The Church

Recently we changed churches here in La Ceiba.  We are now attending a small Baptist church with my husband's family and it has been really good.  I liked our last church as well, but there is something about this small community that I really love.

I was so challenged yesterday by this family of believers as we arrived at church at 9:15am to the power going out.  Void of AC and fans, the building was HOT!  And even though it was a scheduled outage and people knew and could have stayed home, the building was just as full as it was the week before.  People still listened and just sat closer to the front to be able to hear the pastor better as he has a soft voice.  We sang some old faithful worship songs acapella as we wiped sweat off of our foreheads.  And the nice lady sitting next to me shared her little fan with me the whole service since I was unprepared.  My babies were passed around and loved on, even though they are little ovens when its hot.  And I probably had the worst attitude in the place.

I've been challenged to consider recently what church is really about.  I won't open that whole discussion, because I don't have the answers.  But I can say this... church can "do" a lot of things.  And they are great things.  Churches should DO.  We are called to that.  And yet, getting caught up in the doing can make us lose of sight of simply studying God's Word.  I'm to a point where I can give up a lot of the benefits of church to just sit under someone reading and speaking directly from God's Word.

So in our little church we sing to a tape.  Not ideal.  Its hot sometimes.  Boo.  I don't agree with everything the pastor says all the time.  No surprise.

In our church we read A LOT of scripture.  Responsive readings are just straight Scripture.  Sunday school is just reading through verses and talking about them.  The sermon is reading through verses and talking about them.

And I like it.

Never say I can't... always say I'll try

When I was a kid I went to these basketball camps with a group called Networks.  Well, more than just went :)  I coached for them for a little while and spent my high school summers getting up super early to go work out and train for two hours before starting my day.  But at Networks there were some rules they made the kids say at camp before getting started.  One of them was this...

Never say "I can't" always say "I'll try"

I've known Y for almost four years now and she is one of the most Eeyore-like personalities.  She is always down on herself and convinced that she isn't able to do things she wants to do.  The words "I can't" have been a constant coming out of her mouth.  The last four years have been full of encouragement and gentle and not so gentle pushes from myself and the house moms to TRY!  And she has been really successful.

The other night I was at her house while she was helping her daughter with homework and J's refrain was the same.  "I can't"  She was supposed to be writing upper and lowercase As in her handwriting book and it was just hard for her.  But I LOVED Y's response.  "No J, remember what I told you.  We erased I can't from our vocabulary. You can do it.  I'll help you.  We'll do it together.  Let's try it.  Great job!"

Wow... where did she come from?

She told me later that she is committed to seeing her daughter not have the same self-esteem struggles that she has had and she knows that it starts with encouraging her to try and see herself be successful.

God is changing generations..... :)

A new girl and a baby!

On Thursday I get to go and meet the new little baby girl who was born to this precious girl.  This is S and she is 13 years old.  Last Friday she became a mom!  She is a child, much too young for this new role.  But she will learn and we will help :)

In just a few weeks S will be moving into PDE and become our youngest girl to have ever lived there.  We need a lot of wisdom to figure out how to guide and direct her while still doing a lot of parenting.  It is going to be very different...

Pray for this girl as she adjusts to motherhood and a big life change in coming to PDE.

Oh M

I´m not very good at updating in a timely fashion, but a lot has been going on.  A week and a half ago I wrote about how M was coming back to La Ceiba to take her sick baby to the hospital.  She brought her and I met her there with food and some money to help with blood tests and medicine.

Thursday night when M got here I went to be with her for a little while up at the hospital.  She told me there weren´t beds and that she and the baby would be sleeping in the waiting room.  Have you ever tried to sleep sitting up in a chair while holding a 3 month old baby?  So I took her my most favorite Baby B'jorn that I use with my babies so that she could sleep while not having to worry about the baby sliding off of her lap.  I took some diapers and food and breakfast for the morning.  I sat with her and we talked about all kinds of different things.

Friday I took her some lunch and went for a visit with our two house moms.  We dreamed of how different life would be for her when she entered the house.  We talked about studying and job options and the future of her daughter E.  We left with promises to hear from her the next morning because they were supposed to be releasing her daughter.  E was looking very healthy and ready to go home, to a new home!

