by elfaro | Aug 16, 2015 | Dental Clinic and Trips
Wendy Maldonado has been our official dentist at El Faro for the past two years. After completing her internship for med school, she decided to return as a full-time missionary and be in charge of dental outreaches.
The vision that she has for the dental clinic and outreaches is to serve God through the abilities, profession, and time that the odontologists have with the purpose of reflecting the care that God has for each person through a good free dental treatment in villages that don’t have access to this service and taking every opportunity to share the love of God to the patients.
On a daily basis in the clinic on the grounds at El Faro Wendy attends to six to seven patients of all ages from different parts of Izabal with some even walking more than two hours under the sun. The advantage of the dental clinic is that Wendy has more time to talk slowly with the patients and pray for them.
This year alone Wendy has led dental outreaches in 10 different villages (with some repeated) for a total of 615 patients. For these medical outreaches she has had the help of 12 dentists who gladly donate their time and abilities to this project as well as Guatemalans and foreign helpers who although aren’t dentist, help in cleaning the dental instruments or serve as dental assistants.
“We want to reflect the love of God wherever he might take us”
Wendy chooses villages that do not have access to a dentist where people in the greatest of pain have to travel long distances with only a Tylenol to ease their pain. It is for those people who don’t have the means that Wendy sets up clinic and performs cleanings, extractions, and fillings. Educating the people so that they value their teeth and learn to care for them instead of having them extracted is a huge goal.
Two months ago Wendy led a dental outreach in a village called ‘Lagunita’. Wendy and her team traveled one hour and a half up river in a boat where they ended up having to carry their equipment to a school where they would be working for two days. This medical outreach was special because during their lunch time the dentist were separated into groups of two and went to different houses of the villagers who had a meal prepared for them. Wendy was assigned a house that could only be reach by taking a very small wooden canoe with wooden oars where you couldn’t make too much movement or else the canoe would tip.
When they arrived at the houses they had the opportunity to share with the patients they had attended to. Wendy was repeatedly thanked because her patients had been in constant pain for so long. They were able to talk over meals and the dentists would leave praying over the houses and the families.
“It’s amazing to see what God does in the medical outreaches and in the form in which he uses us and taking us places we would never imagine. God is blessing many people in the villages but undoubtedly it is us who end up being blessed to be part of this project.”
If you would like to read more about Wendy and how you can support the dental program, click HERE
by elfaro | Jun 28, 2015 | Education
Making Education a Priority
Education is a privilege here that unfortunately many can’t afford. Primary school through middle school is free (not including school supplies and uniform) through the unstable and unorganized government system. In our area if a student desires to continue their education they must either travel 20 minutes by boat to Puerto Barrios or travel 30 minutes on a motorbike (if they have one) to a village. Many times, sadly, many families decide not to push their kids to aspire to go to school because of the financial pressures it puts on the families. It is a very sad reality that disappoints and saddens many of those at El Faro especially when there is so much potential and dreams in the young person.
Karlita Gomez is a teacher by trade and a very good one at that. She has served at El Faro alongside her husband Sammy in many different areas including children’s ministry, youth group, graphic design, and homeschooling missionary’s children at El Faro. She saw the need in the village and knew there were little options for the youth and especially for the adults who never had the chance to finish their education. She worked hard at the end of last year to partner with a school she taught at previously in Guatemala City and in January El Faro became the proud new branch of the America Latina Academy.
The academy offers elementary school, middle school, and high school for adults needing to finish school and also youth who can’t afford to travel. In its first year we have 26 students from six different villages including Sarita which is an hour motorbike ride for our student who is a pastor and is finishing his elementary education. The academy only is one day a week on Sundays and it is a neat sight to see students of all ages coming together with a dream for themselves and families. Within a normal “school day Sunday”, each student remains with their same classmates and rotates to the different subjects given by different teachers from El Faro and the community. At the end of each Sunday, they have a small devotion focusing on values that can help them in their personal lives.
