It’s easy to get lost in the numbers – 74,000 cases, 50,000 recovered, etc. – but Living Water Adopt-A-Child (LWAAC) is continuing to persevere in Guatemala. As COVID-19 cases climb, our dedicated team is going door-to-door to provide sponsored children and their families with groceries, other essential resources, encouragement, and prayer.

Items being distributed include soap, rice, beans, noodles, sugar, oil, milk, coffee, and a vitamin drink for children. We are also regularly checking in with families to ensure their well-being and let them know that we are here to support them during these challenging times.

One particular mother was overjoyed to receive a food parcel last month. Our staff drove four hours from the ministry center to deliver her basket of food and the mother responded with tears of joy when she saw what they brought. Her family had been very close to running out of food and these groceries were an answer to prayer. We are humbled that the Lord used us to help this woman in her time of need.

We are continuing to operate certain parts of our ministry operations online throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff host regular online church services and our physicians provide medical consultations via phone and video. However, our dental clinics remain closed by government order.

Maria, one of the elderly women from our Women In Need (WIN) program, shares what LWAAC has meant to her recently:

“Hello, my name is Maria. I am 85 years old. I am a widow. I only have one child. I suffer from stomach problems and diarrhea. Unfortunately, I have not visited a doctor yet because I do not have the resources to pay for it. I do not have a stable job because of my age. My daughter’s husband struggles to support his family and me. He is a farmer and also works as a day laborer. At the moment, it has been very difficult for him to find a job because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation.”

“We do not have much food at home. I feel weak and I think that sometimes I get sick from my stomach because my stomach has become accustomed to not receiving much food. In our house, we do not have enough food for all of us. Sometimes, I go to beg for money in the plaza of the main town and I use this money to buy food. I live on a piece of land that a member of my church has loaned to us to live on. Our house is made of wooden pieces and tin sheets at in sheet roof, dirt floor, and running water. We do not have electricity, so we use candles for lighting at night. The tin sheets of our roof are old and damaged. I walk about an hour to get to the feeding program and Living Water Church. Some of my greatest needs are groceries, medical care, tin sheets, and clothes.”

We are privileged to show the love of Jesus to Maria, children who would otherwise go to bed hungry, and all of the other impoverished Guatemalans our ministry serves. You can learn more about our Guatemala ministry by visiting the Guatemala webpage on our website.