Visit to Tecpan

Last night it occurred to us that exactly two years ago we were in Guatemala finishing a week-long mission trip. It was during that week that God confirmed to us that He was calling us to work in Guatemala. And last night we spent our first night in our new home -- we are now living next door to Mimi's House!

Today my mom and I met up with Dick Rutgers to visit with some families in Tecpan. I was most anxious to see Samuel, a fourteen-year-old boy that we sponsor. Two years ago I met Samuel while on a mission trip. We were bringing food and clothing to a widow that lives near Samuel and he asked for shoes not for himself, but for his younger brother. The missionaries we were with explained that we were only able to help the families without fathers and it absolutely broke my heart to have to tell Samuel no.

Months later I remember praying and complaining about my own circumstances when Samuel popped into my mind. I was reminded that although my situation at the time was not perfect, I was still living in a comfortable home with plenty of food to eat. The very next day I emailed the missionaries we had worked with to ask about Samuel. It just so happened (not a coincidence, but orchestrated by God) that the missionaries had just visited Samuel's community. His father had recently died and they were looking for sponsors to help this family.

Today Samuel was working at a nearby farm since schools here were not in session, so we weren't able to see him. But we did have a nice visit with his mom, her children, and lots of other kids who live in the neighborhood. Samuel's sister, Anna, is twelve and doing well in school. His brother, Josue, is nine and also enjoying school. The youngest two boys are still at home with their mom. We had such a great time and I look forward to going back again soon!

Casa Jackson Babies

Today I spent most of time at Casa Jackson with Alberto. He is new to the hospital, so it is necessary for him to stay in a separate room until he gets a little healthier. He enjoyed looking at books with me for a while, but he really just wanted to play with the other kids.



I also spent some time cuddling with Alison. She was not happy in her crib, but quickly calmed down when we rocked and sang songs.


Zoya is a three-year-old who has returned to Casa Jackson. She and her mother had been coming to the monthly educational meetings for parents and the staff noticed that her weight was not where it should be. Last week Zoya was very homesick for her mom, but this week she seemed to be doing better. Hopefully she won't have to spend too much time at the hospital this time.

What a whirlwind the past few months have been! Time is flying by here in Guatemala and we are finishing our language school this week. Although we are not fluent in Spanish, we are comfortable talking in Spanish and can communicate most things we would like to say. Learning a new language is such a long process and “poca a poca” (little by little) we will continue to improve as we live and work here.

Robby is preparing for his first water project in the small community of El Gorrion. A team from Georgetown, Kentucky will be coming in April to help complete this project, which will provide clean drinking water for approximately 120 families. Currently, the people living in El Gorrion depend on a truck to bring a limited supply of water to each family two times each week. This project will give them running water in their homes that will be available whenever they need it.

We have shared with you how God opened doors for us to rent the house next door to Mimi’s House, which has been a huge blessing for us. The house is very large and although we do not need all of this space for our family, we felt like the location was perfect. The landlord has agreed to reduce our rent by $100 each month which made it possible for us to make some much-needed repairs to the house.

After several conversations with Fontaine (the founder and director of Catalyst), we are moving forward with the process to open our home to foster children. It is our hope that Mimi’s House will continue to be a home for girls, while our home will be for infants who will come to us from the Guatemalan court system. As some of you know, it is not possible to adopt from Guatemala for several reasons right now so there are many children slipping through the cracks. We would like to be part of the solution for the problems of abuse, neglect, and malnutrition.

Lori will start working on the paperwork necessary to open our home to foster children. We know that this could be a long process. For example, the attorney that facilitated Cohen’s adoption has since turned her law office into a home for children. Her paperwork was denied many times before she was approved to open her home. We will begin working toward this goal and hope that we will be able to foster children in the future.

Praises:
• We are thankful for God’s protection for our family and for our health.
• We are thankful for a productive time in language school.
• We are thankful for new relationships with the Guatemalan people.
• We are thankful that Lori’s mom has been able to be here with us during our Spanish school to help take care of Cohen & Leah.

Prayer Requests:
• Robby’s upcoming water project in El Gorrion
• Approval for us to open our home to foster children
• For our safety (our kids are growing up thinking it is normal to have guards with guns outside of the grocery store and McDonald’s)
• Both of us to handle the daily stresses of living in Guatemala


Thank you so much for partnering with us in this adventure! We appreciate your support and your prayers!

Sweet, sweet babies

My mom and I have been volunteering at Casa Jackson, a home for malnurished infants and young children. Malnutrition is such an overwhelming problem here in Guatemala, but the staff and volunteers at Casa Jackson do an amazing job. They work very closely with the families, educating them on nutrition, child development, budgeting, health, and hygiene.


Laura was all smiles this afternoon and so sweet sharing her toys with the younger kids.


Mario enjoyed talking on a cell phone today. He has even learned some English. As he stood up in his crib he said, "Up!"


Pedro is so thin and delicate. He needs our prayers for a full recovery.


There are twin girls who were born prematurely. They are at Casa Jackson because their mother died in childbirth. Although they are still tiny, both girls seem to be thriving.

Thank you, Indian Hills Christian Church!!

Cohen with his new buddy Tyler at Mimi's House



We are so thankful for the group from Indian Hills Christian Church in Danville, Kentucky that was here last week. Not only did they put on Vacation Bible School in two locations each day, they distributed Bibles and food baskets to families in need, built an office and kitchen at the school in El Girrion, and constructed a covering for the patio at Mimi's House. In their spare time they painted most of the rooms in our house and helped us with some landscaping! Thank you all so much! You have helped to make our transition in Guatemala much smoother. Sorry we were in school most of the time and not able to spend more time with you, but we look forward to seeing you all again in the future.

Our First Quinceanera!

Yesterday we celebrated Julissa's 15th birthday, which is a very important day for girls in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. A team from Kentucky is here along with Julissa's family, so it was quite a party! Julissa was beautiful in her new dress and I think it was a day that she will never forget.

All of the girls enjoyed getting ready for the party. One of the ladies on the team is a stylist and so each of the girls got a haircut. They are all thrilled with their new looks!

Language School & More

We are almost finished with our fifth week of language school and have six more weeks to go. Our teachers have been excellent and we are learning so much! Each morning we walk seven or eight blocks to our school. We walk through the central park and up Calle del Arco (the famous Arch Street) and pass La Merced which is a beautiful cathedral.

Our language school

Calle del Arco



Today my teacher Iliana and I went shopping in the mercado for all the ingredients for chile relleno. Then we went back to our apartment and she taught me (speaking only espanol) how to make them. My only complaint was buying the meat hanging in the open air (I tried to convince her we could make vegetarian chile relleno, but she said that was not possible) so it's official. I have cooked with street meat!



We received our financial update from Catalyst today and we have only received about 25% of our budget for the month of January. We are checking to make sure that all of the checks that were intended for our family are in our account. Please make sure that in the memo of your check you write "Wheeler family" so that there is no confusion. And remember that we are here in Guatemala only because so many of you value the work that we are doing and are a part of this work through your donations. For your reference, Catalyst's address where donations can be sent is on the right side of the blog. Please email us if you have any questions. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers!!!