Something that the girls and I both love is when they get to teach me something new!
How did I get to be 33 years old and I don´t know how to cut up a whole chicken correctly? Saturday afternoon our house mom had an obligation and the girls came over here to our house for a little while. K taught me to cut up a whole chicken into beautiful pieces and then make the most delicious fried chicken ever! They watched Elf and helped me with my weekly meal planning/cooking session and left me freshly made corn tortillas for dinner.
I want to be a thousand times more humble than I am. I want to be a learner and receive help well and have lots more days like Saturday. But its hard and my pride gets in the way. Its something that I see in myself that helps me to understand where the girls are coming from in a lot of ways.
They don't come from good backgrounds, don't have good habits, don't know everything about , keeping a house, being a mom, going to school, having a good interview, etc. But its hard to learn new things and be humble and accept that you've learned a lot of things wrong in your life and now you have to relearn them. And it takes a long time and a lot of new experiences to be able to accept that. You have to see new examples and see people doing things a different way to want to change.
But it happens... slowly but surely, it happens.
These past few weeks have been really good with our youngest, C. She has her moments, but overall, we are seeing BIG changes in her! She has come up with goals for herself and is working hard to meet them. She is talking more freely about her family and her past and what she desires for a future relationship with them. She is working hard on her relationship with her daughter. I'm just proud of her. She has been with us a little over a year and its taken this long for her to realize that she wants a different future and that it is worth the hard work. That's learning!
God is so good to let me be on the front lines to watch these girls learn and change and see the same things happening in me.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Friday, December 9, 2016
Faith
I have often taught Bible studies that touch on the theme of faith. Time after time I have used the example of a chair to get the point across. I can say from across the room that I trust that the chair will hold me or that I have faith in the strength of the chair... but real faith is exercised when I actually walk across the room and sit down in said chair. That is putting my faith into action... and that is where I find myself this week.
The last two months have been some of the most stretching of my life. I have struggled with real anxiety and fear and I've been having a hard time just sitting down in the chair and letting what I know about the Lord actually take root in my heart. I know that He is good. I know that He is a provider. I know that He has proven Himself faithful time and time again. And yet... I still find it hard to trust... why is that?
Did you know that PDE hasn't been fully funded ever in the last nearly 5 years?!? If you take a look at our monthly budget and monthly giving we should have closed down a long time ago. And yet... God has always provided. No one has ever gone hungry and we've always paid the electric bill and our employees. And God has used that to keep the house open and we have seen many come to know Him as a result. But from a worldly point of view, it just doesn't make sense.
And PDE support is my missionary support which means that when PDE isn't fully funded, I'm not fully funded. And that, my friends, is a scary place to sit when we're talking about your own family and your kids and putting food on the table. To be quite honest, I'm looking forward to in the next stage of life not living off of support! It has been good for me, and stretching, unpleasant at times, and some days surprisingly joyful but I'm not going to miss it :)
And then there is our paperwork, visas, green cards, waiting on the government... a whole lot of things that are hard to time. And at the same time I want to be faithful and leave well and leave PDE taken care of when we leave. So I'm anxious about the timing and anxious that I will work myself out of a job before our paperwork is ready for us to move. As you may imagine, tinking about moving a family of 7 overseas has a lot of details that comes with it... and oh the culture shock that is sure to unsue!
So this is a stage of a lot of waiting and trusting and asking the Lord for peace of heart. And I'm not always doing a good job of sitting in the chair and exercising my faith. Can you pray with and for me that I will trust the Lord's provision? For the ministry, for my family, for this time of transition...
Colossians 1:17 was my theme verse about the time that I moved to Costa Rica and then Honduras and its one that I will clinging too strongly over the next 6-8 months as well!
And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. - Colosians 1:17
The last two months have been some of the most stretching of my life. I have struggled with real anxiety and fear and I've been having a hard time just sitting down in the chair and letting what I know about the Lord actually take root in my heart. I know that He is good. I know that He is a provider. I know that He has proven Himself faithful time and time again. And yet... I still find it hard to trust... why is that?
