When a missions team from Idaho, led by Bob and Ellie Turney, built a house for a family in the community of Zapata in early June 2006, they found that the 20-month old son, Hector, had been born with a club foot. When he should have been toddling about his home, he was only able to scoot or crawl on the ground. Ellie went back to Idaho with Hector on her mind. She was determined to find a physician who would consider examining Hector and perhaps doing corrective surgery.

Ellie called Jackie Scott at Welcome Home, asking Jackie to find out if the family had a birth certificate for Hector. Steve and Jackie found the family and, with the help of Lupe Bautista as a translator, were able to obtain the certificate. In the meantime, the Scotts learned that an orthopedic surgeon would be among a group arriving at Welcome Home from Centralia, WA, in August.

When Dr. Justin Sherfey arrived, he was taken to see and examine Hector. Dr. Sherfey believed that Hector’s club foot could be corrected with a series of casts rather than surgery, if the proper materials and facilities were available. The Scotts contacted the clinic of Foundation for His Ministry in Vicente Guerrero, where Dr. Sherfey worked with therapist Dirk Kos to apply the initial cast and gave instructions for the ensuing casts to be applied every two weeks. The revision casts have successfully corrected Hector’s foot and he is now able to get around as a two-year should – on his own two feet!

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