2023 in Focus

 January

Two of our young men went back to school after a number of years of not studying.  We are grateful to the sponsor whose donation enabled us to send them to a Christ-centered adult education program.

Jose began working to complete his high school diploma.

Layo began Basico, the Guatemalan equivalent of junior high.

We also welcomed our first volunteer of the year, Vonnie Hepner, from Virginia.  A mutual friend in Iowa, Hank, had connected us. Vonnie's gardening, cooking and musical abilities were put to good use with our students as well as residents. She came planning to stay one month and stayed three.  She seemed to like it here.

February

We had a rather surprise visit from one of our ministry partners.  I invited a physician friend of ours to come visit us when he's next in Guatemala, and it just so happened he was in Antigua!  He had he had heard about our homes but never seen them.  He graciously treated our ladies to lunch at one of the fanciest restaurants in Antigua!

We began our school year with our English speaking students.  Our numbers had increased enough that we moved our classroom to the larger room on the second floor of Pat's house.

While most of our friends in Canada and the US were still struggling through the cold, the temperatures in Guatemala were warm enough for us to resume physical therapy using the pool in the condominium where the men live.

March

With the beginning of Lent, we started a new Bible study at our men's home.  One of our guys commented that he really didn't know much about what kind of person Jesus was, so it was hard to follow him.  We began studying the name Yahweh gave Moses--"I AM"  and have tied this into the "I AM" statements of Jesus in the book of John.  

"Yo soy is Spanish for 'I am.'''

I love how it can be made into a circle, 

without beginning or end.

We also worked with the Antigua Green School to help their students understand how difficult it is to get around in our area if you are in a wheelchair.  

They both spent time with our men walking around Antigua, as well as got to experience first hand the challenges of wheelchair travel.

April

In our study of the events leading up to Easter, we celebrated a simplified Christ-centered Sedar similar to what Jesus would have done with the disciples at the Last Supper.  A couple of our guys were surprised to realize that Jesus was Jewish and celebrated the Jewish festivals.

Of course we had a grand dinner to celebrate Resurrection Sunday.  Pat had planned on serving ham but the guys voted for fish!  It was a challenge to prepare fish for so many people, but we figured it out. 

In April we took on some Spanish speaking children in our education program.  The young man below lives in a children's home near here and struggled with attending a regular school.  Given our structure and the individual attention we provide, he is excelling.

May

Thanks to the generosity of our partners and supporters, work on the interior damage from the last hurricane began in earnest.  We had a setback when Gustavo, our maintenance magician, suffered a broken arm and was out of commission for 2 months.  You may not be able to tell, but here he is scraping the plaster down to the cement foundation--USING ONE HAND!

Our friendship with the local police force continues, and we were honored to supply a snack for the wives of our local officers to celebrate Mother's Day.  Police here work ten days straight, usually a great distance from where their families live.  We appreciate the sacrifices these women make to enable their husbands to serve Guatemala.

May seems to kick-off the time when we have visitors to our ministry.  Kayla, a special education trained teacher from Houston has been with us before.  This time she came back to study Spanish and brought her family with her for a weekend.  The ladies love guests and enjoyed their visit.

June

We were blessed by a visit this month from a physician friend from Kansas who came to Guatemala on a medical mission but squeezed in time to visit us.  

A physical therapist who was with her team spent an afternoon at Casa de Esperanza  training our staff and even provided therapy to help Gustavo's arm heal correctly!

One afternoon may not seem like a lot, but when our staff is trained and can continue using what they learn it makes a huge difference.

July

Hank, our friend and advocate from Iowa, brought a team to Guatemala to work in Huehuetenango. This group was from River Church in Seattle, Washington. We were honored that they took a day to spend with our men and women.

They brought and played table games with our men, and worked with our ladies to make necklaces and bracelets.  This may not seem like much, but our residents love guests.  The time and energy this team took to be with our folks helps them feel loved, valued and included.  No small gift to our people who are so often ignored and rejected by their society.

Pastor Josh even got "schooled" in how to make lemonade Guatemala style.

The pleasure our guys took in teaching a visitor to do something they were good at was priceless.  The team did a marvelous job of recognizing and calling forth the gifts of our residents.

August

The beginning of the month we celebrated Pat's birthday.  This year she is 71 years young and God continues to bless her with the strength and energy to stay at the helm of Reason to Hope in Guatemala.

Chepa, one of the residents of Hijas del Rey, gave us quite a scare when she needed to be hospitalized in August.  She had a series of convulsions and began acting very strangely after them.  Four days in the hospital, and she was getting back to normal with her seizure medication readjusted.  We are so grateful to those of you who enable us to provide private medical care through your financial support.  

September

September 15th is Independence Day in Guatemala.  Torches, symbolizing freedom, are carried down major highways from the capital city to all parts of Guatemala.  Flags are everywhere and parades are a must.  Our ladies enjoyed this celebration.

 Front row seats waiting for the parade in Ciudad Vieja

October

This month found Pat visiting supporters in the Midwest.  While there is never enough time to see everyone we would like to thank, this year she was able to meet a couple of faithful supporters who we had not known personally.  This was a definite high point of her trip to the States.  As a perk, she got to see her family too!

October also saw some of the greatest political challenges since Reason to Hope has been in Guatemala.  The controlling politicians had been surprised that a long shot candidate had won the August presidential election.  The Attorney General was challenging the legitimacy of  the winner's political party, and the vote tallies were seized by her office, though the outcome had been validated.  In response, many in the Mayan community staged protests, closing major streets and highways throughout the country for days at a time.  Things had calmed by the end of the month, but the political climate continues to be precarious.

November

This month brought the long awaited completion of the interior repairs to Casa de Esperanza.  It took months of work by Gustavo, but the house has never looked this good.  It's better than new!

Work was finished just in time to host our annual Thanksgiving feast.  While Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Guatemala, our residents would never miss the chance to eat a US style dinner of turkey and all the fixings.  We invite the families of all of our team members to celebrate with us, to express our gratitude for the care our staff provides year round for our residents.  Each year the number seems to grow, and in 2023 we squeezed almost 50 guests into Casa de Esperanza!

We had another reason to celebrate the end of November.  José graduated with this high school diploma and we were invited to accompany him to the ceremony.  This is a privilege usually reserved for parents, and Dani and Pat were honored to fill this role for him.

December

Continuing with our recognition of the Jewish festivals, we participated in the celebration of the Festival of the Lights or Hanukkah.  While not one of the high holidays of Judaism, it was in the temple courtyard that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Light of the World during his trip to Jerusalem to celebrate this festival.  We were gifted with this menorrah by a lovely Jewish woman living in Antigua.

We tied this celebration in with the more traditional Advent wreath practice of contemporary Christ-followers. 

Our yearly cookie decorating day is always a big hit!

A Christmas dinner combining both homes and their staff members was held at Casa de Esperanza on Christmas Day.  Here in Guatemala Chistmas Eve (Noche Buena) is actually a bigger deal than Christmas Day, but we never miss a chance to have what they term a "feast" of recipes from the US.  This year two of our friends from the police force as well as some neighbors who operate an organic farm joined our table.  (Do you notice how the on-going theme seems to be food?!?)

In return our friends from the police force brought members of an Antigua based church to spend time with the guys during the week between Christmas and New Years.

As we look back on 2023 we realize we did not do this on our own.  Those of you who support us in friendship, encouragement, prayer and finances are an important part of what we are able to do.  You partnership with us makes a difference in the lives of many with disabilities in Guatemala.  We are so grateful.

We are eagerly anticipating what 2024 will bring.  

We invite you to join us on this journey.