Monthly Support Update–22%!!!

I’m going to be honest with you.  I am blown away.  God is so faithful and it makes me wonder why I ever doubt… and yet I do, time and time again.  About 3 weeks ago I put out a plea for monthly supporters for PDE because we were really at our financially end and I was stressed out and unsure of what to do or what steps to take.  Going into the new year I am happy to report that the Lord has provided $340 in monthly support as well as $4012 in one-time support that will be divided out to use per month for this calendar year.  In total that means we are at 22% of our monthly need for 2013.  Wow.  God is good.  And I have 3 people with monthly pledge promises coming, I just don’t know the amount yet.

If you don’t support us monthly, please consider picking up the $60/monthly to complete paying for our utilities or $115/month to finish out paying for rent.  Or pick a new category to start funding in part of completely.

From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU to those who have begun to support us, for those who have been praying, for those who have written with encouragement.  Thank you.  Please keep praying and sharing about this ministry as we see the Lord provide the rest of the needed funding.

6%… wow

The Lord has been so good this week to remind me that this ministry belongs to Him.  In every moment that I stress out about His provision, He already has a plan in mind.  In His timing and in His way, He is going to provide.  This ministry is His, these girls are His.  He is a father to the fatherless and fathers provide for their children. 

Thank you so much to those of you who have already contacted me in the last few days about partnering with us monthly.  In 3 days you have pledged $200 in monthly support so we are up to 6% funded monthly.  For just $20/month someone could finish off our monthly medical needs.  Thank you also in advance to those of you who will give or pray or spread the word for us. 

As Christmas is right around the corner I think its fitting to remember that God loves us, and these girls, in a very personal way.  So personal in fact that He came to live with us…

“The animals stood around his bed.  And the whole earth and all the stars and sky held its breath… ‘The One who made us has come to live with us!’” – Sally Lloyd Jones

He came to live with us and then gave us the most precious gift of all… more than food and medicine and education… Jesus’ righteousness and a place in the family of God.  Praise Him for it. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Moving up!

I’m so happy to be able to report that we got $55 in monthly support pledged to PDE yesterday, which brings us up to 4% of our monthly need!  They choose to support part of our medical need every month, so if someone wants to give $95/month you could finish out our monthly need for medical care!  Thanks so much for your partnership.

S, not C

Some names here sound like they should start with a C and really start with an S.  Some names have always ended in S until you go to the bank and they open your account with your name ending with a Z.  People don’t know how to spell…

This time it was me… our sweet girl who came from Tegucigalpa is actually an S, not a C, which actually makes life way less confusing since we already have a C in the house!

Anyway, after spending a few days with her I wanted to give you an update.  First of all, I am so thankful for our friend Ericka who is involved with the Micah Project in Tegucigalpa and has a such a precious heart to help people in need.  She brought S up here this week and was just a shoulder for her lean on.

S loves it.  She wants to come.  We went to the doctor and the baby is growing.  I heard a baby’s heartbeat for the first time and I was super excited :)  S is healthy, although very underweight.  She has been really sick, but we got some prenatal vitamins, medicine for the nausea, and we ate lots of veggies!  She stayed the night with the girls at the house and I’m pretty sure they stayed up way too late talking.  We made Christmas cookies and she played with the babies.  I’m positive that it is more stable and caring environment than anything she has ever known.

Her mom is a different story… she didn’t come with her to visit and is certain now that she doesn’t want her to come.  She wanted her to come for 6 months enough for us to cover medical bills and the first sleepless nights and then send her home.  Well, our program doesn’t work that way.  And mom is not thinking through the costs of an infant, doctor visits, shots, sickness, parenting, discipline, a 14 year old who has no idea what she is doing and should be given a chance to keep studying.  Mom is only thinking that she will be lonely if S isn’t there, even though she cannot care for her.  So we are just praying.  We have seen God do a miracle in a mom’s heart before and we are praying for it again.  If He wants her here, she will come.  If not… we will continue to pray for her where she is that the Lord puts people in her life to love and care for her where she is.  I will be back in touch with them in a few weeks.