There are many stories of the students and the struggles that detained them from continuing their education. Girls who are needed at home during the week to help care for the house and don’t have the money to travel to another village, a woman who got pregnant too early in life and had to leave school to raise her baby, and the list goes on. One unique story is that of Daniel.
Daniel is an employee at El Faro who is 29 years old. Growing up his family lived and worked on a farm in the village of Santa Maria. He was a very good student and was awarded a scholarship on behalf of the farm to travel four hours each Saturday to a city called Chiquimula. He was in his last year of primary school when the farm closed unexpectedly and his family was left without a home, work, and Daniel’s scholarship was suspended. He was forced to begin working at the age of 14 in order to help provide for his family. Years later he was the only one of the El Faro employees who never finished school to stand up and persevere.
It is for people like Daniel that this academy was started at El Faro. He is the oldest student in his class and although sometimes embarrassing and uncomfortable, he is overcoming and and making something of himself.
Many of the students who are in the academy still have many responsibilities with families of their own and work throughout the week. They are only able to study at the El Faro Academy because they are being supported by scholarships generously given at the beginning of the year through our education campaign. We are truly thankful for those who believe in the power of education and we are already seeing results and dreams coming true. Thank you for helping people like Daniel who believe is the first of many to be examples to their entire community.
If you are interested in helping the El Faro Academy, please contact Luis Pedro at misiones@fundacionephraim.org
by elfaro | Jun 28, 2015 | Construction, Short Term Missions
Northern Hills Construction Team
How many days does it take for a family’s life to be drastically changed. Last month we found out that it can take just four days when a youth group comes together to raise a roof…literally. Northern Hills Church from Brighton, Colorado, traveled to El Faro with their group on a mission. Dona Julia is 70 years old and lives in small quarters with many members of her family. As part of the elderly food program, Tommy and Katie Matthews saw the need to build her her own space where she could comfortably take care of her own mother as well as her five grandchildren. After being abandoned by their mother, Julia stepped in to care for her grandchildren on the little means she has.
On the first day, the team hit the ground running by laying the cement ground and placing all the walls on the house and exterior kitchen. They continued on the second day by digging trenches for water lines and set trusses and purlins on the house and kitchen. The third day included putting the metal roof, finish the exterior walls, make doors and windows, and begin the interior walls and start the bathroom. By the end of day 4, they finished the bathroom, the water line, cleaned site, ran electricity, set the doors and windows, and finished the interior walls.
In order to make their trip possible, each student sent out support letters to church members and friends. In addition, they sold breakfast burritos made from the students coming on the trip for 12 weeks. And finally, each student paid a little from their own pocket so they could have ownership on coming on the trip. Ryan Singleton, the youth pastor of the church, said “It is a life-changing experience for the students and also for the family that we are serving. This trip has turned the youth into disciples in one week. It has also helped each one of them to find God in a more profound way than they did before. I am sure that they will take the challenge on not letting their relationship with God die but instead share it and teach it. We will come back”.
Isaac Holtorf, age 17, said of his trip, “It has put my life into perspective and I am thankful for what I have. It has been a great way to reconnect with God.”
It is amazing what this young time were able to accomplish in one week that will affect the life of a family forever. Thank you Northern Hills for working so hard when the heat and humidity were strong and for also being open to receive what God had for you.
by elfaro | Jun 28, 2015 | Health
Women’s health is a very important issue in Guatemala mainly because of the lack of education. Simple topics including menstrual cycle and female anatomy are avoided leaving women with many fears and doubts concerning their own bodies and how they work.
Macie Holstein, a recent graduate of Georgia College with a degree in Public Health, came down with her church to do a medical trip and stayed as a volunteer an extra week with the focus of doing a women’s health outreach. She prepared lesson plans to include diet, personal hygiene, a woman’s anatomy, menstrual cycle and menopause, personal care during and after pregnancy, and how to prevent teen pregnancy.
