Joseph unload the plane and open all the boxes so that they could determine the value of each item for taxation purposes. This of course, was totally illegal because they were only passing through Mexico - they were just looking for a pay-off. But they were angry and threatening so of course, Duane and Jo did exactly as they ordered. Our policy since our arrival to this country is to never pay bribes as it feeds into a system of corruption that runs deep within this country - and Mexico - and unfortunately our own country as well. One of Duane's best gifts is his ability to talk fast without a trace of intimidation, and because we know that the Lord honors integrity, He always provides us a way to get out of bribery. Oh, the stories I could tell.... Anyway, these "officials" demanded receipts for all the items in the plane. Duane said that they were all "regalas" (gifts) and thus he had no receipts. Some friends had had boxes sent to Brownsville for us to take back which Duane had not even opened. And the props, which were very expensive, were lain flat, on the floor of the plane. Duane was a little fearful as the guards began cutting the boxes open. But when they opened the first box, it popped open with plastic toys, the second box was filled with books, the third with candy and after that, they didn't open anything more, realizing that they really were gifts and of no real failure to them. They never opened anything that would have been "taxable" nor did they even see the props! The supervisor grudgingly stamped all of his paperwork and they loaded the plane back up and flew off. On arrival in Guatemala, he again had to pass through immigration where they could have legally searched the plane and assessed the contents for taxation, but they never even looked in the plane. They just stamped his paperwork and he was off. The men in the control tower here in Guatemala know Duane now and knew he was eager to get home before dark, so they offered to file his flight plan for him and they arrived in Guatemala about 5 minutes before dark - safe and sound and exceedingly grateful for God's protection and provision!

For us here at home, it was an interesting day as well. As we finished clinic yesterday, a young man came to the door asking for milk for his baby. His wife had given birth 6 weeks earlier in their home in the mountains. She bled heavily afterward and the local midwife had treated her by having her lie between two very heavy rocks to stop the bleeding. After several days of treatment, this young woman became gravely ill and was taken into the hospital were she stayed for 3 days. When she left the hospital, the doctors gave Juan (her husband) prescriptions for antibiotics that cost over Q500 (about $70). Juan didn't have the money so they just returned home and 3 weeks later she still is unable to get out of bed. So after lunch we hiked up to see her. It is the dry season here and each day the smoke gets denser as fires rage through the forests. So when we met Juan in his village, he pointed to his house - which was right next to a huge cloud of smoke. When we arrived at the house, we could hear the crackles of the flames as they moved closer, but we were assured that there was no danger. Fortunately Juan's wife was better than we anticipated finding and little baby Kati was fat and healthy. So we left her with antibiotics, lots of vitamins and hydration drink, and prayer, and will check on them in a week. When we came out of the house though the flames were within 50 feet of the house and there was lots of scurrying around as they were concerned - not about Juan's house but for his in-laws house which was directly above them. People here usually do not attempt to put out the fires but accept them as they accept everything else that this life has for them. And fortunately, adobe does not burn well. So we left amid the smoke. Don and Lori took lots of pictures so check out their blog.

prayer requests...

2009-03-12T05:32:00.000-07:00

I have two requests for prayer this morning. One is for Hannah Allison who broke her arm last weekend. We have been debating about whether or not it was really broken for several days. She is so sweet and never complains and said it didn't really hurt that much but after watching her, her parents decided to take her into Quiche yesterday for x-rays. Unfortunately it is broken. So they drove on into the City to have it set this morning. Please pray for them. It is always a little troubling to be at the mercy of doctors about whom we know nothing and to have the extra problem of communication. You want to really understand when they are talking about the health of your child!

My second request is for Duane and Joseph as they took off this morning in the 182 for Brownsville Texas. We have not talked much about the other plane that we have - the Aztec - which had a nose gear failure in our first trip out to the Zona Reina. It has been sitting for many months waiting for Aaron to have the time to do the necessary repairs and for the finances to buy new props and paint for it. In His great faithfulness, that funding has come, so they will bring those parts back with them, hopefully on Saturday.

An update on little Mari....she had surgery last week and we are awaiting the results of the biopsy. The doctors say that she definitely has osteomyelitis (infection in her bone which will require long-term IV antibiotics) and possibly also has a malignancy. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. And some really good news...remember Helen, the baby with hydrocephalus? About 2 months ago her parents decided to not pursue further medical treatment and to leave her in the hands of God. She is now alert and responds appropriately and her head is no longer growing disproportionately. Her parents are thrilled and we are rejoicing with them at the goodness and faithfulness of God!