Saturday morning came and went with no phone call from M.  I started to get worried about lunch time that the baby had gotten worse and that they had kept her.  But no.  I made enough phone calls to find out that they had checked out of the hospital and are MIA again.  And I was sad.  Just sad.

I don't in any way regret the help we gave to her (although I wish she had returned my baby b'jorn) because the baby is not at fault in any of this.  They needed food and medicine and a listening ear.  But the deception kills me.  I know that it is scary to dream of change and make a decision that is so different from your past.  Its a decision to let others help you, to submit to new rules and a new style of living, its a decision to join a family.  But M just can't seem to make it.  And that's okay.  But I hate that it came through lies and deception and another disappearing act so that I cannot even follow up with her.

Will you pray with me that M will get back in touch with me?  Not to move into the house, but just to be able to keep following up with her and tell her more about Jesus and the great hope of future that He can give her.

More to the story

If you heard me speak while I was in the states then you know about M.  She has a terribly hard story of poverty, loneliness, and loss.  We wanted to move her into the girls’ home, but had lost touch with her right before I left the country.  The good news is… she is found!

A week ago today I got a call from an unknown number.  It was Melissa.  She was in Copan, about 6 hours from here working as household help for a stranger.  It was so sad to me listen to her talk about how she just didn’t really believe that it would work out for her at PDE.  Someone offered her a chance to escape her life that was immediate, so she took it.  And she is used to earning her own way in life.  She talks about how it would be too hard to just “let” us help her without being able to give anything in return.  At least where she is she is earning her own way.  They treat her poorly and she makes $35/month, but she feels like she is able to survive. 

These are the times when I just want to scoop these girls up and tell them that they are so loved.  They can have a chance, a new life.  They can experience grace and not have to work for everything.  Its okay to let us help you, to just receive for a little while because life has beaten you up so hard.  And I want them to know how much I long for them to know Jesus and His grace and how His love isn’t based on how hard we work.

I was able to tell Melissa that day how much we care for her and that we still wanted her to come to the house, but I understood if she didn’t come back.  But if she changed her mind, to please call me.

Wednesday night I got another call.  E is three months old and was in the hospital with a high fever and eye infection.  The hospital is small and the doctors not very good.  They were telling her the baby had eye cancer and an allergy to the cold (It was probably 75 degrees).  Thankfully they recommended bring her back to La Ceiba to see a specialist.  So M called for help.  Bus fare, blood tests… all things that she could not afford.  As much as I care about her, I’m not willing to be responsible for her being in La Ceiba homeless, so I told her I would help her if she was at a place where she wanted to live with us upon leaving the hospital.  If not, then I couldn’t bring her here, because she would have nowhere to go.  She thought it through and called me back later saying that yes, she wanted to live in PDE.

She’s here.  In the hospital with her daughter.  Receiving.  Being patient.  Letting us love on her a little bit.  She’s still alone most of the time since I can’t be there with her all the time.  But we are checking in, taking diapers and food, and waiting to see what the doctor says.  They have been sleeping in the emergency waiting room because there are no beds available, but the doctor says it’s an infection and once her fever stays down he will let them come home.

It’s not official yet, there are still papers to prepare and work to be done before Melissa officially comes to PDE.  But please pray for it to happen.  Pray for her heart to be able to receive the gift of a new start.  Pray for healing for little E to be able to leave the hospital soon.  And pray for M to know Jesus more than anything else!

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Close to my heart

A few weeks ago I met a girl who broke my heart.  Could be the twin thing, could be that the Lord just gave me overwhelming compassion, but I just cannot get her off my mind.

M is 18 years old and has no one.  After losing her mom when she was young, she lost her mom figure who raised her last year.  Abandoned by her boyfriend at the news of a baby and alone in the world.  Unable to find work after losing her job due to pregnancy... no one wants to pay maternity costs.  And now unable to work because what would she do about childcare?  Not a penny to her name and because of that no prenatal care.

