Team Honduras

This morning was team picture day.  I would be lying if I said it was a joyful occasion… I’m pretty sure each of us ruining one of the 10,000 picture we took at least once.  But when you’re trying to get a good picture of 20+ people, that is bound to happen.  To me, team picture day is a picture of the Lord’s faithfulness to us.  When I got here in 2011 the team was the Clows, the Pettengills, and me.  Wow… that has changed! 

Clows, Pettengills, Troxells, Ordoñezes, Jennifer, Kate, Lyssa, Mandy, and Kate…

And while we are all looking cute we took a moment for some family pictures.  Sadly Andres wasn’t there today.  Man the kiddos are getting big fast!

Pool Day

In case you’re wondering, I am loosening up on the picture rule for my blog.  I think since these girls have been with us for awhile now and I know their lives and their stories, I know the important players in their lives and we have had contact with most of them.  So I am not so worried about posting their pictures anymore.  This makes me excited because I love to share their sweet faces with you!

This week we had a home office visitor!  Kay came to visit us and see what this ministry is like and what we are going here in La Ceiba.  So… we took her to the pool, of course.  Good thing she is a baby lover because J was pretty much attached to her!  They spent the morning swimming.  Side note: these swimmy floats are awesome and we would like to get $17 each to pay for each of the babies to have one since this one is really for my kiddos.  If you live in the Cary area and would like to give my mom money towards swimmy floats she just picked them up at Walmart to send to us.  Thanks!  It’s a small way to make some babies VERY happy!  They think they are little fish.

B always seems to be working when it is pool time, but we are working hard to make G loves pool days by bringing her favorite little bouncy seat and letting her swing in the hammock.  These two are doing great in PDE and we are so thankful to have them.  B has been a very responsible example to the other two younger girls and is learning a lot in our weekly Bible study.  She is very interested in what we are learning and we are working hard to teach her about grace since she has grown up with a very engrained works-based, legalistic mentality.

This one really is a kid at heart.  Adult responsibilities are still a daily struggle for her, but she LOVES being able to go to the pool and play and be a kid.  Then in the afternoon we took Kay to see her at work and she got to see her education in practice first hard at Y gave her a pedicure.  She is learning and growing and step-by-step moving towards adulthood.

It is always fun to see our ministry through someone else’s eyes and Kay was really noting how much Oneyda and the girls really act like mother and daughter.  The truth is I can see it most with C.  Oneyda said for the first time last week, after living together for a year, C came into her room at night and said… “Goodnight mommy.”  Wow.  Those are the moments that remind you that this is worth it!  I love to see these bonds forming.  We were also able to take Kay to see C’s university and the PDE store where she works.  We got to meet B there as well, but I didn’t think to take any pictures.

Mom moments

As you all know, I recently became mom to three precious little kiddos.  I really love being a mom and feel like the Lord gave me a mom’s heart a long time ago.  However, I would be lying to say that it has been a piece of cake.  I wanted to take a minute and write down a few things that I want to remember…

1. Not my most shining moments.. sending Nicolle to time out for misbehaving in the pool and then remembering that she was in time out about 45 minutes later… whoops.  Also the day we lost her in the SPS mall and I found her sobbing with the security guard.  Lesson learned… 8 adults, 2 kids, and 3 babies is too big of a crowd to keep up with in the mall.

2. When Nicolle started to learn to sing the ABCs she sang… H I J Kate L M N O P.  By the time I pulled out the video camera two days later she was singing it correctly… stop learning so fast!

3. I’m so excited about where we live for my kids.  We moved to a gated community with a park and safe streets where they can ride their bikes.  In one week we know more neighbors than I knew in my old house in over a year.  And we are the house where the kids come to play!  Its because I have a fun husband who has dancing games on his playstation… but it makes my heart happy and the kids can’t wait to get home every afternoon.  Also the Troxells are our neighbors, which is awesome… and Lyssa.

4. Food is a struggle.  This week I wanted to throw a party because both kids ate three sugar snap pees without complaining or throwing up.  That is a miracle.  They’ve never eaten vegetables before, or gringo food… so baby steps people.

5. Apple sauce, BBQ chicken, frozen chicken nuggets, and mashed potatoes… these are the winning foods at our house these days.  Other than that its beans, eggs, cheese and tortillas folks.

6. The kids are learning to love reading and we read mainly in English.  Current favorites are Edwina the Dinosaur who didn’t know She was Extinct and any book about the Paloma Volante… the Pigeon books by Mo Willems.  Nicolle also likes The Very Hungry Caterpillar because she knows almost all the English words.

7. We are memorizing the ESL version of the shorter catechism for gringo church on Sundays… I’m so proud of them every week when they are able to say it!

8. They follow me around the house.  Moms are not kidding when they say they get no peace… we are learning about boundaries and personal space, but that is not a conquered lesson yet.  The shower is mommys… stay out! :)

9. They are sponges and come out with new English words every day that I didn’t know that they knew yet… its amazing and I’m so jealous of how quickly they pick up a new language.

10. It is a pleasure and a blessing to be their mom.  The other night Nicolle had a nightmare that she died and left me and her papi alone and she was devastated and bawling her eyes out.  What a privilege to get to get to talk to her about Jesus and that we don’t have to fear death or being alone.  I was overwhelmed with the responsibility to love these kiddos and teach them about Jesus… but so thankful that He is ultimately the one doing it and I get to be a part of their lives.  I love it.

