Santiago joined the GOT Ministries caseload in the fall of 2017. When he first came to see us, the tension in his muscles did not allow him much range of mobility.  He did not play with toys or interact with people.  Through occupational therapy with GOT Ministries, Santiago gained range of movement and began to reach out for toys.  He started feeding himself and he and his family began to learn to use his wheelchair.

Not too long after GOT Ministries started working with Santiago, his family's home burned down.  The family has struggled to regain their home over the past year.  Additionally, the father has been out of work recently. Making sure Santiago receives the nutrition he needs is challenging. He is in a nutrition center right now to help with this challenge. To be away from his family is hard, but we are grateful he is receiving the nutrition he needs to grow and develop. We are also excited to hear the family may be able to build a new home soon!

​Megan and Abigail met Calixto at 18 months old through a referral from a missionary in Santa Maria de Jesus.  Born cross-eyed, he was unable to see at birth and had spent a lot of time on his back.  The mission organization funded a neurology appointment for him and GOT began serving him and his family through occupational therapy.  His vision is improving, as well as his potential for development.  He likes bright lights and began reaching out and kicking more!
 

Today we celebrate because Calixto is WALKING!!! 

After just a few months of therapy and encouragement for his family, Calixto is developing and leaning into his potential.  Excited about Calixto's potential, his mom implements therapy techniques learned in his sessions with Abigail in the home!  Calixto began walking and is moving forward in his development.  The smile on his mom's face reminds us of the reason we serve these families.  We love to see hope shine through.  GOT Ministries is so excited for this little boy and his family!!  

Megan and Abigail met Chulo through a referral from a current GOT family.  Born unable to move his head and neck, his mother was told he would not grow up well.  Because of this discouragement, she struggled to have hope in her child's future and hid him from his family and friends for the first four months of his life.  She was unable to name him, so we called him Chulo, which means sweetie or cutie in Guatemalan Spanish.  Chulo spent much of his first four months on his back, hampering his development and growth.  He and his mom struggled to bond because the situation appeared hopeless.
 
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Today we celebrate!  Chulo has a name!!  We would like you to meet Gerson Alexander!!
 
Megan and Abigail support this family through occupational therapy, allowing Gerson to now be able to move his head and experience developmental growth!  Gerson and his mom know his potential for growth is great.  More importantly, the family knows they are loved and supported and empowered in the journey of Gerson’s growth and development. Gerson and his momma are able to bond and spend quality time together.  We are so excited to continue in this journey with Gerson and are currently encouraging his momma to register his birth so he is officially recognized by the government.

Hello there! My name is Abigail and I am thrilled to be serving with GOT ministries this Spring. When I first met Megan at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) conference in 2017, I immediately felt called to pursue a partnership with GOT. I first learned about occupational therapy in the pediatrics environment; while throughout my schooling I have experienced OT in a variety of fields, I am excited to finish my degree by working with kiddos. Also, how cool is it that I will be completing academic requirements AND experiencing a beautiful and exciting culture AND joining with GOT Ministries to share Christ’s love?
 
I am currently finishing up by Master’s degree in OT from Towson University in Baltimore, MD. I love to read, cook, jog, swim, and travel, and I love to teach and share these activities with others. I feel abundantly blessed to be on this journey.

Guest Post by Jean Wetherilt

In occupational therapy we often refer to the adaptive response, described as the interaction between an individual and the environment in which the individual meets the demands of the task.  The “Adaptive response” took on new meaning both personally and professionally as I walked the cobblestone streets of Antigua and Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. I learned from the wonderful people in those communities including the children and families, the staff and volunteers of New Life School and the best teacher and translator ever, Megan Lewis!
 
Experiencing the daily life of Guatemalan children gave me a different perspective of pediatric occupational therapy.   Many years of working with children have been focused on my Americanized views of the occupations of children:  to develop independence, to learn through play and an education, and to be social beings. In Guatemala, where living conditions are significantly different than in the U.S., these occupations are similar but also uniquely different. For example, play looks different.  In the market, I watched siblings wrestle behind their mama’s table, while another little girl gathered up her pile of plastic spoons to pretend to sell them, using what she saw her mother do daily as a model of this play task.  In the therapy room at New Life School, I watched a boy build his version of Antigua, a nearby town that he has heard of but may never visit, with wooden blocks. On rooftops little girls played house as they did the real household chores of hanging laundry on lines with their stuffed bunny wrapped on their back like their mothers care for their babies. 
 
In Santa Maria de Jesus, the school day ends at noon because children are needed at home, in the fields and in the market to help their families make money and survive.  The family unit is the priority in this culture, different from the U.S., which means children and adults collaborate together to ensure survival.  Unfortunately, the important daily activities rarely include play like we may expect it to look here in the U.S.  I saw situations children needing to grow up fast in order to take care of their siblings at a young age, do all household chores, and manage adult activities and responsibilities.  Most of the children we worked with have not had a chance to have a carefree childhood that we, in the US, might hope for all children.  One night while walking through a market I saw a toddler of about 2 years of age, propped against a fence asleep while his mom sold her wares.  Some extremely unfortunate and dire situations lead to children being taught to not only beg but also steal from tourists.

My name is Sarahi Lerma. I am an occupational therapy student from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in life sciences and a minor in sociology.

My family comes from several small towns in Mexico with limited resources for appropriate healthcare services, such as therapies, and I have personally experienced how this has a great impact on quality of life. Through these experiences I have found my love for occupational therapy and I am very passionate about giving back to communities with limited resources in sustainable ways. 
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In the past I have volunteered and worked in programs for children with special needs such as summer camps, special events, foster care, respite care and habilitation services. For the past 2 years I have been gymnastics instructor helping kiddos from the ages of 4 months to 12 years grow physical, social and cognitive skills in a positive and non-competitive environment. I am very excited to work with GOT Ministries to learn new skills that will help me become a better servant leader and for the opportunity to work with amazing kiddos.