After walking over two miles to the hospital by herself in labor, she found out she was having twins and then lost her son all in one day.  She is now trying to fend for herself and take care of a 2 month old little girl in a world where she gets kicked in the head while on the ground being mugged so that the thief can take her neighbor's cell phone that she asked to borrow to be able to call me.  She can't get birth certificates to get paperwork ready for her to move into the house because their isn't paper at the registry.

Oh the process is frustrating.  I just want to move her in today, or yesterday, or last week.  When I met her she was going on 4 days without eating while trying to feed her baby.  Her situation is brokeness, and seemingly hopeless.  And in the midst of it, she knows a little bit about the Lord and named her baby Biblical names because she has always found peace in a church building.  The Lord has allowed her to know peace and to trust that He can change things for her... she hasn't seen it happen yet, but she speaks about praying and asking and waiting and hoping.

Our lawyer says it can happen.  Papers are ready, things are in order, its just always one more thing... waiting for the registry to print her birth certificates because the guys who mugged her took the bag that had all her papers in it.  Pray for a quick process.  Pray that she can move in quickly.  Pray for favor in all governmental proceedings since she will be the first to move in after all the changes.

In the meantime she is hanging out around PDE, eating good meals when she can and getting some money to go back and forth on the bus instead of walking everywhere.

Pray for her to know Jesus, for her to experience some relief from how heavy life has been, and for peace in her heart.

Thank you for caring about our ministry and allowing us to care for her.

Family Life

The kids are the best! The twins turned 6 months this past week on the 17th... I cannot believe it.  They are just growing up WAY too quickly!  I get so sad sometimes for those who I love who still haven't gotten to meet or really get to know my kids, so I thought I'd share a little bit about them...

Eliana is super curious about everything.  She is so friendly and smiles at anyone who looks her way.  She loves action and adventure, i.e. the johnny jump up and getting thrown up in the air.  She loves the pool, and already kicks like she knows how to swim.  She sat up for the first time this past week and loves to look at books.  She has decided to scream every time we ride in the car and its dark outside, so that's not our favorite trick.  She wants food everytime she sees us eating and has tried carrots, applesauce, avacado and rice cereal.  She is so much fun!

Wesley is a cuddle-bug and so laid-back.  He has his hands in his mouth constantly or any toy that he has managed to hold on to.  His favorite toy is a little giraffe lovey because he loves to suck on the ears.  He is able to roll over and try to crawl, but most of the time it just seems like too much effort.  He is much happier giving flirty smiles and belly laughs when he gets tickled.  He is a little bit of a mama's boy and has moments when he just wants to be with me, but I'm okay with it :)  For the most part he is so flexible and easy-going, that it is fun to spoil him sometimes.  He still has a few digestive issues, but is not far behind in the eating department and is growing well!  He is a joy!

Andres is a little spit-fire these days with the most precious personality.  He brings me flowers to put in my hair and runs to see me if I haven't seen him all day.  He calls me mom instead of mami, which shows that there is some english influence in there and I think his favorite thing to say is "mom, come see... or mom, look!"  He is starting to put together English sentences finally and really expressing his opinion.  He LOVES his little brother and sister and also gets super jealous.  Basically just wants to help with everything... giving them a bottle, making them laugh, helping them swim, whatever, he is right by my side.  And he loves to help me cook... he is basically my little shadow.  He can also swim short distances in the pool by himself and all over with water wings... the pool is his happy place :)

Nicolle is still my best helper.  She is eager and for the most part does things with a really good attitude.  She loves being near me, whether it is snuggling on the bed or running errands.  She is ready to be a grown up and wants to be the one to pay for the groceries or change the babies' diapers.  She is so out-going, has never met a stranger.  And she saves her brother in the kitchen because she is always offering to scramble eggs for him or make him a quesadilla when I say dinner is fend for yourself.  She loves music, riding bikes, painting, making any kind of mess, and quality time!  She also just hangs in her own world as life's little details just seem to escape her most of the time :)  Why is it important whether or not I have shoes on?  I made Eliana laugh all the way to church!  Her English is awesome, but she still makes me laugh when she says paste instead of stick or throwing saliva instead of drooling :)  She really is going to be my mini-me and I love that... but its humbling all at the same time.  She accepted Christ in March and will be baptized in August!  She is a little sponge and soaks up anything and everything that I share with her.