Thank you for walking this with me.  Every day of this journey is a step of faith for me… trusting God for His timing in everything.

It’s a Start!

God is a good provider.  We have a ways to go to have Puerta de Esperanza will be fully funded.  But we are 2% funded monthly.  I received some one-time donations that will cover our monthly needs for one year for transportation and gas.  THANK YOU!

Here you go!  Look for a category that maybe you could get some friends together to cover :)

A plea

So here it is… I’ve tried lots of things… a support raising trip home, lots of emails, links to the donation page at MTW, hints at needs of money, but the time has come to really put it out there. 

Puerta de Esperanza needs monthly donors.  Without them we will not be able to sustain the ministry.  We have two potential girls who want to move into the home and I am hesitant because I’m not sure we can financially support them.  We have been scrimping and scraping to get by, but it is not financially responsible to put new girls in the home with the way our budget looks and we live prayer to prayer on a monthly basis for the other girls as well.

Please consider partnering with us on a monthly basis.  Tell your friends.  Ask people to help.  Even as little as $25/month would pay for all the girls transportation.  Here is an idea… pick a category from the monthly PDE budget, if you and/or your family can support that category monthly, GREAT!  If not, get together your small group, your church, some friends, and maybe together you can support us for that category or at least half of it every month.  In return, I will keep you updated with fun pictures and a chart once we have these monthly costs covered.

To give go here...https://donations.mtw.org/donate/default.aspx and put in this number 92413.  You can let them know it is a monthly donation.

As soon as you sponsor something, shoot me an email at ssinnes@gmail.com and I’ll start a chart to keep us updated!

Update #2

She’s here!  C arrived on the bus tonight with a dear friend Ericka from Tegucigalpa to visit PDE and get to know us a little bit.  She is 13 and 3 months pregnant.  And you can’t even tell, she is so tiny!  She is excited to show me her ultrasound pictures tomorrow and has lots of questions for me.  She was sick on the bus all the way here, so pray for her stomach to settle down some.  Coming to La Ceiba would be a huge change for her and take her very far away from her family.  She is nervous and uncertain about a whole lot of things… but told me that she is a Christian and is trying to trust God.  I got to share with her tonight about how young of a mother Mary likely was and how God gave her an incredible ability to trust Him in the midst of a really tough situation where she didn’t really know what the future would hold.  She trusted God and took Him at His Word.  I told C that I am praying the same for her, that she would be open to listen to the voice of God and then be obedient to walk in the path that He has for her.  She is so young and has a long road ahead of her.  Please pray!

Update #1

I think she said a total of about 20 words.  But Jennifer and I agreed that in her position we would probably be the same way.  She is nervous and doesn’t trust us yet and isn’t ready to put herself out there.  She is 18 years old and 5 months pregnant.  She is living with her family and doesn’t know what she really wants in the future.  She was finally able to tell me that she wants to keep pursuing the opportunity to live in PDE, so we’re going to get together again in January.  I want to meet her family as her parents seem to be supportive, they just don’t have the means to provide for her.  She wants to be a doctor!  So we’ll have to look into job possibilities in the medical field if she ends up coming… maybe a nurses aid? 

I love that people at church know her and have known her for awhile.  I love that this is a picture of the Lord’s pursuit of her as He continues to use the church to provide.  I love thinking that we could show her some continuity in life.

So no one is making a decision today.  But please pray for her over the next few weeks as she has time to think and pray.  She told me today that she is a Christian and that she would pray.  So lets join her.

A busy week

This past week was a particularly busy one!  We had the Luptons staying here at our house for a week and I got every afternoon to play with sweet little Fox.  Can I just say that I love long-time friendships.  And I love when long-time friends get married to great people and have cute kids and then let me play with them.  And then they go join MTW so that we even get to hang out and call it work at the same time!  Everyone loved Fox and called him a little doll baby because of his light hair and beautiful eyes.  We’re not so used to that around here.