When we are not in clinic, we are busily preparing for our trip out to Unilla - scheduled for nest Thursday. It is not an easy task to anticipate the needs of around 400 patients plus our team's needs. We cannot just run out to Walmart if we forget something. Fortunately, each one on this team is experienced in "flexibility - Guatemalan style". What we are finding as we continue to work in this area where resources are so scarce is that we are being bombarded each day with emergency calls. Unfortunately our definition of emergency and theirs do not always agree. So we have been trying to set up a system of triage through one person in each community. In this way we hope to be able to screen out those who really just want a ride in an airplane from those who are truly emergencies. Managing the resources that we have been given with both integrity and generosity is sometimes a difficult task. But we are very aware that we are only bond servants of the Lord's - owners of nothing, yet in charge of everything.

Mari, adoptions, and Unilla

2009-02-27T13:28:00.000-08:00

February 27 - Maybe you remember from my last post about a little girl named Mari out in the Zona Reina. She has some sort of infection - whether in her muscle or in her bone or possibly both - but she has lost the function of her entire left leg. She is in extreme pain and has been in that condition for the last 4 months. We have been trying all week to get them into see someone who might be able to help her. Our friend and fellow missionary who lives in Chichicastenango agreed to see her. He is a surgeon who just happened to have a medical team there this week. So our plan was to pick her up on Tuesday and get her in to see Tom. However, it rained all day Tuesday (out in the Zona Reina - not a drop here!). Disappointed, Mari's dad walked three hours back to his village with Mari on his back and said he would not be able to leave again until Friday. So again this morning we tried to take her into see Dr. Tom who turned out to be out of town until next week. So we called our new friends in Guatemala City - Manos de Amor (Hands of Love) - and more specifically Dr. Pedro. He made a few phone calls and within a few hours Duane was on his way out to pick up Mari and her family. He just called to tell me that he left her in the hospital with IV fluids running and doctors examining her. Please remember to pray for this very sick little girl. Pray for her mother as well who is at her side and due to deliver at any minute in a strange city with people who do not speak her language. How thankful we are for this new connection to the City and the resources available there! God is always faithful!

This week has been one to "catch up" on so many things - from housekeeping to paperwork. Duane and I had an appointment yesterday with our lawyer about Grace's adoption. Although she is officially ours, when we received her paperwork, they had incorrectly written her name as "Grace Ficker Ficker". Now, having Ficker as a last name is bad enough but to have it twice was a little too much! Plus, and more importantly, it would raise all kinds of questions when we apply for her travel visa at the US Embassy. So for the last 6 months we have been working on this paperwork only to find out yesterday that it has been filed incorrectly not once but 3 times. And we wonder why it always takes so long to accomplish anything here. We are thankful though for a lawyer of integrity who perseveres through this unbelievably complicated maze of paperwork. Abi's adoption is still in progress.

March 6 -We have been asked by the mayor of Uspantan to help out in a village called Unilla. It is not far from San Pedro where we go monthly and is about a 3-4 hour walk from the nearest road. Duane flew out there Tuesday for the first time. Unlike the US, none of these airstrips are on a map nor is there any information about their condition, so he likes to "check them out" personally without passengers. This runway (a narrow grass strip) didn't look safe enough to land on so he flew to another one which was close by. The villagers were expecting him and could see that he landed on the other side of the river so they canoed over to meet him. Below are pictures of this canoe which was a very long, hollowed out log, a man using the canoe to cross the river, and a sign outside of the clinic we will be working from. The river was deep and the current swift. The man who navigated however was an expert and easily poled until his pole no longer touched bottom and then paddled until they landed exactly where he wanted them to go. Duane was met by close to a hundred men and children who led him to the "clinic" where we will work for the first time on the 19th of this month. Unilla itself is fairly large for that area with about 500 people right there and other smaller villages surrounding with an estimated population of around 5,000. We will plan to go for 2 days, show the Jesus film in Kek'chi at night, and see patients during the day. Please begin to pray with us for open hearts to receive the good news of Jesus, pray for safe traveling, and health for the villagers and for our team as well. These trips require a tremendous amount of planning and organization and financial provision. But nothing is more important than the prayer that takes place beforehand. Without the hand of God upon them, they are nothing but 'good works'.

clinic update...

