by Heather Nielsen

What a blessing it is to share this story with you.   Pastor Sebastian presented us with information about a young lady named Bartola. Bartola’s parents asked us for help finding her a wheelchair. Bartola  was born 1 day before me during the worst years of the civil war here.

For environmental and genetic reasons she was born with a very short stature, unable to walk or talk. She is the eldest of 5 children. Until January 27th, her siblings and parents have had to carry her everywhere she needed to go, She is also unable to crawl or pull herself a standing position. This day she received her first wheelchair from Hope Haven Guatemala, an organization with roots in Iowa.

Hope Haven able to fit her chair specifically to her. One of the best quality chairs I’ve seen. To make this happen, we received donations from Salud y Paz, Hope Haven Guatemala, and Coronado United Methodist Church in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. It was so beautiful to me to see everyone pull together to make this possible.

Bartola’s way of saying thank-you to us was through her never ending smile and a tug on my nose! I turned to see her mother’s face overwhelmed with appreciation. Bartola you are a gift to God!

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