As we are approaching the end of the year and a full year of being here, we have so many different things to reflect back on and be grateful for this year.
Guatemala has been everything we expected it to be, but even better. We’ve gotten sick, we’ve learned Spanish (and a little bit of Spanish sign language and Kaqchikel), we’ve made many new friends, and we’ve witnessed miracles. We’ve settled into our jobs and roles here and finally got settled into our home in late August. When I look back on this year, I am overwhelmed with all God has done for us, in us, and through us.
We are so grateful for our supporters… without you, none of this would have been possible! You have prayed for us, encouraged us, and held us up in the moments where we’ve gotten discouraged or tired. Although we’re looking forward to a visit back in the states, I’m already excited to come back in 2017 and hit the ground running with our ministry.
There are a few exciting changes going on with what we do… A few new volunteers are coming in 2017, so that will allow me more time to do a few other things within the hospital. I am planning to start an English class one night each week for the hospital employees, and I also want to be more intentional about doing devotions with the moms within the hospital. Bryan and I also want to start routinely visiting the senior center to sing songs with them, we’re hoping to do this every other Sunday.
Our biggest change is going to be how we are receiving our donations. We have partnered with an organization called Mission Quest that is run by missionaries and for missionaries, and they will be handling all of our financial donations. This is such a big blessing because it will relieve some of the burden of the work for Hope of Life in 2017, and it will also allow us and all of our sponsors to access what contributions have been made. Possibly my favorite thing is that we have our own link, so the money will easily go directly to us.
To give a tax deductible donation, go directly to our site at missionquest.org/118
You can also mail checks and find additional ways to easily give here.
Tomorrow, I plan on posting again for tangible donations we are looking for in 2017, so stay tuned for that!
We pray that you are being blessed through our ministry just as we’ve been blessed through your generosity.
You are loved.
-Whitney
One of the best things about our donors is getting to share what we’ve been able to do with that support. I am so thankful for that and to express that I have to tell a short story.
Back in March, Whitney and I were back in the U.S. using up some free flight vouchers that we had. Just before coming back I had noticed that kitchen at the hospital, elderly home & Kelly’s House were in serious need of an improvement in the blender department. This is something that is easily ignored by the average person. But to me, a chef, I notice these things. When you have a crummy blender and need to puree foods, you have to add a lot of water, then to keep it from being too thin, you have to thicken it up again. The problem with this is that the kids end up with a lot less of the nutrients that they need because it’s so watered down. They also end up breaking fast. This is why in the restaurant industry you buy the nice commercial blenders like Vitamix or BlendTec. These blenders are made to puree soups, meats, beans, whatever. I’ve seen them even blend car keys!
All this to say, I knew we needed a Vitamix. I knew I couldn’t afford to buy one. So I posted about the need of Facebook and asked if anyone would be willing to purchase one or help purchase one. I don’t know who responded first or how fast it was but I want to thank everyone that helped purchase or purchased a Vitamix. Thank you (in no particular order): Jeremy & Paula Watts, Matt & Christine Simmons, Paul & Erica Sheets, & Paul & Katrina Dysart.
Thank you all so much for your radical generosity! Thanks to you all we were able to purchase 2 Vitamix blenders and a BlendTec blender. Children at Kelly’s House & the hospital that are unable to properly chew foods or feed themselves have pureed foods that aren’t watered down so that they’re able to get the nutrition that they greatly need. And those at the elderly home can still enjoy food even if it’s pureed because it still has its original taste because it hasn’t been watered down.
On behalf of myself and all of the cooks, thank you so much for your giving
One of the blenders at Kelly’s House on the left and the new Vitamix on the right!
A couple of the cooks from Kelly’s House with the new blender.
The nutritionist that works on planning foods for those at the elderly home and hospital is on the left and the other 4 ladies are cooks at the elderly home
The head of the elderly home got in for a picture too!
Did you know that on average, it costs more than $12,000 a year to raise a child in the US? Here in Guatemala, you can sponsor a child for only $35 a month and dramatically change the trajectory of their life.
In a country where the median annual income is under $2,000 USD and many children go to work out of necessity before even completing middle school, child sponsorship gives them access to education, healthcare, and food. When you sponsor a child through Hope of Life, you also have the option to contact the child, write them letters and send gifts… and if you’re ever here to visit us in Guatemala, Hope of Life will arrange for you to see your sponsored child too! How cool is that?!
