January has been quite the busy, but blessed month.  Proof of that is the same day Miguel got his tonsils out, 5 year old Vilma finally came to be part of our family!  I say “finally” because we had been trying to make this happen since December 28th, the day that Juana and Willie went home with their aunts and uncles.  Just hours after we returned from their court hearing, we received a phone call from an orphange wondering if we could receive Vilma.  Talk about incredible timing.  God in his infinite wisdom had allowed Juana and Willie to go home, opening up space in the Children’s Home for Vilma.  Awesome!  That afternoon Diana and drove down to the orphanage to get more information and meet Vilma and we both fell in love.

Meeting Vilma for the first time

She was a sweet, smiling, and energetic little girl and we knew she would be a perfect addition to the family (we have quite a few energetic children so she would fit right in!!!)  However as we learned more about her story our heart broke for her.  She had been abandoned at just 4 months old and then taken to an orphanage.  Things looked up when a few years later a Guatemalan woman decided to adopt her, but that was short lived and just 6 months later the adoptive mother decided she could no longer care for Vilma.  She was then taken to this last orphanage.  Unfortunately, this place was only set up to care for babies and they soon saw Vilma’s age and size to be problematic for the other children. They contacted us and wanted to know if we would be willing to take Vilma in. Of course!!  In short, Vilma at such a young age, has already been shuffled around between 4 different places.  Constantly adjusting, never knowing how long she will stay, wondering who will abandon her next.   We immediately knew that the Lord had called us to step in and change this siutation.  We had been given an opportunity to give hope, peace, and love to this little girl and there was no way we were going to say no.

Unfortunately, the transfer took longer than expected but on January 26th, as Miguel was in recovery, I received a phone call from the court saying the paperwork had finally be processed.  I left Diana with Miguel and rushed down to the courts and picked up the paperwork, and then went to the orphanage where Vilma was waiting.

Vilma and the girls

When I walked in she was standing by the door with a pretty Hello Kitty dress and a pink suitcase with her belongings.  She had the biggest grin on her face, but when she saw I was alone, she asked me very bluntly, “where’s the other lady?”  She was, of course, referring to Diana, and I explained that she was with Miguel.  That answer seemed to be good enough for her.   As I was getting some final instructions from the other director, I could tell she was excited about going.  In fact, as we were about to leave, she almost forgot to say goodbye to everyone!  But thankfully, it made for an easy transition.  We talked all the way home and the entire time she called me “Mister”, since she could quite get my name down.

Once we got to the home, all the other children were just in awe, and immediately I heard Lidia whisper over to Amelia, “she looks just like Teresita.”, another girl that was part of the children’s home a few years back.  Vilma met all the rest of the children and then started to play.   The Lord really was in the middle of all of this and we are so happy that Vilma is now part of the family.  It gives us great joy to be able to comfort her and tell her that she has finally found a family that will love her, care for her, and NEVER let her go.

You can learn more about Vilma and even sponsor her here.

Since 2011 we have had the privilege of partnering with The Shalom Foundation to get medical assistance for our children.  In February of last year, they helped coordinate Juan Jose and Carlos’ dental surgeries (read about it here, here, and here), something we had been trying to do for more than 2 years.  Since then they have brought teams of physical and occupational therapists to see Carlos, have done medical check ups on our children, and have been helped purchased clothing and even beds for new children when they come.  Already, they have been incredibly supportive of our ministry and last week they were there for us again with a team of surgeons that removed Miguel’s tonsils.

We found out about Miguel’s enlarged tonsils back in 2010 when Rebecca’s mother, Ruth Ann, came and did dental work on our children.  As she was working on Miguel she noticed that his tonsils were severely swollen, but thankfully not infected.  In fact, she said that in all her years of practice, she had never seen someone with tonsils that large!  Over the following months we looked into doing the surgery at a private hospital but they were much too expensive.   We even tried to contact surgical teams that were coming down to Guatemala but they were working outside the city and didn’t want to risk operating since tonsillectomies can bleed out and there weren’t hospitals nearby.  Thankfully, in December of last year, the Shalom Foundation informed us of a team of ENT’s that were coming in January to do surgeries at their recently constructed hospital, the Moore Pediatric Surgical Center.  We got Miguel signed up and a few short weeks later it was the day of his surgery.