Angel is a rule-following 11 year old.  He is very detail-oriented and the most schedule-driven Honduran that I know.  This kid forgets nothing!  He is all boy and loves soccer, riding bikes, swimming and video games.  We are working on fostering a love of reading and so far the most successful has been Captain Underpants.  He is a funny kid, sometimes at the right time and sometimes I have to remind myself he hasn't grown into humor yet and figured out when its just not quite appropriate, whoops!  He has some pre-teen attitude festering, but he is also quick to repent and show love.  He is thoughtful and kind and a huge help to me.  But he is his daddy's shadow.  He will do anything and everything with Lesther and lives for times alone with his papi.  He responds so well to Lesther and is able to be honest with him and receive advice and guidance.  He is good about talking through things, even with me, and has a mature ability to think reasonably about things, which helps.  He is just starting to want to hang out with new friends and stretch his independence a little bit, but so far he is a trustworthy kid.  I love when I get him alone for a little while, although its rare.  And mami dates almost always include food, that's his favorite!  Angel also came to know Jesus in March and will be baptized in a few weeks, he has some really good questions and is not afraid to talk about spiritual things.  He is the sweetest big brother and loves one-on-one time with the babies.

   

Sewing and Swimming and a video!

Some little house updates...

K is doing sewing classes, and she is loving it :)  She has made a dress and a shirt and a skirt!  I really love the lady who owns the shop where she is working and the people who work there.  They seem to really want to help her learn and they are really patient.  So its just good!

We got a little pool for the kiddos because it has been SO hot!  I think they are loving it :)  We've also gotten to go out swimming a few times and they have had so much fun hanging out with Ahnalies who is here for a month!

Also, we had a two person video crew here from MTW, one from the office and one volunteer and they were AMAZING!  They are officially doing some promotional stuff for MTW, but also took advantage of the time to get some footage and pictures of PDE.  It was really fun to have them here and it gave us some really fun chances to get the whole PDE family together.  Hopefully we'll see some of them soon and we can share them!  I can't wait to share a little taste of what they got to capture.  I'm so thankful for the way that these two ladies came and served us so well.

Government update

It looks like things may finally be moving along.  I have a scheduled meeting with the new director of social services on Wednesday afternoon at 2pm.  Please pray for favor with him and that he will want to help us get through the remainder of the recommendations quickly.  I am so ready for us to be at a place where we can just seek out girls to move into the home.  I'm ready to see it full again!

On that note, I have a few girls you can be praying for as I get to know them and consider them for the home.

M just had her baby 8 days ago!  I was able to go and see her the day the baby was born in the hospital and be a part of walking her through those days afterwards.  We helped her with some expenses because she comes from a very poor family and she and the baby both had some issues after the birth.  She lost lots of blood and had some fainting episodes, but seems to be doing much better.  Her son, A, was born with a fever and has some kind of unknown infection... well, unknown to us :)  He came home after 5 days in the hospital and seems to be doing well now.  It was a very frustrating few days as the public health care system and hospital are just not an easy or fun experience.  Please pray for M as she knows that PDE is an option and one that she has really thought through, pray for a wise decision to be made.  She is very close with her mom and sisters, but due to poverty has very few options for her future.

R is another girl who I have been spending time with.  Her little girl was born one day after the twins!  She is in a very off and on relationship with her father of her daughter and seems to stay with him only because she sees no other option for how she would get by.  I am praying for discernment as I talk to her and try to help her seek the Lord's guidance for her future.  It is not a healthy relationship at all and she has no family support.  Pray for wisom.

I'm so excited that we can start to consider girls for the home again, we just pray that God would bring who HE wants to be there!

Baptism

Praise the LORD!

