Baby Davey

David Benjamin Reichard was born on April 11. He was 6 lbs 12 ounces and 19 inches long. Debs had him here in Guatemala at a small hospital in a town called Santiago Atitlan. God was good and the pregnancy went very well. Deborah went in at 1 am and had David @ 4:55 am that same day. Now David is 6 weeks old and he and Deborah are doing great. Please continue to pray for them. It is very hard to raise a new born as well as raise the rest of the children. There are more photos on our facebook page. God Bless

Tzanchaj Kids

I guess children are Nate's and my most delightful lot in life. Last Sunday we attended a church here in Tzanchaj that our friend Jose has been attending. We noticed how many children were in the service. Nate and Dave prompted me to go translate for them to ask the pastor, of whom we did not even know the name, if he would like us to start a Sunday school. We asked him to pray about it and ask his deacons their opinion, and we would get back to him. We went into town yesterday and found his house through questioning the townspeople, and asked him if he had an answer. His only qualm with us was that we would “abandon” the children as he had the unfortunate experience previously of his teachers when they went to college or got married. After asking us some questions, the pastor, “Don Philipe”, as we heard him called, has agreed to have us dedicate to Sunday school for the space of a year in the church. We are very excited about this opportunity, and the ability to instill Godly principles into the children of our town. We want to grow the kids here up to serve the Lord, follow His ways, and have abundant life. After all, as I like to say, God's ways are not grievous. Au contraire! They make for the healthiest, happiest, most successful life out there.

Martina

I had a heap of ideas and aspirations on what I wanted to achieve while here in Guatemala. God is teaching me some about my ways and His ways. I wanted to write about a girl Deborah and Dave take care of in their home. It is her birthday, so today seems to be the perfect time.

I was expecting to do a lot of nursing type things with my new RN license when I got to Guatemala. As it is, I have done 2 weekends of clinic work in Canilla, Quiche and one week with a medical team to some villages in Guatemala. Not as much experience being a nurse as I thought I would get. I was so excited about my novel abilities that I have not even really thought much about physical therapy. But I guess what I am expecting does not always happen.

Martina has just turned 13. She came from Canilla a couple years ago. She had been burned in a fire and also appears to have cerebral palsy. She struggles with daily tasks most of us do without thinking. She has difficulty walking and cannot talk. Some of her muscles have perpetually contracted muscles (spasticity), while others seem to have very little strength or coordination. She is at risk for many complications with regards to her muscles, bones, and due to her decreased mobility.

Recently (the last two weeks), I have begun working with more concentrated effort with Martina. We are working on improving her walking, increasing her communication with PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), and defining her fine motor skills.

Please pray for Martina that she will respond to teaching, “learn to talk and walk” as the kids pray at each meal, and that she will come to understand the love of her Savior.