SERVING IN GUATEMALA Family Christian Ministries
OUR MINISTRY PARTNER Family Christian Ministries partners with Pray America / Manos de Jesus in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, a war torn land rich in culture and Mayan traditions. Based on James 1:27, Manos de Jesus operates several programs to serve orphans and widows. Their Feeding & Discipleship Programs help fight malnutrition. Twice weekly, these programs provide over 750 nutritious meals of meat, fruit and beans, along with Bible programs to children and widows. A 30-year civil war which ended in 1996 was centered around Chichicastenango. During that time, many Mayan villages were wiped off the map in a “scorched earth policy” leaving many women (estimates range from 40,000 to 80,000) as widows. In response, MdJ partners with the local church and community leaders to build Homes for Widows. To date, MdJ has built over 750 new widows’ homes. Related to this program, MdJ also sends mission teams to visit older homes to provide upkeep via Home Restorations. Relatively new to MdJ is a Dental Clinic. The Clinic serves local Mayans in need of dental care. Manos de Jesus also hires cobblers in their Shoe Factory to make shoes for children. Without school shoes, the children cannot attend school. Contaminated water is a common problem in third world countries. Clean water is difficult and expensive to obtain for typical families in Guatemala. Manos de Jesus provides Water Filters to alleviate this issue for Guatemalan families. Another great component of the MdJ ministry is their provision of Fuel Efficient Wood-burning Stoves. Each stove uses only a few small pieces of wood to cook a meal and children are much less likely to be burned by falling into open fires built on the floor inside their homes. We’re honored to report that Family Christian Ministries has provided over 150 widows with new or restored homes, water filters and wood-burning stoves. FCM also provided the Dental Clinic with a new truck to help transport patients from mountainous villages to the Clinic for treatment and was a large contributor to the completion of MdJ’s Casa de Sarita, a home for at-risk girls.
LIVES TOUCHED God Shows Off By Craig Koetsler from Grand Rapids, MI
Bethany Christian Services partners with Pray America with their "One Family" Sponsorship program. This model helps keep children in families ─ and helps participating Guatemalan families sustain themselves. After watching the Grand Rapids and Chichicastenango "One Family" Sponsorship program, my family and I decided to sponsor a family. God led us to choose Angelica. Shortly after we sponsored her, an opportunity for a mission trip to Chichicastenango, Guatemala with Family Christian became available and I signed up. God had opened a door and gave me the ability to obey and go through it! As the trip approached, I had a "pie in the sky" dream to meet Angelica and her family. Once I was in Guatemala, I asked the Pray America missionaries there if it would be possible to meet her. They went to bat for me. A plan was put together to visit her home. I was an emotional wreck, it was happening. A truck load of us went to her home. I got the opportunity of a lifetime. I talked, cried, laughed and even jumped rope with Angelica and her wonderful family. I even got to kiss and hug my new Guatemalan daughters! This was incredible, almost unbelievable. But somehow, I'm not surprised. How great is our God! He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. Sometimes God not only shows up - He shows off!
Rescuing Orphans in Distress One of our mission teams met a young boy who was in dire need of medical attention. Here is how God used them: The team’s mission was to build a home for widow Irma and bless her family with provisions and new shoes. Miguel and Marvin Tomás were Irma’s two youngest children. Team members were in shock when they removed Miguel’s rotten, tattered, over-sized shoes. Three of his toes were black: not dirty but swollen, black, dry and cracked (gangrene). Brad looked around and found a bar of soap and a bucket with just enough rain water in it to wash Miguel’s feet. Kevin squeezed Miguel’s toes asking if he could feel anything. Miguel said he could only feel some of his toes. The team gave both boys new shoes donated by employees from Payless Shoes. Brad told us later that the shoes they pulled off Miguel’s feet were Sperry shoes – a brand actually sold by Payless. Happy with their gifts, the boys started taking steps but both had strange gates to their walk as their feet were partially turned under; their knees swollen and their legs bowed. The team worked with Manos de Jesus to assure the boys got medical attention. Turns out the boys have Cerebral Palsy. This wasn’t the end of the story for this sweet family. God used this team for bigger purposes. Miguel is now doing well overall and continues to improve with therapy. However, since he has difficulty walking, he crawls around in the dirt a lot resulting in cuts on his hands which could get infected. With the help of sponsorship from other supporters, a walker is being made for him so he can more easily move around. While the boys were young, Irma was not able to work to provide for them. She initially took out a small loan, but with the interest and having to take out other loans, it accumulated to more than she could ever think about paying off – about $1,000. With the help of sponsorship, Irma has a clean slate: her debt has been paid off and she is now working to cover costs for basic food items. Sponsorship covers costs for the boys’ schooling, therapy, and medical bills. Sometimes mission team members indicate that they don’t feel qualified to meet the vast needs of orphans and widows. Ron Morin, Pray America’s founder tells teams that God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called. This team was called to shine a light on Miguel and his family which helped bring others to the rescue.
Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:4
The Not Forgotten Stand up for those who are weak and for those whose fathers have died. See to it that those who are poor and those who are beaten down are treated fairly. Save the weak and those who are in need. Save them from the power of sinful people. Psalm 82:3-4
Dental Clinic Manos de Jesus’ Dental Clinic occupies the upper floor of their Community Center at Monte Flor. The Clinic serves the needs of about 80 villages in the Department of Quiche – one of the poorest areas in Guatemala. The population of the area approximates 50,000 – 60,000 mostly indigenous Mayan Indians. About 70% of this population live in severe poverty and 80% of the children live with chronic malnutrition. Very few of the indigenous population in Guatemala have ever received dental care and, as a result, most of the dental work needed involves relief of pain, extractions, and fillings. Simply having the MdJ staff provide instructions on how to take preventive measures, i.e. dietary concerns and daily brushing of teeth, helps alleviate the huge problem of tooth decay. The opportunity to improve dental health in Chichicastenango is great. Family Christian Ministries, through an in-store promotions supported by Family Christian customers, sent $35,000 to Pray America to help fund this Dental Clinic. Additionally, FCM sent enough money so they could also purchase a truck for the Clinic. The truck helps Manos de Jesus make runs back and forth to the villages ferrying people in need of dental care.
But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.. Psalm 9:18
Give them a Home A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation. God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. Psalm 68:5-6
A Gift from God Life had been hard for Maria. At 85, her eye sight was failing and the cyst at the corner of her left eye caused her pain. Her heart ached when she thought of her two dead children - deepened by the fact that their father had killed them. Maria's grey hair was neatly pulled back into a braid and the huipil (thick, hand-woven blouse) she wore was lovingly embroidered by her daughter, Juana. The bold colors and geometric designs of the huipil were bright and energetic. The boldness of the garment was in stark contrast to the reality of her life. But this day was different. Eight strangers from a foreign country delivered a gift to her from God – a home! Maria said she never thought she'd ever live long enough to have a home of her own. She said she had never received such a fine gift. Isn't that just like God? His eyes had been on Maria and He heard her pleas. A new house costs $1,350 to build but that amount is more than any of the widows we serve could ever hope to pay. Each Family Christian Ministries’ mission team builds at least two new widows’ homes; restores four older widows’ homes; and installs eight fuelefficient wood-burning stoves. Each team of strangers melds quickly into one strong unit as they minister to orphans and widows . The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! Acts 4:32
Fuel-Efficient Wood Stoves A common cooking method is known as a three-stone fire. The stones are positioned to support a circular metal cooking surface on the floor of the home. An open fire is lit to heat the cooking surface consuming lots of wood in the process. Smoke inhalation and an open fire are only two of the dangers presented here. A Guatemalan woman has to cook on her knees for at least two hours to prepare meals; children routinely fall into these open fires; and expensive firewood is rapidly consumed resulting in deforestation and the possibility of mudslides. Manos de Jesus addresses these problems by providing fuelefficient wood burning stoves. Visiting mission teams purchase the stoves ahead of time and then assist in the installation and construction of the stoves in local Guatemalan homes. Each stove uses much less wood – only a few small pieces – to cook a meal. Guatemalan women can now stand while cooking, children are much less likely to be burned, and all the smoke is vented outside of the home. More importantly, the stove is a tool to build a relationship with the Guatemalan family so that more ministry can happen following the stove installation. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. Deuteronomy 10:18
Provisions By Christie Sutherland, Artist My mission trip with Family Christian to Guatemala changed me forever. I had seen poverty like that on TV, but never in person. One experience in particular was the true catalyst for the change. It took us several hours to build a home for a widow and, at one point, I needed to use the restroom. I was directed to a dirt path that led to a pitiful hut loosely covered with old pieces of plastic. Inside was a store-bought "toilet" - a pedestal with a hole in it. No flusher, no water and no toilet paper. There were old, crumpled magazines and newspaper scraps in a pile on the ground to use for this purpose. To make matters worse, the little shack was on the edge of a cliff. I thought of how dangerous that would be, especially at night. I asked God to forgive me for every time I had ever complained about a lack of money, for times I had actually said the words, "I was poor". How ridiculous!
New Ministry Component: Manos de Jesus offers a new program to serve the local community – flushable latrines. The latrines provide better health, dignity and cleanliness for families. Many families either have poor bathroom facilities, which may be an outhouse or hole in the ground, or they may just use the fields surrounding their homes. This program provides a low cost option as each latrine is pre-dug, with a hole 30 feet deep and running away from the latrine. A cement slab is also laid prior to the team’s arrival. The team is responsible for installing the toilet and the surrounding shelter with an estimated time of completion being 1-1½ hrs. The cost? $400 per outhouse. …Trust me, everything is going to be all right. 2 Kings 25:24
Family Christian Ministries is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Family Christian to meet the needs of orphans and widows in the communities it serves and around the world. Family Christian partners with their customers in a shared mission; reaching out to orphans and widows, showing them the love of our Heavenly Father. Through the Foundation, Family Christian customers participate in various in-store promotions. Family Christian Ministries serves orphans and widows in four primary ways: • adoption assistance programs • hands-on orphan and widow care work • quality of life improvements for orphans and widows • encourage the Church to fulfill God’s commitments to orphans and widows