Did you know that PDE hasn't been fully funded ever in the last nearly 5 years?!? If you take a look at our monthly budget and monthly giving we should have closed down a long time ago. And yet... God has always provided. No one has ever gone hungry and we've always paid the electric bill and our employees. And God has used that to keep the house open and we have seen many come to know Him as a result. But from a worldly point of view, it just doesn't make sense.
And PDE support is my missionary support which means that when PDE isn't fully funded, I'm not fully funded. And that, my friends, is a scary place to sit when we're talking about your own family and your kids and putting food on the table. To be quite honest, I'm looking forward to in the next stage of life not living off of support! It has been good for me, and stretching, unpleasant at times, and some days surprisingly joyful but I'm not going to miss it :)
And then there is our paperwork, visas, green cards, waiting on the government... a whole lot of things that are hard to time. And at the same time I want to be faithful and leave well and leave PDE taken care of when we leave. So I'm anxious about the timing and anxious that I will work myself out of a job before our paperwork is ready for us to move. As you may imagine, tinking about moving a family of 7 overseas has a lot of details that comes with it... and oh the culture shock that is sure to unsue!
So this is a stage of a lot of waiting and trusting and asking the Lord for peace of heart. And I'm not always doing a good job of sitting in the chair and exercising my faith. Can you pray with and for me that I will trust the Lord's provision? For the ministry, for my family, for this time of transition...
Colossians 1:17 was my theme verse about the time that I moved to Costa Rica and then Honduras and its one that I will clinging too strongly over the next 6-8 months as well!
And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. - Colosians 1:17
Monday, November 21, 2016
work
Continuing on with my effort of trying to get back into the blogging world...
Its vacation from school in Honduras. From now until February we have four girls who aren't doing much just hanging around the house. Please read... recipe for disaster. Like any teenagers, they need to be kept busy and have things to do otherwise the petty fights and disagreement begin to mount. So we've started off vacation with morning devotionals to make sure everyone is up and ready at a reasonable hour and start the days off focused on whats really important!
Today I was almost in tears after devotional because we started talking about how our two oldest girls really need to be working. They have looked for work and left tons of resumes, but no one wants to hire them because they don't have experience. Well, you can't have experience if you never work. They are discouraged and ready to quit trying. Its just not a city where you can find a job if you're willing to do whatever, there is so much unemployment and people want you to have finished high school to fry chicken in the kitchen at a hole in the wall restaurant. Its hard to find a chance... an opportunity to get started.
P is going to try to start nursing school in February which would give her a much better chance of work upon graduation. However, we have told her she has to work in the meantime and pay for half of her studies so that she makes the investment. And yet... work is illusive. In the meantime, she is learning and gathering nursing experience at the clinic. Please pray for her to find a job!
And then there is K. She is the one who had me in tears as the tears streamed down her face as we talked. Let just say that Hondurans don't pride themselves on being equal opportunity employers. She has a problem with her eye and its evident when you look at her. And no one will give her a second look for a job because of it. I tell her all the time if she can just get a job, any job, that person will never want to lose her because she is the hardest worker that I know! She can learn anything, do anything, and will do it 100% to the best of her ability for as long as she needs to. She is amazing and has so much to offer, but isn't even given a chance. And its hard to go look for jobs and put yourself through rejection after rejection. And we have been trying to help her learn a job skill... she was learning sewing but because of her vision problems ended up with daily migraines trying to stare at tiny stitches all day. And we put her beauty school but because she didn't start school until age 15, she is behind in reading and writing and couldn't keep up with all the writing from the board, so the teacher wouldn't let her stay. She is now 20, has made it through 6th grade, and is a fighter. She would like to learn how to make and decorate cakes and pastries because she could start a home business, but I can't find anyone to teach her. Can you just pray? Pray that she wouldn't be discouraged watching other girls come and go from the home as she struggles to know what her future will hold. Pray for us to know how to love and encourage her and push her as necessary.
These girls are our family. They are daughters to me and I love them dearly. I want them to succeed and I want to help! And sometimes its just so hard to be wise in a culture that almost 6 years later I still don't understand fully. Just pray for God's provision, its what they need!
