Finding Roberto

I had just showed Roberto pictures of the house
to which he would be moving momentarily.

This has been a difficult post to write; in fact it has taken me more than a week to do so.  This has been a time that has broken my heart, even while I have been called to stay strong and serve.  

More than a week ago, I was asked by Marisol, the principal of the school in Santa Maria where I teach, if there was any way I could meet her brother-in-law and go to visit a young man who was paralyzed as a result of a fall from a tree more than four years ago.  The more she told me, the more I felt I was in over my head:  he lived alone in a small room; his father brought him food and cleaned him once a week; he had a colostomy and catheter; he had bed sores.  With each fact I felt more and more fear, yet knew I had to go to meet him.  

A pastor and some men from a church in Patzicia, a small town about an hour and a half from here, had been visiting him.  They wanted to find help for him.  They would go with me to see him, but they had no resources to help.  Could I?  I said yes, fully believing that we would visit him, and recommend he either go to Hermano Pedro or the hospital for treatment of his sores.

I asked Dick if he could go with me.  I didn't know what I would face, and knew his experience treating bedsores would be valuable as we decided what to recommend.  I was counting on his detachment and cool head to keep me from making any impulsive decisions about caring for this young man.

So, Saturday morning we set off for Patzicia.  Marisol met us at the entrance to the town (she had traveled a good distance by bus to get there, but wanted to introduce us). We met Edwin, her brother-in-law, Byron, a doctor/pastor in Patzicia, and Diogenes, a man from the church who had been visiting Roberto.

We set out of town to go to the aldea of El Sitan.  I was grateful Dick was driving, because I don't know that my van would have made it through the dirt path that led to the house.  We were met there by Roberto's sister and step-mother.  

Roberto was lying on a plastic covered mattress in the corner of a small room make of concrete block.  There were only openings for a door and window.  There was no electricity in the room.  It was full of discarded items and trash, and we were told that at night the rats would swarm in looking for food.  I couldn't imagine what his place would be like after dark.  He was severely malnourished, and understandably sullen.

I hung back a bit and let Dick and Dr/Pastor Byron examine Roberto.  They discovered he had quite a bit of swelling in his legs, and pressure sores covering the majority of his backside.  Miraculously, though, he had no fever, and the bedsores were not infected.  I'm sure the fact that he has a colostomy helped this, since his family only would come once a week to change and bathe him.  I'm even more sure, however, that this was the hand of God protecting him and preparing for us to come and care for him.  

Dick called me over to translate and talk with Roberto. Roberto began to tearfully tell me his story, which I shared with Dick. After no more than three sentences, Dick looked at me in tears saying, "He belongs at your house."  I knew this, too, though was taken back a bit at how quickly Dick reached this conclusion, and the force with which he shared it.  (So much for relying on Dick's cool-headed detachment!) I asked Roberto if he would like to live with some other young men who were also in wheelchairs.

He immediately broke into a huge smile, and crying, said yes.  

God had been preparing me to invite Roberto to live with us, but I had anticipated it being in a week or two.  The Lord, however, had prepared the way.  Roberto was 18 years old, and had a DPI (national identification card) and was therefore an adult capable of making his own decisions.  There would be no need for any legal process, since he could live wherever he wanted.  Edwin, who works for the local court in this area assured me of this.  

His sister and step-mother were happy to see him come with us, and called his father, who gave his approval--he could come, as long as the family didn't have to pay anything for his care.  There is so much more I would like to say about this father, but won't.  It is enough to say that he had badly neglected his son to the point of abandonment, and will one day answer to God for his actions.  

We got him into his wheelchair, and the four men got him up the steep incline up to the road.  I now knew why God had sent four men with me this day!  He had it all planned out.  While the movement was very painful for Roberto (though he is paralyzed from the waist down, he does seem to experience pain in his hip and buttocks area) he never complained and cooperated with the transfer into the car.  We discovered his arms were surprisingly strong given his condition.

We headed back into Patzicia to take the men from the church back to their car.  We stopped by Dr./Pastor Byron's clinic, were he gave us saline solution, diapers and five injections of an antibiotic to prevent infection.  With as little as he has available for his clinic, he didn't hesitate to share with us what he has.  (I hope to partner with him more in the days to come.)

On the way back to Antigua, we passed the town where Roberto's dad was working. Roberto asked if we could stop so he could say good-bye to his father.  I went up an rang the bell of the shop where he is the guard.  He opened a small window in the door, and I explained who I was and that Roberto wanted to say good-bye to him.  With little expression on his face, he said the owner did not allow him to leave (he'd only have had to walk across a narrow road) and he'd talk to his son another time.

