God's faithfulness through challenging times

Last year was unprecedented. Even as we bid adieu to 2020, we look to the year ahead with hope and yet with a sense of unease as we know that it won’t be an easy one. Beginning in March of 2020, Guatemala was put under lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. While everyone felt the strain of the restrictions, it was felt much more strongly in the rural villages of places like El Zapote where Source of Hope is located.

Already an isolated community, El Zapote almost immediately felt the escalation of isolation and loss of access to resources sharply. Buses stopped running for a time, making it impossible to travel from the village anywhere. People lost jobs overnight and found themselves unable to provide for their families. For Source of Hope, the lockdown forced all children to start distance learning, as schools across the country were closed.

Parents tried to help their children with classwork and homework, but many of them had trouble understanding the concepts, as education levels among parents in Zapote is often lower than 6^th grade.In spite of this, God proved His faithfulness time and time again. In the week before lockdown, we were able to host our yearly medical team from Texas who provided the much-needed medical care to the community in and around El Zapote.

The local church we partner with provided basic food and necessities every two weeks to our children’s families served through Source of Hope.Your generous gifts allowed each of our students to receive a new pair of shoes. Our students have personally felt God’s peace during this hard time, and parents who would be usually toiling in the fields are now able to spend more time with their children.We thank God for being ever-present and for providing for the community of El Zapote.