Patty’s situation has always been difficult for her and her family.  She has always had anger and frustration towards God for her condition with polio.  Recently, our Guatemalan missionary received some “pushback” from Patty and she told him she didn’t want us to come visit as normal unless her close friend was present (through whom we were introduced to Patty).  It seems there was some miscommunication concerning a future construction project in Patty’s house.

When we spoke with Patty’s father almost a year ago about how we might be able to help their family, we learned that they had problems in the past with receiving help from people.  They were subject to an extortion note by local gangs because they were trying to run a little store out of their house.  They also had issues with contracting someone to come in and do work for them but not completing the task they were contracted to do the way they were contracted to do it.  Additionally, we know that this family has been hurt by the churches they have tried to connect to and they feel it is a result of Patty’s condition.  The DeLeon family has struggled for a long time and have seemingly been forced to survive on their own as a result of being abandoned by everyone around them.

In talking to Patty’s friend, we learned that her attitude is sometimes influenced by her father and other times by her frustration with her physical state.  She is becoming more and more immobile and even though she received medical retirement from the government, her earnings are surpassed by her medical needs.  We would like to be able to help Patty through medical support but currently she barely wants to talk to us.  Her friend will be speaking with her regularly to find out the core issue and work on resolving it (her friend is also a psychologist) so we can work out the miscommunication and work towards bringing them to a more sustainable lifestyle.

We are discovering that in working with some of these families who have been disappointed, let down, betrayed, and outright abandoned by their families, friends, and communities, it is very difficult to “get in” with them so they will allow us to help them in a healthy manner.  Most of all, Patty and her family need prayer.  Pray that God opens their hearts to His saving grace.  Pray for healing for the many hurts they have received over the years.  Pray that Patty realizes her condition is the result of a fallen world but Jesus is always with her.  Pray for Servants to be able to gain the trust and confidence of this family so we may serve them in a way that restores them and helps them maintain a sustainable lifestyle.