I could hardly bring myself to walk back to the car and tell this to Roberto.  He, however, did not seem surprised by his father's reaction, and took it in stride.  I had a lot of repenting to do, though, for the thoughts I had about this man.  

We stopped at Pollo Campero in Chimaltenango, and bought Roberto some chicken.  This was probably not our wisest choice, given his frail condition, but sometimes the heart needs to over-ride caution.  He eagerly wolfed down two pieces of chicken, fries, and some soda.

Fidel and Osmi were just starting to eat lunch when we arrived home.  I went in and explained the situation to them, and why we had brought home Roberto without any warning. (They had been praying for him for a few days, however, so they had some idea of the situation he was in, so this wasn't a complete shock.)  I was so very proud of how they welcomed him into the house, and began sharing their stories with him.  

Rigoberto had made a beef soup for the guys, and offered some to Roberto, who replied, "I'm so ashamed, but yes I want some.  I'm still hungry."  He downed the soup, meat and vegetables, along with more to drink, and began to settle in as part of our family.

This all happened so quickly I didn't have time to really think about what I was doing in bringing him home.  As I later sat in my room reflecting on the morning, the extent of the care he would need began to sink in.  The cost of his care became apparent.  The emotional support he would need was clear.

Still, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that we had done the right thing in bringing him to live with us.  We knew it was God's call, and I trust He will be faithful to supply everything we need materially, financially, emotionally, and spiritually to care for Roberto.  

We estimate the cost of his care will be about $500 a month over our current budget.  We don't know where this will come from, but God does.  If you would like to help care for Roberto, as well as our other guys, you can send a check to:

If you would like to help cover the cost of Roberto's care, you can donate on line at www.reasontohope.org/donate 

Or send a check to

Reason to Hope, Inc.

PO Box 284

Elkhorn, NE 68022

Vacation Time

The week of June 22 was our mid-term vacation here in Guatemala.  Yep, as those of you in the US are in the middle of your summer vacation from school, we are in the middle of our school year which runs from mid-January to mid-October.  I have to admit that sometimes, when I read posts on Facebook from in US, I become confused as to what time of year it really is!

They guys were excited to have me home more during this week, and we planned some special activities.  We couldn't travel anywhere, as most Guatemalans do during this time, but we could still have some fun doing things for which we normally didn't have the time.

We started the week off having pizza after church on Sunday with Dick and some of his guys.  While going out to eat is not a big deal for most of us, for Fidel and Osmi it is a rare occurrence.  It was so good for them to spend some time with other young men their ages, and they love being with the gang from Chimaltenango.  It also gave me a break from having to cook Sunday dinner!

Later in the week, we invited Maurico and Francisco, the two young men who help me in my classroom in Santa Maria, to have lunch with us.  Our guys were a bit amazed at the fact that both of these young men, who are gainfully employed, have disabilities.  Maurico was born missing his left forearm, and Francisco is blind due to Marfan Syndrome.

These two have not let their disabilities interfere with living life to the fullest, and they were excellent role models for Fidel and Osmi.  Maurico and Francisco freely shared with our guys the challenges they have and continue to face, but also their determination to learn as much as they can, and their desire to serve God however they can.

We got to introduce them to Taco Salad and strawberry short-cake, and they are both anxious to come and visit us again!

Our last outing of the week was a big one.  We had hoped to be able to take the guys to see our new house, but I'd forgotten that the Monday we had picked was a national holiday in Guatemala, and the real estate office was closed and we could not get a key.

We were able to follow through with the second half of our plan, however,  For his birthday present this year, Fidel had asked if we could all go to a steak house in Tecpan (a little more than an hour and a half from here) for lunch.  We invited Dick and Fernando to go with us.

With the traffic we faced going through Chimaltenango both coming and going, it pretty much took us the whole day just to go to lunch.  It was well worth it, though.  The food was unbelievable, and we even had left-overs for supper.

The wait staff could not have been more helpful accommodating our special seating needs, even though the restaurant was crowded from the holiday.  They guys enjoyed being out of the city, and we even let Tony drive them in our van while I rode with Dick in his car, so it was really a fun time for them.

Now, it's back to the "real world" a bit more refreshed and ready to tackle the second half of the school year!

Keeping (a car) Going in Guate

Keeping a car running safely here in Guatemala is a job in itself.  Twice in the last three months we have had to put a number of costly repairs into our Mazda mini-van.  At times I wonder if it's worth it.  But then, when the car is in the shop for a week as it is now, I find out just how much value it adds to our ministry. It really does free up my time to do ministry.  I can get places much more quickly with the car than on public transportation, and it's safer, most of the time.

