Josue!

This blog update revolves around one common theme - the name Josue (Joshua)! 

The first story revolves around Josue' Daniel, our precious Open Doors child who spent part of July and most of August in the hospital.  At this point, he has been discharged and is on his way to a full recovery!  Though diagnosis was difficult to come by, your prayers helped the doctors to discover an enflamed duct in his kidney that was causing an infection.  It is unsure yet if the enflamed/distorted duct is due to an infection or a birth defect.  Josue had been in and out of the hospital over the last few months, each time without diagnosis.  He is now on various medications and is seeing a kidney specialist weekly.  Please pray with us in faith believing that 1) the infection leaves his tiny body, never to return, and 2) that this is not a birth defect requiring surgery or other intervention!  Thank YOU for praying and holding up little Josue' and our staff as this has affected each of us in different ways!  Pray as well for Open Doors Orphanage as we continue to seek financial and prayer sponsorship for each of our precious children! 

 The second story revolves around another young man named Josue.  This individual just so happens to be the boyfriend, and now fiance of PBM staff nurse Yojana!  We celebrate along with the young, happy couple as they embark on this new phase of life together.  CONGRATULATIONS!

And 7 became 6...

On July 12, we bid farewell to our precious little Franky Fernando.  He came to us from a broken family where both parents were alcoholics.  One day, the father and mother had both had too much to drink and they got into a large dispute.  The father ended up in jail, the mother ended up in the hospital, and Franky ended up in our loving arms, battered and bruised.  When the ambulance dropped Franky off at Open Doors Orphanage, we gained full custody of this little guy…but his parents still had a chance to get their act together.  They proved to the judge that they had indeed done this when they appeared at their court date last week.

However, this doesn’t mean that we are saying goodbye to Franky forever as Open Doors will still maintain fully custody.  A social worker with be making one surprise and one scheduled visit to Franky’s home every month.  At the first sign that his parents have returned to their old habits, Franky will return to live with us forever.

Please lift up adorable Franky and his parents in your prayers as they begin this new journey together as a family. 

Many of you have heard about and given graciously to our new water filtration system. Thanks to you, many families in the village of La Reina are now provided with pure water - water that will strengthen the health of the entire family! Here are some photos of the process.

Dulce's Recovery!

Yesterday, Dulce returned to the orphanage after spending the night in the hospital.  Her surgery went well on Thursday, and now she is recovering with her blue hip spica cast.  Please continue to keep Dulce in your prayers as the cast is quite uncomfortable and she is not able to move around as she normally does.  Also, continue to pray for the Open Doors Orphanage staff as they care for Dulce and the other six children during this recovery period.  Hopefully it will be a speedy process for all!

Roaring Like a Lion!

The past few days, I have thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with and getting to know Katie, one of Paraidse Bound's 2012 interns.  We have decided that this song, God's Not Dead (Like A Lion) by the Newsboys, is going to be our theme song for this summer.  Enjoy the lyrics below!

God's Not Dead (Like A Lion)

Let love explode and bring the dead to life

A love so bold to see a revolution somehow

Let love explode and bring the dead to life

A love so bold to see a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom

In this world I'll overcome

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

Roaring, He's roaring, roaring like a lion

Roaring, He's roaring

Let hope arise and make the darkness hide

My faith is dead, I need resurrection somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom

In this world I'll overcome

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

Roaring, He's roaring, roaring like a lion

Roaring, He's roaring

Let heaven roar and fire fall

Come shake the ground with the sounds of revival

Let heaven roar and fire fall

Come shake the ground with the sounds of revival

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

He's roaring, He's roaring, He's roaring like a lion

He's roaring, He's roaring, He's roaring like a lion

Prayers for Dulce

Please join us on Thursday, May 31, as we pray for Dulce Maria, one of the seven precious children that call Open Doors Orphanage their home.  Early in the morning, 6-month old Dulce will be heading to a hospital in Antigua to under-go surgery for her severe hip dysplasia.  An American doctor will first perform a closed reduction procedure, which will allow her hips to abduct normally.  After that, Dulce will be placed in a hip spica cast.  The casts will be changed every 6 weeks for 3-6 months in order to provide her hips with the support they need following the surgery.  Once her hips begin to regain strength, Dulce will be weaned down to a hip brace that she will wear until her hips return to normal!  This whole treatment process could take up to a year.  Therefore, please continue to keep Dulce and the Open Doors staff in your prayers...not only tomorrow, but in the weeks and months to come as they trek down the vigorous road that lies before them! 

Saqueo is a 17-year-old young man who first came to our clinic last summer with large growths on both his cheek and arm.  Ten years ago, pustules formed in both locations and began weeping pus and growing slowly over time.  He had a biopsy conducted, and the results indicated that the growths were not tumors!  Praise God!  However, he became quite discouraged (even to the point of wanting to take his own life) when he was told by various doctors and dermatologists that nothing could be done for him here in Guatemala and that he would have to live with the daunting appearance of the growths for the rest of his life.  Despite the odds, we were able to encourage Saqueo to attend one last appointment with another specialist before the year 2011 drew to a close.  That specialist scheduled and performed a successful surgery, and now Saqueo is self-confident young man who fully believes in the healing power of our Lord and Savior!  Below are the before and after photos of Saqueo's treatment process.

Discipleship Update

God is doing wonderful things in and among the Guatemalan people as a result of our Timothy Leadership Training Program!  Roughly a week ago, various individuals were baptized in the village of La Bendicion!  Two of these individuals are students in our lay pastor training program, and various others are the family members of another lay pastor who is part of the program.  The topic of "Christian Stewardship" that was taught at the last seminary inspired this pastor to reach out to his family as a first step in ministering to his church and then to his entire community.  God is also tearing down walls and breaking down barriers in this remote, coastal village!  The separation that once existed between the various churches in La Bendicion is no longer as the pastors there are uniting together to make a difference for HIS kingdom!  As years of strict Mayan tradition and other numerous obstacles continue to fall away, we our confident that truth will prevail and Christ will be victorious!

