Just when you think you know what you're doing and what are you supposed to be doing, God surprises you with new things and new plans. And that's why I love to work for Him, He's the best and greatest leader one could ever follow.
After our merge with AMG the Lord has been opening doors for us to explore different areas where we can work in and use our gifts to help more people. Now we're not just helping street youth but also children and teens at risk. It's been great to see all there is to do and how God's showing us the how.
I've traveled quite a bit as usual and I've been facing some realities I haven't before. It's always hard to be expose to a new situation/problem but it's also needed, to be able to do something!
A couple of months ago, one of my missionary friends called telling me that her 11 year old daughter had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and she needed me to help them translating at her Doctor's appointment (she speaks Spanish, but the medical terms can be a little bit tricky sometimes). At the end, I also found an specialist (the one we visited at first did nothing but charge lots and send her back home, when she really needed to be hospitalized). Long story short, that was the way God used for me to get in contact with the best pediatric endocrinologist here in Guatemala.
Some weeks after that she called me to ask me to translate for another patient, and we've been in contact ever since. While helping her, I visited one of our public hospitals, to face another reality, one well known by people who live here. The need and the lack of equipment and medications and human resources is great. After spending some days with the Dr., I realized how much she needs help to be able to help more kids that she already does. She's helping (just in that hospital) 72 families with kids with diabetes. She also does all the teaching and all the follow up appointments (she doesn't have trained nurses or diabetes educators to help her due to the lack of a budget for that). So I have been contacting some friends (specially nurses) to find people who want to come to Guatemala for a season to help these kids and families. For now, I'll receive my first class with her tomorrow, she's gonna train me to be an educator in type 1 diabetes so I can help her when needed to educate families that just discovered that one of their children has diabetes. This makes me really happy because, after spending some time with some of these kids/teens, I saw their needs, their fears, and that if they get to hear about God, and how His purposes are perfect, they will have a hope. Another good thing about this, is that 90% of the families who come to this public hospital are very poor and live in areas at risk, so this lines up with what I've been doing, but adding the type 1 diabetes factor. I know this is from God, and I'll keep you posted with all the great things that are gonna happen.
The year is almost done, but not quite yet. Our scholar year here in Guatemala is done though (January - October), and some of the girls from the orphanage I ministered to these past two years invited me to their high school graduation. This made me so happy, and proud. One thing that happens lots here in Guatemala with population at risk, is that most of the times they don't even make it to junior high, so the fact that they finished high school is already a lot, and they are actually applying for some colleges so they can continue with their formal education. So this was a very special occasion. Their graduation was last Saturday, I'll post some pictures here from before the graduation, how they were preparing themselves for this special occasion.
Last but not least, I have a big announcement to make... Yesterday I created a campaign to fund raise to be able to keep on serving next year (2013). It's been almost three years that I've been serving as a full time missionary here in Guatemala and I haven't been doing any fund raising, after this long my savings are pretty much non-existent. So I would like to ask you to please take a minute to click on my campaign, share it, and also donate. Please let others know about it so they can partner with me and together serve the Lord as one.
(campaign link: http://igg.me/p/288593/x/1823967)
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| With Alba Lili, outside the beauty salon. She was about to get her hair and make up done for her graduation act. |
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| Tracy, already ready to go and receive her high school diploma. Way to go Tracy! |
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| In Huehetenango, visiting a family crying out for help. It is so good when you get just on time. It is so good to see how God takes care of His children. |
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| With two friends and volunteers, Maria Jose (left) and Jentami (right) before and activity with the street youth |
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| With some of the street guys and two ARNM full time volunteers (Emma & Hector Perez) before a concert we took the guys to. It was quite an experience. We got them backstage passes, so it was really fun. |
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| This is a funny one, recording the video for my fund raise campaign at a friends house. He donated his time and equipment to do it (I'm so thankful). But at the beginning, I wasn't really sure if what I was doing was right :) |
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| This is a picture taken by a fiend of mine who's a photographer. I love photography, and I dunno if I had mentioned it before, but thought it was a good one to share. Enjoying the beautiful view of Guatemala city. |