This season, let’s exchange consumption for compassion and use our resources to bless others.
If you feel called to do something for those who are struggling in the states, let me know and I’ll be happy to connect you with reputable organizations that we supported before moving here. If you feel called to sponsor us in our ministry, you can find out more about that HERE.
Daily, Yolanda uses my phone to take about 100 pictures….I don’t mind at all though because I love looking through them at the end of the day.Plus you get to see sweet things like Yolanda kissing Juanito’s squishy cheeks!Juanita is 9 years old and is at the hospital for medical issues. She loves to help with the babies!Everybody loves Diego.. He’s 3 years old and deaf, but has no problems communicating what he wants and when he wants it! He has a rare genetic disorder called Russel Silver Syndrome. I love his giggles and hugs! And he’s one of the smartest kids I know!Crowd favorites — Delmy and Herminio. Delmy is 9 years old with VACTERL association and phocomelia, but that doesn’t stop her from moving about and holding conversations with anybody about anything!Yolanda and my sweet Auner! Auner had his finally surgery for cleft palate repair a few months ago. Since then, he has become very vocal and talkative! We practice sounds daily so he can learn to speak more clearly.Rosario & Erika — sweet partners in crime waiting for their nails to dry!Cute little Erika… could just squeeze you <3Diego saw everyone else getting their nails done and wanted his toenails painted too!! Hahahaha Nora painted them with clear polish.The nannies in our hospital are wonderful!They love the kids and are so patient with each of them. You can show love to these kids too by sponsoring them today!
Today, I want to thank Len Picha & family, Edna Thompson, and Ken & Ginny Thelan for sponsoring us!!!! Your generosity goes beyond what you are giving to us, and filters into the lives of each and every one of these children you see. Because you give, we are able to work with these children on a daily basis. Being around them all day every week allows me to target their specific needs and help them to develop in areas they are behind. Some children need help with speech (Yolanda and Diego are deaf, Auner has speech disabilities from a late repair to a cleft palate), some children need therapy (Herminio has hip dysplasia, Isaac has cerebral palsy, Rosario is just learning to walk) and other children need emotional support and love (Erika and Juanita). Every child you see has a story, and every child you see has a specific need. I communicate with the doctors and therapists to help make sure the children are getting the best therapy available to them, and each of them are thriving.. even here in rural Guatemala where our resources are limited. Because you send us, you allow these kids to grow to their fullest potential and to hear about Christ’s love for each of them every day.
Matthew 25:40 says that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Christ. So I challenge each of my readers this holiday season– what are you going to do? Will you spend your money on things that only bring 5 minutes of fleeting happiness? Or will you do something bigger than yourself… and give knowing that your money is changing a life.
Stay blessed.
-Whitney
**TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CHILD SPONSORSHIP, VISIT https://www.hopeoflifeintl.org/sponsor/
I know that a lot of what we do here in Guatemala is confusing. It’s honestly hard to explain the ministry and everything that we do without seeing things first hand down here. (So if you haven’t yet, you should come visit! We love visitors!)
A lot of what I get questions about is the baby rescues I go on. I will try my best to explain the process, but per usual, I will likely fall woefully short in my descriptions. My prayer is that you get a glimpse into the process, that you could begin to understand the hours of work behind giving each child an opportunity to receive health care, and that you will feel moved to pray for or participate in rescues!
What exactly is a child rescue?
A child rescue is when Hope of Life travels into the mountains, often 3 or 4 hours away, to bring back someone for health care on our campus. These families otherwise would have not had any access to health care and would die in the mountains without our help. A rescue could bring back anywhere from 1 child to 10 children (and one time in May, we brought back even more than that.)
How does Hope of Life find out about these kids?
Hope of Life works very closely with community leaders in these remote villages. If there are sick children in their villages, they will contact the ministry. We also have the incredible Alfredo Gonzalez who works for Hope of Life– his days are spent riding his motorcycle into these villages to check up on them and touch base with their leaders. He also contacts the ministry when help is needed. Without Alfredo, we wouldn’t be able to find as many children, and we would certainly never get to these villages as he helps navigate when we go.
Alfredo and I at work
So why do families wait until their children are so sick to look for help?