Desperate Plea

Humility… nothing makes me feel this more than raising support.  It is so hard to live and run a ministry based on the generosity of others.  I feel like there is more that I should be doing… that I never communicate well enough or write enough thank you notes to let people know how much I appreciate their gifts.  I don’t like asking for money and if it was possible to run ministry based on the dollar tree that grew in my backyard, I would do it.  And yet, in the Lord’s mercy, He gave me no such tree.  And He knew that He would call me to a ministry and life based on support raising and that it would be good for me to learn to trust Him every month that He would provide.  My money and my ministry is, in fact, not based on your generosity, but on the goodness of God.  All the money is His… and He is going to give it to us through you when He is ready to do so.  But… in the waiting, I still seem to stress out every time. 

And right now I’m stressing out because the money isn’t there.  We need monthly donors for my family and Puerta de Esperanza.  We only have about half of what we need to make it month to month and if we have no more pledges then May we will not have enough money.  There, I said it.  That’s the reality of what I go to sleep thinking about every night.  I want to trust Jesus, I really do.  And yet, I think about diapers and food and electricity and how we are going to pay it all.  That’s just honest. 

Last week Kate wrote on her blog… “I am not ashamed to plead with you for these children”.  And I was struck by that… sometimes I am ashamed to ask for money, to ask people to support our ministry.  But these precious lives don’t always get to have a voice for themselves, and so I will plead for them.  Please support us… please consider supporting us monthly.  I would love to tell you specifically how much your money matters… it feeds a 2 year old who came off the street malnourished.  It gives a safe place to live to someone coming out of an abusive relationship.  It allows us to study the Bible one-on-one with 3 moms who are learning to love Jesus deeply.  It allows us to teach discipline and a Godly way to raise your children instead of abuse.  It is giving education and work experience to prepare them for the future.  And I could go on and on and on.  But lets just say this.  I believe in what the Lord is doing here in Puerta de Esperanza and in the lives of these girls.  I believe in it enough to humble ask you to give your hard-earned money to support them and see what the Lord might do in them and in generations to come through them. 

Here are the details…

Checks noted to account number #92413 to
Mission to the World
P.O. Box 116284
Atlanta, GA 30368-6284

Or visit the donations site at https://donations.mtw.org

Please don’t think that any donation is too small to help.  If you can give up one meal out to eat per month and pledge us that money, we can feed about 5 people on that same amount.  We are thankful for whatever the Lord puts on your heart to give… Thank you!

Campamento

For two years now we have taken the week before Easter to go to a church conference in San Pedro Sula, about 3 hours away.  All the Great Commission churches come together and there are thousands of people there representing many different countries across Central America and the states. 

Thanks to your generosity we were also able to invite the girls from the store to join us this year… Leili who is 18 and lives in Armenia Bonito where the Pettengills minister, Tania who is Lesthers niece and the accountant for the store, and Beti who is Carolinas cousin along with her 3 month old little girl.  I was not sure where each of them stood in their relationship with Christ before we went and I can say with assurance that this week was a growing time for each one.  Please pray for Leili who has not been in church for some time now and does not like any of the churches she has visited nearby.  We were able to encourage her to try out the new church plant in Armenia and are praying that the Lord uses that to minister to her. 

One of the difficult things for me throughout the week was with Y and C.  Sometimes I just want them to be grown ups.  I want them to be moms who think for the kids more than for themselves.  I want them to take responsibility for their actions and show thankfulness for what they have.  But guess what?!?  Sometimes they act like spoiled brat teenagers who just want to hang out with their friends and go to the pool more than they want to put their baby down for a nap or get a bottle ready on time.  And sometimes they complain when they have more than what they need.  And sometimes they are jealous of their friends who are 18 and aren’t trying to figure out how to be moms.

I know that they are learning, they are growing, and by God’s grace their hearts are changing little bits at a time.  But please pray for me to have wisdom as I guide and lead them.  Pray for them to be full of joy about being moms and not see it as a burden.  Pray that they know more of Jesus every day and are able to show their heart changes in their attitudes and gratitude.

One thing I loved about the week was getting to see Lesther take an active role in ministering to the girls.  He kind of goes between being brother and dad, giving advice, holding a sleeping baby, offering to go get the cars when the babies just can’t wait another moment, treating the girls to dinner, etc.  They are learning to accept him and respect him as a man in their life… and for these girls that is a really big deal.

Keep praying for Spiritual growth… each of these girls has their own separate heart struggles… but so do I :)  And thank you for making this time possible for us!

Accounting and Independent Contractor

I have a big need.  Does anyone know someone who works as an independent contractor who could help me understand how I will have to do my taxes?  Warning, I am tax stupid.  But I would love it if someone has an accountant contact who could be a reference for me.  This month I get my first paycheck as an independent contractor and I want to make sure I am putting enough money away to be able to pay when it comes time.  It makes it more complicated that its also overseas… but I can deal with that problem later :)

Please please please and thank you.

Transformation

“As a church leader your role is not to transform people.  You cannot, and it is offensive to God if you believe you can.  Your role is to place people in the pathway of God’s transforming power.  Your leadership, preaching, teaching, investing, and counseling are to be instruments God uses for His holy endeavors to transform people.”

As a team we are reading through a book called Transformational Discipleship written by Geiger, Kelley, and Nation.  I don’t always love reading “Jesus books” as I call most Christian books :)  But I have really enjoyed this book.  I am challenged that our ministry has to be constantly pointing people back to Jesus.  It is not about us, it is not about them, it is about Jesus, who He is and what He has done.  Such a good reminder.