A Tale of Two Twins

It was six years ago.

We were in the village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes, just outside of Antigua, Guatemala. We had tried to start a stove project through a local group, but there was a lot of social pressure coming from friends, so a group from JBU SIFE went down to assess homes and decide who should have higher priority to get stoves.  We were almost done for the day, but there was one more name on the list. Gloria. She didn't live very close. In fact, we had to walk halfway up a mountain to meet her, and when we arrived, we met the most pregnant woman I have ever seen. We forgot about stoves completely. The whole group immediately came to the same thought...we need to get this woman to a doctor.

The first time we met Gloria - January 2007

As we chatted with Gloria, she told us that she was going to have her baby at home with a midwife, as is the custom of indigenous women of Guatemala. She told us much more about her situation...a story too long and complicated to share here. As we listened, we became more convinced that we needed to get her to a doctor. We offered, and she agreed. An ultrasound indicated that she was having twins and that they were positions incorrectly. Without a Cesarean section, she and the babies would not survive. But the doctor said she needed two more weeks, and we were leaving the next day. We made the best arrangements for her that we could...for the doctor, hospital, transport, and everything else. We returned to the States the next day knowing that God would work a miracle of logistics or that all three would die on the mountain. JBU students went to work and raised the money to cover the costs. God worked the miracle of logistics, and in February of 2007, we welcomed José and Josefina into the world.

José and Josefina - March 2007

It is amazing how God works. There was so much dysfunction in this family, but it was a beautiful family. Luky was a 13-year-old girl who finished 6th grade but could not afford to go any farther, even though she wanted to very badly. Luky is Gloria's daughter but had a different father. Then there was Cecy and Arturo. They and the twins were all children of Carlos, Gloria's husband. It was a very poor family with many problems. We believed that God had put these twins in our path, so we always stopped by to see them, but we never realized how we would learn to know the family and get involved with them and develop a friendship that would impact me in ways I never expected.

The family - December 2007 

We started talking to Luky. She was kind of standoffish and bitter, but she began to open up about how she would love to continue school. So we helped her. This year, Lord willing, she will graduate from high school and have a full 12 years of education. Then we started Cecy in preschool...and then Arturito. They have had their struggles, but Cecy will move on to 3rd grade this year, and Arturito will enjoy a second year of 1st grade. 

Today, I had the privilege of enrolling José and Josefina into preschool.  They will turn 6 years old in February. The time has flown! It seems like only yesterday that this bunch of gringos was glaring at this very pregnant woman in the doorway of her house, wondering if something had gone badly wrong. Now, all five children are going to be in school, and the oldest is going to finish her degree as a bilingual secretary.

José and Josefine - January 2013

For the past six years, we have gone through the tedious process of enrolling, getting school supplies, and buying school clothes. That may not sound like much, but in rural areas of Guatemala, it is not easy. Luky has become a beautiful young lady who looks you in the eye and smiles and jokes a lot. God has taken a lot of bitterness out of her heart. She has the potential to do many thing. The "system" in Guatemala is kind of stacked against her (she is a poor girl from an indigenous community), but God has already overcome so many things in her life. I am excited to see what comes next.

Luky - January 2013

God is good. I have learned this week that "faith is action." When we saw that pregnant lady standing in the door, we had to act. As we grew to know this family, we had to act. Gloria and Carlos have acted in faith to support their children's education, something they really don't understand because they never had that opportunity. Faith is action, and action leads to beautiful things. Faithful action helps us see God's plan unfold, even though we can't see it ahead of time.

Gloria, José, Josefina, Arturito, and Cecy - January 2013

Keep this family in your prayers. It is very hard to break out of they system they live in, but God has already worked miracles here. I don't think He's finished yet.