2009-02-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after making the necessary repairs to the plane, we were finally able to make our monthly trip out to San Pedro in the Zona Reina. The community leaders had called to let us know that there were lots of children sick with coughs and colds. They were right and we saw several babies with pnuemonia as well. One little girl has stayed in my thoughts and prayers since yesterday. Six year old Mari was so pale and thin. She began 4 months ago to have fever and pain in her hip which grew red and swollen. Her dad treated her in the house with herbal remedies and relieved the swelling by sticking needles into it to release the pus which quickly accumulated. He finally took her into a doctor in Coban when her entire body began to swell. Yesterday, she cried in pain as I examined her emaciated body, her leg hanging limply. We tried to arrange a flight for her into the City to be seen in the national hospital there but her dad needed to "make arrangements at home" first. Please pray for her, that her dad will take her, and that she will recover the use of her leg.

The evangelical pastor, Juan, has been there to help us the past several times that we have gone to San Pedro. Yesterday he had a young man who has recently accepted Jesus as his Savior and was able to read the Bible that has been translated into their language - K'ekchi. It isn't often that we find someone who can read in their native language. Most who learn to read, learn only in Spanish. And as most of the adults in San Pedro speak only K'ekchi, this was a real treat! And once again, we used the Catholic church to show evangelistic films such as Jesus and the story of Joseph in K'ekchi while people waited for their "consultas". So we continue to plant seeds, asking the Lord to bring forth the harvest.

Our friends Bob and Jodi Gay and our new friend Hugh left this morning after a week with us. They are always an encouragement to us and it was a pleasure to listen to the wisdom that Hugh brought. Bob's passion is to encourage pastors and he was able to do that yesterday while we were in the Zona Riena. Today on their way out, they stopped into visit with Victor - our friend and pastor who has recently opened a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Quiche'. Alcoholism is a huge problem here in this area and Victor has a gift to be able to minister to men who are trapped in this addiction.

Our other clinics have been really busy for the last couple of weeks. During the dry season and even when the rains begin but before the crops can be harvested, we always see an increase in malnourished children. We have 4 new babies with cleft lips and palates who will have their first repairs at the end of March. And we have also had an increase of widows who have come with stories of desperation. We have begun helping them with food as well. As always, God is faithful and we are confident that He will supply for the needs of these moms and children.

Uniting the Body

2009-02-08T02:41:00.000-08:00

For many years we have been a little confused by the stark differences that exist here in this country between those who live in the rural areas and those who live in Guatemala City. When we travel to the City, it is much like stepping back into the US. We can eat lunch at Applebee's and shop at PriceMart - just like Sam's. It has become even more disorienting when we travel from areas within the Zona Riena into the City...in less than an hour (in the airplane.) It is like traveling to a different country. We have wondered if people who live in the City understand what life is like, within their own country, in the "campo". And in recent days we have observed how God is blessing the church there - not just financially but with the outpouring of His Spirit. We have wondered if there was a way to connect the two areas. Yesterday, we saw the Lord move in response to our prayers as a group of 27 Guatemaltecans made a 12 hour bus trip from the City to help here. They came bearing gifts of boots and clothing and food for their people. They came with doctors, dentists and Physical Therapists who worked alongside of us to serve over 225 people from this area. They came with hearts full of the love of Jesus to share with their own people. And we know that it is the Lord uniting believers to function as one body - different parts, in different areas - but each equally important to the health of the body of Christ. We pray that this will be the beginning of a enduring, fruitful connection.

I was in awe (and a little overwhelmed) as I watched how each one here, my own children, the Allison's, the Bontrager's and even Cali - our new friend and local Peace Corp worker -worked together to serve the 250 guests who visited yesterday. I can see how God has put people into our lives to help shoulder the responsibility that comes and continues to come more frequently each day. And in the midst of all the activity, we were so happy to see Heidi, Matt and baby Isaac arrive for a visit. Heidi immediately pitched in to see patients. It is so good to have them here for a few days - they have become a part of our family.

I need to get ready for clinic this morning in San Andres but I want to leave you with the prayer that Paul prayed. "May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another...that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the...Father." (Romans 15:5) May He cause you to be united with other believers today, to honor and lift up the name of our Father!

2009-01-28T09:16:00.001-08:00

As we approach our 10 year mark here in Guatemala, we have come to recognize that there are seasons of growth and expansion when God stretches us to our limits. Already this year, we are feeling that this is one of those times. We are being stretched in almost every area - in our work, our finances, our family and yet as always, God has been faithful. We have had so many visitors this month that we have had to turn some away as there was "no room in the inn". One of my greatest challenges each day is to figure out how many people will be eating at our table! Each one who comes brings giftings to share and words of encouragement and we are grateful for every single person who comes across our doorway. We are thankful for the help of the Allison's who have come alongside to shoulder the responsibility with us as the Lord stretches us.

