Hope Haven Guatemala

These past few weeks have been packed with all sorts of new experiences, and I am finally learning my way around and learning about the type of work that goes on with Hope Haven (Refugio de Esperanza). It is truly an incredible place for so many reasons. (Photos below)

Hope Haven is a factory (and a ministry) that assembles wheelchairs for children, teenagers, and some adults with disabilities or special needs. It also gives out crutches, walkers, and canes for the blind. Wheelchairs are not accessible to the Guatemalan people as they are in the US, and so if families have members that are in need of one, they must apply to receive one (for example, they will apply to Hope Haven). In order for Hope Haven to be able to distribute chairs, each chair must be sponsored financially and paid for. The need for wheelchairs is huge; sometimes families are still carrying older children around, and lifting teenagers from one place to the next. Once they are approved to receive a chair, a distribution is done in that area. Each distribution takes a day of 10-15 people. Each person is fitted specifically to the chair based on his or her needs. It may take 30 minutes to fit a person, or it could take up to 4 hours! It is also the opportunity to talk with the families about ways to improve the lives of their children; independence is always something to be encouraged.

Last week I spent time in the factory learning how to do all of this! The people that work there are experts and are amazing people. All of them, too, use wheelchairs. I was involved in my first distribution last week and am always learning more! This past week has been spent with a small team of OT and PT students from the University of South Dakota. We spent Sunday through Wednesday in a town called Santiago on Lake Atitlan. We started off the week with two days of distributions, along with a small health check done by two medical students. Many of these families were from very Indigenous Mayan communities; some had traveled 3 hours to get there. There are many languages and dialects spoken among those villages, so we were also using some translators to translate from English to Spanish, and then into their Native languages! For some of the children, it was the first wheelchair they had ever had. It was one of the most special experiences I have ever had, to be a part of that process and to see them leave with a new freedom. (Some of the children are able to use their hands and get themselves around in the chairs). On Wednesday morning, we spent time in a home for the elderly. We spent time washing and cleaning their feet; another special experience. To hear some of their stories was a time I will not forget.

We got back to Antigua late Wednesday evening, and had a distribution at the factory yesterday and today. I will also begin working with a friend of mine named Lisa at a large ministry here in Antigua that is called Hermano Pedro. It consists of 5 “homes”, one of them being an orphanage for children with special needs. We visited there last week, and were overwhelmed by a large outside yard area filled with around 60 children. We are hoping to visit there at least a couple times each week to assist the nurses with feeding, general care, and to simply be able to love on these children.

That is a general summary of the work that is going on here! I have a wonderful sense of joy and peace in these ministries, the opportunity to serve the Lord and the Guatemalan people is great. I am once again reminded how blessed my life is, and that God does care for each one of His children. I thank you all for giving me the chance to be here!


The families waiting for fittings to begin and receiving information.


A wheelchair being fitted for a 21 year old named Oscar. He was very intelligent and his brother told us that he beats him while playing Nintendo!


A bus picked up these families from a remote village. They have no other way of transportation, they put the wheelchairs on the top of the van. You can see the children on their backs; that is most times how small children are carried from one place to the next.


A 14 year old named Diego who received a new cane.


A boy named Ellie who recieved a chair after a team had noticed that he needed one when working on houses in his community.

CUMC Mission Trip 2012

Well it was another great week in Costa Rica with the CUMC 2012 mission team! We had an incredible time and such an amazing group of people. Many adults and youth had the first chance of going and it seemed as though everyone found a place to work and also connected with others from the group. I had a nice time with my Dad, and was very impressed with my sister Haley! She worked hard and even said that she wasn’t ready to go home at the end of the week.

There was construction going on at the Methodist School in town; they are building bathrooms so that they can begin a High School there as well as elementary. (Kindergarden-6th grade is Elementary, 7th-12th grade High School). There was construction going on in Santa Rita as well with a recently ordained minister. The tile was put on the counter top for the feeding program in El Mirador, and now it is complete. There were also various projects at the Methodist camp. We had bible school in Santa Rita, San Francisco, and El Mirador. We were blessed with many translators, as well as a large amount of youth that were able to put their Spanish in to practice!

The youth acted out a DRIME; a drama mime. The story was about the choice to either follow Jesus, or to follow satan. A friend of mine, Jess, worked with them so they were able to perform it at our morning devotion, bible school, and also teach it to some youth in El Mirador so they can also perform it!. Jess also taught women crochet in various locations, and the women were extremely ready to learn, most of them picked it up very quickly. Needless to say, it was a busy and productive week! I enjoyed seeing Marion and Mary, and that I used to work with both at the camp and in surrounding areas.

I am in Guatemala now, and will hopefully write later on this week about what is going on here!

Language School

Hello everyone! I arrived safely Saturday night to Costa Rica. I am studying Spanish in Orosi Valley for three weeks and living with the director of the school and her family before meeting up with the CUMC mission team. Everything is going well so far, and it feels great to be back in Latin America!

I have been reading this scripture this week, and I think we can all understand why it is such an amazing passage.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for Him!" Isaiah 30:18

New Beginnings: 2012

Happy New Year!

It has been far too long since I last wrote, I apologize. It has been a busy season. I have been working still with Baltimore County as a substitute, as well as Delrey School. My neice and nephew and brother and sister continue to grow, and I have enjoyed being home and having the ability to watch the changes they are going through!

It is only the third day of 2012, and no matter what's going on in my life, there is something about the new year that leaves me feeling like I can start over. God is the God of many chances, for that I am grateful. We always have the chance to begin again, His mercies are new every single day. So I am looking forward to this year hopeful that He is going to use anyone that is available and willing to serve Him!

