MercyStories

Learn How You Can Support and Empower Women in Guatemala

Written by MercyWorks | Nov 25, 2019 12:00:00 PM

The Bethany Center is a ministry that serves the poorest of the poor, particularly the vulnerable women, infants, and children in rural Guatemala. The center has many locations and ministries: the main location is in the city of Coban, the Infant and Maternity Center is in San Benito Lachua, and several smaller comedores (dining rooms) serve remote aldeas (or villages) in the mountains.

For more than 5 years now, the Bethany Center has supported the women and children of Guatemala by offering: hearty meals, medical care and attention, education for young children, training programs that improve women's ability to earn a living, space for Guatemalan families to socialize and build community, and spiritual, mental, and physical refreshment.

Here are just a few of the projects the Bethany Center has undertaken:

  • Our maternity center serves mothers and their infants and children on a daily basis.

  • Our soup kitchens feed approximately 200 children, ages 4-14, daily.

  • Our school was inaugurated on October 5, 2019 and classes begin in January 2020.

Here's How We Want to Keep Growing

Thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers, donated supplies and equipment, and the grace of God, the Bethany Center and its satellite centers in the aldeas have almost everything they needs in terms of facilities. But what is missing? And where is the greatest need?

With each donation, we are one step closer to accomplishing our goals. These specific gifts enable us to do the Lord's most pressing work:

  • $50 ensures necessary supplies for a new baby.

  • $100 gives a child the ability to attend our school for one year.

  • $250 provides postnatal medication and supplements for a new mother and her baby.

  • $500 covers the cost of prenatal visits for an expectant mother.

  • $1,000 allows us to continue providing meals to over 200 children daily.

How Can You Help?

As we take part in this joyous season of hope, the celebration of our Savior’s birth, will you prayerfully consider helping us in one of two ways?

First, please join us in prayer for the women and children of rural Guatemala. You can pray on your own, lifting these struggling mothers up to the Lord, or you can join our community in a nine-day novena: the St. Philomena Novena. You can also pray for our missionaries and their teams, that they may be able to care for the most vulnerable of Christ’s brothers and sisters in Guatemala with the love and strength they need.

Second, please consider donating to support the various outreach projects of the Bethany Center. 100% of every dollar of every donation goes straight to this important and life changing work.

Thank you for your prayers and generosity. May the Lord bless you and your family! 

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