Jilmer News

Everyone has been asking about little Jilmer... so I called Cindy and Jaime (the missionaries from nearby "Matasano") to check on him the other day! Here are the most recent photos of him. (From December 12th)

The doctors diagnosed Jilmer with giardia, a parasite that causes stomach bloating and general discomfort, on the 5th of December, and Cindy and Jaime dosed him up with Metronidozole. It didn't take him long to develop healthy eating habits, and sleep through the night without stomach pain. This picture was taken at Fridays in Guatemala City. I was craving a hamburger, and Jilmer helped me eat it. He loves ketchup!

At the end of Dad's Pinalito tour, Cindy and Jaime drove us back down to the city. At that point, we had been taking care of Jilmer for two weeks, and he was progressing by leaps and bounds! This picture was taken on a small restaurant playground, where he loved the slide, and even crawled through a few plastic tubes. He is not walking yet, but he is mobile, and loves to "cruise" on the edge of a chair, or with his pal, Jasmine, holding his hands.
When we first got Jilmer, I didn't think he noticed who held or chatted with him, so long as they had food! But after 15 days of comfortable life with the Ortiz family, it is obvious that he recognizes everyone in his fan club. He calls me "Sarita" in a sweet, scratchy little boy voice. Whew... I've fallen hard for this kid!

When I talked to the Ortiz family this week, I found out that Jilmer's father, Carlos, has recently stopped by to visit his son, and everyone was glad to see the sweet love of a father for his hurting child. This picture was taken at Jilmer's house in November. Carlos and Emilia (Jilmer's mother) hosted a group from Pennsylvania in their house for a morning of tortilla making.

I also heard that Jilmer has a terrible cold, and an ulcer on his eye is attracting a lot of worry from the Zacapa doctors. They are encouraging Jaime and Cindy to go to the capitol, where an eye surgery may be the only hope for Jilmer's sight. Please pray for this kiddo. He is a little Lazarus, raised from the dead. Check out the prayer page at www.fiaministries.org for more of his story from Rocky and Michael Beene.