A team of women from El Faro banded together with Macie and for four days traveled to different villages including Las Esbobas, Frontera, Santa Maria, and Punta de Palma. One of the neat activities each woman did was write down the dreams they had for their children before they were to have kids of their own. Focusing on a bigger picture and dreaming for them creates an atmosphere of striving for something more. In addition, one of the things that was stressed throughout the week was the importance of talking openly with their children about these topics often avoided.
We believe that this is just the beginning to informing and empowering the women in the villages that surround El Faro through educational outreaches. We have seen too many young women give up dreams due to an unplanned pregnancy and also many who live in fear because of not understanding how their bodies work. The response was positive and we saw the desire in the women to learn more.
by elfaro | Jun 28, 2015 | Missionaries
Manning-Up With Our New Missionary
El Faro is an amazing place and that lasts an impact on many people that come to serve. One of the reasons that El Faro is special is because of the people that live and serve here. This year John Keehn came and has already inspired many of us at El Faro through his servants heart and the beautiful projects that he is beginning.
How did you get to El Faro to serve as a missionary?
By plane, bus, and boat. Haha! But seriously, that’s a long story. I was first able to serve at El Faro in January of 2014 when I, along with the other youth pastor at our church, brought 17 students and adults for a week-long short-term missions trip. It was during that trip that God opened my eyes and allowed me to notice some things in the local villages as we were out working with the people. I returned home after that trip and was completely heartbroken. After about a month of prayer I decided to reach out to El Faro and see if it were possible for me to visit over the summer of 2014 for one month to see if there really was a need for what I had seen. While here for that month, God opened my eyes even more to the problems of fatherlessness and the lack of men taking responsibility in their families. It was during my month here that I began to feel God nudging me towards having a conversation with the leaders of El Faro to see if something longer term might possibly work out. I returned home that summer and after a short conversation with Peter Rios in Chicago in September, two more week long visits in November 2014 and January 2015, and much prayer and seeking God’s will we made the decision that I would come serve at El Faro as a missionary.
What ministires are you beginning at El Faro?
I am beginning two ministries here at El Faro that revolve around the men in the villages specifically, and the pastors of several local churches. The first ministry is a Men’s Discipleship Program. This ministry consists mainly of me building relationship with men that live in the village and then spending time with them in different ways. I visit them in their homes. I spend time with some of them where they work (several work here at El Faro) In the coming month I am beginning a bible study with two of the men. Several others I am doing one on one English lessons with because they have a strong desire to learn English. In all of this I am being intentional in the questions that I am asking and the conversations that I am having with these men. The reason that I felt that this ministry was needed is because this is the main thing that God has continually broken my heart over every time I have been to El Faro. I know that with the Gospel nothing is impossible and even if one or two men in the village come to know Christ and truly see that their first call as a Christian is to make disciples, that these communities could be changed forever. The other ministry that I have begun is a Pastor’s Training “Program”. I put program in quotes because it is more of a natural relationship type process than it is a program. I am currently meeting weekly or once every other week with 3 pastors (at different times) from several different villages and spending time with them at their home and visiting their churches to see what some of their greatest needs are as pastors and how I can best serve them. During my time with them I am and will be offering pastoral care for them, hands on practical training, and theological training as needed.
What challenges have you seen so far?
Two of the greatest challenges that I have experienced thus far are how closed off many of the men here are and my inability to fluently speak Spanish. As far as the men being closed off, this is not a surprise to anyone. Men everywhere are closed off. However, as I have been introduced to more and more people they are seeing me in a pastoral light as well as seeing me as a foreigner. These two things coupled together are challenging because I can see how many men are putting up walls and not allowing me to see the real them. They are showing me who they want me to think they are, not the real them. This coupled with only being able to speak what would be considered a low-intermediate level of Spanish can be very frustrating. I am learning more everyday and all of the people that I am working with are very gracious towards me and are helping me learn more but it’s absolutely a challenge at this point.
How can people help you?
