Kimberly

We met Kimberly's parents through Orily who is working with Robby on finding families with the most needs to receive homes in El Tejar. Orily is also one of the hardest working people I know. During construction projects you will find her (dressed in a skirt) laying concrete block, delivering wheelbarrows full of concrete, or digging twice as fast as anyone on site. We absolutely love Orily and her heart for the people of Guatemala.

So when Orily told us about her pastor's daughter being sick and needing to see a doctor we wanted to help. She said that this little girl, Kimberly, was pale and sleeping all the time. We decided to take her to Hermano Pedro, which is a hospital in Antigua. The prices are affordable, which means that even though we arrived at 6:30 in the morning we had to wait in muchas colas (MANY LINES!) and Kimberly was not seen by the doctor until 10:00.

When we first saw Kimberly we were relieved to see that Kimberly appeared to be in pretty good health. I think Orily just exaggerated a little because she really wanted to help her. After talking with her mom I learned that Kimberly had been born prematurely via C-section in an El Tejar medical clinic. I think the complications from her birth have caused her to have some special needs. Her mom's main concern is her hearing and speech.

The doctor at Hermano Pedro said that he agrees she needs to have her hearing tested and that an audiologist will be there in February. I knew I must be confusing my months of the year -- he couldn't possibly mean that she would need to wait 8 months to have her hearing tested. But he really did mean February was the soonest that an audiologist would be there.

Thanks to a donation from Holly and Brad Clark (who have an amazing yard sale each year to raise money for several ministries in Guatemala) we will be able to look for another doctor in the city and try to get the help that Kimberly needs. What an encouragement to this sweet family that opens their home each week since they do not have a church building.