Also this week Nicole and Angel got a taste of being team kids for the first time.  Laura and Andrew did a Bible school for all the kids on our team and were gracious enough to let my soon-to-be kiddos jump right in.  Of course the language was a little restricting, but they colored and did crafts and clapped and watched and then hung with me and Fox when the English got to be too much.  I’m so thankful for my time and how supportive they are of all the kids.

So Bible school was themed around Emmanuel and Laura and Andrew did an awesome job.  There were games and songs and stories and laughter and crafts and I don’t think anyone wanted them to go home.  Can you tell Nicole is a little mom?

This week was also the big Christmas show at church.  Let me tell you what?  I was not expecting it to be as awesome as it was.  It was great!  I loved every bit of it.  The Clow kids were in it all 7 nights and did a wonderful job!

 

 

 

 

 

Just some more tidbits about our time!

Graduation, Graduation, Graduation

The last 10 days have been packed full of graduation fun and festivities.

First there was Y who graduated from beauty school and man am I proud of her.  She has become a different person this past year.  Much more secure in who she is, proud to have accomplished something in her life, and excited about the future.  And she has grown to love Jesus and see Him as the most important thing, which is what matters the most.  I am SOOO proud to say that she got an internship at a beauty salon!  She went three days last week and this week started working there 7-5:30 every day!  That’s a lot of working and she is going to come home tired.  But I am so excited for everything that she will learn about beauty stuff, but more than that, about working hard and following rules and a schedule and being responsible.  Pray that she does well so that they will want to start paying her in the spring.

Then there was Jeffri.  This kid had me at the end of my rope.  He told me that graduation was three different days before finally talking to me Thursday night to tell me that it was going to be Friday night.  No one came to support him from his friends and family… and I wanted to cry just thinking about it.  He has worked so hard this year to do two grades in one year and I don’t think many people in his family get this far in school.  But Lesther and Hector and Kate and I were there cheering him on as he walked across the stage!  And he was smiling ear to ear.  He is now part of Kate’s ministry to street kids, so she and Hector will be walking with him to figure out what his future holds as far as schooling goes, but for now I’m just so excited for him!  And his mom, I wish she could have been there, but she did call the next day to thank us for going and for supporting him so well.

To finish out the week, Lesther and I were “God-parents”, the best I can think to translate it, for one of his nieces yesterday at her graduation from High School.  She is actually a huge blessing to me as she is going to volunteer some in the store for a few days while I try to figure out what to do about Y’s absence since she went to work at the Salon.

Potential

The day started busy and running late from the 7:30 traffic until I arrived 30 minutes late to my first appointment of the day.  A 19 year old girl who is 7 months pregnant.  Last year she graduated from 6th grade and now she has no idea what her future holds.  She has had a rough year and it seems as though she may be ready for a change, I am praying this for her heart.  Coming to PDE would be a complete change her in life, and from what I hear, also her family.  This is what we are about right?  Breaking a cycle?  So I get there this morning, late and frazzled… and she doesn’t show.  And I am disappointed, and frustrated, and maybe a little tired and sad.  But the Lord is good and she is going to try to come again tomorrow and it gave me time to talk to people who know her and get a little bit more of a big picture view of who she is and what this life change means for her.  Please pray for me tomorrow as I meet D for the first time.  Pray that she will come and that the Lord will give me good discernment.  Praise the Lord that she has been part of a ministry at our church so they know her and her family and can help me have all the information. 

Truth be told, I’m nervous to put new girls in the house.  I’m nervous that the money won’t come in to support them.  I’m nervous that we will be getting into something more than what I counted on, as has happened in the past.  I’m worried it won’t work out or they will need more than I can give.  And God says… “trust me”.  And I’m trying.  In my head I do b/c I know his promises are true.  But I am still anxious for all the what ifs.  Mainly money.  I hate that it matters, that we need it to live.  I hate that it is such a hold up for me in the area of faith.  I can trust God with health problems, unknown future, even mental health issues, easier than I can trust him to provide money.  Why is that?  Please pray for me for peace to trust that this is God’s ministry and He has it under control.

