Heavy Hearts

Melvin on his 4th Birthday, Feb. 24th. Standing beside him is his big brother, Kevin.

4 year old Melvin from the Children's Home has been sick for about a month, and finally received a diagnosis on Tuesday. Though our hearts are heavy with the news, we're thankful for answers and remain hopeful that the Lord will heal him completely. Please read the letter below written by the Director of NLCH explaining what we know currently about Melvin's situation, and please keep this sweet little one in your prayers.

Dear Friends,

We are sending out this message as an S.O.S. for prayer. Our four year old Melvin has been sick for about a month and in the hospital for 2 weeks. They couldn't find the reason for his fever and pain. However today, after a second bone marrow aspiration, he has been diagnosed with leukemia. The doctor says that it is very treatable, so we think that it is acute lymphocytic leukemia. He will be transferred soon to the cancer hospital.

His home mother, Bety, has been at his bedside this whole time except for a couple of nights and brief spells during the afternoons. They only have a plastic chair beside Melvin's bed, so Bety is exhausted as well as emotionally drained. We have some of our oldest girls who have spelled her each day for a few hours. The government hospital where he has been is very primitive in comparison to what we are used to, but we have had to pay very little for all the testing they have done, so we are thankful.

We don't know exactly what is coming next, but we know that this is going to be a long road. We are trusting the Lord that Melvin will recover, but it all feels pretty overwhelming right now, as you can imagine. Bety is the home mother for the older girl house with 10 girls. She also has taken on the task of caring for Melvin's baby brother, Angel David, who was born in December. Bety has no children of her own, but she has a true mother's heart for these kids. We will need extra help to cover for her during this difficult time, and there is no extra in our budget.

Thank you for your prayers and support. It encourages our hearts to have so many standing in the gap with us. We will keep you apprised as we find out more of what is in store.

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Estamos pidiendo oración: Nuestro precioso Melvin, con 4 años, fue diagnosticado ayer con leucemia. Ha estado enfermo por un mes y en el hospital por 2 semanas.... Va a ser un camino largo, pero estamos aferrados a la mano del Señor.

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If you wish to make a donation to help cover the expenses of Melvin's treatment, you can send a check marked for Melvin's Medical Expenses to NLAI P.O. Box 35857, Houston, TX 77235-5857. Thanks for your prayers and support of this precious little one

Melvin with Bety's husband at the hospital.

Update on baby Adrián (English & Español)

Nearly 3 weeks ago I posted a blog requesting prayer for little baby Adrián who born 2 months premature and fighting for his life; you may recall that his mom and dad were both suffering health complications as well.

Last week I received an update that both mom and dad were doing much better, and dad had been able to return to work. Amazingly, the Lord was providing both Gaby and Randy with a great deal of peace in the midst of very difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, Adrián's health has not been improving. Last night I received word that both of Adrián's lungs collapsed and the doctor told Gaby and Randy there is nothing more they can do. Although there's nothing more that man can do, we know that our limits don't limit the Almighty God and we continue to pray that He will perform a miracle of healing in Adrián it it's in His will.

As you pray for Adrián, please also continue to pray for peace for Gaby and Randy and their friends and family. Thanks for supporting this family with your prayers!

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Hace casi 3 semanas, escribí para pedir que oren por Adrián, el bebé que nació a los 7 meses y estaba luchando por su vida; tal vez recuerdan que sus papás también estaban sufriendo de problemas de salud.

Una semana atrás, supe que la mamá y el papá de Adrián estaban mucho mejor, y que el papá ya habia regresado al trabajo. Es increíble la paz que Dios les estaba dando en medio de unas circunstancias muy dificiles.

Desafortunadamente, Adrián no ha estado mejorando. Anoche recibí noticias de que sus dos pulmones habían colapsados y que la doctora ya les contó a Gaby y a Randy que ya no hay nada más que pueden hacer para ayudarle a Adrián. Aunque no haya nada más que pueda hacer un humano, sabemos que nuestros limites no limitan al Dios Todopoderos, y seguimos orando que Dios hará un milagro en la vida de Adrián si sea Su voluntad.

Mientras que oren por Adrián, les pido que también sigan orando que Dios les daría paz a Gaby, Randy, sus parientes, y sus amigos. Gracias por apoyar a ésta familia con tus oraciones!

Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing our God cannot do!

