Last June we had the blessing of being chosen to be the mission project for VBX (Vacation Bible [E]Xperience) at Westside Church. They blessed me with a trip up to be part of this special week and I got to enjoy being with the Children's Ministry in which I served more than a few years ago. It was a special time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
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| Kitchen before |
As part of the VBX project, the church wanted to help build a house of a needy family in Guatemala. Reason to Hope partnered with Love Guatemala Canada to build a house for Angela and her five granddaughters. Her daughter (the girls' mother) had recently died in childbirth and the father could not handle it and disappeared. Grandma stepped in, but was clearly not prepared to take on this responsibility. Partnering with Love Guatemala, we were able to rebuild on the site of their present house, but providing a more permanent, safe and sanitary home in which to raise the girls. We will continue to check in on this family and help them as we can.
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| Kitchen after |
The second part of the VBX project was to enable us to build on to the existing men's home to allow us to begin a community outreach project. The main focus of this center will be to provide physical, occupational and educational therapy as well as family support to the residents of San Pedro where we are located. We will work with local therapists who will do the evaluation and treatment planning, and our staff will help the patients carry out the in-home therapy prescribed for them.
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The soon to be Outreach Center
under construction |
While it is true that there is physical therapy available in Antigua, about 5 miles away, for many with physical disabilities this is an impossible distance to travel if they don't have a car. (Imagine trying to get a wheelchair on to a school bus--that's what our folks face.) Often they don't have the money to pay the required therapy fee. Sometimes, especially in the cases of older adults, there is no one to take them.
Many times family members are not compliant with therapy recommendations because the process is uncomfortable for the patient and they don't like it. Our hope is to have the parents and caregivers come to our center and we will coach and encourage them to do the needed exercises and movements to prevent further deterioration of their bodies. Adults often have no one who will do their therapy exercises with them, and we will fill that gap.
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Roberto, one of our residents, working with Blanca
who comes to us for educational therapy |
A number of younger children or those with more significant disabilities in our town do not receive any educational services. There is a quality special needs school in the next town, but it is a formal school program and often these children have be isolated and are not socially, emotionally, or behaviorally ready to attend school. We are working with them to develop the needed skills to go to school, or, in the case of more severely limited children, will work to develop whatever abilities they have.
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This is Lester, an eight year old with a severe heart
problem who is unable to walk. Through our Outreach
we were able to provide his mom with a jogging stroller so
she no longer needs to carry him up the mountain on her back. |
Because of the men living in the home, and especially Fidel's recycling business, our house is already known as a place people can come for help. Through these programs we hope to become more open to the community, meet the people's human needs, and lead them to know Jesus who can meet their every need. What an honor and a privilege.
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