Its vacation from school in Honduras. From now until February we have four girls who aren't doing much just hanging around the house. Please read... recipe for disaster. Like any teenagers, they need to be kept busy and have things to do otherwise the petty fights and disagreement begin to mount. So we've started off vacation with morning devotionals to make sure everyone is up and ready at a reasonable hour and start the days off focused on whats really important!
Today I was almost in tears after devotional because we started talking about how our two oldest girls really need to be working. They have looked for work and left tons of resumes, but no one wants to hire them because they don't have experience. Well, you can't have experience if you never work. They are discouraged and ready to quit trying. Its just not a city where you can find a job if you're willing to do whatever, there is so much unemployment and people want you to have finished high school to fry chicken in the kitchen at a hole in the wall restaurant. Its hard to find a chance... an opportunity to get started.
P is going to try to start nursing school in February which would give her a much better chance of work upon graduation. However, we have told her she has to work in the meantime and pay for half of her studies so that she makes the investment. And yet... work is illusive. In the meantime, she is learning and gathering nursing experience at the clinic. Please pray for her to find a job!
And then there is K. She is the one who had me in tears as the tears streamed down her face as we talked. Let just say that Hondurans don't pride themselves on being equal opportunity employers. She has a problem with her eye and its evident when you look at her. And no one will give her a second look for a job because of it. I tell her all the time if she can just get a job, any job, that person will never want to lose her because she is the hardest worker that I know! She can learn anything, do anything, and will do it 100% to the best of her ability for as long as she needs to. She is amazing and has so much to offer, but isn't even given a chance. And its hard to go look for jobs and put yourself through rejection after rejection. And we have been trying to help her learn a job skill... she was learning sewing but because of her vision problems ended up with daily migraines trying to stare at tiny stitches all day. And we put her beauty school but because she didn't start school until age 15, she is behind in reading and writing and couldn't keep up with all the writing from the board, so the teacher wouldn't let her stay. She is now 20, has made it through 6th grade, and is a fighter. She would like to learn how to make and decorate cakes and pastries because she could start a home business, but I can't find anyone to teach her. Can you just pray? Pray that she wouldn't be discouraged watching other girls come and go from the home as she struggles to know what her future will hold. Pray for us to know how to love and encourage her and push her as necessary.
These girls are our family. They are daughters to me and I love them dearly. I want them to succeed and I want to help! And sometimes its just so hard to be wise in a culture that almost 6 years later I still don't understand fully. Just pray for God's provision, its what they need!
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
PDE video
We need your help! We need you to help spread the word about PDE. We are in need of monthly and one-time support and are feeling the burden of having to make decisions about whether or not to accept new girls based on our budget situation. We have a 16 year old pregnant girl that we would love to bring to the home right now, but we don't have the $400/month needed to make that happen. So please, consider showing this video to your friends and family and being an advocate for us to raise the money that we so desperately need!
This video tells Claudia's story beautifully. And in conclusion, she has now moved out of the home and is working full-time as a stylist in a local salon, supporting her little boy, Alexis, and growing in her love for Jesus. God is so so good!!!!
Door of Hope -- Puerta de Esperanza from MTW on Vimeo.
New House Mom
We need your prayers!
In September Doña Oneyda (pictured in the middle) stopped
working with PDE for personal reasons, especially health related. She had been
with us from day 1 and is the primary mom figure in the lives of most of the
girls who have come through the home in the last 4.5 years. We really miss her,
but are thankful that she was able to come on Saturday to celebrate birthdays
with us and enjoy some PDE family time! She is still suffering from intense
migraines daily and the doctors have not been able
to figure out what is wrong. Can you please pray for her healing and wisdom for
her doctors?
Also, in light of that, Cristina has been working a lot
more and we have been unable to find another house mom to work with her. We
thought we had someone this week, but it fell through. A good friend of mine
had been helping for a time, but it now unavailable. We need someone ASAP so
that Cristina doesn´t get burnt out as the job is not an easy one! Please,
please pray that God provides the right person quickly!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Dependence and Faith
I titled this post Dependence and Faith because I feel
like that is exactly where God has me at the moment. I know I just sent
out a newsletter and its record-breaking for me to send out something else so
soon, but we are in need. It seems to happen every time I get
comfortable... every time I seem to think that I´ve got this support raising
thing under control and we´re living with a nice buffer. I was excited
about my trip in September because I felt like I was going into it ahead.
