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| Greetings! |
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 Have you ever noticed how large of a role waiting plays in our lives? It is a part of our everyday function as we often find ourselves sitting and waiting. We wait for the light to turn green. We wait in a line at the grocery store. We wait for the microwave to beep, signaling that our food is ready. In the course of our day we can find ourselves waiting a lot.
I don't know about you, but I am not a good "waiter." I tend to be goal driven and focused and can find myself getting impatient with the obstacles that keep me from reaching my goals quickly. As a result, I will often be caught tapping my foot, checking my watch, and having an internal dialogue with the driver in front of me who needs to either "speed up or get off the road!" And, because of this impatience, I often miss something good that God is offering me.
I miss the opportunity to talk to Jesus while waiting in traffic. I miss the chance to show love to the people with whom I am waiting in line. And I miss the gift that God offers me to slow down, take a breath, and simply be His.
Waiting plays a huge roll in adoptions. In the beginning there is a flurry of activity as we complete home studies, file paperwork, and assemble dossiers. But then we find ourselves waiting. And waiting. And waiting. This is some of the hardest waiting I have ever done.
It is one thing to wait for the light to change, but its an entirely different matter when you are waiting to bring home a child whom you love from a distant country. It is so easy for the frustration to grow, the prayers to become frantic, and stress to reach new levels. And as a result it is easy to miss the opportunities that God is giving us in the waiting.
We miss the opportunity to learn to deeper trust Him and His timing. We miss the chance to prepare ourselves for the physical and spiritual challenges that lie ahead as parents. And we miss the opportunity to just be His and rest in His arms.
Even now our family is in a difficult waiting period as we await our move to Guatemala. There is so much that we want to happen and we want it now! Yet in the waiting we do not want to miss what God has for us. The opportunities to grow, prepare, minister, and love are all around us if we care to trust God's timing and open our eyes.
So, my prayer for each of you today is this: As you wait today, may you wait in Him! | |
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| Restructuring Hope for Home |
 As the Fulps prepare to move to Guatemala, our Board of Directors has been working to assure that Hope for Home Ministries continues its vital work here in the States. The initial plan was to hire a Director to replace Daryl, but to this point all potential candidates have not yielded results. These closed doors have cause the Board to think outside the box and head in a different direction.
As a result, the Board has voted to hire an office manager who will run our Hope for Home office here in Troy. This person will be responsible for the bookkeeping, snail mail correspondence, and various day-to-day tasks of the ministry. I am happy to announce that God has already provided a wonderful lady to fill this role. She will be introduced to you in the following article.
The addition of this staff person will enable Daryl to continue as the Director of Hope for Home from Guatemala. Through video conferencing and e-mail he will continue to fulfill many of the responsibilities of the ministry, including the chairing of board meetings, e-mail communication, Web site management, and even much of the telephone work. Through modern technology he will even be able to give reports and presentations in local churches which can include walkthrough tours of their Guatemalan ministry and introductions of the children in Hogar de la Esperanza.
In addition, Hope for Home has volunteer speakers who will continue to provide presentations to churches. Each of these men have adopted international children with special needs and are people who are passionate for the Gospel and orphans.
As we move through this transition you will receive regular communication detailing where we are in the process. We appreciate your prayers and continued support! |
| Our New Office Manager |
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 As we mentioned above, Hope for Home has hired a new Office Manager who will play a vital role in our ministry under our new structure. The person we have chosen for this crucial position is Emily Vance.
Emily and her husband, Curtis, adopted David (7) from China in March 2009 and have two biological children, Bethany (17) and Elena (13). Their family have been supporters of HfH since our beginning. Emily currently serves as the Treasurer of HeartLand Church in Troy, OH.
She will officially begin her new role in coming months as she is trained and works into the position prior to the Fulp's departure for Guatemala. You can e-mail Emily at emily@hopeforhome.org |
| Guatemala Team Report & New Trips Added |
 From February 27th through March 7th a Hope for Home Ministry Team was in Guatemala caring for children in a variety of ministries. This incredible group loved with the heart and hands of Jesus and their impact was significant.
As always the team spent a significant amount of time at Hermano Pedro, an orphanage and hospital for children, teens and adults with Cerebral Palsy and malnutrition. As they loved on the children the entire atmosphere changed. Kids who were previously hostile or non responsive became loving and cheerful. What an impact the body of Christ can have on dark places!
In addition, our group worked in The Scheel Center (a school for low income children), Casa Jackson (a malnutrition home), and Amor del Nino (a Christian orphanage). And each team member returned deeply impacted and with a better perspective of God's view of our world.
Looking ahead, our June Guatemala trip is now completely filled and will be our largest team to date. In addition, we have been asked by Hope Community Church in North Carolina to add trips in both July and August to accommodate interest from their congregation. These new trips are scheduled for July 10 - 18 and August 7-15. While we expect both of these teams to be large, we will likely have room for a few extra on each trip. So, if you are interested, please click here for more information and to download a registration form. |
| An Update on Hogar de la Esperanza |
 As we continue to work toward the opening of our new group home in Guatemala for children with special needs we continue to face two large obstacles. Once these challenges are met our ministry will be able to proceed quickly in this new work.
The first challenge is raising additional support. In order to be fully funded we still need an additional $1000 a month in sponsorship. At present, we have almost $2000.00 of the $3000.00 required. If you are currently not a financial supporter of our ministry, would you prayerfully consider becoming one?
If you would like more information regarding Hogar de la Esperanza simply e-mail Daryl at daryl@hopeforhome.org. We will send you a brochure and answer any questions you may have. Thanks for prayerfully considering ongoing sponsorship! You can also choose to donate online by clicking here.
The second challenge is the sale of the Fulp's home. With the housing market still very slow, it is difficult to sell a home for a decent price. Will you please pray that God will provide the right buyer at the right time?
Thanks for your ongoing help to make Hogar de la Esperanza a reality! |
| Schedule a Hope for Home Presentation |
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Hope for Home Ministries offers a variety of presentations for churches and would love to share with your congregation. We provide an engaging and challenging sermon at no charge that is designed to mobilize your congregation to make a difference in the world.
If we have never been to your church (or if has been a while since we were there) please click here or e-mail us at daryl@hopeforhome.org to receive a packet of information to share with your pastor and church leaders. |
| Pray for Alina |
Name: Alina
Sex: FemaleAge: 4 years
Country: Eastern Europe
Special need(s): Down Syndrome, VSD, & hypothroidism
Little Alina has brown hair and brown eyes. She was born with a VSD (ventricular septal defect) and also has hypothyroidism. She is doing very well, but should be seen by a cardiologist when she gets home. Alina has recently turned 4, and is now "at risk" for institutionalization.
Now is the perfect time to start your paperwork for Alina! She cannot be adopted from the place she will be sent. She is blessed to still be at the baby house, which is one of the nicer ones. We have had several families adopt from here, and this region is a beautiful place to visit. There are MANY children with Down syndrome and other special needs waiting in this orphanage who can be adopted together.
For more information on Alina click here or visit www.reecesrainbow.org. Please prayerfully consider giving Alina a home...your home! |
| Ministry Blogs |
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 Keep up with the details of our transition to Guatemala and other Hope for Home happenings on Daryl's blog at www.hopeforhome.blogspot.com.
While you are there, don't forget to check out some of the blogs that he follows and pray for those faithful workers in God's harvest! | |
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Daryl Fulp,
Director
Hope for Home Ministries
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