Lidia and Katy hugging Miguel after he got back from his surgery

Ruth took Miguel bright and early to their hospital, but he was the last person to be scheduled since they were going by age.  He had not eaten anything as of lunch the day before and by the time he was up, he was hungry and bored!  Of course, he was also a bit nervous, but we had been praying with him a lot over the past days and that really helped to comfort him.   Once he went into the surgery, it took about an hour and 15 minutes until he was out.  Amazingly, even these doctors said he had the biggest tonsils they had ever removed before!  Thankfully, they also went ahead and took out his adenoids, something else that was swollen and making it hard for him to breath.

Because the surgery happened so late in the day, the doctors kept Miguel over night.  Ruth, Diana and I had been with him throughout the day, so Blanca, the cook, came and stayed the night with him.  The next morning we picked him up and brought him home.  When we opened the door, all the children were there waiting and had made get well soon cards for him.  It was a very touching moment and it’s amazing to see the love the children have for one another.

We want to thank all of you who were praying for Miguel before, during, and after his surgery.  His recovery has been without incident and he was back at school the following week.  And of course, we also want to thank The Shalom Foundation for their support and help with this entire process.  They have been instrumental in providing the medical care our children need and we are eternally grateful.

"We Love You Miguel" - the sign the children made for Miguel

Recently Jane, a friend of our ministry and adoptive mother, contacted us regarding her daughter who was turning 16 years old.  Usually, the family doesn’t do big birthday celebrations but this year was going to be differente because her daughter Jaqueline wanted to have a party and instead of asking for gifts for herself, wanted everyone to bring a donation for our children.  Here’s the letter she sent out to friends and family:

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that you will join us in celebrating my 16th birthday.  I am thankful to be celebrating with you here in the United States.  I am blessed to have such a great family and friends that have accepted me when I joined the family through adoption.

There really isn’t anything I want or need for my birthday.  I am thankful for what I already have.  So, in honor of my birthday, I would like to help other children that were not as fortunate as me.  There are many children that were left behind in Guatemala without a family to call their own.  In addition there are many that are starving, have no shoes, clothes, or shelter.

I will be traveling to Guatemala on January 18th… While I am in Guatemala, I will have the opportunity to help other children in need.  I plan to spend time at Hope For Tomorrow orphanage.  My plan is to buy things the kids need and take them out for a day of fun.  Hopefully we can have a pizza party for them, go bowling, or anything else that we can arrange.

So, instead of a birthday present for me, I hope that you might consider contributing to my cause to that together, we can help those who were left behind.

Love,

Jacqueline

What an amazing story of self sacrifice and willingness to serve others.  In the words of her mother, “I am SO PROUD of her for wanting to do this.  She could get a lot of gifts/money at her party but she is willing to forgo that all for other children in Guatemala.”

Fast forward a few weeks and Jaqueline, her sister Karly, and her mother Jane were down in Guatemala celebrating with our children.  Through her birthday party she raised more than $1000 and with that money bought our children school supplies, clothes, and some wonderful gifts for Miguel’s 14th birthday (like an iPod nano!!).  But by far the best part of it all was taking all the children out with the family.  On a Saturday morning we packed the kids in the van and went bowling!  This is one activity we had never done before and the children were really excited.  After bowling and some pizza, we were all still excited and full of adrenaline so before heading home we took a detour to the park and spent some time there just hanging out and playing.  The entire day was incredible and the children had a blast.

We are all so thankful to people like Jaqueline who have put the children of our Home before their own personal wants or desires.  Being able to witness these incredible acts of kindess and grace is encouraging, not to mention the wonderful examples they are for our own children.  We pray that they will learn from people like Jaqueline what it means to “love your neighbor”.  Thank you Jaqueline for your passion, your sacrifice, and the example you are.

Here are some pictures from our bowling adventure.

On December 8th, we received a phone call regarding two children that had been removed from a neglectful and abusive environment. Even though it would put us above capacity, we knew the Lord was calling us to step in and that evening we welcomed Juanita (5 years old) and Willie (3 years old). These two children came to us in such horrible conditions that it broke our hearts and made us angry all at once. But in the middle of sadness and anger, we were just happy they were with us…even if it was for a short time. Just 20 days later, at their court hearing, their aunts and uncles, disgusted and ashamed at the treatment Juana and Willie’s mother have given them, came forward to care for these two precious children. They are now happily with them in a loving environment, but their smiles are still close to our hearts.

We share the following photos as a reminder of the condition so many children live in, but also to show the difference you are helping to make through our ministry.

Their Arrival

The Difference A Little Love Makes

This Christmas our children were blessed to have three different groups of people donate gifts for their Christmas.  The first group was led by some friends of our from our church small group.  They spoke with friends and family member and raised fund to not only buy Christmas presents but to also have dinner and a piñata. We wrote about it before and you can read about the wonderful evening here.

