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.

If there is one child that exemplifies all that we desire for our children, it is Carlos.  He is a living testimony of how the Lord can transform lives if we would just believe in them and give them a chance to shine.  In such a short time we have seen Carlos achieve goals that people thought were unobtainable, such as walking.  However, as Carlos gets older, our next concern for him is his continued education.  He is now at the age where he should be starting first grade.  Unfortunately, in Guatemala the school system isn’t set up to include children like Carlos.  Rather than include children with disabilities, they segregate them into other schools that only focus on children with special needs.  There is a movement to change this and in fact a law has already been established to encourage schools to include children with special needs, but progress is slow.  As we look at Carlos and the incredible intellectual potential he has, this situation broke our heart.  Would this be the end of Carlos’ education?

We discussed this very issue during the most recent visit of co-founder Jennifer.  After a few days of thinking and praying, the Lord placed on our heart the idea of walking down to the Christian school that the older children attend and asking them if they would be open to the possibility of allowing Carlos to study there next year.  Of course, we knew exactly how crazy of an idea this was.  Not only were we asking this school to step into new territory, but we were also asking them to take responsibility of Carlos, to manage and deal with the questions and concerns other parents were sure to bring up, to make drastic changes to their curriculum and program, and to possibly hire on another teacher…and all of this just to accommodate one child!  But “what is impossible with man, is possible for God”, and in faith we ran down to the school.

Without a moment to spare, Jennifer and I walked into the school offices as they were about to close down for the week.  The elementary principal was about ready to leave and actually wanted to meet with us the following week, but Jennifer was leaving on Sunday and I was heading to the States on Tuesday.  It was now or never!  Thankfully, the principal agreed to meet with us and we opened up our hearts and began to share about Carlos, his situation, and just how incredible he was.  We spoke of his determination and how he had overcome such big obstacles like walking.  We shared about his intelligence and how bright he is.  Anything and everything we could think of we shared trying to persuade this elementary school principal to be open to the possibility of Carlos studying there.

As we finished up, the principal, tears in her eyes, leaned forward and said, “this is God’s timing.”  She explained that for the past 3 months they had been praying and considering opening their school to children with disabilities.  In fact, they already had a teacher on staff that is trained in teaching children with special needs!  The only problem was that the school had a potential child but at the last minute they backed out and were currently without a child that could come.  But now, in God’s timing, we came talking about Carlos!  Talk about an exciting moment!  To see two organizations with the same vision and same goal to be brought together in God’s timing.  It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Unfortunately, it was far from a done deal.  The principal and teacher were completely for it, but, as in any school, they have to answer to a board of directors that ultimately has to decide one way or another.  We left that meeting cautiously optimistic.  The following week, I went to the States to share with churches and small groups about our ministry and I was sure to share about this incredible story.  But most importantly, I wanted people to be praying for the school and the board of directors.  This would be a huge decision for them, one that financially and socially might not make any logical sense, but with an army of people praying we were confident that the Lord would prove his faithfulness again.

Three weeks later, I was back and we were at the children’s home sharing pictures from my trip with the children when a phone call came in from the school…Carlos had been accepted!  Next year, Carlos will be officially enrolled in a first grade class!  We were all extremely excited and overjoyed with the incredible opportunity Carlos is going to have this coming January.  But this isn’t just good news for Carlos, this is great news for all children with special needs.  God is opening doors in Guatemala and is going to use children like Carlos to transform education.  Carlos will be at the forefront of this incredible change and it will benefit hundreds if not thousands of lives in the coming years.

Over and over again, we have seen the Lord do amazing things in the lives of our children.  These children are so much more than just “orphans” in the hands of God and are capable of achieving the impossible.  This is just the beginning!

After driving more than 3000 miles over two weeks, I am back, and what an incredible trip. Over the entirety of my travels I saw the Lord answering the prayer requests I had asked people to be lifting up. I had wonderful travels to and from the States and even as I drove from State to State, I saw God’d protection. Each visit with the churches and small groups that had been lined up went off wonderfully and it was a pleasure to share with them about our ministry and children. Honestly, things couldn’t have gone better. And despite the long trip, the late nights and early mornings, and being away from my beautiful wife for an extended time, I returned from the US refreshed and rested. Thank you all for your prayers and support during this trip. Thank you for helping to set up the numerous meetings and speaking engagements. Thank you to all the host families that allowed me to stay the night in their homes. Finally, thank you to all the churches that gave me time to share about our ministry. God bless you all!

See a recap of my travels, photos, and even an interactive map.