For this month in Guatemala, Team Trust Without Borders has been on a mission to find new potential ministry contacts for the World Race. We call it Unsung Hero month because we are highlighting ministries that are furthering God’s Kingdom with needs of both physical and financial support and prayer. We have spent the majority of our month in Guatemala City, calling, emailing and meeting up with local contacts here. We have been beyond blessed with reaching out and meeting several ministries through another missionary we met the first day in Guatemala.
Last week we had the amazing opportunity to meet with Jamie Waller of Cadaniño Ministry. Jamie is from the New York area but travels back and forth from the States to Guatemala City. Cadaniño is a small Christian Ministry operating in Guatemala for the past six years. Their mission is threefold: The Kids, The Caregivers and The Culture. They are explicitly a Christian mercy ministry and their focus is on the kids inside a government orphanage for profoundly developmentally challenged and intellectually impaired orphans.
The Kids:
The center where Cadaniño works is a government residential center for some of the most intellectually and neurologically challenged children. There are 70 children ranging in age from 12 years old into their forties. Technically, the government mandate is for children from ages 6 to 18, but several stay on after they reach an age of majority because there simply is no other place for them. Nearly half the population wear adult diapers and have limited ability to pursue basic grooming or feeding. The children that Cadaniño has focused on are the 27 children under the age of 18. That includes several children that are in wheelchairs and completely unable to communicate or be self sustaining. Cadaniño has taken on the task of working with them during all their waking hours and providing them with improved hygiene, as well as physical and play therapies. Working closely with the government employed teachers, psychologists and physical therapists our staff strive to bring joy and love to the kids as they learn autonomy and simple life skills.
The Caregivers (Staff):
Cadaniño employs and supervises several Niñeras (Nurses-Aides), one Physical Therapist and one Special Educator. Most of these Niñeras are single Moms living in extreme poverty. The $250.00 per month salary that they earn has to cover all their living expenses. The cost of living in Guatemala is significantly lower than in the USA, but food costs are nearly as much as the States and the majority of their earnings goes towards feeding their families. Cadaniño attempts to witness to them and encourage them. Initially, they told them the job would be for six months so that they could transition into better employment. Almost universally, they have been unable to find improved employment opportunities and have stayed working with Cadaniño. Several of them are approaching their three year anniversary working with Cadaniño and we are looking for ways to offer them personal development.
The Culture:
Cadaniño exists to serve Christ and Worship our Lord. Their initiatives are to bring Glory to the Kingdom and change lives in the here and now. They are called to run the ministry inside a secular government run institution. They work side by side with the 65 government employees. Many of whom suffer from a variety work related burnt out and grinding poverty. As Guatemala moves from a third world nation into a first world nation Cadaniño wants to encourage their government services, local philanthropies and the local Church. Their goal is to serve as a catalyst in encouraging them to take better care of their own neediest citizens. What better benchmark of a society’s culture than the care they give to their least fortunate. The second half of the cultural objective is to change hearts and minds back home in the USA. As John Piper says, “ Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.” This third tier of their work is difficult to analyze in terms of effectiveness and impact, but Cadaniño continue to pray for guidance.
Please continue to keep Jamie and all of our future contacts in your prayers!
Much Love,
Allison