Dear Friend and Family,
Last night a very close friend shared that a friend of hers was in the hospital. Without knowing the situation, I started praying. I awoke in the middle of the night, and she was on my mind. Then again this morning, I was overwhelmed with this burden to pray. Tonight I got more of the story and now I understand why the Lord kept bringing this friend to mind...in fact, it's not just her one friend, but a couple and their newborn baby. Though I don't know them, God has placed them in a special place in my heart and I long to hear stories of His great faithfulness in delivering them from this difficult situation. This family is desperately in need of a miracle. Please join me in praying that the Lord will provide just that for Randy, Gaby, and their baby Adrián. Also pray for strength, hope, and joy for these new parents.
The story is as follows:
Feb. 24, Adrián was born. He was born 2 months premature because Gaby (the mother) had preeclampsia. The baby was born weighing only 2 pounds, he's tiny! A few days ago, he was moved to a national hospital and is now in an even more delicate state: he has pneumonia, septicemia (bacteria in the blood), he had an intestinal hemorrhage, edema (swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body's tissues), and he's now had about five blood transfusions. The prognosis is not good.

In this hospital where the baby is now, Gaby and Randy (the father) only have 30 minutes to see the baby each day, and it's one at a time. Gaby hadn't even recovered from the C-section when she was hospitalized (in a different hospital) Tuesday because of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVP- a blood clot). She will be kept in the hospital five days, without being able to see her son Adrián. Randy was also affected by partial facial paralysis on the same day Gaby was admitted to the hospital.

La Historia en Español:
El 24 de febrero nació Adrián. Adrián nació de siete meses porque a Gaby, mi amiga, le dio preclampsia y hubo que intervenirla de emergencia. Mi chiquito pesó solo dos libras, es diminuto! Hace unos días lo trasladaron a un hospital nacional y ahora está en un estado todavía más delicado: tiene neumonía, septicemia, tuvo hemorragia intestinal, tiene edema y ya lleva como cinco transfusiones de sangre. El pronóstico no es nada bueno.

En este hospital, mis amigos Gaby y Randy tienen solo 30 minutos para verlo cada día, uno por uno. La Gaby ni descansó de la cesárea, hasta que la hospitalizaron a ella (en un hospital diferente) el martes porque le dio trombosis venosa. Entonces, estará internada cinco días sin ir a ver a Adrián =( Y bueno, el mismo martes, a Randy le dio parálisis facial nerviosa!

Again, I know the family and friends of this sweet new baby covet your prayers. Thank you! "The prayer of a powerful man is righteous and effective."-James 5:16.

Being the Body

January was a month filled with lessons in humility and trust. 3 weeks without a car left me completely dependent on others not only to take me to and from school each day, but also to provide me with a place to stay. (My house is too far away to get rides to/from there daily.) Additionally, a number of serious migraines left me completely incapacitated. It was during that time which I was overwhelmed by the body of Christ loving through actions and not only words. I cannot express the gratitude I felt toward the Lord for placing such individuals in my life nor toward those individuals for willingness to help in any and every way. So…what does the body of Christ look like in action? I’d venture to say the following:

It looks like a family opening their home to someone in need of a place to stay indefinitely.

It looks like an individual giving up her bed for days so that another might have a comfortable place to stay.

It looks like rides to and from work, and cars loaned out to individuals in need of transportation.

It looks like visiting a friend’s sick mother in the hospital, though she’s unconscious and may never know you were there.

It looks like calling for appointments, and taking the sick to the doctor and to have tests run.

It looks like bringing dinner to a friend who is too sick to get out of bed...your bed, at that.

It looks like heartfelt prayers in any language.

It looks like phone calls and e-mails of encouragement.

It looks like providing for physical needs, be they financial or otherwise.

It looks like a hug on a hard day. And on a good one.

It looks like making one feel like family.

It looks like sincere love for others.

To all those who have helped me during the ups and downs of life in Guatemala, THANK YOU! And to those who have prayed for me, even from hundreds or thousands of miles away, know that you are being the Body in a very real way too, and I appreciate every prayer prayed on my behalf! I couldn't be here doing what I am, without you!

Christmas with Family

This Christmas I enjoyed spending time with all my "families." :)

Alejandro and me on Christmas Eve, just before opening presents. (Christmas Eve is a BIG deal in Guatemala.)