Because then there is this… a 13 year old is coming in on the bus tomorrow from the capital to meet me.  She is the sister of a street kid in a ministry that we know and love there.  She is 3 months pregnant.  Wow.  I am nervous to even know where to start with her.  There are so many questions.  There are health concerns and legal issues and potential behavior problems and timing issues.  And yet, I see that this could be so good for Y because there are so many similar things in her life to this new young girl.  Could it be that God wants her to mentor someone?  Could it be that we could bring this baby and her baby into our home?  I don’t know.  And I need a lot of prayer.

I would love to have a full house.  I would love to have a full budget.  I would love to be successful in everything I do and never have to face failure.  But more than all those things I want God to be glorified.  So tomorrow is a big day.  Please pray for the name of Christ to be lifted HIGH in everything that happens.

Twins?

We have formed an inseparable friendship between these two who spent 6 months living as siblings and now their faces light us when they get to see each other.

Kathy spent more of the evening chasing them around… good thing she has experience with twins!  Elias is like 1 1/2 of J and yet she insisted multiple times in putting him on her lap.  She took his face in her hands and made him look at the camera for pictures, and tried to tell him what to do for the majority of the time.  Doesn’t matter if he is bigger she is the big sister figure in this relationship.  Bossy to the core.

I love these little ones!

A Story about Grace

This week Y has been hard.  She is out of school so she has more free time.  She has been sick so she has been tired and irritable.  But the truth is, none of this is a good enough reason for the terrible attitude that she has been showing.  She fights the house moms at every turn, speaks disrespectfully, and has had more than one consequence this week.  She has had money cut from her paycheck for being consistently late to work, she has lost privileges in the house… the truth is there are times with her that I am at a loss.

Friday afternoon was no different.  She spent her pay money on sodas, juice, candy, and taxis and now doesn’t have enough money to buy her baby’s diapers.  She yelled at me and Oneyda, refused to obey, and ended up getting sent to her room.  She swore up and down she wasn’t coming to her own graduation dinner because there wasn’t water to get ready and because it didn’t matter and she didn’t care.  When I left the house I simply said, I love you and I’ll see you tonight.  It was met with… I’m not coming.  Okay fine, I’ll keep your presents if you don’t show.  I love you and goodbye.

6:30 rolls around and I go by to pick them up.  Low and behold it is time to leave and she is nowhere near ready.  We finally make it to the restaurant with everyone in tow and commence celebrating Y and her graduation.  For her this is huge.  She has previously graduated 6th grade, but now she graduated from a class with a life skill, able to work and support her daughter.  A friend at dinner found her a job in a salon and we go for the interview on Tuesday afternoon.  People generously gave her a new hairdryer, mirror, manicure supplies, professional hair-cutting books.  I so wish I could show you pictures.  She was literally gasping in delight.  She felt so loved, cared for, supported.

You know how Scripture says that it is the kindness of the Lord that leads us to repentance?  Tonight was a perfect example.

Right before we stepped out of the restaurant she pulled me aside and hugged me with tears streaming down her face.  Thank you Susana.  I am so sorry for how I’ve been acting.  After a whole week and punishments as well, this is the only thing that pushed her to real heartfelt repentance.  Wow.

Praise the Lord that He loves us with grace and mercy.  He shows us justice, but leads us to repentance through His kindness.  I need to know more of that in my life.  And pray that Y knows it as well.  Not just from us, but from Jesus.

Christmas!

No need to redo a great post by Kate with some really fun Christmas pictures of our house.

http://avoiceinthestreets.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/christmas-has-come-to-our-house/

Also please note… I was not included in a Christmas ornament exchange :(  But I did put ornaments from Costa Rica on the tree so that counts for something.  Also, the book called “Song of the Stars” is by the author of the Jesus Storybook Bible and is really super precious.

That’s all.

Mary

As roommates we are trying to do a weekly advent to remind ourselves in the midst of the business and different culture and traditions that the root of Christmas is still Jesus no matter where you go in the world.  Clearly we are awesome at doing advent together since it is week one and we did it tonight… Wednesday… instead of Sunday.  Whoops.  But tonight we read a passage from Martin Luther written about Mary and I was stuck by it.

