A Year in Review

Past year in summary and where we are now

We are so excited to write you and tell you all we have been able to accomplish by the grace of God through your donations in this past year. During 2016 we were able to provide over 27,000 meals to the elderly in Santa Maria de Jesus. In addition, we were able provide medical care to over 200 individuals, several of whom received lifesaving surgery. We have 40+ volunteers and two fulltime employees. We started a program serving single mothers as well as a monthly grocery program serving those most in need. In 2016 we were able to serve thousands of individuals thanks to your generous donations.

I am eager to announce that I have returned to Guatemala for the months of June and July. It makes me so incredibly proud to see our volunteers running daily operations flawlessly. They have really stepped up while both Brennan and I are studying in the States. It is a wonderful and odd feeling to not be entirely needed for the daily activities of the feeding program. As we previously noted in one of our blogs, change has been brewing. Our previous two-story facility became suddenly unavailable to us. We had to quickly move the project to an intermediate location. During this process, a larger, more equipped facility became available. We will move into it within the next two weeks! We are overwhelmed with the thought of having a bigger facility that provides us with essentials. The new location has a sufficient amount of water, and is very secure. For several years now we have been looking for a facility to purchase. Everything our volunteers inquired about was either way out of our budget, or not logistically possible. When we had to make our sudden move, the new location became available. We were offered a centrally located three-story home at prices far lower than anything we had ever seen. In addition, we are moving to a location that will allow for us to continue to grow. We have plans to rent the facility for six months to a year with the hopes of purchasing it. We are thrilled at the prospect of investing in a place of our own, and the freedom it will provide. It is extremely humbling to look back at the small room we borrowed when the feeding program began, and see how we have now outgrown two separate facilities.

That being said, we have had extra expenses associated with the unforeseen move, and renovations to the new facility. As we are making this big investment in our future as an organization, we ask that you prayerfully consider supporting us through this transition. I will continue to share updates with you as I am here over the summer and look forward to sharing pictures of the new facility in the coming weeks. As always we thank you for your support and realize we would be at a loss without your generosity.

Please add our organization of Facebook for more updates and photos at Cosechando Felicidad Inc. or www.facebook.com/harvestinghappinessguate/