The new Luisa Marisol

Back in January, when we met her for the very first time, Luisa Marisol needed a custom wheelchair due to her condition after having meningitis at the age of one; or so we thought. We started looking for options to see how we could help her and her family. We got word that there was a wheelchair team that was coming to give wheelchairs to children in Antigua in February.  So a team from a local church plant and me set off on an early morning journey to Antigua.  When it was her turn, the occupational therapist removed her bulky clothing to fit her for the chair and all of our jaws dropped because she was literally just skin and bones, weighing just seventeen pounds at twelve years of age. Her condition was so severe, that the therapist stopped what she was doing to take us to a nearby hospital that has a program for malnourished children. The hospital is called Hermano Pedro and has a program to help low income families receive high quality care for their children. The doctor told us that her only chance for survival and full recuperation was if she were to be admitted into the nourishment program for several months. This was a difficult decision for her parents to make because they thought that they were just going to Antigua to get her a wheelchair.  So, we left her there in February and we prayed, putting her in God’s hands.

Luisa Marisol January 2011

As the time passed, the local pastor and I would go and visit with the family to check on her status but they really couldn’t tell us much. They were calling the hospital regularly, but were unable to go visit her because of the expense of the long trip to Antigua. On Friday July 8th, we went back for a visit and to our great surprise, Luisa Marisol was there and looking like a completely different person. She now weighs 28 lbs and her arms and legs have filled out nicely. The change is so drastic that her mother didn’t even recognize her when she went to pick her up and had to ask a nurse to show her which child was hers! The mother told us that she went back to the place where the wheelchair distribution was and that she is scheduled to get a wheelchair in August.

Luisa Marisol with the occupational therapist

The best part of this process is that the parents are getting an education about the proper way to prepare food for her and now she is on different medications. The father was in tears as he told us about the lessons that God has taught them through all of this. We are so thankful to God for giving us the opportunity to meet her and for the miracle that HE has done in this family. They will be presenting her in the Coban church plant, De La Comunidad, after they get her wheelchair and now know that there is a group of local Christians that care about them.

Luisa Marisol being checked by an occupational therapist

As many of you know, we carried Luisa Marisol and her family from Coban to Antigua on Friday to get a new wheelchair. Little did we know, that she would end up being admitted in the hospital instead! I already knew she was malnourished from our visit in her home, when she was fully clothed. However, when the occupational therapist (OT)  examined her to prescribe the correct wheelchair and removed her shirt; I think we were all stunned! The OT is a missionary in the Antigua area and knew of a very successful malnutrition program at a local hospital. Luisa Marisol’s parents were very hesitant to leave her there because of the six hour distance, but they realized that it was the best thing for her well being. One huge advantage that they have is that the hospital is a “social work” style, hospital that allows poor families to pay only what they can afford for her treatment. The name of the hospital in Spanish is Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro (in English, Brother Peter’s Social Work)  and it is located just a couple of blocks from Antigua’s central park. Please pray for Luisa Marisol’s parents, Sebatian and Luisa; that they will let her stay in the program as much time as needed for her to gain enough weight. It is very difficult for Q’eqchi’ people to trust in people at a hospital that are strangers to them! The family was promised that Luisa Marisol will get her wheelchair after she gains enough weight to be able to size it correctly.

Catherine with Hector & Carmen

We have been blessed to have a strong friendship with Hector and Carmen Coc for many years. We first met them at a patient screening for children with physical impairments in March of 2007. Their daughter Evelin Suleymi was a special needs child who was born with Spinal Bifida and Hydrocephalus. Our ministry helped her receive needed surgeries and a custom wheelchair before she went home to be with Jesus on January 8, 2008. Our involvement with them during a tough time in their lives built a strong bond between our families. When they returned Evelin’s wheelchair to us, Maribel told Carmen about the necessity for a woman to take folic acid several months prior to becoming pregnant to improve the chances of the fetus forming correctly.  Before they left, Maribel gave Carmen a huge bottle of folic acid with about a year’s supply. We visited their home with a mission team last August to share a meal with them. At that time, I happened to notice that Carmen had put on some weight and I asked Maribel if she thought that she could be pregnant. Maribel didn’t think so and I didn’t have the nerve to ask. This morning I received a phone call from Hector saying that Carmen gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl last night. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness with this family! We are so happy for them and are anxious to see her. Click here to view Evelin Suleymi’s story.

February 4 -7, 2008 – Carlos Morales, and I were asked, to help with a four day medical outreach. Everyday, the clinic was held at the same church in the remote mountain village of “Esperanza Chilatz.” in Guatemala. The doctor leading the group was a Guatemalan and the other physician along with several nurses came from Indianapolis, IN to help with the clinic.

This article is a continuation click here for the original post.

May 18-20, 2007 – We joined with leaders from a central church in Coban to complete a “Maximum Mission” in another remote village. This time, the village where we went is named Sehubub and it is located in the municipal district of San Pedro Carcha. The event had many forms of evangelism. There were Revival services in the evenings but during the day a medical clinic was held, the church building was painted and VBS classes were held for the Q’eqchi’ children. In these activities, the leaders are split up into different organizational teams. Each team focuses on their specific part of the activity and that is how we are able to accomplish so much.

On Tuesday, May 15, 2007, the neurologists were able to successfully insert a shunt into the head of Little Evelin Suleymi Coc. They also did surgery on her back to reduce some of the tissue mass that she has due to Spinal Bifida. It was also necessary for her to have another operation on her back and this was completed on Tuesday, May 29th. She recuperated a few additional weeks in the national hospital in Guatemala City where the surgeries were done.

On July 29 – Aug 7, a group from Cornerstone Christian Church in Virginia came to hold Vacation Bible School for the children in several villages. The mission team spent the entire week doing ministry by joining with Christians from a local church in Coban.

On May 6, 2006 our Q’eqchi’ evangelism team “Aj Yehol Resil Li Jesucristo” or “The Messengers of the News of Jesus”, went to the village of Paapa. Paapa is in the municipal district of San Juan Chamelco and in the department of Alta Verapaz. The church in Paapa is the “mother church” of a mission in the village of Caclaib. In August of 2005, we joined with a central church in Coban, and held a “Maximum Mission” in the mission church in Caclaib.

On April 22, 2006 our Q’eqchi’ evangelism team “Aj Yehol Resil Li Jesucristo” or “The Messengers of the News of Jesus”, had an overnight outing outside of the department of Alta Verapaz. We received a special invitation to share in the northernmost department in Guatemala; Petén. The village is called “Las Pozas”, and is in the municipal district of “Sayaxche” of the department “El Petén”.