Below one of our very own staff members in Guatemala, Catherine highlights the experiences she had during her first rescue mission this past month.
My name is Catherine Milian. I am the director of the Sponsorship Program in Guatemala. I have been working for Hope of Life for almost 8 years and have dedicated my life so far to serving those in need and have fallen in love with the ministry. It wasn’t until this past weekend that I had the privilege to go on a child rescue. It took us over two hours to get there, driving through rough terrain and up mountains. Once we parked, we had to hike for another hour through dry corn fields to the house. The entire time, I had one thought on my mind: How do people survive here, what do they eat? I was sadden and confused but had to continue walking to rescue the baby, Dayrin. I had no idea about the situation we would find her in. By the photos and children I have seen in our Baby Rescue Center, I knew she was going to need our help.
When we were close, I could see a house made of mud and sticks but surrounded by beautiful flowers. It wasn’t easy to convince Dayrin’s family she was going to be in good hands and we were going to take care of her. Only after talking with Dayrin’s grandfather, explaining to him what Hope of Life was about that we were going to be helping Daryin, did he give us the ok to bring her and her mom of only 17 years old down the mountain. I had no words when I saw her, a baby girl of only two months, weighing only 5 pounds. Her mom was so afraid of us so I tried to start a conversation with her and we ended up praying together for her baby girl.
We brought her to our Rescue Center and Dayrin was sent to surgery two days after. I am so glad her surgery was a success, and now I am praying she can recover from severe malnutrition.
We saved a life that day,which I am forever grateful for … But I would have to say Hope of Life changed two lives that day, one is Dayrin´s life and the other one is mine. It changed the way I see each day from that day on, knowing that I get to be Jesus’ hands and that there´s no time to sit around; we have to find the resources to go and rescue thousands of babies like Dayrin. There´s no time for unimportant things. Each day matters. The way we work and tell others about the work we do it has to be contagious! If we wouldn’t find her on time, she would’ve died in that mountain. But we did because of the wonderful work we are doing and I pray that each day we continue to have the passion and fire to continue serving and saving lives all around Guatemala!
Thank you Hope of Life and Carlos and Cheryl for giving me this opportunity. We are a team and are the body of Jesus Christ. Each of us serve in an important way to those in need. Thank you!
Meet the author of this blog, Catherine Milan – Sponsorship Director in Guatemala at Hope of Life.