Well, this is a tricky question to answer because so much goes into it and everybody’s story is different. Often times, they just don’t know. Unfortunately, because these villages are so isolated and poverty stricken, they might not know that help is available. Sure, there are hospitals around, but can you imagine walking miles and miles (probably 40 miles or more) in 100+ degree weather, carrying a sick child? They likely wouldn’t survive the journey. Even if they did, once they arrived to the hospital, the family could not afford care. Sometimes, it’s just fear or pride that stops them. That’s why what Hope of Life is doing is so wonderful, they intervene when things look helpless.
How do these children get so sick?
In this area of Guatemala, we are in the middle of a 5 year drought and famine. This has severely affected access to clean water (or ANY water in the dry season). These children suffer from severe forms of malnutrition– Marasmus (which is a lack of any nutrition) and Kwashiorkor (lack of protein) are two of the most common forms of malnutrition in this area. Also, with families having one room houses, we see a lot of cases of parasites and respiratory problems. It is not unusual for a family to have birds living in their homes or to cook inside their homes on an open fire– birds carry bacteria that cause respiratory issues, and the thick, black smoke that billows up from the open flame stoves just remains in the house to be inhaled, as these houses are poorly ventilated. Histoplasmosis, Toxoplasmosis, Tuberculosis, Parasites, and a slew of viruses are easily passed among family members in these living conditions. Once a child who is already sick gets one of these infections, the problem sort of “spirals out of control.”
You can find out more about the health and disparity here in Guatemala HERE.
What happens after the child is rescued?
Usually the mother ends up coming with the child (or sometimes, there will be more than one of her children that come). We will walk from their house back to the ambulance and begin the long journey back to Hope of Life. The ambulance ride is difficult. The road is steep, bumpy, and there is really nowhere good to sit, so the mother is usually sliding around and nauseous the entire ride. I help by holding the baby since I’m used to the ride, and the whole way back, I assess the baby to make sure they are not going into respiratory distress. When we arrive to the hospital, we get the patient stabilized, collect a health history from the mother, and the nutritionist will see the patient to determine the severity of malnutrition. The mother and child are given a room, clean clothes, and food. They will be given 3 meals daily, receive medications, and see the doctors. A 6 week stay is usually the minimum amount of time it takes for them to recuperate. However, that time frame can be significantly longer if we find other problems. The mothers often get homesick for their other children, and much of my time is spent reassuring them how vital it is to be at the hospital, because if they are sent home too early, the baby will get back in the same place and could even die. If a surgery is needed, we arrange for the surgery to be done. If they need a referral to a specialist, we arrange for that and take them there. Because this area is so remote, often times we’ll have to drive 3+ hours to Guatemala City when a patient needs a nephrologist or other specialized doctor. Hope of Life pays for all of this.
While the mother is in the hospital, she will bathe and feed the baby. If for some reason the mother has to leave, OR if she abandons the baby (which isn’t a very common occurrence but it does happen), then the baby will be placed in a room to be cared for by a nanny. The orphaned children undergo a long, difficult legal process to be placed in one of the house families here on Hope of Life or released back to another family member.
What happens after a child is discharged from the hospital?
Once they are clinically stable, they are sent back home with education, medicine, and food bags for their family. Hope of Life coordinates clinical follow ups so that the families bring the patient back routinely for check ups. It is always so much cheaper and easier to do preventative health care, or to catch a child that is only mildly malnourished, than to allow the problem to progress and to treat them when they are critically ill like before.
My role in these rescues goes far beyond bringing the baby back to the hospital. While that is important, and maybe one of the most difficult days, the real work begins when they arrive to the hospital. I spend a lot of my time educating these mothers about hygiene, safety, and how to care for their children. I comfort the mothers, encourage them, and pray for them daily. When they are in a position where they are able to listen and understand, I talk with them about who Jesus is. That He was sent to this earth to love us and care for us, and that He died for our sins. Because these families are from indigenous remote villages, for many of them, it is their first time hearing the gospel. If they leave Hope of Life and don’t personally know Jesus, I know that I have at least planted a seed and allowed them to see His love… a love that will follow them even into the most remote corners of Guatemala.
Over the quebradas and through the jungles we go.The view in these villages is absurdly beautifulHowever, the poverty we stand face to face with, is not.Houses are simplistic, people have little, and they live off the land.
