Whew the past fourteen days have been a blur. There have
been blessings, attacks from Satan, unexpected tragedies, God’s provisions,
time in the hospital, time to be still, and through it all God is doing great things (even though at points it has been hard to see).
Two weeks ago on Wednesday evening we received a call from
Wanda (Krishauna’s mom) saying that she had bad news. She told us that Manuel (the
operations manager of Hope for Home here in Guatemala) was shot and killed.
Both of us sat in shock and silence for about five minutes not really sure what
to do. As schedule changes for the rest of the week were made and we attended the
viewing and others went to the funeral, we knew we had to spend time looking
toward God. So that weekend on Sunday evening we had a time of worship/devotion/fellowship
with all the employees and families of the ministry to spend time focusing on
our Heavenly Father. It was an amazing time of worship, tears, passion, words
of encouragement, and love between the body of Christ.
Thursday, the day following Manuel’s death news started
circulating of an orphanage in Guatemala City that had been set on fire in the
middle of rioting and 700 kids were in need of a home. 40 children had died and
others were sent to hospitals to be treated for burns. So along with the crisis
of Manuel’s death, this news caused more grief and feeling the need to help in
some way.
You can check out
Daryl’s blog post to read a more detailed post about these two situations. http://hopeforhome.blogspot.com/2017/03/murder-fires-and-hope.html
Just this past week the government contacted Hope for Home
and asked if they could take in 10 more kids, and through help of other
ministries, Hope for Home is now in the process of opening up another group
home for ten more kids with disabilities from this orphanage that was
destroyed. They found a home to rent just a block down the street (God’s
provision is amazing) and have received many donations and help in order to get
this home up and running. Pray with us that these 10 kids that come may feel at
peace and the love of Christ through all who are involved in helping in this
new home.
Through all of this we had a doctor’s appointment this past
Saturday because to our knowledge Krishauna was eight weeks pregnant. At the
appointment the doctor told us she was indeed pregnant, but not with a baby. She
was experiencing what we now know is a molar pregnancy. This is when the egg
and sperm join, but there is no genetic material present. The baby is not able
to develop because of a chromosomal imbalance. It often shows itself just like
a normal pregnancy with normal pregnancy symptoms because it is a pregnancy,
but instead of a live baby growing, there is a mass of grape like clusters growing
at a much faster rate. The doctor felt positive about the timing of finding
this problem, but recommended having surgery to remove the mass as soon as
possible. We scheduled the surgery and spent most of the day Tuesday at the
hospital. The surgery went well and the doctor was able to remove the whole
mass without any complications which was a huge answer to prayer as well. Treatment
will involve multiple blood tests and doctor appointments in the coming weeks to
monitor hormone levels. It also includes other tests and appointments for at
least 6 months (maybe more) before she is cleared. We
ask for your continued prayers as we walk through this emotional time of loss and
look forward to the day where we can have kids.
We are continuing to process the more permanent location of
where God wants us to be in Guatemala so we ask that you be praying for Him to
continue open or close doors and that we would be able to follow His guidance.
We also continue to keep our eyes open for a vehicle and if
you feel led to help us as we continue to raise funds for that purchase, we
would be extremely grateful.
Thank you to all who have reached out to us during this time
via e-mail or facebook with encouraging notes and for all your prayers. We are
so thankful to know that there are people constantly in prayer for us! As I was
in the hospital on Tuesday while Krishauna was in surgery I was able to spend a
good portion of time in God’s word. For about five minutes of that time I
flipped through the pages of my Bible and read notes I wrote or parts I
underlined and wrote phrases or words from these thoughts or verses in my
journal. Here is what it turned out to be.
“He has died for me. He is faithful. Faith is growing. Stand
firm. Pray. There is one God. Lift up holy hands in prayer. He is the pillar of
truth. Put what you believe into practice. To Him be the honor. Flee evil
desires. Preach the Word. All scripture is God-breathed. Lord gives me strength.
Be active in sharing your faith. Fix your thoughts on Jesus. He will appear a
second time. Persevere.”
God is good and He is doing greater things!
-Andi and Krishauna