Duane and my vacation to the Peten was a wonderful break in the routine and we were extravagantly blessed by the Gateway Church from Dallas. We met with several other missionary couples and had great fellowship and times of worship. The thing that really impressed us was their teaching about the need for a sabbath rest each week - that it is not optional - but necessary if we are to continue at the pace we find ourselves running this race. So we have made a commitment to ourselves and to our family to take a day a week to rest and spend time with the Lord. We are turning off the phones and asking the workers to take a day off as well. So far (2 weeks now) it has been great and we find ourselves feeling refreshed and ready to continue.

Yesterday in Chiminisijuan Craig and I hiked down to visit a young man who we had seen a couple of weeks ago. He was weak and had been unable to work for several weeks. We could find nothing physically wrong with him so we prayed for him and encouraged him as best we could. When we got to his home yesterday, he was not there. He had walked over the mountain to visit his mother- in -law. So, although exhausted as we hiked back up to the clinic, we were thankful that he now had the strength to make that walk. Then as we finished our clinic day, he appeared at the door asking us to visit a woman in labor. So we hiked to the other side of the mountain to see a very young woman named Candelaria who had been in labor since Sunday - so they said. She was having contractions but everything appeared normal until I asked where her husband was. She began to cry as her mother told us that she had no husband and that she did not want this baby. She was so young - maybe 15 at most - and as I watched her nervously play with her mother's apron, she looked so vulnerable and alone. She was a believer but because of her sin, she was not allowed into the church. We asked her if she would like to give her life to the Lord once again, and ask for his forgiveness. Through her tears, she rededicated her life to Jesus. As we left she smiled shyly. Today we await the news of the birth of her baby.

We had planned a day in San Pedro tomorrow but Sunday as Aaron checked over the plane, he noticed a crack in the elevator (the tail section). So we are down for the moment until Aaron can get it repaired. Thank God for an on-site mechanic! Regretfully we cancelled our trip to the Zona Riena but it will give us an extra day to prepare for the team which is coming from Guatemala City. They are coming from one of the largest churches in the City and will come to do an evangelistic event in the park here in Canilla and then a day of clinic. They will bring 3 doctors and a dentist and we anticipate seeing around 250 people that day. We hope that it will be the beginning of a long-term relationship with them.

Last Friday we had the privilege of hosting the first meeting of the Full Gospel Businessmen here in Canilla. We served dinner to about 40 men, many of whom were not Christians. Their purpose is to reach men who would not ordinarily go to church. And there are many here who have a desire to follow Jesus but because of the legalistic environment within the church community, they will not. They shared testimonies of the goodness and faithfulness of our God - it was really good!

I leave you with this today..."I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6

serving those who serve

2009-01-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

Each year our Pastor from the US comes to visit us here in Canilla. He doesn't stay long but his trips always bless our family and many Guatemaltecans. This year was no exception. Yesterday we were honored to have in our home not only Pastor Phil, Kent Henry (an amazing worship leader), and Joel (an amazing videographer) but 30 of the local pastors as well. The local people are always so good to serve and help us and it was a privilege to be able to serve them yesterday. We prepared a lunch for all of our visitors (which turned out to be more than 50), and afterwards Kent Henry led an awesome time of worship - some English and some Spanish. He is so gifted and able to get people beyond their inhibitions to really worship our Lord. Then Pastor Phil spoke with the pastors from Isaiah 54 about expanding their visions, and for some, how to begin to walk in the vision that God has already given them. In the evening we all went to 2 different church services in San Andres where Kent and Phil were able to minister there as well.

Early this morning, we received a call from the community leader in San Pedro. He said they had two children who were very ill and asked if we could come. We had wanted to take the pastors out anyway, so it was a perfect time for them to meet some of our friends there. We saw not only the 2 very sick children but several others as well. Please pray for little Henri who has had vomiting and bloody diarrhea for 7 days. He was very dehydrated (dehydration is the leading cause of death in children here). We will give him 24 hours to respond to the re hydration fluids and medications but if he is not better by tomorrow, we will fly out to take him into the hospital. While I worked, Duane and the pastors spent time praying and sharing a little bit of their faith with the people. We arrived home in time to eat a little lunch and send them off to the City for flights out early in the morning. It was a very fast, busy time but we are so grateful for their input and encouragement into our lives - and for their willingness to share with our Guatemalan friends as well. The pastors here work very hard with very little and we love to be able to encourage them.

