Refuge International

The Saul Project started in a small village off the Laguna Grande which is a tributary to the Sarstun River in Guatemala. One afternoon, Dr. Roger Kiser, his wife Linda and Jeff Glaspy traveled up the river for an afternoon of R& R. They encountered a family who had a five year old boy who was born with bilateral club feet. While Saul could stand, he could not walk far. Each step required him to step over the other foot. He had never been able to wear shoes, only black rubber boots. He could not run or play with the other kids. Dr. and Mrs. Kiser came back to the US with a determination to get help for this little boy. Through their efforts and friend, Dr. Bill Stevenson in Longview, the initial contact with Scottish Rite Children's hospital in Dallas, Texas was made. The hospital agreed to do Saul's surgery. That was the first step for Saul.

Getting Saul to the United States proved to be difficult and complicated . As many children in remote areas of Guatemala, Saul's birth had never been registered, nor had his mother's. For Saul to get a passport, the first step was to get birth certificates for both. The mother had to travel a long distance to receive hers, then Saul was able to receive his. They traveled to the capital of Guatemala and were able to obtain a visa from the US Embassy, once they had their passports. That was the second step for Saul.

The next problem concerned who was going to travel with Saul to the United States. Saul only spoke Kek Chi as did his mother. While they have wonderful translators at Scottish Rite, they don't have any Kek Chi translators. Lucy Tiul from Sarstun Guatemala, a health care provider with a long relationship with Refuge International agreed to accompany Saul. She left her village and her family for three months to assure that this child received the care he needed. I don't know too many people who would make such a sacrifice. Her sacrifice was another step forward for Saul.

Saul comes from the Hebrew word meaning 'asked'. While most of Refuge International's projects are community based, sometimes our volunteers encounter individuals who we feel we are being 'asked' to help. Saul was the first such child. More to follow.

Labels: History of the Saul Project