CALMS takes seriously St. Francis of Assisi's famous quote, "Preach the Gospel... and if necessary use words." We have observed over and over again that people are more likely to hear our words about God's love if we first demonstrate His love and care for needy, hungry and hurting people.
CALMS reaches out to vulnerable people in partnership with our Central American partners to demonstrate God's love always remembering that the people we serve are made in God's image.
Housing Program
A major CALMS human care program is our housing ministry in Guatemala. This ministry brings together qualified deserving families who desperately need adequate housing with motivated Christians from the United States who work with the family and local Christians to build new, well-built houses in Guatemala. CALMS provides oversight through its Guatemalan housing coordinator who works with Guatemalan congregational partners to select the families, does a socio-economic study of the family to determine how much they are able to pay and guides the building process. The family and trained builders work on the four room house for approximately three weeks before a North American team arrives to help finish the house. At the end of the process, there is a celebration dedication service to thank God and to encourage the new home owners to continue growing spiritually. The cost of building a home is $4,500 which covers all labor and materials except for donated labor. Housing construction teams usually also participate in a side-by-side project which includes outreach projects such as music, evangelism, Christian education, English Classes, etc. depending on the skills of the group and the needs of the local congregation or community.
In 2010 CALMS will begin a new phase of its housing program designed to build not just individual houses but whole communities where Guatemalan church partners will work with CALMS volunteers to establish new congregations of believers. The goal is to build over 100 new homes in the next three years.
Health Ministry
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CALMS is partnering with Dr. Elry Orozco, Director of Holy Cross Clinic on the shores of Lake Amatitlan, to serve extremely poor people living on an abandoned rail-road line immediately in front of the clinic. These people are "squatters" who moved to this location about five years ago following a flood which destroyed their homes and livelihood. Since they do not own their land, they are unable to build permanent dwellings, so live in houses made of zinc sheeting. Since there is no water or sewage, the nearby lake is used to wash clothes, bathe and drink. This creates many health problems which the clinic is trying to address. In addition to this community, Dr. Orozco and CALMS have recently begun serving another needy community without adequate health care in the mountains above the lake.
CALMS has organized and trained a group of North American doctors to serve along-side of Dr. Orozco. They do so by providing advice and training, leading short-term teams, donating medicine and equipment and encouraging and praying for the ministry.
Dr. Elry Orozco works with his brother, Dr. Abdiel Orozco, who runs a medical laboratory and is pastor of "Castillo Fuerte" Lutheran Church in Guatemala City to serve the spiritual needs of those who attend the clinic. The two brothers have a vision of planting a new church near the lake to serve those who live in that area. Short-term teams sent by CALMS also have served along side of their Guatemalan partners to teach VBS sowing and English classes.
CALMS has also sent teams to help add an addition to the clinic and to upgrade the existing housing for short-term teams.
What makes the ministry so unique among medical mission projects done by many groups in Central America is the fact that CALMS' short-term teams support on-going permanent work being done by a resident national doctor. It is also significant that the ministry is holistic focusing on physical and spiritual needs of the people living near the clinic.
These are some of the houses where many of the clinic's patients live in crowded conditions, without adequate ventilation, water or sewers.
Relief Ministry
CALMS has been responding to a human disaster in La Union about 45 minutes from Gualan, Guatemala, where a landslide destroyed the homes of over 1,500 people following torrential rains.
CALMS worked with local Lutheran congregations in Guatemala to prepare relief kits of food and supplies for affected families. CALMS also partnered with North American congregations to provide over $15,000 to help these unfortunate people.
At this time, CALMS is continuing to visit the families and has provided much-needed health care through short-term medical outreaches, additional food, mattresses and spiritual care.
We are working with local authorities to identify land where we can begin building some new dwellings to replace those lost in the landslide. CALMS is also trying to develop some new businesses to help provide new jobs for those who have been affected.
Hopefully, future CALMS teams will be able to build houses and help encourage these needy people!