A little over a month ago the car just didn't seem to be handling right, so I took it into Maynor, my faithful mechanic.  He checked over the front end and called me over to see what he found.

He literally could shake and wobble both front tires with only his hands.  This is really scary when you consider the roads I drive down from Santa Maria almost daily.  In a little over four miles I come down over 1000 feet down the side of the Ague volcano, on roads that twist and turn continually.  If the steering had failed on this drive, I'd have been a goner.  We're not sure what caused this damage.  I had had the front end checked only a few months earlier when I bought new tires (an annual event in Guatemala).  I do know, however, that as nostalgic as they are, the cobble stone streets here beat the day-lights out of a car.  Anyway, I am grateful God protected me and prompted me to take the car in.  So now I have basically a new front end, to the tune of almost $1000.  I know, in the States, these repairs would have cost four times that much and am grateful that the labor only amounted to a little over $100.

About a week ago, I was driving seven of the teachers from the school down from Santa Maria in a sudden downpour.  As we entered Antigua it was clear that I could not follow my usual route, since it would be under water.  Two alternate routes were also flooded, and I even had to turn around and back-track once when a normally "safe" route was impassable.

One of the men from our church helping cars
through the intersection I usually cross

There was no way to avoid driving through some fairly deep water, though, if we were ever to get home.  As I passed through one "puddle,"  the car started making a horrible screeching sound, that gave me the same reaction as fingernails on a blackboard.  And here I had more than a mile and a half to go, in a solid downpour, with a car full of teachers.  You know I prayed, and prayed hard.

The sound continued, and I thought about stopping, but with the heavy rain I knew even if I tried to get a tow to the shop, I'd be waiting in the rain forever, and the teachers would have to walk a great distance to catch their bus.  So I slowly moved on, not knowing if it was better to drive fast and get home sooner, or drive slow and hope I wouldn't do any more damage to the car.

I had a pretty good idea, from previous experience, that it was the alternator causing the problem, and that if it was making this much noise, it was already shot.  So I opted for medium and prayed the charge in the battery would be sufficient to get me home.  It was.  In fact, I started the car the next day, foolishly hoping maybe it was just something which had gotten wet and had not dried out.  Nope, same ear-splitting sound.

Faithful Maynor called a tow-truck, and got the car to the shop where he discovered it was, in fact, the alternator.  He also encountered two other parts which were on the verge of breaking and needed to be repair. And he discovered that a small plastic part connected to the motor had a small leak and needed to be replace. (Of course, this part can only be purchased at the Mazda dealership in Guatemala City--so you know it's pricey!)  In the States I might have tried to push off some of these repairs, but I have learned that it is unwise, if not down-right dangerous, to do that here. So once again my car has been in the shop for over a week.

Maynor stopped over to get the money to buy the parts, and joked with me that he felt like an extortionist!  I am grateful he is so conscientious about keeping my car safe to drive, and told him so.  I can never complain about his prices.  Once again, though this bill will be close to $1000, and has required he make two trips into Guatemala City for parts, his labor will be less than $150.

So I have been riding chicken buses and shuttles and tuk-tuks.  I am making multiple trips to the market each week since we have to carry home what we buy.  And I am sorely missing my car. I feel my age much more than when I first moved here.

 Could I get along without it?  Yes.  Is it worth the cost to keep it in good working order?  I believe so.  I've had it over two years, so need to expect to make repairs.  I couldn't buy a newer one for what the repairs cost me.  And I can't put a price tag on the time it saves me and the security it provides.

I think I may need to find one of these!

Life with the Boys

As I wrote the title of this post, I realized that Fidel and Osmi are really more young men than boys.  But, just as with my own sons, I guess they will always be my "boys."

They are continuing their classes and making good progress with their studies.  I know this is challenging for them, but I believe will serve them well in their futures.  Completing Basico (9th grade) is one of the few requirements I give them to continue living in the house.  I know, though, that like me, they are enjoying having a week of vacation for school.

Juan Carlos waiting with Osmi to see the doctors

There was recently a team of US orthopedic surgeons at Hermano Pedro, and one of the regular physicians there suggested that Osmi be seen to see if there was any way surgery could help him gain better mobility of his hands.  As I had thought, since Osmi does not have Cerebral Palsy, the typical surgeries would not help him.

Osmi with the hand surgeon on the team.
He had taken pictures of Osmi to use for teaching purposes,
so we told him he had to let us take one of him!

