Most Recent Updates
From Nebaj, Guatemala
April 2023: Small Team, Big Impact!
Our third group of volunteers recently travelled to Nebaj from Ontario. This group of 16 is mainly assisting in constructing the second floor. Besides helping with construction projects, the teams accompany a local pastor on house visits in the community. Volunteers sometimes assist in small home maintenance projects or help address minor repairs.
So far, two teams have travelled from Alberta in February and Ontario in March. With the help of several Teams serving through ImpactHope, much construction work has been completed for the first and second floors. We still have a long way to go, and we are anticipating big things for this project!
March 2023: Compassion In Healthcare
Agatha and her husband had been married for almost twenty years when they received the miraculous news that Agatha was pregnant at the age of forty. They already had an older daughter and were shocked and apprehensive about the news. Nonetheless, they accepted it with joy and enthusiasm and began to prepare for the arrival of their child.
At 8 weeks, Agatha received some tragic news..
Read Agatha’s story of heartbreak and healing in our latest blog post here.
The hospital provides much-needed medical care to the most vulnerable in the community who cannot access it elsewhere. Compassion is essential to healthcare at the Nebaj Hospital, as it improves the quality of care and the patient’s experience. Your generous contributions have helped our partners purchase essential hospital equipment like an ultrasound machine. We are grateful for your support!
January 2023: Get Inspired By The Little Hospital!
Bob Pauw’s first mission trip to Guatemala changed his life. He continued going every year for the next ten years until the pandemic. These interactions and the opportunity to support the efforts of Dr. Juan Pablo and Carolina changed how he saw healthcare, poverty and community development. His many mission trips inspired him to write a book about his involvement with this project in Nebaj.
The book Hospitalito – The Little Hospital was just published on 22nd January this year. The sale proceeds of this book will go towards the Nebaj project.
Every donation above $100 towards the Nebaj Hospital Project gets a free book. Get your own copy by donating here.
December 2022: Thank You for the Fellowship!
We are elated to have conducted THE HOUR with Dr. Juan Pablo and his wife, Carolina, on December 07, 2022. It was great to connect over shared interests in the Nebaj project, and we hope to continue a long-standing relationship with our supporters. We are grateful to all who took the time to fellowship with us. Your support will ensure that everyone within the community can access dignified, affordable healthcare.
To recap the event, Hannah, our Director of Development, opened the session. Brad, Director of ImpactHope, led the discussion with JP and Carolina. We talked about how the construction of the hospital has progressed and Carolina’s vision for her school. We also shared the documentary made on the Nebaj project and a short video about Carolina’s school for the children of hospital staff. JP and Carolina are two of the most hard-working and humble people we have worked with, and our supporters feel the same!
You can still participate; here’s how!
- If God moves your heart, please consider contributing to the school, as it is looking for four teachers to be sponsored. Our goal is to raise $6500.
- Advocate for us! We genuinely believe in the power of advocacy. Please talk about us and the needs of the project with your network. Sharing our videos can be as simple as a social media post or a WhatsApp message.
We are counting on God to meet our needs as we draw nearer to the year’s end. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions!
November 2022: Join us for THE HOUR!
Join us for ‘THE HOUR’ with Juan Pablo and Carolina from Nebaj, Guatemala, on Dec 07, 2022, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.! Grab a hot drink and join us from the comfort of your own home.
We invite you to listen to the amazing things happening in their ministries; hospital, home school program, discipleship, and more! During this session, you will hear about what is happening and gain insight into future projects directly from our partners! This is your opportunity to interact and fellowship with JP and Carolina.
Thank you to those who have or are currently supporting the ministry in Nebaj! We are grateful for you and are excited to see you during The Hour.
An invite has already been emailed to our donors. For those who want to know more about the Nebaj project, we would love for you to join us!
To register, visit: https://thehour-nebaj.eventbrite.com
November 2022: The School
Carolina Noriega oversees a home school for her hospital staff’s children so that they may gain a high-quality education. Her solid faith pushes her to serve the patients and community members that connect with her.
Access to an affordable, high-quality English-speaking education motivates the parents to continue in the hospital. The school anticipates the number of students to rise to 20 in the coming year. There are currently three teachers, and a fourth teacher needs to be hired. The teachers are supported by outside funding to help the hospital keep its staff.
The school is looking for FOUR teachers to be sponsored, and we aim to raise $6500 for this purpose! With your support, we can make this project sustainable and help fund the hospital in Nebaj.
Bless the school and the community of Nebaj today by sponsoring these teachers here. (DESIGNATE TO ‘EDUCATION’ IN THE COMMENTS).
October 2022: Construction Updates
The hospital building is slowly taking shape! Thanks to your support, medical equipment is being installed, and the wards are being completed.
August 2022: Construction Updates
Thanks to your generous gifts, a heavy-duty generator has been purchased and installed!
August 2022: Brian’s Mission Trip
Many groups have travelled to Nebaj to volunteer and assist in the construction through the years. Brian, Sarah, and their two children travelled to Nebaj at their own expense in August to assist in the construction of the hospital, experience life amongst the local people, and create a general awareness of their living conditions. Their goal was to simply serve and learn with the people – learn about life in Guatemala, the needs of the community, and the opportunities that exist.
Brian shot a short documentary about the project during his time there. This is a powerful and deeply moving work highlighting the project’s history and the impact it has on the community of Nebaj.
Watch the video on our YouTube channel or click on the video linked here.
July 2022: Construction Updates
The hospital construction is progressing, thanks to your support!
This week the doors are being placed in the tomography and laboratory area. They are metal doors that are extremely heavy and were made that way to prevent radiation from escaping.
We are already moving the dental clinic to the new building. The floor of the room where the power plant will be installed is being drilled. In Nebaj, the electricity service is very irregular, and we need a reliable power source to ensure the hospital’s different health services are not interrupted.
