Who We Are and What We Do

In June, 2010, Pat Duff move to Guatemala with a passion to serve the poor and disabled in this Central American Country.  Since that time, she has founded Reason to Hope, Inc. and now employs a staff of five full-time and two part-time workers.  

Why do we do this?

In the United States, educational and support services for the disabled are readily available--even taken for granted.  Sadly, this is not the case in many parts of the world, including Guatemala.  .

Guatemala is one of the poorest, if not the poorest, country in Latin America. The government provides virtually no services to those with disabilities, and there is no government financial assistance to the poor. We have the sixth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world, and little or no pre-natal care. Many births take place in homes, with the help of only untrained midwives. All of these factors contribute to the high incidence of special needs in this country.

To meet the various needs we found among the disabled in Guatemala we developed five different strategies which we use in our ministry:

Community Living

Click here to learn more.

Casa de Esperanza, and Independent Living Home
located in San Pedro Las Huertas
outside Antigua Guatemala

Education and Discipleship

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Three days a week, Pat teaches English at
New Life School in Santa Maria de Jesus,
as well as working with the teachers to improve their teaching methods.

Job Training and Employment

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Fidel has started his own small recycling business and
"employs" Moises and Roberto to help with the things he
can't do independently.

Family Support

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Through nutritional support and
educational scholarships
we help families prevent disabilities and
care for their children with special needs
in their own homes.

We receive no support or assistance from the Guatemalan government or social services to serve these special individuals.

These ministries are made possible through the donations of our financial partners. One hundred percent of all funds received do directly to the mission field.

If you would like to join us in serving the least of these, you can send a donation to:

Reason to Hope, Inc.

P. O. Box 284

Elkhorn, NE 68022

Or donate on-line at
ReasontoHope.org.

Reason to Hope, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

CELEBRATE! We are our own non-profit!

A huge thank you to
the generous and talented
GRANT RYE
for designing our new logo.

On June 8, 2017 we received word that Reason to Hope, Inc. had been approved as an independent 501 (c) (3) or non-profit charitable organization. 

What does this mean?

Pat Duff and her ministry to the disabled in Guatemala has been funded through donations to the Josiah Foundation since her work began in June of 2010.  The Foundation had received donations to support this ministry, and Pat received these funds to support this work as an independent contractor.  Thus, the relationship of the Josiah Foundation was specifically with Pat Duff.  This has served well for the past seven years, and we are very grateful to the Josiah Foundation Board, and the Foundations founder, David Penner, for helping us get started serving in Guatemala.

As the ministry here developed, services and staff added, and real estate purchased, it became evident that our ministry to the poor and disabled in Guatemala needed a more permanent status to provide for sustainability and expansion in the future.  With the encouragement of friends of the ministry, and the blessing fo the Josiah Foundation, we submitted an application for non-profit status in May, 2017.  Almost miraculously, Reason to Hope, Inc. received approval as a tax-exempt charitable organization in less than three weeks.  Such rapid approval is almost unheard of and we are so excited to begin making the transition to providing a permanent presence in Guatemala.

Pat will continue to oversee the daily operation of the ministry in Guatemala, but will be supported and assisted by a Board of Directors for the corporation.  Currently, Mike and Marty Frisina, long-time supporters of the ministry, are serving as President and Secretary/Treasurer of Reason to Hope, Inc.  They will be the US contacts for the ministry, and will receive and process donations and help promote our work.  The Board will be expanded as the need arises and God directs.

How will this affect you as ministry supporters?

Please continue to keep in touch with us, and informed on what we are up to. Pat has a new email: patd@reasontohope.org (though the guatemalagrandma email will continue to function).

We are constructing a new website, but at present it only has a donation button appearing.  We hope to have it up and running within the next few weeks.

Pat will continue to be "Guatemala Grandma" and post on her blog Guatemala Journey, which will focus on her life and growth as she ministers in Guatemala.

We have begun a ministry-specific blog, Reason to Hope, which will update you on ministry occurrences and events.  If you'd like to receive these blog posts by email, let us know.

How will this affect donating to this ministry?

Currently, the Josiah Foundation continues to receive and process donations on behalf of Pat's Guatemala Mission, and will continue to do so for the near future.

If you are a current supporter of the ministry, and have arranged for automatic payments set up for the ministry, please contact your bank or Paypal, and ask for the designated recipient to be changed to Reason to Hope, Inc. and change the address to the address listed below for checks. If you need a bank account number for electronic transfers, please contact Mike Frisina,our board president, at mikef@reasontohope.org..  He can help you with this.

If you contribute through Paypal,  please designate the recipient as to Reason to Hope, Inc.  You can click here if you'd like to donate on line.

There will be a period of overlap between the Josiah Foundation and Reason to Hope on these two methods of donations.  If you have donation currently pending through the Josiah Foundation, we will receive it, but please make this change as soon as it is convenient.

Finally, should you prefer to donate by check, please send your donation to:

Reason to Hope, Inc.

P. O. Box 284

Elkhorn, NE  68022.

There is no need to designate Mission Guatemala on the memo line of your check, as all donations received will directly support the ministry in Guatemala.  Please DO NOT write Pat's name anywhere on the check, as this will affect you ability to claim your gift as a charitable donation.

The Josiah Foundation has recently changed its mailing address, due to the relocation of the President and Founder, Dave Penner.  Though an oversight, mail addressed to the Josiah Foundation has been returned to sender.  We apologize for this mix-up, and ask you forgiveness if we have offended anyone in this process or caused you to question our support for our ministry.  Some things have been our of our control.

 If,  by chance, a donation is returned to you and you would like to resubmit it, you can just write a new check to Reason to Hope, Inc. and send it to the above address.

I know this is confusing, but the benefits of having our own non-profit will out-weigh the difficulties if we can persevere through the confusion of the changes.

Still have questions or concerns?

Please email Pat at patd@reasontohope.org..