And after the presents, everyone gets to play with fireworks at midnight, even the littlest ones! This is a pic of Gaby (2) with a sparkler in hand. If only this picture showed the fear I saw in her face. Haha. :)

Christmas morning I was blessed with a good Skype connection that allowed me to participate in the reading of the Christmas story and the opening of Christmas presents with my family. My brother made a joke about taking a pic of us all together on the screen, but then wasn't so thrilled with actually doing it. Lol.

The stockings and group gifts all ready for the kids at the Home on Christmas morning...

My friend, Ana Beatriz, invited another interpreter friend from church (Albina) and myself to have lunch with her family on Christmas. After spending some time with the kids at NLCH in the morning, I headed out to meet them. It was such a neat experience to share Christmas with a Guatemalan family (aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all included), and it was a special blessing to be counted as a part of the family.

(Left to Right: Me, Albina, Ana Beatriz)

Birthday and Special Visitors

It just so happened, that there was a Sign Language interpreting workshop on my birthday. And the workshop was being taught by a very dear friend of mine from church. After the workshop, she and another interpreter friend from church treated me to dinner at San Martin. Since it was my birthday, all the waitresses gathered around our table, put the crazy baker's hat on my head, and sang to me. I think the below picture pretty accurately displays the combination of exhaustion and embarrassment I was feeling at that moment. Lol. (On the bright side, the cake was delicious!)

The same friend who led the interpreting workshop, was sweet enough to buy me gerber daisies for my birthday! And the next day, I received another beautiful birthday bouquet from the director of the Children's Home. Oh, and the plaque in front of the daisies was a b-day gift from a student of mine--it's a Bible verse in Korean, with the English translation below it. I love it!

The day after my birthday, I got to visit with a family from my school in Xela. The oldest girl was a student of mine the first year I taught there. I enjoyed showing them around the Children's Home, and the girls enjoyed playing with the kids here.

I can't believe she's in 4th grade now!!! :)

Signing Makes Me Smile

A little over 10 years ago I fell in love with Sign Language. I’d learned little words here and there, and I’d always been fascinated by how I could fingerspell using the alphabet to get away with talking when told to be silent, but in July 2001, I really caught the passion for it. That was the first time I’d ever observed and been taught to use Sign Language in worship. I couldn’t get enough of it. From then on, I was determined to continue studying sign language so that I could also use it in worship one day. And that’s just what I did.

Making due with whatever books I could get my hands on or internet sites I could find, I studied. Eventually the hard work began to pay off. At a youth retreat only a year and a half later, I was given my first opportunity to interpret in sign language. I’ll be honest, that first attempt was pretty terrible. But once I got the nerves out, the other couple sessions I interpreted went much smoother. After that, I just couldn’t get enough.

Throughout the years, I worked with a hearing-impaired 4^th grader as a teacher’s aid in England, interpreted worship music as a part of the Trinity Baptist Church (Germany) praise team, interpreted during Sunday School for a boy with a communication disorder and later a deaf child adopted from Haiti at First Alliance Church in Kentucky, worked with a deaf kindergartner as a student teacher in Kentucky, and did some interpreting for a deaf boy at my “home church” Iglesia Buatista Agape in Illinois. The opportunities to sign came and went, but I enjoyed them all.

Then, I moved to Guatemala. I love Guatemala, and I love Spanish, but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss sign language. Eventually, I began interpreting the worship at church from Spanish to English and then into sign language (after a while this became a quick process I hardly realized I was doing). It was nice to be able to sign during worship again, but it wasn’t the same.

Last May, I attended Iglesia Biblico El Camino for the first time. Unknowingly, I sat in the deaf/signing section. Though I hadn’t intended to sit in that area, God knew just what He was doing in opening up a seat for me there. I was overwhelmed with joy to not only see sign language being used in worship again, but to see such a large group of people worshiping in that way!

After spending the summer in the U.S., I returned to IBEC and jumped right into the sign class that had started just before my summer break. After a few Saturday’s of attending class for 3 hours, rather than the regular 2, I was mostly caught up. Learning Guatemalan sign has been such an adventure. Even after the most frustrating classes, I’ve been so thankful for the opportunity to learn. And every Sunday I am overcome with joy as I join with a group of believers—hearing and not—that share the passion for praising God with their hands. It's a beautiful thing thing to see, and a wonderful experience to share with my sisters and brothers in Christ.