21 Days of Prayer~~Day 5: Fidel Hernandez

Today I want to thank our God (Diosito as Fidel affectionately calls him) for a very special man in my life.  Fidel has been my friend for over ten years now, and while our friendship has not always been easy, it has been fruitful.  Fidel has taught me more about the struggles of living with a physical disability than any book or class ever could have.  In the time I have known him, he has changed, by the grace of God, from an angry, depressed young man who was difficult to love at times, to a caring person who it is a delight to do life with. His anger and depression were the seeds which planted Casa de Esperanza in our hearts. I love how I continue to see God drawing Fidel to Himself through the events of daily life.  My desire is that Fidel will come to more fully realize the great love our Father has for him, and respond in faith.

My prayer of thanksgiving

Diosito, today I thank you for Fidel and the work you are doing in his heart and in his life to bring him closer to you.  I thank you for the drive, energy and determination which are part of his character.  I thank you for the leadership role he is increasingly assuming with the guys in the house, and his growing desire to be of service to others.  What a joy it is to watch him as he dreams of the future.

I thank you for Fidel's friendship.  He is so much more than an resident in the home to me; he is one of my closest friends and part of my family.  I have grown to trust you more as I have had to surrender him and his future to your plan and purpose for him, and have watched as you draw him to Yourself.  His friendship and desire for a better life were the tools you used to plant Casa de Esperanza and for this I am grateful. Finally, I thank you for all you will do in Fidel's future, and am excited to be a small part of this.  In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

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21 Days of Prayer~~Day 4: New Life School

I am so grateful for the partnership our ministry has with New Life School in Santa Maria de Jesus, and for my friendship with Judy Kerschner, its founder.  Much of what I know about running a ministry here I have learned by watching how Judy and Marisol, the principal, run the school and their ministry.  I have avoided many mistakes through their example--though I've managed to make enough of my own.

The teachers at the school are some of the best that I have found in Guatemala,and I so appreciate their friendship and openness to learn new techniques to better teach the students.  The students in the school are very precious to me, and I could write volumes about each of them.  We say New Life is the school of "last resort" for our students.  Without the school, most of them would never receive an education.

Please join me in thanking our Father for our partnership with New Life, its staff and its students.

My prayer of thanksgiving

Father God, I'm not sure I have words to thank you enough for making New Life School, its staff and its students part of my life and ministry.  Santa Maria de Jesus was the first village you brought me to, years before I even thought of moving here.  The house of Mirna, one of New Life's students at the time, was the first home I ever visited.  From this moment on, I knew Santa Maria would always have a special place in my heart.  I never dreamed it would also become part of my daily life an ministry.

Thank you, Father, for giving Judy the vision to start a school for those children no one else wanted and the perseverance to keep it going for 18 years.  Thank you for the hundreds of times you have miraculously "showed up" to grow and develop the school.  Thank you for teachers who love you, love the children and love learning.  Thank you for these friendships which challenge me daily to grow as a person, a professional and a believer.

Most of all, thank you for the precious children and young adults you have brought into my life though the school. The complexity and breath of their needs has stretched me beyond what I would have thought possible.  They have taught me that when I reach the end of my abilities, I can count on you to step in and fill what I am lacking.  For New Life School and the New Life it brings to all who come in contact with it, I give you thanks. Thank you in the name of Jesus, Amen.

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21 Days of Prayer~~Day 3: Hermano Pedro Orphanage/Hospital

This morning I ask you to join me in thanking God for the role that Hermano Pedro Orphanage/Hospital has played in forming our ministry here in Guatemala.  I originally came to Antigua, Guatemala thinking I would work part-time with the 125 children who reside at the institution.  Little did I know that God had much greater plans ahead.  It was here at Hermano Pedro I first met Fidel and Moises, and later Osmi.

Hermano Pedro does an excellent job in providing custodial care for those with the most severe handicaps, and I praise God that there is such a place to care for these folks. God used these encounters, however,  to show there was a gap in serving those whose bodies limited them, but their minds did not.  Many of the staff encouraged us to start a new kind of residence for these people, and the idea for Casa de Esperanza was born.

My prayer of thanksgiving

Father, I thank you first for the ministry Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro is doing in Guatemala.  They are caring for those that no one else can or wants to care for, and I praise you for that.  i thank you for using their ministry to show me the need for more living options for those with disabilities, and for bringing me Fidel, Osmi and Moises through them.  I praise and thank you for the friendships you have given me both with staff and with residents of the institution.  Finally, I thank you for the connections I have made because of this ministry.  Continue to bless their ministry even as you bless ours.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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21 Days of Prayer~~Day 2: The Josiah Foundation

Today, please join me in giving thanks for the partnership our ministry has had with the Josiah Foundation.  For the past seven years, they have received funds on our behalf, and have completely supported our ministry in Guatemala through these donations.  Serving as Pat Duff's sending organization, the Board of the foundation has provided encouragement, feedback and wise counsel in the direction of our ministry.  The Josiah Foundation gave us our start in ministry in Guatemala and will always be close to our hearts.

My prayer of thanksgiving

Father God, in the name of Jesus I give you thanks for the partnership you provided for us with the Josiah Foundation to help me get started in ministry here in Guatemala.  When I was disheartened by the complexity of fund-raising and non-profit ministry, you brought them along side of me and allowed me to work through them, and for this I am grateful.  I thank you for Dave Penner and Mike Wenig who took a risk on an un-proven missionary, and have worked consistently over the years to get the needed funds here to Guatemala to enable us to grow into the ministry we are today. Bless them for their efforts, and bless the Josiah Foundation in its ministries and projects now and far into the future.

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21 Days of Prayer~~Day 1: The call

Please join me today in thanking God for calling me, Pat Duff, to Guatemala and entrusting me with this ministry to the least of these. Thank Him for all He has done to move me along and encourage me on this journey. Give Him thanks for the ways in which He has orchestrated my life to prepare me to join Him in this work. There is nowhere I'd rather be.

My prayer of thanksgiving:

Father God, in the name of Jesus, today I give you thanks for looking at me, with all my weaknesses, defects and brokenness, and still calling me to serve your people in Guatemala. I thank you for the ways in which you have prepared me for this stage in my life. I thank you for the training i have received professionally, the experiences I have had in education and mental health, and for all who have contributed to my knowledge and skills in the area of Special Education. Even more, I thank you for the life experiences--joyful and painful--that have molded me personally and spiritually to be used to further your plan and purpose for Guatemala. You knew from the beginning that I would be here. Thank you for making it clear to me to join you in what you are doing in Guatemala. Amen. Do you want to receive our daily prayer points in your inbox?  Sign up here.