I was glad that we went, however, because the team from the States said that he does not have Scleraderma, but a rare disorder in which the muscles actually calcify into bone.  This is very strange to me, since he also has osteoporosis, where his bones are losing calcium!  This is so rare that the hand surgeon said he knew there was a specific name for this disease, but it was so unusual he could not recall it.  The bad news is that it is a progressive disease, and his condition can worsen in the future.  Physical therapy will not help slow the process, and, according to the therapists who came with the surgeons, will not impact his condition.

The good news was that in talking to the doctors, it is more and more probable that Osmi's dramatic improvement was due to direct divine intervention, rather than medical remission.  We look forward to see what God will be doing with his life in the future.

Both Fidel and Osmi are enjoying the new addition to our household, Charlie, a baby parrot.  He was Osmi's birthday gift from his parents.  It is a joy to see how tender the boys are with him, and, despite my early concerns, are doing an excellent job caring for him.  Now Fidel is trying to talk me into a dog!

Dick's boys still like to come and visit and talk the guys "out on the town."  Here they are just returning from getting caught in a downpour.  Gratefully, they managed to cover the controller and computer in Fidel's chair to keep it dry.

Please pray for the continued performance of the two power chairs our guys use.  They are delicate equipment, and the rough terrain here is hard on them.  Some wire or other always seems to be coming loose.  It's also impossible to purchase proper batteries here in Guatemala, and Osmi is anxiously awaiting a new shipment from Hope Haven Canada.  He now has to charge his chair a couple times a day if he goes outside our house.  We are so grateful to Dick Rutgers who do all he can to keep us going, and to Bethel Ministries who does the repairs when Dick isn't available or the required repairs are too extensive for him to do alone.

Osmi continues to study computers and English on Saturday mornings, thanks to his sponsor, David Dean, a friend from Hermano Pedro.  Fidel would like to start taking art classes and we are looking for a teacher who can come to the house for a reasonable price.  It is so nice to see them each developing their own interests in addition to the computer.  I was hoping this would happen.  Would love to have a recreational therapist come and do an evaluation of each of them.  If anyone knows a rec therapist who might be interested in coming down for a week or so, please email me.  We could put them to good use!

Fidel out cruising with David Dean in his convertible.
David is a good friend to our guys.

Our final news (in addition to the new house, of course) is that a friend of Juan Carlos who works at a local TV station has spent a couple of afternoons video taping our ministry and is working on developing one minute video spots, both in Spanish and English to help spread the word about Causa de Esperanza.  Stay tuned to see them.  I'll be sure to share them when they're ready!

Teacher Appreciation at New Life

Friday, May 19 is El Día del Maestro (Teacher Appreciation Day) in Guatemala.  After experiencing many Teacher Appreciation Days in the US, I can whole-heartedly say they are much more fun here!

The students did not have class today (imagine, having to actually TEACH on Teacher Appreciation Day!) and the sixth grade and junior high students planned a program an activities to celebrate the teachers.

We played a number of games, and I was surprised to see the competitive spirit come out in our usually collaborative teaching staff.  Don't worry, though, everyone was friends when it was all over!

Carolina and Paquita in a stand-off
as each tried to break the
balloon tied
to the other's leg.

Getting serious here!
Paquita was victorious.

A local pastor from Chimaltenango preached on the gifting and role of the teacher.  He did a wonderful job of combining his academic knowledge with practical Biblical application for our lives.

Blanky, our school secretary and graduate of Nueva Vida shared some of her diverse talents with us.  Besides beautifully singing a praise song, she assume the character of an old woman to "roast" each of the teachers as she presented them with an award.  Jennifer, the speech therapist, and I received our certificates later.  I guess she was worried about embarrassing the two "gringas" on the staff!

The men on the staff were each called on to sing a praise song in front of the group.  I felt sorry for Jerry Bush, who speaks next to no Spanish, as he was trying to figure out what the group was being asked to do.  He did a beautiful presentation of  "I Love You Lord" which brought tears to my usually unsentimental eyes!

This was the first year that my assistant, Mauricio was part of the celebration as part of the teaching staff!  He has three more semesters, and he will become a fully licensed teacher, but has completed his pre-professional training and is qualified to teach up through third grade.  I think he enjoyed himself.  He showed himself to be quite the performer, too!

As if this wasn't already enough, we were then treated to a marvelous luncheon of churasco (grilled steak) excellently prepared by our cook, Seño Lety, and Karla, another of our graduates who works in the kitchen.

As the used to say in the society column of small town newspapers, "A good time was had by all!"