Last week we received word about a family living about an hour away from town, in a small village, who needed help with formula for their baby. We decided to go out and meet them in person.
Their baby, Elvin, is just over a month old. After he was delivered, he was immediately transferred to a large hospital in the capital city. Elvin was born with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and double club foot. In his short life, he has already undergone multiple surgeries. He has a very long road ahead of him because these are not conditions with an easy fix.
Now, he is back home in his village. Both of his legs are in casts from the hips down, he has a shunt in his head, and the family must travel to the capital city once a month for follow-up appointments.
This family lives in very humble conditions. The father works in agriculture, and they also have a three-year-old son and an 18-year-old daughter. They do not speak Spanish (they speak the local dialect of our town), which makes every hospital visit even more challenging and expensive, as they must hire a translator.
When we met them, they asked for help with formula because the mother was unable to establish breastfeeding due to the hospitalizations and surgeries. After visiting them and hearing their story, we could see that their need is real and their situation is very difficult.
We have committed to providing formula for baby Elvin for at least his first year of life ($230 per month or $2760 for the year). As much as we are able to financially, we would also like to help with the family’s transportation and translation costs for their medical trips to the capital, which will cost around $400 per month (or $4,800 for the year). We will try to completely cover the formula first, and any extra donations that come in will go towards their transportation costs.
This goes beyond our regular budget, but we believe God placed this family on our hearts to help. If you would like to join us in supporting baby Elvin and his family, you can give through the link below. As always, your donations will receive a tax receipt from MissionGO.
Thank you for your prayers and generosity!
We are the founders and directors of “SION” ("Zion" in English), an evangelical ministry where we offer maternity and child nutrition services to the many mountain villages surrounding our town, San Andrés Sajcabajá, where there is little access to safe and professional medical services. Guatemala has one of the highest maternal and infant death rates in Central America.
With Stephanie’s training as a Registered Nurse and Peniel in pastoral training, our mission is to offer quality healthcare services and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to each patient who visits, with the goal that they will accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
In the Bible, Zion refers to the place where God dwells—and we want that to be true of our center. We want to be a light in this town, where families enter and feel safe, heard, valued, and loved; and ultimately where they discover their purpose and identity in Christ. It is a privilege to be used by God in the physical realm of health care to accomplish His purposes in the spiritual realm.
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Support Raised
Donate Now »| Name | Amount | Date | Comment |
| Tracey Hepner | $103.00 | Oct 23rd, 2025 | Praying for strength and endurance for the family. Beautiful child!! |
| Jeff and Charlene Neuman | $515.00 | Oct 23rd, 2025 | Praying for Elvin and his family. |
| Steven York | $206.00 | Oct 24th, 2025 | |
| Emily Dyke | $20.60 | Oct 24th, 2025 | Praying for this sweet baby and family!❤️ thank you Katie for giving us this opportunity to help! |
| Diane Kress | $400.00 | Oct 24th, 2025 | |
| John Konrad | $309.00 | Oct 24th, 2025 | |
| Private | $1,000.00 | Oct 28th, 2025 |
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