On Christmas eve, we brought the rest of the presents over and celebrated Christmas with all the children.  We started the evening reading about the birth of Christ and explaining that this is the true meaning behind Christmas.  The gifts and presents, while exciting and fun, are meant to symbolize the greatest gift of all: the birth of Christ.  Diana did a wonderful job reading the story with passion and excitement and afterwards, we prayed with all the children.  Then after a brief photo session, we dove into the Christmas gifts.

The second group of gifts also came from our church, but this was organized by our Operation Christmas Child program.  If you aren’t familiar with it, church members fill a shoe box full of items for either a boy or a girl of a specific age.  Then these christmas boxes are delivered to children who might not have gotten a present.  Best of all, they include a personal note in the box, sharing about their families, favorite Bible verses, and what Christ means to them.  It truly is a wonderful program that puts smiles on faces of thousands of children around the world.  Thankfully, this year the program leaders selected us as one of the groups that would be receiving these gifts.  We picked them up from church and brought them over to the children on Christmas Eve and they loved them!  It’s amazing how much stuff can fit into a shoe box.

The third set of Christmas presents came from Diana’s sister that was in from Spain.  She and her husband graciously donated some gifts for all the children.  When we handed out these gifts all of the children were in awe of what they received, but no one more than Willie.  He received a plastic yellow truck and when he saw it he couldn’t contain his excitement.  He repeatedly went around to all of us showing his bright yellow truck with a smile that stretched ear to ear.  Even after handing out the other presents, he always went back to the truck and even when we left a few hours later, he was still running up and down the halls with it.

To us it’s always amazing how such small things can have the biggest impact in the lives of children.  While they of course love the gifts, what truly brings a smile to their faces is to know they aren’t forgotten.  They realized that there are people beyond the children’s home that love and pray for them.  That’s the greatest gift of all: to share hope, peace, love, and comfort to children that sometimes feel abandoned and ignored.

We would like to publicly thank all of the people that were involved in making this such a wonderful Christmas for our children.  People sacrificed time and money to bring a smile to our children’s faces and we can’t be more thankful.  I would also like to thank Diana publicly for contacting, planning and organizing the three different groups of presents.  She was the catalyst for all the gifts the children received.

Thank you all and God bless!

Here are some pictures from our Christmas

We are always looking for unique ways for people to support our ministry and with the help of a few friends (Susie, Christy, and Mary Louise), we have come up with the best yet: our Online Gift Catalog.  If you are looking for a unique way to give a gift to a friend or loved one, look no further than our gift catalog.  Our gift catalog has multiple gifts at different prices that all benefit the children of Hope For Tomorrow.  It’s a perfect way to give a gift that will not only bring a genuine smile to the recipient’s face but also impacts the lives of orphaned children in Guatemala.  Not to mention it saves you the time and trouble of searching for something he or she probably already has.  It’s a win win!

After choosing your gift, you also have the option of personalizing a card that explains the impact their gift has on our ministry.  It’s easy to email or print and is the perfect complement to the gift you have given.

To see our gift catalog, just click here or go to www.hope4tomorrow.net/gifts/

Of course, you can always continue to make an online donation or sponsor a child.  Our online gift catalog is just one more way  for you to support our children.

One final idea is to combine a Hope Birthday with our Online Gift Catalog.   The next time you have a birthday or anniversary party, instead of requesting gifts, point people to our online gift catalog and have them purchase their gifts for you there.  A Hope Birthday and our Online Gift Catalog is a match made in heaven!

This past week we had a few of our friends from church come over and celebrate Christmas with our children.  Two couples, Pablo and Wendy, and Byron and Jennifer, came by Friday afternoon with a few surprises.  They started off with dinner from Burger King, which the children just loved.  In fact, it was Juanita and Willie’s first cheeseburger ever, and they didn’t quite know what to do with it!  After dinner, they brought out a piñata for everyone to enjoy and one by one the children took turns whacking the paper mache Smurf.  Finally, for the main event, we moved to the living room where one by one the couples gave each child a Christmas gift.

The evening was quite special, not because of the food or gifts or presents, but because of the interaction between the children and our friends.  It’s not too often that Guatemalan’s come by and visit the children, but when they do, the connection between the two groups is always very special.  They understand each other cultural which is so important.  They speak the same language, share the same jokes, know the television shows, remember the same games they played when they were younger.  This, more than anything else, make these moments so important and inspiring.

So thank you to Pablo, Wendy, Byron, and Jennifer, and to all their friends that donated to make the evening possible.  It was wonderful!

Our friends took some pictures while they were there and we wanted to share them here.