LOS GOSOZOS (The Joy-filled) is the ministry that my team and I will be working with during our first month in Guatemala. Here's some more info from their website:
Our home is specifically for orphaned children rejected by homes for normal children AND children whose families cannot take care of them because of their special needs. Our school is for children who cannot gain access to an education in the over-crowded Guatemalan public school system due to their disabilities or the ridicule of other students. Some of the children have severe hearing or vision deficits, microcephaly, learning disabilities, hydrocephaly, cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, attention disorders or sensory integration difficulties.
Chimaltenango is an indigenous Mayan town of 100,000. It is an important agricultural center located in the fertile highland plain of western Guatemala. We started the first (now operating independently) and, in 2007, the second Special Ed school in the area. Most disabled children are still hidden at home, often left alone tied into a bed so the mother can go out to work.
Our Goal is for each disabled child to reach his or her full potential. God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. To us it means their days should be filled with hugs and kisses, fun activities and learning, caring personal attention and real advancement in life skills. Every disabled child is a soul that must be saved. We give them a clean protected environment where they can grow healthy in every way. We want them to become productive adults with a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
I'm so excited to meet these kids and hear their testimonies!