We needed to raise money, but it wasn´t as desperate of a situation as it
has been in the past. But then I started to look over numbers and it just
so happened that this month of September there isn´t enough money to make it to
the end of the month!
Things happen with supporters over time that are normal. We pick up new people and some people can´t give anymore. But I tend to believe that support raising has a lot more to do with what God is teaching me.
The ministry of Puerta de Esperanza belongs to the Lord! He started it and is using it and is changing hearts and drawing people to Himself. And He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. If he wanted us to be fully funded, we would be. But instead He allows us to feel needy to know that we need His provision, we need Him to open doors and provide partners. We need to pray and we need to trust. And we need to give our worries over to Him.
And we need a community. We cannot do this ministry in a vacuum. We need others to pray and labor alongside of us, even if they never meet these girls in person. We need the church to hold us up monetarily, emotionally, and prayerfully. We need those encouraging emails when it has been a hard month. We need to be reminded that we do not labor in vain. And we need others´ monetary investment to make this ministry possible.
So, trusting that it is the Lord that provides, I am doing my part to be faithful and ask. Could it be that He wants to use you to answer our financial needs at this time? Could you give a one-time gift? Could you give monthly however great or small? Please consider it because now is the time... we have great need and we trust that God will use some of you who read this to answer it.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
When things are hard
Sometimes things are hard. No amount of correction or conversation or counseling seems to make them better. Sometimes poor behavior comes from deep seated wounds from the past that keep getting brought to the forefront time and time again. Sometimes when you are a young girl trying to have a normal life, you just want to be left alone.
There past few weeks have been really hard with one of our girls. I can't share too many details out of respect for her privacy, but its been rough. She has a past that I can't even imagine and a story that is really just hard. Her circumstances have left her feeling alone. And its a loneliness where you just feel like somebody should be on your side, somebody should have stood up for you, somebody should have protected you. And its true. What kind of mom lets the things happen that happen to her? Well... maybe a mom who has no choice? I don't know... everything in me wants to just be angry at her family for letting things get so bad... but I wasn't there and I don't know what else was going on... and yet... sigh.
This girl has suffered and continue to have to deal with things over and over again as her past just hasn't left her in peace. And now she is trying to be a high school student, and a mom, and a normal kid who likes to do normal kid things... and she cannot seem to find the balance. And her behavior shows that. So she is frustrated. She doesn't want to act so poorly, but it seems to just happen. And then she loses more privileges or makes people frustrated and it seems to make it worse.
And then there we are, the leadership, trying to know how to help. Some behaviors can't be overlooked or excused. Others we can work with. She is seeing a counselor, but these things take time. She is starting medication, but these things take time. And in the meantime, what?!? Day after frustrating day of trying to push for change...
But Jesus. That's the answer. These days have been really hard and seem to not be getting much better. But Jesus has the answer, He is the answer. So we pray. And we trust. And we give her over to Him. Because no amount of counseling or medication or conversation or discipline is going to mend the wounds that are deep in her heart. And we ask for wisdom to be people of grace in her life who know when to show tough love and when to just give hugs and cry for a little while. And we read her Scripture and we use every ounce of patience God gives us to show her that we are on her side. And not only that, but God is on her side. He loves her and gave His son for her so that she can be free to have a different life. She doesn't have to be stuck in pain and the consequences of sin forever. There is freedom and joy and life on the other side!
Please continue to pray with us for all of these things. Pray for healing that only Jesus can bring and an outpouring of Godly love from us to her. Pray that she would not just know about Jesus, but that she would know Him as her dearest friend and cling to Him alone.
There past few weeks have been really hard with one of our girls. I can't share too many details out of respect for her privacy, but its been rough. She has a past that I can't even imagine and a story that is really just hard. Her circumstances have left her feeling alone. And its a loneliness where you just feel like somebody should be on your side, somebody should have stood up for you, somebody should have protected you. And its true. What kind of mom lets the things happen that happen to her? Well... maybe a mom who has no choice? I don't know... everything in me wants to just be angry at her family for letting things get so bad... but I wasn't there and I don't know what else was going on... and yet... sigh.
