| | Hannah’s Hope Orphanage was the original reason for initiating this mission trip. Because of Wendy and Leo and their experiences and stories of their adoption journey, our youth felt the call to Guatemala and Hannah’s Hope. The one thing I know for sure is that the children who end up at Hannah’s Hope are the fortunate ones. This is an incredible, safe haven in a dangerous world. The children are well cared for by the Special Mothers, there is a good ratio of care givers to children, they have clean living areas, clean clothes and food each and everyday. There are several security measures in place, including barbed wire around the houses and armed guards. Right now, all but 3 of the older children are adopted and waiting to go home, which is a process that can take an extremely long time. It’s a truly incredible facility.
We did 3 days of vacation bible school activities with the children ages 2 to 14, and in singing songs with them, we discovered they knew some of them. So, it’s obvious that the children are being taught about Jesus, at least through song. Geralyn took the lead on the VBS activities and it was awesome! The kids participated in songs, stories, and games. They made t-shirts, bracelets and picture frames. These children embraced us and wanted to be loved by us, which we did willingly. On Friday, we threw them a party complete with 2 piñatas.
Since Hannah’s Hope is blessed in many ways we were at somewhat of a loss as to what we could do that would make a long lasting positive impact. When we heard about the clinic that the orphanage was trying to establish we knew that was it. Dr. Castro was brought on board in January 2007. After spending some time with him I found him to be very passionate about his calling to Hannah’s Hope. He is also quite a visionary. He has many plans that if he has the resources to implement will benefit many. He is currently working on training curriculum for nurses and mothers and would like to establish a milk clinic. He has hopes of being able to feed all the babies with mother’s milk versus formula. For our part, we donated to the clinic over $1500 of equipment. Diane and I went shopping with Dr. Castro one afternoon where we looked at many things, but what seemed most important to Dr. Castro were 2 sterilizers. In the end, the clinic was furnished with 2 sterilizers, a lamp, a tray, a surgical set, a variety of scissors and a lighted scope for examining ears, nose and throat. We were so very happy to be able to help Dr. Castro establish this very important clinic and we hope to be able to continue to support it.
On Friday night, Heather and her mother, Jan, had dinner with the group (the founders of Hannah’s Hope along with her father, Ron). She had a great message for our youth about walking close to God during this time of their lives. It was so much better coming from her than a mom or dad that I hope it had an impact. And despite the many blessings that Hannah’s Hope does have there are still many struggles. Because of some less then ethical practices of some other facilities and legal entities in Guatemala there is a distinct possibility that adoptions out of Guatemala will be closed in January 2008. This would not just be devastating for the many children who need families to love them, but it also means an end to funding that Hannah’s Hope currently receives. We were all asked to pray that this incredible facility continue to be viable and a safe haven for these children. Also, Heather is in need of good leadership, which she is always seeking, to keep things running as well. Please join us in these prayers for Hannah’s Hope Guatemala.
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| | Posted 6/21/2007 3:05 PM - 174 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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