Duane and I are counting down the days until next Thursday when we will take a mini-vacation to the Peten. We were contacted a few weeks ago by a pastor from Dallas who had heard about us from a mutual friend. He offered us a 3 day, all expense paid trip. Who does that?!!! It came at the perfect time and we know that it is a gift to us from God.

As always, I am amazed at how God works all things in our lives for our good. My children have heard me say a thousand times that when our lives are totally surrendered to Him, there are no accidents. I have to admit that there are times when I look at the steady stream of visitors in our home, the work in the clinics that grows each day, the added responsibility and challenge of two toddlers, and I think, "I cannot do this." And then I realize that He has surrounded me with people who have come to help, who want to help - from Katie and Aaron, to the Allison's, to our Guatemalan friends. And then He hands us a vacation too! May you have time to reflect on His goodness today in your own lives.

2009-01-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have moments when you feel like you have been blessed way beyond anything that you deserve? That's how I felt this Christmas with all (well, almost all - Aaron and Katie were with Katie's family this year) of our children home. Watching little Jacob toddle around, seeing all of our children's faces at our table, working together in clinics and on airplanes and tractors, gave us so much joy. Of course, the down side to that is saying goodbye to each one. But it was great while it lasted!

We continued to hold clinic days throughout the week. We had a few emergencies as the government clinic was closed for the week but nothing too overwhelming. Tuesday after clinic in Chiminisijuan we were asked to visit a young man who had been sick with "a cough and fever for 3 weeks". We walked down - Duane estimates it to be a 2500 foot drop - to a little wood slat house where we found Dionel lying on the dirt floor. He is an 18 year old husband and father who would not look us in the eye. We could find nothing physically wrong with him - at least nothing obvious. He was so thin and looked so sad. He accepted Jesus as his savior 6 months ago. His wife said that a curse had been placed upon him at the beginning of his illness so we talked with him about the protection that we have in the blood of Jesus. We prayed with him, tried to encourage him but even as we left, he crawled back under his blanket to hide. We often find that people here have more faith in the power of demons that they do in the power of Jesus. Pray for him if you have a minute - he is an example of someone who is truly forgotten with no one to help him except Jesus.

The next couple of months will be very busy for us with lots of visitors. We are thankful that the Allison's are here to help us shoulder some of the responsibility for that. Next Thursday we will have our annual day to honor the local pastors. Pastor Phil Stern comes each year to encourage them with a teaching, some personal ministry and then we will serve a lunch. Our desire is to create an atmosphere of unity and encouragement to these men who serve here so faithfully and often without the gratitude of their congregations.

As we look to this New Year, we pray that you are blessed with health and peace and a closer walk with our Savior!

Christmas traditons...

2008-12-24T03:59:00.000-08:00

This month has certainly flown by! Here in this area of Guatemala, there are not a lot of preparations or advertisements for Christmas. No one has money to buy gifts, the story of the birth of Jesus is not really talked about much - even in the churches, and thankfully, no one knows who Santa Claus is! So we have tried to carve out our own traditions. For me, Christmas is a time to remember and to celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He was willing to send His son - in the form of a baby, born to poor, humble parents. The fact that most of the people that we work with are poor and humble makes the story easy to relate to. Yesterday, we attempted to share that story with the people in Chiminisijuan. Even though we really didn't advertise, about 175 people came. The Bontrager family shared a little music and then Armando told the story of Jesus' birth in the manger. We did a coloring picture for them to take home - which we hope will help them remember the story. I love doing that sort of thing - what would normally be a children's activity is fun for everyone. I showed one older woman how to hold a marker for first time. She smiled with delight as we put glitter (gold!) around her work. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, passed out cupcakes, apples and grapes (traditional Christmas food here), and everyone went home happy. Check out the Allison's blog for pictures - Caleb took lots!

Our Hannah came in on the 9th and joined us for 4 very busy days of clinic, including a day out to San Pedro where we saw about 250 people. She is a tremendous help in all of the clinics. Shortly after that the Bontrager family of 11 came in. They will stay for the months of January and February. They have come for several years and worked with Rosco (the other missionary here in Canilla who died a year ago). They have a real heart for the people here and have come to serve...very neat family. Yesterday they moved into a little adobe house that they will rent for their time here - along with the bus that they drove down from Michigan in! And today, Ryan, Katie and our grandson Jacob will arrive. Traditional Christmas celebrations here in Canilla take place at midnight with fireworks starting at dusk and lasting well into the night.

