Revised 2/9/16 to reflect Carmen’s sister’s real name: Rosa

We are sending this update about the Jimenez family a bit late because we have been trying to work out all the details before informing you.  Since December there have been developing difficulties with the family and as a result it has been complicated to get accurate information.  To date we are still trying to verify some accusations that have been made.

Since Rosalina left in July (click here if you missed that update), her sister Rosa has been doing more to help the family.  She has been staying at the house where Carmen, Jorge, and the boys live.  It seems she has always been there but was never around and hasn’t made much of an appearance to us until lately.

Over Christmas break we tried to take advantage of the boys being off school and everyone else not having much work to visit with them.  Carmen (Jorge’s mom) mainly took care of the boys with cooking and making sure they are regularly bathed and make it to school on time (when in session) since Jorge’s work usually does not have set hours so he works as much as he can to earn money for the family.

As we continued to visit the family we saw less of Jorge and more of Carmen and Rosa.  They both told our team members on various occasions that Jorge’s drinking is getting worse and that sometimes he would get overly aggressive in his responses towards them as well as his reactions to the boys when they misbehave.  Rosalina heard about this and prefers that Jorge Andre, the oldest son, live with her instead.  Until this point we have not been able to talk with or visit Rosalina but we have successfully discovered where she lives and plan on visiting her soon to be able to see how she is doing.  We discovered that in spite of the boys being registered in school close to the house, Rosalina has taken in Jorge Andre and is currently not attending school.  We hope to address this when we visit Rosalina in the coming weeks.

In January, Carmen left the house.  She said she needs to “escape for a time” because things seem to be getting increasingly stressful at the house with Jorge’s drinking and she feels he never listens to her, saying that she had been trying to give him advice and tell him he needs to take better care of his boys.  Carmen is now living in Guatemala City with her sister until she feels it’s ok to move back in with Jorge, if at all.  She asked us to try to help Jorge and the others in any way we can and to try to help him specifically with his drinking.

Currently we are seeking options to get them the help they need to bring this family back together.  We are concerned for the safety of the boys and are keeping a close eye on this situation.  We know that with Jorge’s growing alcohol problem, Rosalina leaving, Carmen leaving, and the negative feedback he is getting from other family members, it isn’t easy for Jorge.  As is our mission at Servants, we want to help rebuild this family in a Godly manner.

Please pray for wisdom for our team on the ground in Guatemala, healing of hurts between all family members, and protection of the kids.