Last Wednesday night K and C were both baptized at our local Spanish church!  I was so excited that we could be there to support them and some of the former PDE girls were there too.  It was just a blessing to be able to watch them take the step of faith to say "I belong to Jesus" publicly.  We talked a lot about what baptism means and why it is important.  It is more than just a step of obedience for a believer, its a way to share that God has changed them.  He called them out of darkness and into life.  He has given them a purpose and a newness to life.  Its something to celebrate that in His good grace, God rescued them from certain eternal death!  And we give HIM all the glory!

Pictures

Its been awhile since I've posted pictures, so I thought I would share a few of the recent happenings...

This is what it looks like when we take a group trip to the grocery store!  Looks like we took a whole preschool and I didn't even have any of my own kids with me :)

A sweet girl who came with her church last summer passed away this year.  Her thoughtful mom sent down some of her clothes and stuffed animals and made some girls and kids REALLY happy in the process!  We are thankful for her life, her love for Jesus and Honduras, and the blessing of getting to put her things in loving hands now that she doesn't need them anymore.

Some pictures of my kids growing up... I wasn't feeling good one day so Dixi and Nicolle made me lunch!  They are getting so old and responsible.  Andres loves mangos... and mom.  And the twins are now 5 months old, which is hard to believe!  (I can't believe I don't have pictures of Angel...)

Apprenticeship

Before K moved back into the house I told her she was going to have to work.  Too much free time at home always causes trouble :)  She is studying third and fourth grade at night school, but it just doesn´t quite keep her busy enough and I really want her to use this time to learn everything that she can that will help her when she moves out.  That being said, we decided Thursday was the day to go out hunting for a job or an internship or something.

K has a remarkable eye for sewing.  She can barely see and I don´t know how she can even thread a needle... but she does.  And then she makes pretty much anything that she wants to.  She sees a dress and then makes one with no pattern.  She took a pattern for a bag and changed it until it was something she liked better.  She hems pants and makes curtains and whatever else she puts her mind to... so the logical option was to find a place where she could learn to sew.

The first shop we went to is a sewing shop, but they also do designs and patterns.  I had never been there before, but as we walked in the owner immediately met me with a comment on how good God is to her by His grace.  Have you ever met someone that just gave off a feeling of peace and knowledge of God?  That is how I felt about this lady.  She listened intently while I talked about the home and K.  She agreed wholeheartedly that the Gospel is the most important thing.  And then she agreed to have K come and work with her.  Its an apprenticeship and she won´t get paid, but she will teach her everything that she can.  :)

To say that K is excited is an understatement.  She started this morning at 8am and I can´t wait to hear about her day!  Please pray that this will be as good of an opportunity as it seems and that she will make the most of it!  Pray for her to learn more about the Lord as a result of working with this lady and for her to show Christ as well through her attitude and actions.

A new sister

This week we are praising the Lord that K made a decision to follow Christ!

I don't even know that I've had a chance to post on here that K and her 2 year old son moved back into PDE after a year away.  She really suffered during that year and showed tremendous growth in humility and maturity.  It has been really hard for me to watch her have such a hard time, but I have never let a girl back into the home after they choose to leave because of their own rebellious.  However, after much prayer and listening to God's leading, I presented the option to her.  She was over-joyed and promised that this time would be different... and it has been.

The first big noticeable difference was her attitude towards the things of God and studying His Word. In the past she had always been willing, but not eager, and had a very uninterested way about her.  She sat through church because she had to and did Bible studies because I asked her to, but she asked no questions and made no effort to dig any deeper.  Within the first week of moving back she was asking me to teach her more about God and study His word with her.  She started going through a book of the basics of Christianity with the house mom, on her own initiative!  And then, came to know Christ as her own Lord and Savior!  Praise God! :)

We have seen such growth in a short time.  We know that God has been working on her for years and we are thankful to see fruit springing forth now that she has made a decision for Christ.  It shows in her attitudes, her service, and her love for her son.  Today I am starting a study with her for new believers, pray that she continues to learn and grow!

