Summer 2025

To the many who have cared,

Finding a viable candidate to occupy a place in our home can be a tricky proposition. Openings seldom occur and the process of interviewing youths to fill them can be a lengthy one, especially when they come from rural areas several hours away from the city.

In years past, we kept waiting lists of potential future residents, but discontinued this practice as they often lacked the patience to wait for a place to become available. It seemed that having completed the interview process, they expected to enter our program without delay. Frustrated at having to wait for an opening to occur, they often lost interest before it eventually did.

More recently, our policy has been to make initial contact with the family of an interested party, but wait to commence with interviews until a place has or will soon become available. Having persevered through a month long series of interviews, once accepted, the new resident would enter our home without significant delay, minimizing the risk of his losing patience. The adjustment became policy as it proved to be successful. That dynamic, however, unexpectedly changed with the onset of the pandemic.

The process itself remained the same. Interviews were set up when an opening became available. Both the youths and their parents willingly participated, first by phone and then in person. Then often, once having completed the process, the parents would suffer a change of heart and offer an explanation which in effect stated, "we've decided that we do not wish to separate our family." Such conclusions were seldom reached before the pandemic. It seemed that the parents better understood at that time that such sacrifice was not permanent and, as such, a reasonable price to pay, given the benefits available to their child upon joining us. Not all parents reversed their decision, but many did, complicating the process of searching for candidates to enter our program.

Longtime resident Erick cycled out of our program late last year. Left with a space to fill, our staff psychologist Luis Alfredo began to interview the family of a youth who had been referred by one of his colleagues. True to form, the process progressed as planned but then, just days before the youth was set to move into our home, he lost his nerve and backed out of the agreement we had reached. A lack of desire to leave his family was the explanation given. The new year was upon us, as was the onset of the school year, which follows the traditional calendar year in Guatemala. As all of our residents come to us seeking to further their education, January is the best time of the year for them to enter our program. Luis Alfredo contacted the parents of a second referral only to learn that they had changed their mind since last speaking. It had not occurred to them to inform Luis Alfredo of their decision. With no other potential candidates before us, I asked Luis Alfredo to reach out to his many professional contacts, people working in human services throughout Guatemala.

Then unexpectedly, we received word that the parents of a 17 year old boy wished to place their son, Romeo, in our care. The referral came through the mother of one of our current residents, who knows the boy and his family. Interviews were hastily arranged and the process abbreviated to allow Romeo to join us before the beginning of the school year. Neither he nor his parents regretted their decision to seek our assistance and Romeo, who proved to be a good candidate, entered our home two days before classes commenced.

Romeo faces a specific challenge, a speech impediment. He has stuttered since he was 4 years old. According to his parents, Romeo fell over the edge of a ravine at that time. Traumatized and hurt, he began to struggle with his speech shortly after.

Romeo comes from a rural village in the Quiche region of Guatemala. His family is of modest means and lacked the resources to respond to their Romeo's condition. The situation was further complicated by the fact that adequate medical care was unavailable in their village, and required traveling several hours to an urban area to find it. No doubt, it would have been exorbitantly expensive for the family. Treatment was never sought.

Romeo confided to Luis Alfredo that he regrets never having received assistance for his condition. Moved by his admission, and having witnessed the daily struggles he faced as a consequence, I felt compelled to provide Romeo with the help he had long desired.

In March, Luis Alfredo began to research where qualified professionals could be found in Guatemala City. His efforts met with success and in April, Romeo began to meet with a team of psychologists and language therapists. The sessions lasted through mid-May. In early-June an extensive diagnosis was sent, accompanied by a detailed plan as how to best move forward in response. The report was written in Spanish, much of the language technical in nature. Not wanting to risk the slightest misinterpretation, I translated the document into English. It is eleven pages long and took several hours of concentrated time and effort to complete the translation. It proved to be time very well spent.

Romeo himself recognizes that he is shy and inhibited a condition that he struggles to manage; especially when facing new or challenging social situations. He confided that he desired to better express himself in public, especially while participating in class related activities at school. The inability to do so tends to promote feelings of anxiety in Romeo, as well as frustration and anger. Furthermore, he believes he should more ably control such emotions when confronted with them. Unable to respond as he would like further complicates the situation, as Romeo blames himself for the limitations imposed on him by his stuttering. Such beliefs only serve to further burden him with feelings of guilt and inadequacy, damaging an already depleted level of self-esteem.

During the consultations, Romeo referred to his longtime friends back home, discussing the mutual trust he had developed with them while emphasizing the value he placed on such trust. He asserted that he had been well accepted by his new companions, both at school and in our home, but expressed the desire to deepen those relationships and develop the same level of trust he enjoyed with the friends he grew up with. Romeo blamed his inability to express himself as he would like as the main obstacle to achieving this goal.

All things considered, Romeo has adapted well to his first year of study at Colegio Didactico, a private neighborhood school that we have used with success for nearly 20 years (public schools are widely criticized for the inferior level of education they generally provide and are not a viable option). The transition from the rural public school where he previously studied was challenging and demanding, as Didactico has a rigorous academic standard.

It is important to Romeo that he do well in his present surroundings, especially at school. He also expressed the strong wish to not disappoint his parents and all of us at Only A Child. Understanding this, I am committed to support Romeo in his desire and effort to overcome to the best of his ability, the affliction he has faced most of his life.

In early January, just after the second of our prospective candidates back out, I sought out another Source, in the hope that such efforts might bear fruit. Early one morning, at the end of my daily prayers, I pressed my forehead to the ground while kneeling, to make a special request. It was a simple one. " Lord God, I pray that, if it is your will, you provide us with a new resident to fill the place we have at this time." The next day, Luis Alfredo called me to say that Romeo's parents were interested in having their son come to live at Only A Child.

Taking this into account, I have come to believe that God has turned to this ministry to provide Romeo with the care he has long desired but previously been denied. Like Romeo, I feel compelled not to disappoint the One who not only called on us to respond on His behalf, but also, through you, provides us with the funds needed to do so.

Romeo will commence with his treatment in early-to-mid July. It will require a minimum of 6 months of once weekly sessions with a Cognitive Behavioral Psychologist and a Language Therapy Psychologist. The cost is reasonable by U.S standards, $35 per session. Given our modest budget, this will nevertheless represent a considerable expense for us. In addition neurological testing will likely be required at some point. If you would like to contribute to Romeo's care, please communicate your desire on the donation card provided with this letter. Thank you.

May God bless.

George

P.S. Following the need to cancel our annual spring fundraiser this past April, our Board of Directors has elected to reschedule the event in the fall, on Sunday, October the 5th. Please save the date. Have a wonderful summer and I hope to see you in October.