Even these types of outhouses are not common where we go. People usually go to the bathroom near their water sources or the woods behind their home.They cook inside their homes, which causes chronic respiratory issues from years of inhaling the smoke.This was one of the few animal cages I saw… Often times, birds that carry diseases are left to walk through their homes, which further exacerbates respiratory and health issues.Without Hope of Life’s intervention, these children would die in these mountains without access to healthcare and medicine.When we arrive, I assess the children and I observe their living conditions to gain a glimpse into their health history.A team of volunteers usually join to help carry the children back to the ambulance.Often, these volunteers are people who sponsor and pay for these rescues. Thanks to their sponsorship, we are able to afford what we do…Each rescue not only funds the expenses to go get the child, but also for their ongoing healthcare when they return.We bring back many babies each week.Some more critical than others.When we arrive to Hope of Life, the first 48 hours is critical and often difficult on the children as we introduce new food and medicine to their bodies...but our care doesn’t end there. To quote Bryan, “If we treat their health concerns but do not tell them about Jesus, we are just prolonging their hell.” While their moms stay for free in our hospital, I have the opportunity to talk with these mama’s daily. To teach them about hygiene and breastfeeding, and talk with them about Christ when they are in a position that they are ready to receive.However, the transformation that happens is ALWAYS worth the difficult rescue days we endure to bring them back.
Today, I would like to thank these people for sponsoring us and allowing me to be here and do the work that I love– rescuing babies and working with them daily as they recover in our hospital. I also love being able to work with the mothers by educating them, encouraging them, and praying for them. THANK YOU all for allowing this growth and transformation to happen! Tara Graham – One of my sweet former patients and part of my church family. Thank you for your support!! Love and miss you so <3 Rebecca Porter – My favorite teacher in nursing school!! You have ALWAYS encouraged me and pushed me. I wouldn’t be a nurse if it wasn’t for you <3 Sara Mitchell – Sweet girl whose heart is connected to mine through Kidspoint and Guatemala!! Can’t wait for you to come visit one day <3 Patricia Derr – Your generosity astounds us!! Thank you so much for supporting us <3 Pam Fadness – Someone who knows rescues first hand!! I’m so thankful that we’ve met, you inspire us and we’re thankful for your support!! <3
We love you ALL and could not do what we do without you.
Truly, thank you so much.
–Whitney
So if you hadn’t heard– this morning I made the mistake of drinking Bryan’s “watermelon flavored drink”… Turns out they put pre workout drink mixes in packets that are marketed toward kids (aka: me) and make it in fun flavors like watermelon. After walking outside and bench pressing a couple of trucks, it only took about 2 1/2 hours for my body to stop feeling like it was covered in stinging bees. So if you learn anything from this blog– don’t do that. Trust me.
Wanted to share a video today of some sweet Mayan kids we have at the hospital. These kids speak a Mayan dialect called kaqchikel. The Mayan language has over 20 dialects, and because many of our rescues come from remote indigenous mountain villages, it is not unusual for the families to speak Mayan or very difficult to understand Spanish blended with Mayan accent.
These sweet kids speak only Kaqchikel and do not understand Spanish at all. For me, I kind of feel right at home with these kids… where I have learned my Spanish by immersion, figuring out how to communicate has been fun and exciting. I love how smart they all are… not only are they wanting to learn Spanish, but they want to learn English as well!! They are definitely learning Spanish and English much faster than I’m picking up Kaqchikel. 😉
As I work daily to communicate with these kids… As cheesy as this sounds, I realize the language that speaks louder than all, is the language of compassion. Making an effort to talk to them no matter how ridiculous I sound, is investing in them and showing that they are valued and loved. Sure, I’m a nurse… but stopping to talk to them for 10-15 minutes… braiding their hair…. and counting from 1-10 in Kaqchikel, Spanish, and English has been such sweet moments during my days of working.
Today, I want to thank Katie Brill for your love and generosity!!! As a doctor in the US, Katie understands compassion better than most people I know. She’s smart, she’s kind, and she is a big reason why we’re able to do what we do here! Katie, I can’t wait to have you down here again so you can see all the growth at the hospital and meet some of these Mayan cuties. 🙂 You are asked about frequently down here and we can’t wait to have you back to visit!! Ütx matoix for all you do for not only us, but for the kingdom. <3
Nan chik y janila yatinwajo’
Te quiero mucho!
-Whitney
EDIT 11.16.16– added these videos of them talking in their own dialect upon requests 🙂 it’s hard to get on video because as soon as I pull out my phone they all start giggling and running away! 😜 None of these videos do the language any justice– it sounds so interesting when they’re speaking, the language has a lot of “clicking noises” to it.
To give a tax deductible donation, go directly to our site at missionquest.org/118