In addition to the wonderful blessings that are occurring in the coastal region of Guatemala, God's power is also moving in the highlands!  The small village of Chuaqenum has one lone representative at our lay pastor training conferences.  Although a small and humble man, Isidro can preach with power in both Spanish and Cakchiquel when given a microphone.  In hopes of one day being the pastor of a small church in his village, Isidro is first following the inspiration of the "Christian Stewardship" lesson by sharing Christ's love and salvation with his large family.  Our Guatemalan staff now makes the trip out to this remote village (impossible to get to during the rainy season) once every two weeks to encourage Isidro, pray with his family, and hold a worship service for the entire community. 

Clinic Renovation

Due to our ever-growing medical clinic, we were forced to expand!  This new corridor was built so that the patients could wait outside to be seen in the clinic.  More space is now available inside to not only attend to the patients but also to store all of our medications and medical records. 

Timothy Leadership Training!

This weekend, Paradise Bound welcomes 24 lay pastors to our mission base for its second ever Timothy Leadership Training event! Please keep these students in your hearts and minds as they spend time in God's Word, in prayer, in worship, and in fellowship with one another. Christ did amazing things in and among every individual last year, and we anxiously await what He has in store for His children again this year!

In addition, continue to pray for the lost and dying in Guatemala. As God raises up His servants here, they will go out and minister to their own people, changing lives for ETERNITY! Check out http://www.facebook.com/paradisebound for updates and photos throughout the weekend.

Meet Fernando!

This beautiful, 11-month old boy named Fernando was welcomed into the loving arms of Open Doors Orphange less than a week ago! Please join us in praying for this precious child of Christ!

Christian Isaiah

Christian Isaiah was delivered to Open Doors Orphanage yesterday after an incredible day of movement within the court system here in Guatemala! We knew of two children yesterday (one of which was only 2 days old) that could have potentially become ours, yet neither of those two children did. Little Christian, however, found grace in the eyes of our Lord and is now safe in the arms of our loving staff! Christian's story is difficult, along with each of the children's stories we have in our ODO family. We cannot fully share his story yet until we receive the official documentation, but we hope to be able to do so soon. For the moment, please pray for Christian Isaiah, his mother (in police custody), and the incredible staff our Lord has brought together to be these precious children's family! Pray as well TODAY as we could potentially receive Maria Milagro, a week old or less baby discovered in a sewer filled gutter. Allow our Lord Jesus Christ to penetrate your heart as we ALL become HIS hands, feet, and the arms that hold "the least of these"!!!

Dulce Maria

Here is our new little girl, Dulce Maria. She is being cared for at Open Door's Orphanage in Guatemala. She was born in a mountain village in November, 2011. Her mother was drinking wine at the time and the baby fell to the ground after her birth, injuring her. The mother took her to a hospital and abandoned her there, saying she did not want her. Dulce Maria is thought to have hip dysplasia and will have considerable medical costs involved in helping her to heal. God has given her to us to love her and give her a much brighter future!

Baptism Celebration in LA REINA!

"John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16).

Earlier this year, 8 individuals were baptized in the village of La Reina! This special baptism celebration was held as a result of all that God has been doing in the hearts of the people there. From the moment we first entered that village, a spiritual darkness loomed from that place. Now, God has opened the gates and enabled us to not only build homes for the people but also to start a discipleship program that has grown in leaps and bounds! Praise be to our Father in Heaven, who through the baptism of His Spirit, unites us "to form one body - whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free - and we are all given the one Spirit to drink" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Matthew 11:5

Recently, 6-year-old Henry received his neon green hearing aids. With these devices, he is one step closer to being able to hear and speak for the first time in his life! Please join us in continuing to pray for this precious little boy as the remaining pieces of his treatment puzzle fall into place.

"The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, THE DEAF HEAR, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Matthew 11:5

Sanctity of LIFE

This past Sunday, January 15, was Sanctity of Life Day.

Today, I got a first-hand glimpse and understanding of what this day truly stands for and celebrates.

Last fall, Yojana and I were introduced to a patient. All of her signs and symptoms hinted at pregnancy, and the pregnancy test confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. She was in denial. The situation was a bit difficult, and she knew that her parents would kill her if they found out. Therefore, she decided it was best to not tell them about the pregnancy and have an abortion.

Our hearts were broken as we heard those words come out of her mouth. Even though it sounded like she had made up her mind, Yojana and I knew we needed to take a few moments to talk with her. We told her how much God loved her, no matter what. We told her that He created the beautiful life that was now living inside of her. We told her that God had a plan for her...and her unborn baby. We assured her that Paradise Bound would help in any way they could, and we encouraged her to give it some thought and discuss it with her parents. She didn't have to go through this alone. The young woman nodded her head in agreement, but we felt hopeless as she walked out our clinic door. We were convinced that our words had fallen on deaf ears, but we continued to pray for her anyway.

Today, roughly 5 months later, this beautiful sight walked back through our clinic door.

What a miracle! All things are possible with Christ! And as you can tell by the smile, this new mother is now so glad she made the right decision. Her healthy baby girl is indeed a blessing and a testimony - to all of us!

goodbye winter wonderland.

At 2pm on Sunday, January 15, I was walking through a winter wonderland in Jenison, Michigan.

At 2pm on Monday, January 16, I will soaking in the 70 degree temperatures and volcanic scenery of Chimaltenango, Guatemala.