This is a newsletter that I wrote a month ago…. and as I looked over it, I realized, yet again, so much has changed. So much has gone forward. And still… through it all… we are convinced. This plan is much larger than we can see. We press on…

March 2014
Change is inevitable is what they always say, but the change that is currently happening is Guatemala can only be explained in one Word – God. It is not change that we could possibly see coming. It is not change that we could have orchestrated ourselves. And it is not change that is going away either. Since God laid on our hearts to begin a hospital, He has been bringing together people with every unique ability and gift possible to create the team that He wants. It starts with a group of doctors that have experience on the foreign scene and the energy to see this hospital built. They have committed to being here full time and staffing the hospital. We needed a Guatemalan certified doctor as well. Since we are so remote and isolated, this was only a dream. We could not even find a nurse willing to come to the rural part of Guatemala in which we live. But God knew we would need this doctor even before us and laid it on the heart of a doctor to come to Canilla. He showed up on our doorstep (literally), not knowing us or the fact that we were beginning a hospital, only saying he felt God is sending he and his wife here. And they fit in perfectly with the heart that we have for the people. Meeting them and hearing their stories still brings chills to be as God’s intentions are so clear.

With the hospital we quickly realized that we will want to train up staff that have the same heart as our ministry. Our main objective is that the people would come to know Christ. We want the doctors, nurses and staff at our hospital to know Jesus and to treat the patients as Jesus would treat them as well. And so we have begun a school where we can train students under our own system. This is the first program with a pre-med emphasis in country and we are convinced that it is ordained by God as it took only two weeks to get approval – a miracle by ALL Guatemala standards. The students in this area have few options for schooling and are well behind the urban areas. In the short time that the school has been open, it is evident that not only are the students receiving an education, but they are alive with hope for their futures. They know the challenges that face them. Many of them have worked and saved for years to have this opportunity. We not only have to teach the curriculum, but we are also teaching an “I can” mentality. Believing they are not good enough or it is too difficult has been engrained in them. Reversing this culture is an enormous task.
And so you ask, how can I help… what can I do? We will always say – pray. So much of this has come about because it is just what God wants. With that we know that there are so many praying and fasting and trusting that God is the center of all we do. We want to keep this focus. You can partner with this ministry with specific needs (equipment, etc. that is needed) as well as financially if God is leading you in that direction. We have exploded with staff and have many, many positions to fill. We are collecting things for the hospital and school as the building and expansion continues.

I know many of the people I encounter have never seen God working in their lives. It is one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced. We had an idea of what a hospital might look like in this area, but we never EVER expected this. The doctor group, the Guatemalan doctor, the teachers at the school – they all have the same vision. They all have the same heart. It is so, so clear that God has handpicked each and every one of them to be here for such a time as this (Esther 4:14) . I so very much thank you for your love, support and prayers. It has not been easy, but it has definitely been worth it. The race continues. May we run with perseverance the race that God has marked out for us! ( Hebrews 12:1) May this be an encouragement to you that God continues to work and draw His people to Him!
Adrienne