People can help number one by praying for me. Pray for me that I, in all that I am trying to accomplish, love my Savior more than the ministries that I am serving in. Please pray for my learning skills as well. I want to learn more Spanish every day and this can be one of my biggest frustrations at times. People can also partner with me in these ministries financially. As I grow closer to men and their families there are specific needs that arise that I feel called to help with. As well, talking with many pastors, there are families in every church that do not have the resources to buy a bible in their own language. I have currently delivered 45 Spanish language bibles to two different churches for the pastors to give to their congregations but there is a need for more and when buying bibles in bulk there can be a considerable cost. Lastly, I always enjoy encouraging notes and corresponding with those that have similar desires and passions that I do. If anyone wants to write back and forth with me my email address is keehnj@gmail.com.
We are excited about what God is doing in the life of Jon as well as through it. If you would like to financially support him, please click here
by elfaro | Dec 4, 2014 | Health
Hearing for the First Time
Healing The Children is an organization that has come to Guatemala for 8 years to help deaf children by giving hearing aids for those who need it. This year three deaf students from the Special Education program at El Faro received the invitation to go to the medical trip for a free hearing test, in Puerto Barrios, Izabal. Mayra Duran, the missionary who runs the special education program at El faro, traveled with her students and their parents on November 6th to the medical trip. They went through five different stations: First, the cleaning of the ear. Second, the hearing test that was performed by a doctor who also was deaf. Third, adjusting the hearing aid. Then, education which included a short lesson on how to use the devices correctly. And finally, they saw pediatrician to see if there was any infection in their ears. Two of the three students received their hearing aids. One of the students wasn’t able to receive a hearing aid because the test showed that she was completely deaf. However we thank God for this opportunity and it was a big blessing to have this medical check for free.
Delmi is a deaf girl who lives with her grandmother two hours away from El Faro walking. Her grandmother is sick and can’t walk very well, but she made the effort to take Delmi for her hearing test. She can hear now! Delmi and her grandmother are so thankful with God because she can hear now with her left ear. Having a hearing aid will allow her to communicate better and to continue studying. Next year Delmi will start coming to El Faro to learn how to read and write. She is so excited!
The deaf ministry at El Faro has created an awareness in the villages that there is hope for families to be able to communicate with their deaf child. It has opened up so many opportunities including learning sign language and also being able to receive hearing aids through the help of amazing organizations like Healing the Children. If you would like to know how you can help or if you would like to donate to this ministry, contact Mayra Duran at mayrasofiaduran@gmail.com
by elfaro | Dec 4, 2014 | Education, GLOMOS - pastoral training
When we wrote about the GLOMOS pastors training in a previous newsletter, little did we know the grand impact it would have on the lives of the people in the program. Not only were there pastors from various towns and villages in the class, but there were also El Faro missionaries and volunteers from the USA and Mexico that received the course. Over the eight months the different classes were given by teachers who traveled to El Faro from different countries including the United States and Costa Rica. The students were able to receive a biblical, occupational, and personal education on how to be a Christian leader in their church, ministry, and families. For many, this was the first time receiving formal Bible training.
One special story comes from Livingston where Kike is from. Along with his family he attends the home church of Miguel and Laura, Guatemalan missionaries to the Garifuna people in Livingston. He is quite popular in the town because he is a singer who since being saved has made a complete and public transformation. Kike says that he was impacted by GLOMOS because he learned things he never knew. “I learned to not judge people for what they do or believe. I have to teach them the truth in love because I too was once like them. I am going to put what I learned in practice by preaching the word to those who don’t know the Lord”.
Another story comes from the village of Sarita where pastor Samuel is from. Sarita is a village 1 ½ hours away in car. His first language is Quiche and even though sometimes it was hard for him doing the homework and taking the class in Spanish, he still continued coming faithfully each month. He successfully was able to complete all the work and tests and even sang in his native tongue the day of graduation.
On October 9 GLOMOS came to beautiful finale with a graduation at El Faro. The founders of El Faro, Phil and Nikki Ephraim, along with board members of GLOMOS, Bob, Wendy, and Preston Smith, were also in attendance that day to be witnesses and an encouragement to the graduates. Many of the pastors had never had a graduation of their own because many never finished school. Dressed in their graduation togas, they were able to stand tall in front of their family and friends in attendance. George Carr, a very special teacher who had come three times to El Faro and has taught over 75 classes on 8 continents, was in attendance as well and was an encouragement to the graduates.