June 2022:
Testimony by Ed Kupiery: How Federico’s Family came to the Lord
I have been to Guatemala 13 times since 2006 to do volunteer work. The most impactful part of these trips is our home visits with local families. The local pastor usually arranges these visits. Generally, 3 team members, the pastor, and an interpreter go on such visits. I would like to highlight one such visit I was part of, along with many follow-up visits over the next 12 years. During our time in Nebaj in February 2010, Marijke, Teresa, and I visited Federico and Maria.
The visit was suggested by Pedro, a local businessman and church member who knew the family. When we arrived, Maria was home with three children, aged 1 to 10. We started with small talk and why we were in Guatemala. After a while, we were about to leave when Federico came home from his job as a schoolteacher. We talked with him for a while, and before we left, we invited them to come to church. The following Sunday, they did come to church. The next day we had to travel back to Guatemala City for our flight back to Canada. Fast forward a year, and I was again in Nebaj. During the first church service there, I recognized Federico, and as the service ended, we went to see each other. Federico excitedly told me that he had accepted Jesus as his Saviour but added that his wife, Maria, had not, and would we please pray for her. I went to visit them in their home to encourage them. Another year passed, and this time my son-in-law, Domingo, was with us as a translator. A number of us were chatting with Federico, while Domingo was talking with Maria.
Suddenly, Maria burst into tears, and Domingo shared with us that Maria had given her life to Christ 2 weeks prior but hadn’t shared it with anyone, not even her husband, as she was processing this. Soon the whole group was in tears, tears of joy at this wonderful news. Over the next few years, I made a point of visiting this family each time I was in Nebaj. During one such visit, Todd, a fellow team member, who is fluent in Spanish, asked the oldest son, who was now about 18 years old, if he was a believer, to which he answered that he was not. We challenged him to continue to pray and read the Bible. During my most recent visit in April-May of 2022, Simon and I went to see the family, and the oldest son shared that he was now a believer, and with a smile on his face, Federico told us that all five family members believed. To hear this wonderful news makes all the effort and expense of the trips worthwhile. God is great! All the time!
Watch the whole video here.
Shared and written by Ed Kuipery
May 2022
Years ago, Dr. Juan Pablo and Dr. Carolina Noriega had a dream – a hospital that would provide quality healthcare with respect and dignity for the community of Nebaj. This dream is slowly coming to life! Dr. JP and Caroline will take you on a tour of the new hospital building that is being built, thanks to your support!
April 2022 – Update Report
- We are happy to announce that our first short-term mission team post-pandemic arrived in Nebaj, Guatemala, last month!
- The Nebaj ministry has not only been a blessing to the patients, but it has also blessed the lives of all those involved with the ministry through income-generating opportunities and support groups.
- Read all the updates for the last quarter from the Nebaj ministry here!
April 2022
This World Health Day (Apr 7), we want to remember those people for whom helping people, and sharing their hopes and pain, is a way of life! ImpactHope is partnering with Dr. Juan Pablo and Carolina Noriega, whose efforts have been focused on providing quality healthcare to the community in Nebaj, Guatemala.
March 2022
Helping people, sharing their hopes and pain, seeing them recover: this is a way of life for Miguel Brito. Miguel is one of the clinical laboratory technicians at the Servicios Medicos Vida y Esperanza, a hospital in Nebaj, Guatemala. In addition to the hospital, the Nebaj ministry has a church, a hospital lab, and 2 auxiliary nursing schools.
Miguel’s story is one of hope, promise and determination! Several years ago, Miguel took a diploma course in a Bible Institute associated with hospital ministry. It was during the progression of this course, that the ministry workers came in contact with Miguel. He was encouraged to enter the medical field and he studied to become a nursing assistant at the hospital’s nursing school. Miguel’s hard work and dedication paid off, and he was hired as a nursing assistant in the ultrasound department. He continued his studies to become a laboratory technician and passed with flying colours!
Through education, Miguel found success, confidence, and belief in himself. Being a father of two, Miguel is himself now working to give back to the community. The hospital ministry is now sponsoring the education of one of his children through a scholarship!
Thanks to your generosity, the hospital has been enabled to train hundreds of bright students like Miguel, who have found success and the motivation to learn.
ImpactHope is partnering with Dr. Juan Pablo and Carolina Noriega, whose efforts have been focused on providing quality healthcare to the community. The hospital is currently running and accepting patients, providing healthcare and dental care, while a new building is being built. The next phase includes the purchase of an x-ray machine, a generator, and other construction costs, totaling up to $300,000 CDN. The current focus is to purchase the generator to provide electricity for the whole building during power outages in the town. It is estimated at $60,000 and we pray that you are moved to support this cause at https://bit.ly/3Di4Qki.
Please know that every little bit counts. We thank you for your prayers and support.
December 1, 2021
Covid-19 has delayed the efforts of construction as the present clinic needed financial support for ongoing expenses for a couple of months. The pouring of cement on the first floor of the new hospital was finished by the end of 2019 and then the pouring of cement on the second floor was completed during February 2020.
With the help of several Teams serving through ImpactHope, a lot of construction work was completed before Covid-19 hit. Electrical work was also completed throughout the whole building! The next step is to paint the walls and lay down the tiles for the flooring of the building. A generator is also needed to provide electricity for the whole building. To see what is left needed and how you can help, click here to view the needs to fully complete the first floor of the new hospital!
October 2021 – An Exciting Update from the Hospital in Nebaj, Guatemala!
The look of the hospital (Servicios Medicos Vida y Esperanza) is taking shape! We are so close to seeing the first floor open for patients to be cared for. See the needs below and help us raise the funds for what’s left needed!