Growth

I love watching C grow.  First and foremost as a follow of Jesus and then after that as a mom and a student.  She is learning so much.  In her study of a Gospel-centered life with Amy she has been learning about repentence... but not just book learning, actually taking it to heart.  Just this week she beat Satan's efforts to lead her back into stubbornness and self-will by running hard after Jesus, knowing that her sin was against Him first and foremost, and then also asking for forgiveness from the offended party.  And as I went by today to dole out the consequence for poor behavior there were no excuses, no defense, just humility and acceptance.  And from there we get to show grace... oh so much grace.  

And she's a sweet mom :)  They stayed with me for a few days over the weekend because our house mom was sick and I loved seeing the contrast of her mothering A compared to when they first arrived.  She was patient, yet firm.  She played with him!  That's a really big deal.  They sat and did puzzles together and laughed together and spent time... he was so happy and so proud.

As for myself and the house moms, we have a new challenge.  Seth recently started seminary classes in Spanish for some local church leaders and we're going :)  Old Testament survey in Spanish!  Mostly challenging for me!  This week the power went out and we had to run the generator for the video to work... I would be lying to say it wasn't a tad miserable to not have the fans running.  But even so, the content is good and we are going to learn so much.  I'm really thankful for the new opportunities!

Reconnecting

These past two weeks have been about reconnecting with the girls and the ministry and getting a feel for how everyone is these days.  I have really enjoyed my time and seeing what the Lord is doing.

I was so blessed by Y volunteering to come out and clean my house last Sunday.  On her only day off she got up early and came and cleaned my house!  What a servant heart.  I also split the cost with her of going to our church's big conference the week before Easter with the promise that she would pay attention and tell me what she learned.  She came back and replayed every word.  She learned so much and seemed to really absorb it.  She is so hungry to learn more about the Lord and that makes me so excited.

C has been really busy going to beauty school classes in the afternoon and 7th grade classes at night.  She has learned pedicure, manicure, hair cutting, and is working on dying hair and working with other chemicals.  In her colegio class she has been doing schoolwork, but also had a special teacher come who taught them how to make jewelry.  She is so excited about it and has been able to sell some of what she has made.  It is so good for her to have some of her own money to spend that she earned.

Our other C has been very busy since moving out of the home.  She and her cousin, B moved into a small apartment at first but within two months found an inexpensive 3 bedroom house and another roommate and were able to move to a much better location.  She is busy at school doing a project on lettuce and learning how to make her own pump.

B is staying at home and taking care of the kids.  We got good news about B's daughter this month when Renee's dad came down.  He is an orthopedist and was able to tell us that G's leg problems and normal and will self-correct and there is no need for braces or surgery.  We are all very thankful for that!

K desperately needs a job.  Can you pray with us for that?  She is in a difficult living situation and it would be great for her to move into a room on her own.  They don't always have food... and she just needs a job.  But with a very low education, that's hard to find.  She is persevering with school and doing really well!  She is excited about her progress.  I also helped her get some more sewing materials this week so that she can offer some basic hemming and altering services and earn a little money that way.  C is going to teach her to make necklaces this week too and maybe some of those will sell! 

Please continue to pray with me for Spiritual growth for each girl and child that is in or has come through PDE.  I see some of them growing leaps and bounds and really seeking to know more of the Lord.  Others not so much.  But I just desperately want them to know the grace of God and know that He is enough for them.  Please pray for me as I continue friendships with them that God will give me the words to show them more of Jesus!

And then, because I couldn't help it.  I'll leave you with some twin pictures from our picnic today!

Seeing God Move

I am really enjoying getting back into the swing of things with PDE.  C has grown so much since I was on maternity leave.  She and Amy have been studying "A Gospel Centered Life" and learning about believing the gospel, the law versus the gospel, repentance and grace.  She also went to the local churches big conference a few weeks ago and soaked up what the pastors had to say.  I sat in on Bible study this past week and was blown away hearing her talk about all the things she has been learning.  She has been praying for her mom to go to church for a few weeks now.  Last week she actually had class over the weekend, but her mom went to church with Dona Oneyda and C's son A.  C was so excited!  Now she's praying that her mom will keep coming and that her brothers and sister-in-law would come too.  Can you pray that with us?

