We are a typical Christian family who lived in a small Illinios town about 30 miles from St. Louis.  We were serving God in our local church when we felt  called to the mission field.  We, as a family, went on 2 short term trips to Guatemala, when we felt that God wanted more from us.  We intially started with a one year commitment which we served working in an orphanage in San Andres.  While there we learned the culture and the language.  We felt a strong calling to expand the ministry to include more medical outreach, we moved to Canilla and our ministry continues to grow.  We live in the department of Quiche it was one of the department hardest hit during a 30 year civil war that ended in the past 10 years.  The area still feels the effect of war today: poverty, corruption, lack of education and resources, lack of basic health care, and often a struggle to simply find food for families.

 

We have recently felt a growing burden for an area to the north, called the Zona Reina.  The people who live there are isolated for months at a time due to the rainy season in the area.  The government does little to help these people because of their inability to vote, and they remain isolated.