This girl has suffered and continue to have to deal with things over and over again as her past just hasn't left her in peace. And now she is trying to be a high school student, and a mom, and a normal kid who likes to do normal kid things... and she cannot seem to find the balance. And her behavior shows that. So she is frustrated. She doesn't want to act so poorly, but it seems to just happen. And then she loses more privileges or makes people frustrated and it seems to make it worse.
And then there we are, the leadership, trying to know how to help. Some behaviors can't be overlooked or excused. Others we can work with. She is seeing a counselor, but these things take time. She is starting medication, but these things take time. And in the meantime, what?!? Day after frustrating day of trying to push for change...
But Jesus. That's the answer. These days have been really hard and seem to not be getting much better. But Jesus has the answer, He is the answer. So we pray. And we trust. And we give her over to Him. Because no amount of counseling or medication or conversation or discipline is going to mend the wounds that are deep in her heart. And we ask for wisdom to be people of grace in her life who know when to show tough love and when to just give hugs and cry for a little while. And we read her Scripture and we use every ounce of patience God gives us to show her that we are on her side. And not only that, but God is on her side. He loves her and gave His son for her so that she can be free to have a different life. She doesn't have to be stuck in pain and the consequences of sin forever. There is freedom and joy and life on the other side!
Please continue to pray with us for all of these things. Pray for healing that only Jesus can bring and an outpouring of Godly love from us to her. Pray that she would not just know about Jesus, but that she would know Him as her dearest friend and cling to Him alone.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Commitment to Purity
Last Friday night we were able to celebrate with 7 girls as they made commitments to honor the Lord with their purity! It was such a beautiful picture of grace as we see the Lord redeeming their past! Each of these 7 women is already a mother... 4 of our current girls, one house mom, one former PDE girl, and one of my nieces.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
One of the best parts of the night was being surrounded by our PDE family. Although Aurora and Jennifer no longer work at the home and Beti and Carolina have moved out, they were all there supporting their sisters and friends as they made this big decision! God has really blessed us with a family... and we are thankful!
Pray for our girls who weren't ready to make this decision yet. We are asking the Lord to keep working in big ways in their lives!
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Purity
I am so proud of all four of our current PDE girls. Next Friday night they will each stand up in front of their church body and make a purity commitment before the Lord to wait until marriage. We have had some great conversations this week as we´ve been looking up Scripture for each of them to have a verse engraved in their ring. I trust that they all understand this commitment and are ready for it! In the midst of a culture where marriage is the exception, not the norm, this is a really big deal. Their families will think its weird and unnecessary to get married and there are not many men who want to make that lifetime commitment. So pray for each one of them and for their future husbands should the Lord so see fit. I pray for each of them to get married one day to a Godly man who will love them and their children well.
We have gotten each of them a ring to wear engraved with a verse specific to them and the date of their commitment. Each ring cost about $25 and this is an extra expense for us this month. If anyone would like to cover that $100 for this important occasion, please let me know!
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Monday, March 7, 2016
Team La Ceiba
This past
weekend we had the joy of spending some time with our teammates dedicated to
making our team better! I am just so
thankful for these fellow laborers in Christ.
From ministry to personal life, I feel loved and supported. Many hands held the twins and watched my kids
and many shared their joy in seeing girls at PDE come to know Christ and follow
Him. I so feel like we are in this labor
together as we serve our families, each other, and those within our
ministries. We are so sure that God has
put this team together in this way at this time for His purposes and for our
good and I think that I can speak for each of us to say that we feel quite
blessed.
One of our
purposes of the weekend was to come up with some team-wide goals, it is so good
to be on the same page and to feel unified in purpose. As we talked through things, we were able to
identify some of the areas that need special attention this year. I know that most of you are reading this blog
because you love and support Puerta de Esperanza and THANK YOU! We still need your support, and one goal for us
this year is to be fully supported monthly!
