Maria

From Wausau, to southern California, and now to Washington... We are blessed at the ministry to have a team of ten servants join us from Beautiful Savior in Milton WA this week. As usual, we spend our Mondays in Amatitlan. Half of the team went by foot to visit some families right around the ministry building there, while the rest of us went on the fifteen minute drive out to visit Carlos. Many of you remember that he had fallen into a well about four years ago and had lost one of his legs and the use of the other one. He'd been in the hospital for eight days with an infection in his leg, but had no money to buy the antibiotic that he needed to stop the infection. We took his prescription with us and were able to get the needed medicine, which we delivered today. His leg was pretty swollen and inflamed, so we pray that the medicine will take care of the problem soon.

I would like to share with you the other house visit that we made on Monday. Many of you have heard about Maria, who has had a wound on her leg for the past 25+ years. It simply will not heal and the doctors have told her she needs to have it amputated. She's just too afraid to have them do that, so lives with the intense pain. Well, Maria told us we sat around her little kitchen about some terribly difficult situations that she is facing right now. Her daughter's two children live with her as her daughter left them. Her grandson is about 12 and kept getting into trouble, so she has had to put him into an institution for boys because she just couldn't handle him anymore. He will be there until he is 18 years old. Then she told us that the sweet little girl that was in the room with us is her granddaughter. Her name is Andrea and she is 10 years old. Maria said that she doesn't have enough money to buy food for both of them anymore, so in June she will need to put her into an institution as well, until she is 18. She just broke down as she shared how difficult it has been for both of them, as she has had to tell Andrea that she will have to spend the next 8 years of her life living away from her grandmother. Then, as we asked her if there was anything else we can pray about, she said that her other daughter had just left the country to illegally enter the States, so she has no idea where she is or if she will ever hear from her again. What huge burdens for this tiny woman to bear. We prayed for her and for the children and her daughters, and as we left, I held her close praying that some of her burden would be lifted from her shoulders onto mine. Do you know anyone who is hurting today? Make time to hold them close, to pray with them, share some encouraging Scripture... the Body of Christ in action!

An update on Margarita... Adrian came to us last week to say that Margarita had died in the hospital. She had the surgery to amputate her leg, but was just too weak to recover. As we thought about her, we said that she was at peace, maybe for the first time in her long, difficult life. She is celebrating the joyful victory of Easter with no more pain or loneliness. Thanks be to God!! And thanks to each of you who shared the message of hope and life with Margarita.