Short-term trip
becomes ministry
of hope for couple from Lenoir City
By Buzz Trexler
ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA -- Richard and Carol Cole came to
Guatemala from Lenoir City, Tennessee, about 10 years ago with
hands of mercy ready to build a hospital. Richard was a builder
while Carol worked at Highland Hills Christian Academy.
A community in Guatemala gave land to a Cocke County,
Tennessee, man who raised money intended for the hospital,
Richard said. But ``for whatever reason, it never happened.''
``We came down in a 35-foot Bluebird bus,'' the 52-year-old
Richard said. ``I took a bus and converted it into a mobile
home. We lived in that for a year.''
The hospital fell by the wayside, but Guatemala and its
people captured the Coles' hearts.
``We were hooked,'' Richard said. ``We saw the needs, saw the
kids ...''
``We came down on a short-term mission trip, went back and
sold everything,'' said Carol, who is 46.
The couple sold a farm located outside of Lenoir City and
eventually formed ``Hands of Mercy,'' a non-profit organization.
``It held us over for the first year,'' Richard said.
Carol said children started coming to see the couple while
they were living in the converted Bluebird. Neither knew any
Spanish at the time.
``They all thought it was cool because we were gringos living
in a bus,'' she said. When the children came around, Carol used
the time wisely: Learning the language.
``I took one semester of Spanish in the 7th grade,'' she
said. ``Basically what I learned was `^lpDônde este ba^pbo?'
and ^lpQué es esto?' which means `What is this?'''
Carol would hold up different items, such as salt and
flowers, and ask the children, ``^lpQué es esto?'' They would
answer with the Spanish word and Carol would repeat the word.
The couple started taking in kids who were malnourished or
sick. ``We would get them well and return the children to their
parents,'' Carol said.
The Guatemalan government found out and now sends them
children in need of care; however, the government provides no
funding.
``All of our support comes from the states,'' Richard said.
``Most of it is from people, not from churches.''
Eventually, the Coles obtained an old farmhouse that has 10
bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a large kitchen and dining rooms. But
the house has power problems -- ``It goes up and down'' -- and
they are running out of room.
As for the children they serve, many of them have been
abused, such as 12-year-old Ramiro who has been in their care
for about a year.
Carol said the boy's mother decided he was not taking a bath
fast enough. ``She wanted to go to Mass, so she dumped a pot of
boiling water on him.'' Ramiro was hospitalized five months, but
is still in need of plastic surgery.
There was an abandonment hearing before a judge, but Ramiro
was afraid to see his mother and ran to hide in the
psychologist's office. ``She claimed he was `stupid, clumsy' and
he dumped the water on himself,'' Carol said. ``But it was the
second time she had done it. The hospital had records.''
``The day I saw a change in him was the night ... he asked
God to forgive his mother for what she had done,'' Carol said.
While she worries about the pain it would entail, Carol
wonders if there is a U.S. doctor willing to consider providing
plastic surgery for Ramiro.
``I asked the judge if we could send him to the states, and
she said yes.''
You can contact Hands of Mercy at:
Hands of Mercy
P.O. Box
24011
Knoxville
,
TN
37933
E-mail: carolsuecole@hotmail.com |