We are almost fully supported this year thanks to monthly and one-time
gifts, but we are still not at full monthly support to be stable in the future. So please continue to prayerfully consider partnering
with us in that way. Also, C needs a
sponsor for her schooling, a need of $75/monthly. Please contact me at ssinnes@gmail.com if you would like to help
with that or have a question.
However, I
want to present some non-PDE needs to you that would help our team to meet our
yearly goals! I am hopefully that maybe
one of you has a deep interest in one of these areas and that God will move
your heart to give and/or spread the word about these needs. I am confident that in every one of these
ministries the Gospel is going forth and God is using it for His glory. Many of these are one-time gifts that you can
keep in mind… the number in parenthesis is the account number that you would
use to give on the website or in the memo section of your check.
- Construction on our ministry center in La Isla $125,000 (92412) – this will provide office space for us, the completion of the seminary and medical clinic, and jobs for all of our workers for another year
- Medical clinic in La Isla - $15,000 (92419) – will provide supplies and furniture for a clinic, plus a lab with reduced prices, as well as specialized medical care for those who cannot otherwise afford it
- Seminary $30,000 (92418) – tables, chairs, books, projector, all the things that you need to outfit a seminary where we will be using 3rd millennium curriculum as well as guest lecturers and many other resources to provide theological education to local pastors.
- Peter Project monthly support (92414) – giving to this ministry provides at risk boys the chance to hear the Gospel daily, go to school, get job training, learn live skills, and even see some family reconciliation
- Doctor Roger monthly support (92420) – our national partner, specialist in family medicine, pediatrics, and geriatrics, was training in Cuba and now has spent the last few years working alongside us in the existing Clinic. Roger is now the head of MTW La Ceiba medical and raising his own support. His contacts in the states are limited, but I promise he is well worth the investment. He is our family doctor and has had a huge impact in a personal way in the communities where he works. People hear the Gospel through the ministry that he is doing. Please consider supporting him monthly to help pay his salary as well as stock the clinic.
Thanks for
taking the time to read through our team needs.
It seems like money is always a limiting factor, but we know that God
can and will provide! And He may just
use you… J
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Make my heart be still
I have a new favorite song these days. I´ve been playing it non-stop as we drive around town living our somewhat hectic life. Its from the Shane and Shane Psalms 2 CD... ¨Lord of Hosts¨. This is my favorite part...
Though oceans roar, You are the Lord of all,
the one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still.
Though the earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea,
the nations rage, I know my God is in control.
I love the whole song, but honestly, most days I wish I could just put that one part on repeat because I so desperately need the reminders. Daily, I long for the Lord to make my heart be still. In the midst of busyness and sickness and homework and dinner prep... stillness sounds amazing. And not just that, but sin and brokenness... its in our hearts and our homes and our city. We live in a nation that is raging without a doubt. Watching the news is like watching an out of control crime show many days. I work with girls who have lived lives of abuse and suffering that are unthinkable and their past haunts them even now that they are safe. The weight of sin and the brokenness of the world is too much if not for Jesus.
And so we say, ¨though oceans roar, the earth gives way, the nations rage... You are Lord of ALL, You are in control, and YOU alone make my heart be still!¨
Though oceans roar, You are the Lord of all,
the one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still.
Though the earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea,
the nations rage, I know my God is in control.
I love the whole song, but honestly, most days I wish I could just put that one part on repeat because I so desperately need the reminders. Daily, I long for the Lord to make my heart be still. In the midst of busyness and sickness and homework and dinner prep... stillness sounds amazing. And not just that, but sin and brokenness... its in our hearts and our homes and our city. We live in a nation that is raging without a doubt. Watching the news is like watching an out of control crime show many days. I work with girls who have lived lives of abuse and suffering that are unthinkable and their past haunts them even now that they are safe. The weight of sin and the brokenness of the world is too much if not for Jesus.
