- J
OUR RELATIONSHIP
I began sponsoring Alma through Compassion Intl. in 1992, when she was 11 years old. John and I had the opportunity to visit her in 1998 in Guatemala. We traveled again to Guatemala with our children, Peter & Lexi, to spend time with Alma and her family in 2011.
Alma is married to Sergio and has three children, Aby (18), Keren (17) and Nehemias (9). We have continued to stay in touch through calls and social media. What a blessing that we have had the opportunity to be in relationship with Alma and her sweet family for almost 30 years!
LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
Alma’s family lives in a small village in Guatemala. Before Covid, the family had built a small, simple house, little by little (as they could afford, still needing to finish it). Alma was selling food from the house and Sergio had just been accepted to begin training as a police officer. Though their income was minimal by our standards, they had enough to meet their needs.
Both Alma and Sergio lost their jobs. Then, Alma had to have major surgery to repair a burst dermoid cyst. No jobs and major hospital bills. Left with few options to pay their mounting bills, they took out a loan, using their small house as collateral. Unlike the U.S., Guatemala does not provide government assistance or health care for those in need. Though taking on debt got them through a truly difficult situation, the length of the pandemic meant they reached a point where they could not meet their obligations with the added burden of debt payments.
Alma had never asked for money from us before, but she was feeling desperate and as any mother, she feared her children not having food or even worse, being homeless.
HOPE
Praise be to God that Alma had successful surgery and has slowly been able to begin selling food again and Sergio just recently was hired on as a police officer (making $368/month). However, because they have been unable to make their payments to the bank, the bank is threatening to take their house. With their current jobs they are only able to meet their daily family needs.
OUR OPPORTUNITY
This is where we see our opportunity to bring hope and relieve the incredible stress this family has been living under. After extensive conversations with her, we believe that if we can raise enough money to pay off the bank ($5000), this will be the most helpful long term, as it is literally impossible for them to meet living expenses and pay off the bank. They can then begin to rebuild their lives.
Thank you in advance for your generosity for this precious family.
I began sponsoring Alma through Compassion Intl. in 1992, when she was 11 years old. John and I had the opportunity to visit her in 1998 in Guatemala. We traveled again to Guatemala with our children, Peter & Lexi, to spend time with Alma and her family in 2011.
Alma is married to Sergio and has three children, Aby (18), Keren (17) and Nehemias (9). We have continued to stay in touch through calls and social media. What a blessing that we have had the opportunity to be in relationship with Alma and her sweet family for almost 30 years!
LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
Alma’s family lives in a small village in Guatemala. Before Covid, the family had built a small, simple house, little by little (as they could afford, still needing to finish it). Alma was selling food from the house and Sergio had just been accepted to begin training as a police officer. Though their income was minimal by our standards, they had enough to meet their needs.
Both Alma and Sergio lost their jobs. Then, Alma had to have major surgery to repair a burst dermoid cyst. No jobs and major hospital bills. Left with few options to pay their mounting bills, they took out a loan, using their small house as collateral. Unlike the U.S., Guatemala does not provide government assistance or health care for those in need. Though taking on debt got them through a truly difficult situation, the length of the pandemic meant they reached a point where they could not meet their obligations with the added burden of debt payments.
Alma had never asked for money from us before, but she was feeling desperate and as any mother, she feared her children not having food or even worse, being homeless.
HOPE
Praise be to God that Alma had successful surgery and has slowly been able to begin selling food again and Sergio just recently was hired on as a police officer (making $368/month). However, because they have been unable to make their payments to the bank, the bank is threatening to take their house. With their current jobs they are only able to meet their daily family needs.
OUR OPPORTUNITY
This is where we see our opportunity to bring hope and relieve the incredible stress this family has been living under. After extensive conversations with her, we believe that if we can raise enough money to pay off the bank ($5000), this will be the most helpful long term, as it is literally impossible for them to meet living expenses and pay off the bank. They can then begin to rebuild their lives.
Thank you in advance for your generosity for this precious family.