Luther mentions that Mary was probably 13-15 years old when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her.  I think I have probably heard that before in years past, but it has never hit home like it did for me tonight.  That is younger than Y, our youngest mom.  A child was chosen by God to carry His Son, to give birth to Him, to care for him.  I can tell you that even in a culture where being a teenage mom is common and families start to form at a young age, there are still a lot of things that a 15 year old does not have the life experience to know about being a mom. 

I am seeing my sin in my life so much these days… I long for the best.  My car is terrible and I complain about it all the time.  It still breaks down about once every other week and is sucking my pocket dry and I want to replace it with a toyota or a honda, the best brand, something reliable, something I can trust.  I am planning a wedding and keep trying to take into consideration who would do the best job, run things on time, has shown in the past that they are capable.  And if I had a child of my own you can count on the fact that I would only want to leave him in the capable hands of an adult who I knew would love and protect him, provide, and wisely care for him. 

I can promise you that Mary was not the best choice.  Why not a seasoned mother of 4 who already knew how to deal with ear infections and midnight crying spells?  History doesn´t tell us if Mary´s parents were alive or if she had a good support system.  She and teenage Joseph delivered a baby in the middle of a barn for goodness sake… there wasn´t a seasoned grandma there helping them know what do to.  And yet God choose her.  Martin Luther sees to think it was a wise choice and in the end I think I agree.

Mary had faith.  She trusted in what her eyes could not see and what common sense told her could not be true.  She took God at his Word and made herself available to be used by Him.  She walked in faith as He laid every step out in front of her.  I want to see the whole picture, I get really frustrated with only knowing the first step.  But Mary could not possibly have known that night while talking to the angel that Joseph would accept her, that they would be safe on their journey to Bethlehem, that her delivery would go well, that Jesus would be healthy.  But she trusted and said… let it be to me as you have said.  One foot at a time, step by step in faith.

I´m challenged tonight in the details of my life to stop striving so hard for what I think would be good for me and just trust that the God of the universe knows me and my needs and I can trust Him and walk in faith.

Grace

“Grace is a power that lifts you out of the domain of darkness and transfers you to the domain of light.  Grace is God’s magnificent power erupting in your heart and soul by His own intervention so that you move from death to life, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven.  Grace is power that is embodied in a person.” – Joseph Ryan

I cannot even begin to list the ways that I have seen God’s grace at work in the past year.  I have seen girls really start to walk with Jesus.  I have seen the Lord giving them new spiritual life and hope for a new physical future as well.  This is the season of graduations here in Honduras and to see Y and Jeffri graduate, to me that is grace.  It is a sweet gift that the Lord has given them to know a new future.

Yesterday Y told me that every one in awhile she stops to think about what her life would look like if you had never come to PDE.  There are so many things that she wouldn’t know… but mainly, she wouldn’t know the Lord the way she does and she wouldn’t have hope for her future.  Praise the Lord for that.  He has given her new life, light, hope.

I’m a person who likes to be busy, I think life is kind of boring any other way.  But right now it’s a little too much… I can’t seem to find enough hours in the day.  And I’m convicted that I haven’t taken time to reflect, to think about grace, to praise the Lord for his work in my life and the lives of people around me.  Grace is being played out in practical form before my very eyes and some days I miss it.  God is erupting in my heart, He has moved me from death to life, from darkness to light, and I haven’t taken much time to contemplate that, to thank Him for it.  So today I will.

Jesus, the very Son of God, came to us to show us grace embodied in a person.  He showed us humility, service, obedience, mercy… and He made a way for us to know His Father.  Because of Jesus I can rejoice today and say that grace is exploding in my life that I am no longer a slave to sin, but I belong to the family of the true and living God!  And God didn’t stop there, He put me here with a front-row seat to how He is changing the lives of others and the power of His grace and Gospel in their lives as well.  I’m so thankful.