And so we say, ¨though oceans roar, the earth gives way, the nations rage... You are Lord of ALL, You are in control, and YOU alone make my heart be still!¨
Monday, February 22, 2016
A missionary
A few weeks ago her small group leader from church showed them the movie, "War Room"and it resonated with her. If you haven't seen it, you should. Its a great movie reminding us that our problems, although they seem earthly, are really Spiritual. C took this message to heart and decided that she could use this movie as a way to talk to her family and friends about the Lord. So she has been going to visit her mom, family, and classmates to watch the movie and talk about what it means. She wants people to know Jesus!
While she was at my house we were talking and she shared with me... "I want to be a missionary. How can I do that? What do I have to do/be/study? I want my job to be sharing about Jesus." And I hope she gets the chance because she is bold and strong and understands what it means to really need the Lord!
A NEW new girl
I had told you about M who was going to move in, but it never happened. That is so often the case that we think we are moving in a certain direction, and then... It seems like Scripture mentioned this. "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" Proverbs 19:21
But trusting in the Lord's faithfulness and good plan, we are moving forward with another girl who is in need. Her name is P and she is scheduled to move in the first week of March. She is about 5 months pregnant and will be the first to live with us while pregnant! Which means another little baby to love on :) She actually comes to us from another children's home in the area where she has lived for some time, so she is used to rules and stability. Hopefully this will make for a smooth transition. Please pray for P and for the girls at PDE as every transition rocks the boat. And they were set and ready for M and now have to ready their hearts to accept P instead.
C is having a hard time at school. The other girls found out that she is a mom and that has made for a hard time making friends. Her classmates are 13 year olds in relatively stable family situations, middle class, and think that being a mom is just weird. So pray for her as she adjusts and continues to show love toward her baby, even while knowing that because of E her life is harder than it would have been.
But trusting in the Lord's faithfulness and good plan, we are moving forward with another girl who is in need. Her name is P and she is scheduled to move in the first week of March. She is about 5 months pregnant and will be the first to live with us while pregnant! Which means another little baby to love on :) She actually comes to us from another children's home in the area where she has lived for some time, so she is used to rules and stability. Hopefully this will make for a smooth transition. Please pray for P and for the girls at PDE as every transition rocks the boat. And they were set and ready for M and now have to ready their hearts to accept P instead.
C is having a hard time at school. The other girls found out that she is a mom and that has made for a hard time making friends. Her classmates are 13 year olds in relatively stable family situations, middle class, and think that being a mom is just weird. So pray for her as she adjusts and continues to show love toward her baby, even while knowing that because of E her life is harder than it would have been.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Prayers
Man alive, I've missed so many things. I wish I had the time to sit and write about all the many things that God has done and is doing in PDE here, but I will try to give a short recap.
Our 13 year old C has been with us for over two months now. She is adjusting SLOWLY but surely. She is mess and requires much patience of those who are constantly loving on her. She has a lot of baggage and never learned so many of the things that a normal upbringing teaches. We are still working on defining the lines of what is right and wrong as far as her past and trying to slowly prove every day that she has people who are for her, who are on her side. Understanding God's love and grace is a struggle for her and she hasn't gotten it yet, but amazingly, God is softening her heart and she doesn't blame Him for her past as she once did. So, we see Him moving. She desperately needs your prayers. In two weeks she will start in a private school in 7th grade. I made the decision to put her private school because her needs are so great and she needs to be in a Christian environment where she isn't going to get lost. She needs to know her teachers and be counseled and loved on and have people be able to really pay attention to her. She needs a team of people who are for her. This will cause a financial stretch and if anyone wants to help C have this experience, it will cost about $80/month. Let me know. I really believe this is the best and most healing option for her, so we are faithfully trusting that God will provide.
We have a new girl who we are planning to move in next week in time for her to start school as well. Her name is M and she is 17 with an 8 month old boy. I will try to get a picture soon :) We met her through Beti who used to live with us who has been helping her as best she can although with her own limited resources. She will be going to 8th grade an night, same as C, so they will be able to go together. We will probably need to get her a bike as that is how the other girls get too and from school. If you'd like to send $200 to buy M a bike, please let me know! She is also interested in studying baking, so we're looking into classes at a local school for that as well. They should be free! We will just have to provide materials. I have no idea where she is spiritually... and I am anxious to find out. So please pray for her as well.
