Meet the Families. 

by Megan Lehman

We are leaving for Guatemala in just under a week and our team is so excited to see what God has in store. And while we’re in our final stages of preparation, we’d like to share with you some information on the families we will be serving.

 

 

The Tún Ich family is made up of mom, Ceferina, dad, Carlos, and their three children, Henry Mauricio (11), Yesenia Nohemi (10), and Luisa Fernanda (4). The home this family lives in is made of deteriorated scrape metal and plastic, with a dirt floor. Ceferina works by doing washing and ironing for others in the neighborhood, while Carlos is a garbage collector.

 

—————————————————————–

The Garcia Coy Family is made up of mom, Gudelia, and her husband, Jamie Estuardo, along with their four-year-old boy, Henry. Gudelia is a homemaker and Jaime works selling shaved ice on the streets. Jaime took a loan out in order to buy the supplies he needs to run his business. Despite his work, he on is only able to bring in about $142.00 a month, not enough to make any payments towards his loan.

This family lives on land provided to them by a local pastor. The land has some utilities, like electricity, water, a wash station and a bathroom, which is not in great conditions. The family will be purchasing the land they are on from this pastor, but sadly do not have enough resources to build a home.

—————————————————————————–

Our next family is the Pérez Sis Family. Josué and Lorenza are married and have two children, Sherlyn Giselle and Axel Noé. Working in the fields a few times a week, Josué is able to bring home about $85.00 a month. Lorenza takes care of the children while Josué is away

This beautiful family currently lives on land they inherited from Lorenza’s parents, but their home is in very poor condition. It is made of bamboo, plastic walls and a sheet metal roof. Unlike the Garcia Coy family, their land does not have electricity or was stations. This requires the family to collect firewood for all their cooking.

—————————————————————————-

The last family we are blessed to serve is made up of Sandra Elizabeth Bachan and her two children, José Armando (10) and Angela Elizabeth (2). After finding a new woman to start a family with, Sandra’s ex-husband kicked her and the children out of their home. Sandra is unable to work because she suffers from epilepsy and with the price of medicine and current financial situation of her family, Sandra is unable to seek treatment.

Sandra’s mother has been able to help support the family of three and provided Sandra with a piece of land as an inheritance where she hopes to build a home. Without any support from her children’s father and without being able to work, life for this family has not been easy. We’re honored that God has chosen us to serve her during our time in Guatemala.

—————————————————————-

My heart breaks for these families and the hardships they have experienced. I pray that God gives our team the words, opportunities, and time to truly get to know, pray for, and serve these beautiful families.

A huge praise:

Something important to notice about these families is that many of them have a father figure in the household! This is completely counter-cultural and we intend to build these men up as much as we can, encouraging them to continue living their lives for God and taking care of their families. Praise God for the opportunity to meet these families and for the chance to help meet their needs.

God is going to do incredible things on this trip.

Stay up to date on our projects, experiences, and “God Sightings” by following along with the blog.

Guatemala, here we come!