Pictures!
Alejandra, Caterin, y Wendi
Futbol! Can you find me?
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Saturdays are slow for me so I thought that since I don’t have a lot of time left here I would share more with you before I return to the States! I leave in exactly one week. At this point I realize how much I am going to miss this place and all of the people I have met. God has given me all of these small opportunities to get to know the people I have worked with and the people from the church. And in each conversation I get more of God, his work and his character.
I spent yesterday morning with a one year old named Sergio. His mom took him to the hospital the day before and they sent her to the clinic because Sergio is very malnourished. He looks like a newborn. I walked around with him for almost an hour. He cried most of the time. I’m sure he was scared. Our prayer is that God will restore his health through the clinic. Otherwise it is very possible that the baby will die.
In reality most people that I have talked to have lost siblings, or one or both parents. Thursday I spent the day at the orphanage the church built. But the more time I spend here the more I realize that these people are my brothers and my sisters. Christ himself identified his family members as those who do the will of God. Here on earth we are limited, by borders, by languages, by money, etc. Heaven doesn’t know these limits. I have to remember that the people that I spend ten minutes with here will be the same people that I will spend eternity with.
Yesterday evening I drove out with some kids from the church to a small community that the church supports. It is called Casa Hogar Vida, I believe I have mentioned it before. Families with less can live there and it is also where the orphanage is. I had a conversation with a friend of mine from church. His name is Anthony. He is 17. His mom sings at church. His parents separated when he was about 5. He has an older brother and sister. He has a younger sister named Esther who is about 13. I am not sure what the name of her condition is but she is very small and she cannot talk or walk. Anthony had another sister with the same condition who died when she was younger. I am not sure how long Esther will live. Anthony said she is like a baby, needing constant care and must be fed and held, etc. I asked him if it was hard for him and his family and he said yes. I asked him what he liked to do with Esther. He said that he would turn on music and pick her up and put her arms around his neck and walk around the house singing. He said he didn’t sing very well but that he didn’t care what the neighbors thought because it made Esther happy. Most of all he said she was a gift from God. The way he gently, honestly talked about her and his family was very touching. Afterwards I thanked him for sharing and he just smiled and said, “Well, we’re friends”.
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Choluteca is very pretty. There are mountains all around the city and the sky is really big and looks really far away. It was very beautiful driving yesterday at night. We had about 16 people in a small Nissan truck first of all. I was inside, half my body hanging out the window haha. On the way there the sky was a dark blue and the mountains were black and I kept seeing sparks of light. I’m assuming they were lightning bugs. On the way back it was darker so I could see all the stars. I think of all of you often! Wishing that I could share this experience and knowing how much y’all would enjoy it.
But the time alone has provided good opportunities for growth and communion with God. The other day I wrote out some lyrics, not something I really ever do. I suppose the silence helped facilitate the writing. Anyways Ben enjoys writing songs and music so I sent the words to him and two days later he had a whole song created! We Skyped today and he played it for me. I have to brag on him a bit he did a great job.
“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:5-11 you make my lot secure.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I am more than halfway done with my trip and I have been trying to think of ways that y'all can pray for the rest of my time here. I have eight working days left with the children. I am very thankful for my time here. It's been a blessing.
One of the things God has continued to bring to my attention to is the beauty, simplicity, and relevance of the Gospel. I recently read a devotional written by a man who attends my church in Dallas. He says this about the Gospel: "Paul goes on to emphasize the brilliance of God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ's death on the cross, based on the simplicity of it (1 Corinthians 1:21). If it were intellectually challenging to understand, the educated could set themselves apart. If it could be earned or purchased, the noble would be the first in line. If it were difficult to achieve, any of us could be proud of our comprehension or discovery." The Gospel is something my heart needs to encounter every day. In the Psalms, David asks the Lord to restore to him the joy of his salvation. The forgiveness of sins through Christ’s blood and life everlasting is a happy thing. And it’s ok to go back to the basics to figure out why.
