Painting a Better Future
Michelle Montes Team Blogger and Daniel Montes Photographer
Behind this toothless little grin, you’ll find a girl that is equal parts shy, curious, and exuberant. And, a girl who adores all things cats and kittens.
She watched our every move, her dark eyes darting back and forth glancing towards her father looking for reassurance before she entertained my request to sing me a song. She sang a local song that she’d learned in school and afterwards we sang Twinkle Little Star in both English and in Spanish.
But also, behind this toothless grin, you’ll find a little girl who has a challenging start to life.
Cesia’s medical journey started on February 14, 2022. A day spent sharing tokens of love, affection and care, little Cesia, only a toddler at the time, severely injured her hand. An accident that she would spend years recovering from.
Despite her injuries appearing like they had healed; keloid scars began to form across her skin. Over time, the significance of the scars became more pronounced and began constricting her grip and overpowering her little fingers. As the skin tightened, Cesia lost all dexterity in her tiny fingers. Her father, Luis, a hard-working provider for the family, told us how painful this experience has been for the family. Taking nearly 2 years seeking support from other medical avenues, Luis was unsuccessful in finding a remedy for his growing little girl. To add to the injury, Luis shared how the degradation of her skin left Cesia with insistent itching and pain, symptoms not easily tolerated by a 5 year you. As most kids her age today are coloring, painting, and playing with toys, Cesia’s little hands no longer worked the way a child’s hands should.
Then in 2025, a friend mentioned Obra Social Hermano Pedro here in Antigua. They registered Cesia in July of that year, and on December 5th she had her very first surgery. Cesia’s healing journey will be a long one, she will require multiple surgeries to liberate her skin and improve her dexterity. This week, she had her second surgery with the group’s Plastics surgical team – a husband-and-wife duo Dr’s Ben Janae and Kittinger from Kentucky continued helping paint Cesia a better future.
With honesty and vulnerability, Luis shared the quiet sacrifices behind being there for his daughter. He works to support his family, and he’s deeply grateful to his employer for granting him the time off to attend every surgery. His wife stays home caring for their other little girl, only a year old, so it’s just him in the waiting room — holding hope, waiting for news, trusting strangers with the hands of his child. The journey to Las Obras is 8 hours each way and he spoke about how Hermano Pedro has been a blessing not only for Cesia, but for so many families. How not a single quetzal, the local currency, has been asked of them. How the care has been, in his words, de primera — first-rate.
Each time, the surgeries have gone beautifully. Each time, Cesia has came out a little freer than she went in.
My husband Daniel and I – a duo of our own – came to Guatemala to serve, but moments like these remind us how much we receive in return. We witnessed a father’s faith. We witnessed a mission that exists because hundreds of people — surgeons, nurses, donors, volunteers, prayer warriors — choose to show up for children like Cesia. We are so grateful to be even a small part of it.
Luis asked I shared his words of gratitude:
To everyone who supports Faith in Practice, Obra Social Hermano Pedro, and the global community of volunteers who make this work possible — thank you.”
This story highlights how your financial contributions enable such phased healing journeys. Your generosity is reaching a little girl in Guatemala whose hands are healing because of you. And it’s reaching her father, who carries her hope in his.