To say that our occupational therapy (OT) students are a big part of our mission is an understatement. That is why we are so intentional about who we accept into our ministry.  We have been so blessed by 4 incredible OT students so far from various Universities around the US, who have given their all to our work and to the children we serve in Santa Maria de Jesus.  
To say that they are different when they return from Guatemala is also an understatement.  These young graduate students go with many expectations and with various life views; when they return, they have matured greatly both personally and professionally.  These future professionals return to the states, with a new perspective and with a holistic view of what it means to serve their community through occupational therapy.  Our occupational therapy students have learned more about themselves through there partnership with GOT and service in Guatemala, so that when they do enter the professional world in the States, the service they will be providing is at a higher level. 

Sydney Marable has been no exception.  She returned to the states in the beginning of December after 3 months of service with GOT Ministries.  We are so grateful for her and her dedication to our kiddos.  She served 26 children, both students from New Life School and children from the community of Santa Maria de Jesus.  She provided 30 hours of direct service to the children on our caseload per week, seeing some children twice a week.  In addition to these hours spent with the children, she worked many hours preparing, documenting, and planning for her visits.  Our OT students work very hard and put in many hours to provide the best service that the children deserve.  We are beyond grateful for their service, and our opportunity to invest in their learning and development.  GOT Ministries supervises their therapy services, teaches them all aspects of our service to the community of Santa Maria de Jesus, educates on the important cultural similarities and differences, as well as invests in their personal journey while serving in a third world country.  We have been so proud of the OT students who have returned after our partnership; they are making a difference in their work, and sphere of influence because of this life changing, and wonderful experience.  

Thank you to those who have made our partnerships possible; to those who help us to be on the ground in Guatemala truly serving and sharing the message of love and hope.  

​"I think the biggest impact has been on how I see myself. I feel more confident in my ability to be an Occupational Therapist but also to exist as myself. I feel stronger and more able to deal with challenges on my own"
-Sydney Marable
University of New Mexico
Served with GOT during Fall 2018

THEN AND NOW with GOT MINISTRIES
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
1 John 3:1a

​We have served in Santa Maria de Jesus for 7 years total, and officially as GOT Ministries since 2016.  Our mission is to empower and serve the children with disabilities in Guatemala.  The vision creates a journey of relationship and investment. Here are two stories, from THEN to NOW, that demonstrate the progress and change that can be seen by consistently serving the same community of children and families. 

Rosario
THEN  
Rosario started in therapy with no capacity to interact with others, demonstrated aggressive behaviors towards her mother, brother, and even the dogs in the streets.  She rarely if ever left her home and never experienced basic play like many other children. She urinated in the therapy room 4 times during her first visit, would only play in her slobber on the ground, and screamed often as a way of communicating.
NOW
Rosario has made so many gains, it is hard not to cry every time I think of how far she has come!!! She responds when hearing her name, she loves playing with water, and even makes eye contact with us often!!  She attends to a toy or task with us for about 5 minutes and spends time on the toilet to work on potty training!!!!!!!! She also learned “soft touch,” and we encourage her verbal communication when she makes soft noises. ​

GOT Ministries is back in Guatemala with our Occupational Therapy (OT) student from New Mexico University, Sydney.  We arrived a little over a week ago, and are thankful for our time here. 

When we arrive, there is much to organize, coordinate, and communicate.  All with the goal to empower and serve children with disabilities in Guatemala.  

We did start this trip with a lovely visit with a young girl named Sienna, who is blind.  Sydney and I evaluated her skills and created a plan to support her independence in daily life, success in school with technology, and socialization with her peers.  Because Sienna lives about 45 minutes away, we will continue to work with her every other week to support educational success and independence.

From then on, oh the organization!
When we arrived in Antigua, we organized and settled into our new temporary homes.  Then, we journeyed up the mountain to Santa Maria de Jesus as soon as we could.  The first day's goal was to finish organizing and cleaning our Occupational Therapy room on the third floor of New Life School, a school specifically for children with disabilities.  

Check out our beautiful Occupational Therapy clinic! A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who provided gifts for therapy equipment, and for our Envision Trip Team who helped organize and make the room beautiful! 

The next step was to organize the information we get from all of the amazing faculty at New Life School, and figure out our caseload of kiddos.  So, we chatted with the teachers, psychologist and families to catch up on how the school year is going for the children we served in February through April.   We then begin observing the children in the classrooms and ask more questions from the New Life School staff.  This allows us to develop the complete list of children we will serve for the next three months through our amazing OT student, Sydney.  

Next week, we begin a full caseload and will be working directly with the kiddos from the New Life School in the morning, and younger children from the community in the afternoons.  We teach adaptive strategies for daily living tasks like tying shoes or dressing, as well as modifications to help the children pay attention in class, increase their self confidence, and even socialize with their peers.  With our little kiddos in the afternoon, we get to address things like communication, basic developmental milestones like rolling, playing and holding their heads up, and behavioral modifications like visual schedules or a reward system within the home.   


All of the organization, work, and coordination is so worth it when moments like this happen.....

Our friend Abner, who we have worked with for over a year, found us in an extremely large crowd in the market at Santa Maria de Jesus (during an Independence Day celebration) and ran over to us to say hello and to give us a hug! Given, we were the only "gringas" there at this celebration, but it was such a sweet moment for us :)

We love you and thank you for your partnership in this ministry through your prayer, financial gifts, and encouragement, because we could not do this work without YOU!!! 

Sincerely,
Megan Lewis
GOT Ministries Director