It took me awhile to really understand what I was doing here and what the true needs of the children are, apart from the obvious physical needs. Most of all what I believe these children lack is consistency. They need to be consistently loved, consistently taught the Gospel, consistently disciplined, and consistently valued. Looking back on my own life I can see that my childhood was filled with care and Christian counsel, and not only from my parents. It is a little hard knowing that my time here will end soon but that the needs of the children are long term. That said I believe the center needs the most prayer. The current staff members need perseverance so that they can be steadfast in their work and also continue to be an example to the community. Hopefully God will use His Gospel to continue to teach the men and women of Limón how to show their children that they are valued individuals. I know that the poverty increases the stress of everyday life, and I can see and feel the burden that it places on these families. I have seen men and women whose response is bitterness and hopelessness, but I have also seen men and women who respond by raising their hands to heaven and praising God.
Today I was watching one of the little girls named Isis (she’s about 2) in the office of the clinic. A song was playing on the radio when the woman who is in charge of the clinic, Lillian, walked in. She smiled and said the song reminded her of her first boyfriend. From there she went on to tell me this story about how she grew up with him and how they wanted to get married. They were separated and lost touch after he joined the army. He was shot and killed about 6 years ago. She has never married. She told me that after he died she wrote down their story. She’s telling me all of this, and she is crying. She tells me that she never tells anyone about her life but for some reason she could share with me. It was very touching. It was a reminder that everyone has their own story. But she said that working with the children and being able to love them brings her joy. The Bible says that even Christ, “the source of eternal salvation”, learned from what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8-9). I once had a leader tell me that “a broken heart is practice for healing broken lives”. I am being challenged to take what is broken in my life, even my very being, and offer it to God as a tool for the expansion of His Kingdom.
All is well here. I feel fine and I have made friends. My Spanish is even improving. J God has been very faithful, as He tends to be.
One of the things God has continued to bring to my attention to is the beauty, simplicity, and relevance of the Gospel. I recently read a devotional written by a man who attends my church in Dallas. He says this about the Gospel: "Paul goes on to emphasize the brilliance of God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ's death on the cross, based on the simplicity of it (1 Corinthians 1:21). If it were intellectually challenging to understand, the educated could set themselves apart. If it could be earned or purchased, the noble would be the first in line. If it were difficult to achieve, any of us could be proud of our comprehension or discovery." The Gospel is something my heart needs to encounter every day. In the Psalms, David asks the Lord to restore to him the joy of his salvation. The forgiveness of sins through Christ’s blood and life everlasting is a happy thing. And it’s ok to go back to the basics to figure out why.
It took me awhile to really understand what I was doing here and what the true needs of the children are, apart from the obvious physical needs. Most of all what I believe these children lack is consistency. They need to be consistently loved, consistently taught the Gospel, consistently disciplined, and consistently valued. Looking back on my own life I can see that my childhood was filled with care and Christian counsel, and not only from my parents. It is a little hard knowing that my time here will end soon but that the needs of the children are long term. That said I believe the center needs the most prayer. The current staff members need perseverance so that they can be steadfast in their work and also continue to be an example to the community. Hopefully God will use His Gospel to continue to teach the men and women of Limón how to show their children that they are valued individuals. I know that the poverty increases the stress of everyday life, and I can see and feel the burden that it places on these families. I have seen men and women whose response is bitterness and hopelessness, but I have also seen men and women who respond by raising their hands to heaven and praising God.
Today I was watching one of the little girls named Isis (she’s about 2) in the office of the clinic. A song was playing on the radio when the woman who is in charge of the clinic, Lillian, walked in. She smiled and said the song reminded her of her first boyfriend. From there she went on to tell me this story about how she grew up with him and how they wanted to get married. They were separated and lost touch after he joined the army. He was shot and killed about 6 years ago. She has never married. She told me that after he died she wrote down their story. She’s telling me all of this, and she is crying. She tells me that she never tells anyone about her life but for some reason she could share with me. It was very touching. It was a reminder that everyone has their own story. But she said that working with the children and being able to love them brings her joy. The Bible says that even Christ, “the source of eternal salvation”, learned from what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8-9). I once had a leader tell me that “a broken heart is practice for healing broken lives”. I am being challenged to take what is broken in my life, even my very being, and offer it to God as a tool for the expansion of His Kingdom.
All is well here. I feel fine and I have made friends. My Spanish is even improving. J God has been very faithful, as He tends to be.
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