No matter how or where you celebrate this Christmas, may it be a day filled with peace and joy and may your New Year bring health, prosperity and a closer walk with our Savior!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving here in Guatemala doesn't really feel like Thanksgiving. Today promises to be warm and sunny. There has been no television hype to prepare us, no one to say that we will have the weekend off, no college football to watch. But of all the holidays that we celebrate in the US, this is the one that I want my children to appreciate. A day set apart to remember all the good gifts that our Father has given us - how great is that! So today, I will bake a turkey with all the fixings. We traditionally invite all the North Americans who are in our area. This year there are only the Allisons - and we are thankfull that they have become like our family here.

Our weekend in the clinics was as busy as usual even though the fiestas are beginning here. Sunday was the start of the weeklong celebration in San Andres. It will begin the following week here in Canilla. We had to drive carefully to avoid all the men passed out drunk laying in the streets. We are thankful that we no longer live in town as the mirimbas play all night long, marked by the "bombas" which expode at frequent intervals, making sleep difficult.

Little Helen Diana (the baby with hydrocephalus that I wrote about last time) came in with her mother on Saturday. They spent several days in the City again, seeking someone who would help them with her - but to no avail. They did not repeat her CT scan, nor did they ever even get the chance to speak with a neurosurgeon. They asked her to return to see the dermatologist! I was so frustrated! However, through a series of "circumstances", we were able to speak with the pastor of a large church in the City who has said that they will help us help this family. We have asked them to help us connect Helen's family with a family there who is willing to help them navigate this system and provide them with a place to stay while they are there. Please remember to pray for them.

In the morning, we will travel out to the Zona Reina to do a day of clinic in San Pedro. It has been a while since the weather has cooperated enough for us to be able to fly out there. When Duane took Fredi (who had his cleft palate repair done 2 weeks ago) back to this village, he was met by the entire community who had worked all morning cutting the grass on the runway - with machetes! There were shouts of amazement and joy when they saw Fredi's repair. Silvia told us later that the community had wanted to get rid of this little baby, thinking that he brought a curse to them. For the first time, this Momma took the towel off of his face so that everyone could see him. Tomorrow we will meet another baby born with the same problem - along with many pregnant women and the sick children that they have asked us to see. Would you pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal the love of Jesus to these people?

Today as you celebrate Thanksgiving, we pray that the Lord would bless you and keep you in the palm of His hand!

Tractors, Planes, and Clinic Buildings

2008-11-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

As the cold winds come in and the dust and brown so characteristic of the dry season start to settle into place, we have also found ourselves starting back in on outside work that can be done without the needed shelter during the rainy season.

Last week David and Juanito (our Guatemalan friend who helps out with construction, especially the welding work) were able to help out some of the guys in town when the canal became blocked due to rocks that had fallen in it during the heavy rains. The canal, which was put in place several years ago by a European company, is the main supply of water during the dry season as it travels from the mountins and down throughout the town of Canilla. They were able to work on it for a couple days with about 10 other men using lots of cables and pulleys and one chain hoist to lift out 3 huge rocks. Although they tried to remind us how much work it was, we knew that they had a fun time, and it was great to be able to use the equipment we have to be able to help out a project that would have taken these guys days to do by hand.

David and Juanito have also been working hard on the clinic in Chiminisijuan, working to get a fence built completely around it as we have had trouble with tools and other supplies being taken. It has been encouraging to all of us to see the construction coming along again on this building; we were able to spend a day up there a few weeks ago, and it reminded all of us of the various dreams that God laid on our hearts for this building outside of the weekly use it gets for clinics. Please continue to pray for the hearts of the people up there as they are very very slow to trust anyone, let alone us gringos.

Aaron has been working on the Aztec which is now almost complete and ready for the propellors. Duane hopes to fly up to Brownsville with Joseph in the next few weeks to get the props and bring them back. After that we will just be waiting on the paint, and then it should be up and running shortly. Aaron has also been able to help out a missionary friend of ours recently by doing an annual insepction on his airplane. This is his second annual (including our Cessna) he has gotten to perform since getting his Inspection Authorization, and he has not only enjoyed the work itself, but also being able to help out another missionary.

Duane and Joe have also gotten to get in a lot of airplane time these past couple weeks between medical flights and a few flights these past few days for speakers at a church conference in Guatemala City and a couple other towns in the country. Included in the medical flights was little Fredi from San Pedro who returned to his village on Thursday after a successful cleft palate surgery! We continue to thank God for His provision of safety as we travel by plane and on often less-than-ideal road conditions.