December Newsletter

“In His name, the nations will put their hope.”
Matthew 12:21

As our family enters into this holiday season in Guatemala, we are trying to focus on the hope that Jesus offers in His birth. We look at many in Guatemala who have no hope and we pray that we would be able to convey to those that we meet where we get our Hope.

Many in Guatemala can’t afford to feed their families. This time of the year, many fathers and whole families go to the coast to work at the sugarcane or coffee fincas (plantations). Many of them go so that they can feed their families until they plant their crops again at the beginning of the rainy season. Many others will try their luck at getting into the United States. Don has been talking to one of the guys, Alfredo, who used to live at the Home about going to the States. He is tempted to go so that he can afford to build a house for the family that he may have someday. Don is trying to convince him that the United States is not the Promised Land but is expensive and will be hard, especially for illegal immigrants. It is a hard sell when they can see the money some of the men have brought back to Guatemala from their time in the States. Alfredo works hard. He is a teacher during the school year and the Home hires him to tutor the kids and help them with their school work. Right now school is out, so he is helping with projects at the Home. He also helped with the census that the Guatemalan government recently took. But even with all these jobs, he can’t get ahead here. Where is his hope of being able to build a home or even owning a motorcycle for transportation? Where do the Guatemalan people go to find jobs that will allow them to live more than “paycheck to paycheck”? We pray that Alfredo is listening and does not try to cross illegally into the United States. We pray for the Lord’s provision for him and we pray that the Lord will be his Hope.

If you are keeping up on our blog, we recently wrote about a wedding that we attended. One of the Guatemalan traditions at the wedding involved a bell. The bell was hung from the ceiling and had long ribbons hanging from it.


At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom knelt under the bell while their mothers pulled on the ribbons. Confetti started to drop from the bell symbolizing a blessing from the parents over the newly married couple. The parents are filled with hope for their children as they begin their married life.


Once the confetti dropped, the mother of the groom kept pulling and pulling her ribbon. We could not figure out what she was doing until the bottom of the bell opened up more and two white birds flew out.



White birds, usually doves in the Bible, symbolize the Holy Spirit who came after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and our Gift from God. He represents our Hope.

May you and your family focus on the Hope of the nations this Christmas season. May the Lord be the center of your celebration. May He bless you and be your Provision and your Hope. – The Allison’s

November Newsletter

Allison Family Newsletter
November 2008
www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com

We are learning that many of the people in Guatemala are still suffering from the effects of a civil war that ended over 10 years ago. There is still great fear. The people live in homes with no windows or maybe just one window with bars on it or maybe just a series of small holes high in one wall (see pictures below). They feel more secure where there is little access from the outside. They feel safe in small, dark spaces. Many of the people who live near the clinic in Chiminicijuan fled to that area during the war. They preferred to live in a very remote place where it was not accessible by a road. When a child was sick they would just go home and let the child die there.

Several years ago, a man walked the trail down the mountain from Chiminicijuan for 3 hours to the clinic in San Andres. He was diagnosed with liver cancer. He needed to go to Guatemala City for treatment. After much prayer, the Fickers felt that the Lord wanted them to help this man get treatment. They also helped him with medicines for his pain as the disease progressed. The man was so thankful for their help but knew that he could never repay them. He told them that the only thing of value that he had was a piece of land in the aldea where he lived. He gave it to them and asked them to use it to start a clinic for his people.

Now every Tuesday, a clinic is held on his land for his people. The people of Chiminicijuan built a road to the land so that the Fickers could come and hold their clinic. When a child is sick, instead of going home so the child can die, they have an option. The people of Chiminicijuan still do not trust easily. They will bring their child to clinic but if the child needs more care than the clinic can give, often times, they will not even consider taking the child to the hospital. They are also ruled by superstitions and wrong information. When Leslie is trying to encourage them to breastfeed their babies, she is also encouraging them to drink water so that their bodies can make breastmilk. The women believe that if they drink too much water, their milk will become diluted. The clinic in Chiminicijuan is a ministry that is about trust and consistency. The people do not know about Jesus but they will not listen unless they first trust the people bringing the message.

Our family has been in Guatemala now for almost 2 months. We spend a lot of our time “just living” and are wondering if we are truly making a difference in this country. Are we affecting lives here for the better? Are we fulfilling the purposes that the Lord has for us here? When a large part of the ministry is about building trust, it is going to take some time before fruit is produced. When much of the ministry is about education but the people are holding on tightly to their beliefs, it is hard to see that information is making a difference. Luke 8:15 says “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” We are trusting that the Lord has called us to this place and we are “persevering” in the hope that someday a great crop will be produced from the seeds that are sown in places like Chiminicijuan.

