Posted 11:02 pm Saturday, January 26, 2013
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Village of hope ministry helps benefit orphans
By REBECCA HOEFFNER
rhoeffner@tylerpaper.com
Brownsboro — Ashley Kirby remembers begging God for her 1-year-old son’s life in a hospital waiting room after the drowning accident in 2010.
rhoeffner@tylerpaper.com
Brownsboro — Ashley Kirby remembers begging God for her 1-year-old son’s life in a hospital waiting room after the drowning accident in 2010.
“It felt like an eternity,” she said.
A nurse came to the door and asked Mrs. Kirby to accompany her to the triage room, where the team that was gathered around her son Kyler’s lifeless body had tears in their eyes.
“I looked straight into the doctor’s eyes,” she said. “He explained the situation and asked if he could stop. That was the hardest.‘Yes’ I will ever have to give.”
Three years later, the Kirbys see their tragedy as a tool to express their faith.
Last summer, Beverly Kirby, who is Kyler’s paternal grandmother, went on a mission trip to a new Guatemala orphanage. She shared the story of her grandson there.
Village of Hope in San Lucas, Guatemala, is a ministry of Lifesong for Orphans in partnership with Project Hopeful.
The orphanage, which focuses on orphans with special needs and those living with HIV/AIDS, will build five homes to house children. The first will be named Kyler’s House.
“They’re an amazing group of people, and for them to recognize Kyler is amazing,” Beverly said.
The Kirbys and a small group from their church will travel to visit the orphanage in March to help with construction of Kyler’s House and with other needs in the community.
“Because international adoptions from Guatemala are closed, there is little hope of the children ever being adopted into forever families,” reads the organization’s website. “One part of our vision is to develop relationships with the Guatemalan Evangelical churches, to come along side of them, educating them on God’s heart for the orphan, and opening their eyes to the gift of adoption.”
“I looked straight into the doctor’s eyes,” she said. “He explained the situation and asked if he could stop. That was the hardest.‘Yes’ I will ever have to give.”
Three years later, the Kirbys see their tragedy as a tool to express their faith.
Last summer, Beverly Kirby, who is Kyler’s paternal grandmother, went on a mission trip to a new Guatemala orphanage. She shared the story of her grandson there.
Village of Hope in San Lucas, Guatemala, is a ministry of Lifesong for Orphans in partnership with Project Hopeful.
The orphanage, which focuses on orphans with special needs and those living with HIV/AIDS, will build five homes to house children. The first will be named Kyler’s House.
“They’re an amazing group of people, and for them to recognize Kyler is amazing,” Beverly said.
The Kirbys and a small group from their church will travel to visit the orphanage in March to help with construction of Kyler’s House and with other needs in the community.
“Because international adoptions from Guatemala are closed, there is little hope of the children ever being adopted into forever families,” reads the organization’s website. “One part of our vision is to develop relationships with the Guatemalan Evangelical churches, to come along side of them, educating them on God’s heart for the orphan, and opening their eyes to the gift of adoption.”
For months after Kyler’s death, Ashley was angry with God, she said.
“I didn’t want Kyler’s death to be wasted,” she said. “When you really need God is in those darkest places. It was too depressing to have happened for nothing. God has shown me I can use what happened to touch other people’s lives … It’s hard to think God says, ‘OK, Kyler’s going to drown today.’ He allows us to make decisions and choose that path. If I feel like God allowed it to happen, I would be angry with Him. I still have guilt for myself, but I don’t think it was God’s fault at all.”
Those interested in donating supplies or funds to the orphanage can call Union Hill Baptist Church in Brownsboro at 903-852-5043 or visit http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/Guatemala.
“I didn’t want Kyler’s death to be wasted,” she said. “When you really need God is in those darkest places. It was too depressing to have happened for nothing. God has shown me I can use what happened to touch other people’s lives … It’s hard to think God says, ‘OK, Kyler’s going to drown today.’ He allows us to make decisions and choose that path. If I feel like God allowed it to happen, I would be angry with Him. I still have guilt for myself, but I don’t think it was God’s fault at all.”
Those interested in donating supplies or funds to the orphanage can call Union Hill Baptist Church in Brownsboro at 903-852-5043 or visit http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/Guatemala.