I was able to meet with the lawyer this week to try to catch up with how things are going.  We are now just praying through what God wants for PDE and how we should proceed.  The good news is that things should be much easier than anticipated.

I have been working on a new video about PDE... I thought I'd share it here!


In other news, the twins turn 3 months old today and are as cute as ever :)

Where ministry and family meet

Eliana and Wesley are now 7 1/2 weeks old... hard to believe.  Time is flying by with them and there are moments that I wish it would just stand still!  They are growing so much and seem huge to me compared to when they were born, although they are still both under 7 pounds :)  They are starting to smile more on purpose and have both rolled over one time.  For now the rolling is an unintential, I'm mad you need to feed me, kind of statement :)  But they roll nonetheless!

Over the last few months I have been on maternity leave and will start back to work soon... but even in that time of not "officially" working, its fun to see how these people are not just ministry, but also friends.  They have come to visit and hold babies and encourage us and check in.  Those who haven't been able to come have called, and some we didn't get pictures of.  C was beside herself the first time she saw the babies... so much cooing and love flowing around here with two such beautiful babies :)

C has also had big life changes while I've been on leave... she started 7th grade and beauty school and is happily busy and learning!

As for us... we got passport pictures taken for our littlest family members and plan to apply  soon for their American papers and Honduran passports as well.  One of the days we want to bring them to the states to visit :)

Also my dad got here this past week to visit and we are delighted to see him!  My kids love their US grandparents and were counting down the days for Papi Bruce to get here.  I feel so blessed to have both of my parents here to love on the babies with us and just share in this time of our life.  We have other visitors on the way... my aunt and cousin, two siblings, and grandma will all be here before the end of the month!

For now I leave you with these precious pictures of our friends from PDE with our sweet twins!

They're Here

Can I pretend that I wrote this blog post a month ago?

Welcome to the world...
Eliana Michelle (3 pounds 7 ounces) and Wesley Alexander (4 pounds 8 ounces)

On Saturday, January 17th around 9pm, these two little ones made their grand entrance.  I was so worried about them going into the c-section because they were only 34 1/2 weeks along and we weren't sure if they would be able to breathe on their own.  Eliana had stopped moving and wasn't getting enough oxygen from the placenta which is why we had to schedule things last minute.  They sent us from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula to a hospital with a better NICU just in case they needed it.

My eyes filled with tears when I heard Eliana's first cry.  It was a miracle to hear the sound of the new life that God had been growing inside of me, but I also was just filled with relief that she could cry, which meant she could breathe and she was going to be okay.  Three minutes later Wesley followed with cries of his own.  I got a great report from the pediatrician shortly afterwards, although they were still whisked away to the NICU to get feeding tubes and spend the next few days in the incubators.

Eliana quickly figured out how to suck and within a few days was bottle feeding.  Wesley took a little longer, but by Wednesday was also eating and was ready to come home.  We headed back to La Ceiba Wednesday afternoon to meet brothers and sister and experience life out of the hospital for the first time.

The last month has been full of eating and sleeping and burping and swinging and trying to figure out the whole nursing thing.  Mommy and Papi and Nana are tired, but so happy!  Older siblings are in love and want to help as much as they can.  They are gentle and loving and cannot wait until the twins are old enough to play.  Since the twins came so small, we've had to be careful about washing hands and germs and all that, but its amazing how great they are doing since they still haven't even reached their due date of February 25th.  We've been trying to take pictures to show for scale how really little they are.  This is Wesley next to a 12 inch spider man :)


 Our favorite story as we have been introducing them to friends is from our four year old friend Elias.  When I first told Elias that I was going to have twins, the conversation went like this...
Me: Elias, did you know that I have two babies in my belly?
Elias: Why did you eat two babies?
Me: (laughing) I didn't eat them Elias, they are growing in there.  God is making them big and strong so they can come out and play with you.
So when Elias came to meet the babies he kept staring back and forth between me and them...
Me: Elias, these are the babies that were growing in my tummy.
Elias: (confused) Are you going to eat them again?
Gotta love four year old reasoning skills!