C just finished up her practicum in beauty and is out looking for a full-time job. She will be working full time as well as doing the 8th grade. We've seen this kind of schedule lead to short tempers, less time with her son, etc. So we are starting now to work on the heart issues and talk with her about how her time in the house will need to look although she will be really busy. She is still explosive in her moments, but learning so much. She was able to write out her testimony for me this week to share at a pastor's conference here in La Ceiba and I cried as we talked it through. God has done so much in her life in a year and a half.
K is ready to go back to school for 5th and 6th grade this year and just got registered for beauty school this year as well. She has been doing sewing, but we are switching tracks because her eyes just aren't good enough for sewing. She gets terrible headaches and it makes her unable to concentrate and then she gets very frustrated. So pray that she will not feel disappointed or behind as she starts something new. This will be a two year track and we are hoping that she will love it and feel very successful! She was actually able to accompany me this week to share in person at the pastor's conference and I could not be more proud. I felt like I was her mom as I beamed with pride as she was able to clearly share her testimony and the truth of the Gospel!
This afternoon I need to have a really hard conversation that I am dreading. Its been months in the making, but its time to do it. Please pray for me to be full of grace and yet to speak the truth.
So grateful for each of you who care about and pray for this ministry even in my long blog absences!
Our 13 year old C has been with us for over two months now. She is adjusting SLOWLY but surely. She is mess and requires much patience of those who are constantly loving on her. She has a lot of baggage and never learned so many of the things that a normal upbringing teaches. We are still working on defining the lines of what is right and wrong as far as her past and trying to slowly prove every day that she has people who are for her, who are on her side. Understanding God's love and grace is a struggle for her and she hasn't gotten it yet, but amazingly, God is softening her heart and she doesn't blame Him for her past as she once did. So, we see Him moving. She desperately needs your prayers. In two weeks she will start in a private school in 7th grade. I made the decision to put her private school because her needs are so great and she needs to be in a Christian environment where she isn't going to get lost. She needs to know her teachers and be counseled and loved on and have people be able to really pay attention to her. She needs a team of people who are for her. This will cause a financial stretch and if anyone wants to help C have this experience, it will cost about $80/month. Let me know. I really believe this is the best and most healing option for her, so we are faithfully trusting that God will provide.
We have a new girl who we are planning to move in next week in time for her to start school as well. Her name is M and she is 17 with an 8 month old boy. I will try to get a picture soon :) We met her through Beti who used to live with us who has been helping her as best she can although with her own limited resources. She will be going to 8th grade an night, same as C, so they will be able to go together. We will probably need to get her a bike as that is how the other girls get too and from school. If you'd like to send $200 to buy M a bike, please let me know! She is also interested in studying baking, so we're looking into classes at a local school for that as well. They should be free! We will just have to provide materials. I have no idea where she is spiritually... and I am anxious to find out. So please pray for her as well.
C just finished up her practicum in beauty and is out looking for a full-time job. She will be working full time as well as doing the 8th grade. We've seen this kind of schedule lead to short tempers, less time with her son, etc. So we are starting now to work on the heart issues and talk with her about how her time in the house will need to look although she will be really busy. She is still explosive in her moments, but learning so much. She was able to write out her testimony for me this week to share at a pastor's conference here in La Ceiba and I cried as we talked it through. God has done so much in her life in a year and a half.
K is ready to go back to school for 5th and 6th grade this year and just got registered for beauty school this year as well. She has been doing sewing, but we are switching tracks because her eyes just aren't good enough for sewing. She gets terrible headaches and it makes her unable to concentrate and then she gets very frustrated. So pray that she will not feel disappointed or behind as she starts something new. This will be a two year track and we are hoping that she will love it and feel very successful! She was actually able to accompany me this week to share in person at the pastor's conference and I could not be more proud. I felt like I was her mom as I beamed with pride as she was able to clearly share her testimony and the truth of the Gospel!
This afternoon I need to have a really hard conversation that I am dreading. Its been months in the making, but its time to do it. Please pray for me to be full of grace and yet to speak the truth.
So grateful for each of you who care about and pray for this ministry even in my long blog absences!
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