I will be leaving at the end of the month for Costa Rica. I will be attending language school again for 3 weeks, then I will meet up with the CUMC mission team for their week long trip. My sister Haley will be going for the first time! After that week I will be heading to Guatemala! I will be there indefinitely working with Hope Haven Guatemala, a wheelchair factory and distribution center. I am not quite sure yet what my work will be like, but I believe this is where the Lord has lead me!

This is the link to their webpage, once you are on it you can choose English. http://www.refugiodeesperanza.org/

Thank you all very much for your prayers and contributions. None of it is possible without your support, and I never cease to appreciate all that you do!

Forgiveness.

Something seems to be coming up a lot lately around family and friends, which is forgiveness. There have been a few situations lately where either I or the people that I know and love have to forgive others for either something that another person is doing or has done to them in the past. Unforgivably and bitterness go hand-in-hand. When we choose to hold onto things, and to not forgive another person who has wronged us, or continually wrongs us, it turns into bitterness. That bitterness, I believe, gives satan a foothold. He uses it to turn our hearts hard, giving him control to turn it into hate.

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:14-15

Hebrews tells us that it takes effort to live in peace with others, and that no person should miss the grace of God (grace is given to us when we don't deserve it, as others may not "deserve" our grace). It also tells us that bitterness becomes a root, and that it can grow in us, and not only defile US, but MANY.

As followers of Christ, we cannot live in His light having such a terrible root inside of us! Colossians 2:7 makes it clear that we should be living in Jesus, rooted and built up in HIM. Forgiveness may be something that we do one time and no more, or daily. But whatever it may look like in our lives, we cannot live our lives to the fullest while we haven't let others' wrongs against us go. Every single person on earth falls short of God's standards, so that means we ALL need forgiveness. We kid ourselves when we think that the "other" people are the ones that need our grace; we might be more inclined to extend grace when we remember our own shortcomings!

Pray that the Lord will help us to forgive. The spring school year for Baltimore County has ended, and now I am working as a teacher in various classrooms at The Delrey School for summer school. I hope you all are enjoying summer so far!

Be Aware!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE FACTS

The headline facts

• An estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labor (including sexual exploitation) at any given time as a result of trafficking1
Of these:
o 1.4 million – 56% - are in Asia and the Pacific
o 250,000 – 10% - are in Latin America and the Caribbean
o 230,000 – 9.2% - are in the Middle East and Northern Africa
o 130,000 – 5.2% - are in sub-Saharan countries
o 270,000 – 10.8% - are in industrialized countries
o 200,000 – 8% - are in countries in transition2

• 161 countries are reported to be affected by human trafficking by being a source, transit or destination count3

• People are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries, affecting every continent and every type of economy4


The Traffickers
52% of those recruiting victims are men, 42% are women and 6% are both men and women11

In 54% of cases the recruiter was a stranger to the victim, 46% of cases the recruiter was known to victim12

The majority of suspects involved in the trafficking process are nationals of the country where the trafficking process is occurring13


The Profits

• Estimated global annual profits made from the exploitation of all trafficked forced labour are US$ 31.6 billion14

Of this:
o US$ 15.5 billion – 49% - is generated in industrialized economies
o US$ 9.7 billion – 30.6% is generated in Asia and the Pacific
o US$ 1.3 billion – 4.1% is generated in Latin America and the Caribbean
o US$ 1.6 billion – 5% is generated in sub-Saharan Africa
o US$ 1.5 billion – 4.7% is generated in the Middle East and North Africa15

The Victims

The majority of trafficking victims are between 18 and 24 years of age5

An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year6

95% of victims experienced physical or sexual violence during trafficking (based on data from selected European countries)7

43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98 per cent are women and girls 8

32% of victims are used for forced economic exploitation, of whom 56 per cent are women and girls9

Many trafficking victims have at least middle-level education10



1 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

2 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

3 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns (Vienna, 2006)

4 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns (Vienna, 2006)

5 International Organization for Migration, Counter-Trafficking Database, 78 Countries, 1999-2006 (1999)

6 UNICEF, UK Child Trafficking Information Sheet (January 2003)

7 The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Stolen smiles: a summary report on the physical and psychological health consequences of women and adolescents trafficked in Europe (London, 2006)

8 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

9 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

10 International Organization for Migration, Counter-Trafficking Database, 78 Countries, 1999-2006 (1999)

11 International

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

I arrived home a couple weeks ago from Costa Rica. It's been a great time of fellowship with friends and family, and I plan to begin working this week again as a substitute for Baltimore County until the end of the school year.

Easter celebrates the most important turning point in the history of the world, whether people believe it or not. Jesus Christ walked this earth, and did come to serve, be as a servant, and die to save us.

We've heard the story many times, same with the Christmas story, but we shouldn't forget how powerful they are! Jesus Christ literally died, was breathless, lifeless, for three days. I'm not sure what physically happens to a body after three days, but I'm sure it is not something any person would want to be around. The point is that He had no breath, no heartbeat, nothing, for that long.

It was the absolute power of God to raise Him; give him life again. He appeared to the disciples for 40 days after His death (Acts 1:3). He also appeared to 500 other people at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:6). If we claim to believe in a God that has this incredible power, why do we live as though He fits on our level? The God who created the universe and cleaned us from all of the filth and evil that is who we are, that is our hearts, so that we can live with abundant life (John 10:10) and be forgiven. He came so that we can find joy in suffering, and be the God of comfort because He understands the pain and temptation! He came so that we would have life forever, if we choose through faith to believe these things.

If you have the chance, watch the movie The Passion of the Christ. There was some controversy over it, but it is an amazing movie that gave me a picture of what the crucifixion was and how it happened. Give Christ, the living Christ, thanks for what He did, BELIEVE that He walked the earth and was and is real today, living through the Holy Spirit.