We have had lots of visitors from my team and Lesther's family and the PDE family.  It has been fun to see some of the girls come by and hold my little ones and be so excited for me over the new step for our family.  They all want to help and have offered to take care of them or come help clean my house or do whatever we need.  I love seeing the Lord work in them to be so generous and want to give what they can.  We are very blessed by our community here.  My mom is here for awhile and I don't know what I would do without her.  She is the best nana in the world and has made Valentine's Day cake, done homework, done midnight feedings, rocked babies, made dinner, washed clothes, and so much more.  I may never let her leave...  More of my family comes in March and I can't wait for them to get here and meet Eliana and Wesley.

Its amazing to me that they have such different personalities at such a young age.  Isn't God creative?  Eliana is awake more, alert, active, and is going to be a spit-fire.  She is already holding her head up, trying to roll over, interactive, trying to figure out her hands, etc.  She is a little bit of a thing, but watch out world because that is not going to stop her.  She still loves being held and cuddled and has started trying to turn towards my voice when she hears me... I love that!  Welsey is our little lazy bear.  He is a sleepy little guy and has been lazy from the beginning.  He never moved around as much as his sister, even in the womb.  And in the hospital he was content to get his food by a tube, why work for it if they are going to just fill up my tummy anyways?  He has more digestive issues and is just a little more complicated, but he is the sweetest snuggly boy in the world.  And, not to be outdone by his sister he is also trying to hold his head up and intentionally smiled yesterday for the first time.  He had to be first in something, so I guess he figured smiling was something that didn't take too much effort :)  I think he is going to be the sweetest little thing who will help me stay sane while his sister is out taking over the world.

I guess when you wait a month, this is the kind of marathon blog post you get :)

I'll leave you with our only picture as a family of 7, you read that right, 7.  Wow.

Pocoyo and Chicharon

Months ago I asked Andres what he thought we should name the babies.  He didn't even hesitate when he responded with "Pocoyo and Chicharon".  Okay them.  So we have affectionately referred to them as such :)  You'll be pleased to know those names won't be sticking after birth!

I haven't written much about the twins and pregnancy, but I wanted to share an update.  We are at 34 weeks and the babies are healthy and moving around and have strong heartbeats!  We were able to get a precious picture of our son's face, but the little girl is camera shy and hasn't let us see her face even one time!  And believe me... we have had enough ultrasounds that that is really a feat.  Due to various health problems throughout this pregnancy, we have had lots of doctor visits and at this point could not be more thankful to have healthy babies!

However, healthy they may be, they are not growing as they should due to the placenta.  So it looks like they will coming early!  We expect to do a c-section early next week, most likely Tuesday!  So pray for a healthy delivery and babies who can breathe and eat on their own, so that they can come home with me next week.  They are currently both around 4 pounds!

Keep your eyes out for pictures!  I'm officially on maternity leave, so expect the blog to take a personal turn a few weeks as I take a step back from Puerta de Esperanza.

Graduation!

Yesterday was a big day for C and her son W.  And really, a big day for Puerta de Esperanza.  Although we have had other girls leave the house, she is our first graduate who really left when we felt like she was spiritually, physically, and financially ready.  We are SOOO proud of her!

We are definitely sad to see her go after 3 years of living in the home.  W has never known another home or another family outside of PDE and cried when we left him in his new apartment yesterday.  He will quickly adjust I'm sure, but it is a big change!

B and G who used to live with us at PDE are going to be living with them and the girls will help each other with the bills and childcare.  They are living near C's university and our church bus passes right in front of their neighborhood.  C will keep studying and working, although maybe cut back on the amount of classes she can handle as she shares in childcare responsibilities.  B will continue to buy clothes to sell and try to make some extra money traveling outside of the city to sell used clothes.  But she will mainly be taking care of the kids at home.

Please keep these girls in your prayers as they adjust to life in their own place.  Also pray that they will get along with each other and agree on how to raise their children as they both have responsibilities in that area.  Pray for them to stay involved in the church and continue to seek the Lord in their personal life.

We definitely know that we are not saying goodbye... they are our family and we'll be seeing them soon and often :)