Pictures of typical homes in Guatemala.

October Newsletter

Allison Family in Guatemala Update
October 2008
For more info and stories of our adventure go to: www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com

We arrived safely in Guatemala on September 18th. Lori and the kids flew in to the airport in Guatemala City and Don drove across the border from Mexico. He made the drive to the City in time to check into a hotel and pick up Lori and the kids from the airport. It was wonderful to be together as a family again.

Since we arrived we have been settling in to our “new” home in Canilla, Guatemala. The kids have resumed school, Don has been helping in three clinics a week and with other miscellaneous medical “consultas” (consultations). As a family, we travel to a Children’s Home two days a week. The Children’s Home is located in a pueblo called San Andres. It takes us about 30 minutes of driving on mountain roads to get there. The Home now has about 30 kids living there. We love all the kids and have relationships with many that we met in 2003 on our first trip to Guatemala. We want to tell you about a new little boy that we met this year.

We don’t know his name, neither did the people at the Home, at first. They found him on the mountain road that we travel from Canilla to San Andres. About halfway between the two places, there is a village called Lililla. The little boy was near this village on the road by himself. Sebastian and Oralia, the Guatemalans in charge of the Children’s Home, have looked for and asked about his parents. But because they did not want to leave him by himself, they took him to the Home with them thinking that his parents would inquire and probably come to the Home to look for him. When we talked to Oralia about the little boy, she thinks that either the mother or father, or both, have a problem with alcohol and that is probably why they have had no one come looking for the little boy. Later when Don talked to Sebastian about him, they had found out his name. It is a very hard to pronounce, long Quiche (Indian) name. Don asked if his parents knew he was at the Home and Sebastian said “si”. Don asked if they wanted him back – Sebastian replied “Esta bien”. Apparently, that means that all is well with the child living at the Home. All of this story is very sad except that he is very happy at the Home. He laughs and follows Don around like a little shadow. He hides and peeks and is “muy contento” there. It is hard for all of the kids to be at the Home because it means that they have no parents or their parents don’t want them, but we know that the kids at the Home are so blessed in many ways. They have food which is often not available in the homes here in Guatemala. But more importantly, they meet Jesus. Sebastian and Oralia try very hard to make sure that every child living at the Children’s Home know about Jesus and what He has done for them and how much He loves them. This little boy is lost but he has found a place where he is being taken care of physically and spiritually. His parents may come and get him eventually but we pray that it is not before he gets a chance to meet Jesus, who will never leave him or forsake him.

August Newsletter

Allison Family in Guatemala Update
August 2008
www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com


Do you remember playing hide’n’seek as a kid? If you were “it”, you would count to 50 or some number and then call out “ready or not, here I come!” We feel like our departure date is yelling that at us! “Ready or not, you are leaving soon!” We are not ready and the days seem to be flying by very quickly. We found out the other day that the kids have been praying that the days would go fast until we leave. Apparently the Lord is answering their prayers!

Don leaves on Saturday, September 6th to drive through Mexico. We are praying about what to pack in his truck and talking to the Transmigrante office in Texas to see what he can take. They have lots of rules about what you can and cannot take through Mexico.

Lori and the kids leave on Thursday, September 18th and will fly into Guatemala City. Don will pick them up at the airport and then we will stay overnight in the city before heading up the mountain to Canilla. We won’t start packing for that part of the trip until we see what Don can’t take with him.

We have a couple prayer requests that we would like to share with you. If the Holy Spirit lays us on your heart, would you pray? We so appreciate any prayers offered. We are praying for the people who will be living in our house. They are trying to sell their house so that they don’t have two houses to care for while we are gone. We are still trying to reach our financial goals. We trust that the Lord will provide but we would appreciate your prayers on this.

Inital Newsletter

Allison Family Newsletter

Don and Lori were married in July 1993. We homeschool our four children; Caleb, Bethany, Hannah and Samuel. Don is a Physician Assistant. Our goal as a family is to glorify the Lord in word and deed. To follow His plan and purpose for our lives wherever that may take us.

In 2003, the Lord planted our hearts in Guatemala. He gave us a love for the people and the country that can only be explained as a gift from Him. We have traveled to the highlands of Guatemala several times since 2003. Our next trip will be a seven month trip during which we will help in medical clinics and serve at a Children’s Home two days a week. Don will leave on September 5th to drive through Mexico with a friend. Lori and the kids will fly into Guatemala on September 18th. We will all return on April 15th. For the most up-to-date information on our preparations and on our trip, please go to www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com.