March Newsletter

Allison Family Newsletter
March 2009
www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

One of my (Lori’s) favorite things to do in Guatemala is to go on housecalls. Normally, my role here is more of a “support” or a “behind the scenes” role. When I get to tag along on housecalls, I actually get to be with the people. I don’t add any value medically but I love to see the people and how they live. If you are keeping up with our blog, you know that we went on a housecall recently. We went to see a young woman who had a baby six weeks prior. She wasn’t able to walk and she thought she didn’t have enough breastmilk. (See our blog entry from March 15th for more information.) We had to walk quite a distance up a mountain and then down again to get to their house. When we rounded the corner of the house, we saw many little children. My first thought was “they are so cute and . . . so dirty”. Now we are not afraid of a little dirt at our house. My children get dirty with the best of them but this was the kind of dirt that comes from not having water in plentiful supply. As I looked around the house and then into it, I noticed that their floor was dirt which is very common here. Their house was adobe so it was made of dirt. Of course, the children were dirty with a deep down kind of dirt.

I feel like the Lord has been cleaning our “deep, down dirt” for the past 6 months. It feels like He has been scrubbing us clean and stripping off the things that we are trying to cover ourselves with. We have had to walk through some difficult times in the past six months: our computer crashing, Don losing his driver’s license and credit card, losing Caleb’s glasses, our clutch going out and Hannah’s broken wrist - to name a few. Peter Scazzero in Emotionally Healthy Spiritually puts it this way: “He (God) has a unique purpose for each of us, knowing how much there is to cleanse out of our inner being, and how much he wants to infuse of himself into us for his great, long-term purposes. Our Father knows how much we can handle.” There were many times when I felt like He had given us more than we could handle, yet we feel that we are stronger because of all of these trials. We have also had to learn what it means to trust the Lord and lean on Him at a deeper level than we ever had before. We are now in the process of trying to “see” what the Lord has next for us, but we don’t want to miss what He has for us today. We don’t want to look too far forward and miss what He has for us in the four weeks we have left. We also want to wait on Him and His plan. This is all part of trusting Him.

During the housecall, while the others were inside the house examining the patient and the baby, I was outside playing with the “dirty” kids. I asked if I could take their picture and then showed it to them on the camera. They just giggled when they saw themselves. I am pretty sure that they weren’t thinking “look at how dirty I am!” Often we can’t see our own “dirt” either! The kids would try to look so solemn while I took the picture and then break into giggles and smiles after. The only time I noticed their dirt was when we first arrived. After that initial thought, I only noticed how cute their smiles and giggles were, how sweet they were and how much fun it was to make them laugh. I didn’t add a lot of value to the housecall that day except to make some kids laugh. It brightened my day; I pray that it brightened theirs as well.
Check our blog for the adventures that the Lord has for us during our last 4 weeks. -The Allison’s

February Newsletter

Allison Family Newsletter
February 2009
www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com

“so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
1 Corinthians 12:25-26

“to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”
Ephesians 4:12

It is such a blessing when we meet people who immediately treat us like family simply because they know we love the Lord as they do. This is what it means to be part of the family of God. This is what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. The Lord wants us to love one another, support one another, care for one another, suffer with one another and rejoice with one another. He wants us to build each other up and encourage one another. All of this simply because we know Him and the love that He has for us.

The team that came from El Shaddai, a church in Guatemala City, was amazing. They embraced us and the work that the Fickers are trying to do here. They came alongside them and served them while also blessing them. The nutrition program that Leslie does in her clinics is so important here. She hands out dry milk, vitamins and other dry goods to families, children, widows, single moms. It is a part of the outreach that is a priority. However, it all costs money and when times are tough in the US, the missionaries feel it. The Fickers continue to give because they trust in the Lord’s provision and know that His heart is to take care of the widow and the orphan and His command is to feed His sheep. When the team left, they left behind huge bags of the food, beans and rice and other dry goods that can be distributed to the poor and hungry. The Lord continues to provide through relationships and provisions from the unexpected. He is amazing and it is such an honor for our family to be a part of the work that He is doing here in Guatemala.

With only two months left, we are trying to keep our eyes on today while not worrying about what the Lord has for us once we return. If you think of us, please pray for the Lord’s plan for us. Thank you for your support and prayers. We could not be here without all of you. We pray for the Lord’s blessings over you and your families. May He draw you closer to Him and may He always be the Rock that you trust.

Here are a few pictures of the team from El Shaddai. The first is the pediatrician. The second is one of the dentists in action. The third is the ladies taking care of the “pharmacy”. Nicolasa is the shortest one. They needed her translating skills for distributing medicines to those who spoke only Quiche.

January Newsletter

Allison Family Newsletter
January 2009
www.allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com

With the New Year comes new hope, new beginnings, new dreams, new resolutions and new goals. It is the time of the year to examine where we are at and where we are going. The New Year will also contain new struggles, new heartbreaks, new issues and new problems, and maybe even some of the old ones. For us, the New Year means that we have now arrived at the halfway point of our trip.

The last three and a half months have been filled with many blessings, lots of adjustments and some struggles. Our latest struggle was losing Caleb’s glasses in the river. We had walked along the canal for 45 minutes to get to the river. After the glasses dropped in, we spent lots of time searching and watching and praying. I (Lori) kept asking the Lord to show me where they were. I felt so bad about losing the glasses and about ruining our day. The kids had been having so much fun exploring and climbing.

The Lord didn’t answer my prayer the way that I wanted. While I was looking around with tears in my eyes, my mind came back to a song we sing in church. It is called “Blessed Be Your Name.” It talks about praising the Lord “When the world's 'all as it should be'” and also “On the road marked with suffering”. It reminded me that God is still God even when things are hard and when He doesn’t answer my prayers the way that I want.

Caleb cannot see without his glasses and getting him new glasses while living so far from home is not easy. However, our situation cannot compare to the struggles that many here in Guatemala are currently walking through. Don had a mom and her children in clinic on Sunday who were complaining of a stomach ache. They didn’t seem to be ill, so Don was not sure what to do and asked Leslie. Leslie told him to ask her if she was married or if she had to buy her corn. The patient told Don that her husband had left her three years ago and yes, she had to buy her corn but she didn’t have any money. You see, in the dry season, the only way to have corn is if you planted enough in the rainy season or you have to buy it. As you can imagine, it is very expensive to buy corn during the dry season. The women’s stomach hurt because she was hungry. Don ended up giving her a bag of beans telling her that it was a gift from Jesus. This will get her by for a while but then what will she feed to her children?

This patient’s struggles are so much greater than ours. Our family has not once gone hungry. Our family is intact and we have a great optometrist/friend in the US who immediately responded to our call for help. Fortunately for us, many pairs of glasses have been donated to the Ficker’s ministry. We found a pair with Caleb’s prescription that had wire rims. He put them on and jumped up and down yelling, “I can see! I can see!” Our family also knows Who to lean on during these times of struggles. The Bible says in Romans 5:2-4 “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Our hope for this New Year comes from knowing that the Lord holds us in the palm of His hand whether we are in a time of blessing or in a time of struggling. We pray that your New Year is filled with the hope that comes from knowing Him. Happy New Year from the Allison’s.

Here are a few pictures from our trip along the canal.

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.