Chloe O’Connor is 14 years old and in 10th grade. She moved with her family to Guatemala to serve with Hope of Life in the beginning of July. She loves visiting the hospital and helping with children anytime she can. She has enjoyed being a part of the dance team along with the girls from the Village of Transformation. She loves Jesus and is very thankful for the opportunity to serve with her family in Guatemala. Last week, Chloe and her family were a part of a baby rescue and she shared the following story:
A few days ago, my family and I had the opportunity to go on a baby rescue with Hope Of Life. It was roughly a 3-hour drive through the mountains to Olopa, Guatemala, where a little baby girl was crying, dehydrated, and sick. Sulma is 7 months old and weighs 9 pounds. She is a precious little girl with the most beautiful, big, brown eyes that I have ever seen. Her 18-year-old mother, Gladys, did not have breast milk to feed her baby, and Sulma was hungry. Her mother was able to buy formula, but she did not have enough so she had watered it down to make it last longer. Because of this, Sulma wasn’t getting all the nutrients she needed. Most of the time, all Sulma’s family is able to afford is small amounts of corn and water for corn tortillas. This is why their children get so sick and malnourished—because their family isn’t able to buy beans or rice with sufficient nutrients and substance. That is why Sulma’s family was so thankful for the food bags we brought them. We gave two large food bags to Sulma’s family—filled with enough food for them to have better meals with more nutrients.
There were tall banana trees everywhere in that village with many large clumps of bananas. It made me sad to know that Sulma and her family were not able to have the bananas, even though they could really use it for the health of their family. We were told that the land they were growing bananas on did not belong to Sulma’s family and that the people who owned the banana trees would sell the bananas in surrounding villages.
When we got to the family’s house, it was extremely eye-opening to see their living conditions. Their home had thick, hard walls built with sticks, hay, and sun dried mud. The roof was made from tin and sheet metal and had holes in it so the smoke from the fires could escape. The house had a very strong aroma of smoke because they have open fires in order to cook their meals (tortillas). It was very dark and cramped, with just one small room. It was also damp and there were tiny chickens running around the living areas and several dogs laying around.
It’s so amazing to think of how this rescue will change Sulma’s life. She will get a second chance at a healthy start. This reminds me of how Jesus gives us grace and second chances to have an opportunity of a new life in Him. Hope Of Life has an amazing ministry of Baby Rescue, and we got to be a part of that! We have loved going to the hospital and checking on Sulma and her mom- so far they have loved it and are doing wonderfully! I’m excited to watch Sulma grow and improve with the formula and the medicine she needs!