At one point during the ceremony the leaders and teachers washed the feet and prayed over the students. This act was demonstrated by Jesus and was duplicated as a sign of humbleness before the students and also a kind of “send off” to go and proclaim the gospel. The girls from the El Faro kitchen were also included in the ceremony and it was a moving and emotional experience for everyone present.
We are so thankful that El Faro had the opportunity to partner with Global Action and train the spiritual leaders in the villages and El Faro. We have much hope that these men and women will have the confidence, education, and motivation to take what they learned and apply it in their ministries. Please continue to pray for our first graduating class.
by elfaro | Dec 4, 2014 | Computer Class, Education
168 kids from eight villages travel to El Faro on a weekly basis for one purpose: to receive computer classes that are accredited with their village school. Samuel Aguilar is the director of this program and he feels extremely blessed by the way the computer program has grown. It started last year with the donation of 14 computers and the construction of the computer lab as part of the El Faro classroom project. The program has grown so much that the computer room is crowded with each computer being shared by two students. The students learn many of the basic programs that kids in the US learn including Windows Office and typing. The students pay $2.00 a month and for those who can’t afford it El Faro offers scholarships. This year there were 23 students with computer scholarships.
The computer class has become a place of encouragement for many of the students. Many times after class Samuel has a chance to talk with students and hear about problems at home. When you walk into his classroom he has a box for prayer requests and prays for the students on a weekly basis.
There are students that have to make a trek to even come to class. A couple of students are from a village called Sarita and make an hour bike ride to come to class. There are others like Jessica, Deodora, and who walk an hour and half to class from their home in Baltimore. Because their school is in the afternoon in our village, Samuel puts out a table for them after their computer class in the morning so they can work on homework.
Selvin is another boy who even though doesn’t walk far to come to class, has a touching story. On his first day of computer class he was already ready to give up. Through the course of the year, little by little, Selvin was able to gain confidence and by the end he became the number one student in his class.
Samuel is in the middle of doing his vacation computer classes. School has ended for the year and this gives the kids who have never taken a computer class to learn the basics and for those who have already been in the class but are behind a chance to catch up and have more one-on-one time.
Construction will start soon to expand the classroom to be able to fit more computers. The oil company Perenco will donate 10 more computers and the construction supplies to meet this huge need that we have. We are excited to see what the expansion of the class including more students who through this class will be able to continue with their studies.
by elfaro | Dec 4, 2014 | Food Program, Life Development
One group of people in the villages who are often overlooked are the elderly. The majority live separate from their families and therefore have to cook, clean, and take care of themselves without any help. However great their physical need, what most of them crave the most is to have someone to talk with. Montserrat Gonzalez recognized this need and began the elderly food program in 2013. After researching and visiting the villages, she found elderly men and women who were in great need of someone lending a hand in helping them with food, health, and love. This year, our newest missionaries to join the El Faro team, Tommy and Katie Matthews, assumed responsibility in July and the program has continued to grow strong. Katie is a nurse and when Montserrat asked her if she was interested in taking over the program she quickly accepted. She has always had a heart for the elderly and a desire to serve them in whatever way possible and felt God was leading her to serve these people in the communities surrounding El Faro.
Once a month they visit they deliver the food and pray for the seven families
that live in three different communities. The 
participants of the Elderly Food Program are widows and elderly couples, many of whom help care for their grandchildren and are unable to work due to physical illness or age. They partner with two of the girls from the kitchen, Sucely and Sarita, who donate corn, beans, and rice from their store in the village. In addition, different families here at El Faro also help give food towards the ministry. With each visit they provide pasta, tomato sauce, chicken soup, chicken bullion, soap for washing clothes/bathing, bleach, matches, toilet paper, cereal, milk, Incaparina (a vitamin-enriched drink), sugar, oatmeal, oil, rice, beans, corn, maseca (torilla flour), and occasionally candy. Sometimes families have special needs such as clothing, fire wood, or bedding, and they try to fulfill these requests as best they can. Additionally, they provide vitamins and basic over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol and cough drops that have been left over from past medical trips and are hard for our families to find and purchase.
One of our families, Lalo and Luisa, have been married for over twenty years. Two years ago Lalo suffered from an unexpected illness that left him weak and unable to work or fulfill the tasks of daily living, such as gathering firewood and fishing. His wife, Luisa, and other family members and friends took over these responsibilities, however, Lalo lost much of the independence he once had. Having seen the difficulty he has with walking, we decided to ask friends and family to donate towards purchasing Lalo a walker. During our visit in October we gave Lalo the walker and his reaction was priceless, smiles from ear to ear and truly grateful for the gift he had received. A few days later, Tommy returned to Lalo’s house to build him a covered ramp making it easier to get in and out of his bedroom and kitchen.
Through their experience with Lalo and many of the other families, they are reminded of how basic our needs as humans are: food, shelter, and most importantly, love. Their hope for this ministry is that people would know they are loved. “Despite age, abilities, or marital status the Creator of the Universe desires a deep, intimate relationship with them. their hope is they would feel valued and listened to. Our hope is that they would glorify Jesus for the ways He provides for them and their love for Him would overflow.”
The need to reach out and help these families in the community is real and the more they are out in the community they realize there are more families, especially single parent households, who could use this type of support and encouragement. To provide food and other basic items to each family costs $30 per month. In 2015 we hope to expand our program and provide twelve or more families with food, fellowship, and prayer. We are excited to see the way God is going to impact lives using this ministry, all we have to do is be available and ready to serve Him.
If you are interested in partnering with this ministry and provide a monthly provision of food to an elderly family in need, please contact Tommy and Katie at: tkmatthews721@yahoo.com or mission website
by elfaro | Jul 23, 2014 | Education
Paola Colom is a young artist in Guatemala City who decided to donate her time and talent at El Faro during her two-week break from University. Paola has a heart to teach disadvantaged children the art of painting and had taught in Guatemala City with other friends from school. When she knew she had an upcoming break, she knew she wanted to work with the children in the villages around El Faro. Zita Vasquez, one of the coordinators of the art program, traveled to the school to find the most promising art students through a “painting exam”. Through many donations from El Faro supporters, all of the supplies was able to be purchased and thirty kids were enrolled in the class.
On the first day the students arrived very shy without talking much and with insecurities. However, as time progressed, Paola got to know each one and they began to open up artistically. “In the beginning the students were not convinced that they qualified to be there, but after three days they began to realize that they did have talent. Each student was able to reflect pieces of their personality in each art work they created”, Paola says.
Paola first taught about primary and secondary colors. She only brought paint in 
red, yellow, blue, and white and the idea was for the kids to learn how to mix colors to be able to create their own paint pallet. Other classes included using different textures of paper and pencil exercises. Towards the end of the two weeks the students were ready for their final project where they got to choose between three sceneries for the older kids and animals for the younger ones to paint. They diligently worked on their pieces and on the final day their class was converted into an “art gallery” where friends and family members came to see the art work on display and write down positive commentary. Paola says, “I was surprised at how well the students painted on their final piece because this was the first time they had ever used acrylic paints.”
“This experience was much more than I expected. Each kid arrived on time and some even walked an hour to get to classes. This experience was one that I would like to continue to live.”
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Two months ago Wendy led a dental outreach in a village called ‘Lagunita’. Wendy and her team traveled one hour and a half up river in a boat where they ended up having to carry their equipment to a school where they would be working for two days. This medical outreach was special because during their lunch time the dentist were separated into groups of two and went to different houses of the villagers who had a meal prepared for them. Wendy was assigned a house that could only be reach by taking a very small wooden canoe with wooden oars where you couldn’t make too much movement or else the canoe would tip.
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