Hipster

All the kids got new shoes from TOMS~they are running around looking like little hipsters~so cute ;)

The Lama Hat~definitely worth publishing ;)

Bedtimes

My nights usually blur together and I can't exactly remember what happened when, BUT this week one night stands out from the rest. I'm into the house a little early because Honders has been diagnosed with Bronchitis. The house mom begins instructing me about his three, new medications, Baby is hungry in my arms anxiously waiting to be fed. Two staff people come in with the ring-leader-run-away (I mentioned in my last post) in tow asking if I can keep her in my room (yes, in the boys house) for the night to discourage her from running. I answer (hindsight is 20/20 whatintheworld was I thinking) "Yes, yes, of course... .." Her mattress is moved in, I'm feeding baby, Honders gets his first round of medicine; I can tell that the boys are getting restless because of a girl being in the house. I get the little guys down for bed and the older boys are still restless and baby is getting fed again. I finish prepping breakfast for the morning-get the odds and ends picked up and dishes washed. After giving out a few pep talks about respecting girls etc the older boys are off to bed. Finally I'm laying in bed with baby in my arms wondering... "Can Honder die from Bronchitis?" Listening for each of his breaths to make sure he is still breathing. While run-away sleeps on the floor next to me, "I wonder if she is really sleeping? Did I hide all the keys? Hmmm, Is there any way she could possibly get out of this house?" I'm up to double check that all the keys are away and mine are fastened to my body and that anything of slight value is stashed away. Checking Honders again for his breathing....baby is sleeping, knowing I will be up with him in 2 hours. Lie  back down, staring at the white ceiling and my new teal walls..."Why did I say yes to a girl being here, what if she sneaks out of my room into the house? Is Honders breathing, oh yes, good, sigh, I'm not going to sleep at all tonight...not even my usual three hours...darn." Baby rouses himself early: the beginning of our nightly feeding routines....

Irony

Ironically, one day after I wrote the blog about safety in the walls, three girls attempted to run away after school. Probably the Repercussions of the other run-away girl being brought back here. (She currently is waiting for her parents to get their "return" papers accepted by the judge.) Sometimes it's hard to know what to do in these situations. Anyways, back to the story, so the girls were stopped before they got far and brought back. All the kids know that it is not a prison, it is a home, and if they do not want to be here they can be moved to another orphanage with the Judge's approval. The girls who were on the run where taken to the Judge. They told him their "sad" story about how they weren't able to play with the boys after dark and that because of this they had decided there were too many rules. Well, thankfully the Judge gave them the "smack-down" and told them that they have it GOOD here and that anywhere they go there will be RULES! Thank you Lord for giving that man some wisdom ;) Needless to say the girls decided to stay here instead of going to another orphanage. Two of the three girls involved did not really want to leave (and today they seem very happy), but pray that the ring leader would be able to settle back into life and be able to be content.

Safety

So thankful to be inside the walls when I listen to the night noises: firecrackers(or guns, I say they are fireworks~perspective??) dogs going wild, people yelling, garbage trucks rumbling by on their way to the dump behind us, parities going, noise from the soccer field next door, and the various vultures screeching here and there. Thankful also that the walls are nothing compared to Almighty God who is watching over us; He is our Wall and our Protection. From Psalm 139:

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Humor for the Heart

so the older boys were watching scary movies on the internet tonight at the kitchen table (some real life stuff some not) and I was reminding them that their eyes are the puerta (the door) to their mind and that they need to be careful. And another time, told them that I did not like the spirit of some of that stuff. When it was bedtime they were like "MANDY, NO, I'm scared!!!! So I reminded them that Jesus was where with us and that we don't need to be afraid. Seconds after they are all in bed, Christian music starts blaring from one of their room~~It's not funny BUT I was laughing so hard :D Praise God that He is here and that HE is our COMFORT even when we scare ourselves.

extra photos

Kids' Club Photos:

even the dogs show up ;)

Gospel Tracks going into the homes 

One of the mothers from the Bible study was telling me that her daughter has trouble reading, but how her reading is improving as she read through the Gospel tracks that we send home with the kids. The tears were welling up as she was talking. So thankful to the Lord as He reveals Himself. 

Typical housing of the kids who come 

morning devotions

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning."

Luke 12:32-35

thank you

Thank you to everyone who is so supportive. I feel very embraced by you all even through the miles. To those of you who give, who leave me Bible verses and uplifting messages on Facebook, and to those who PRAY~a BIG "thank you!!" There are many things that feel/or are out of my control parenting, language learning, helping the kids to heal, spiritual development in the house, teaching morals, breakfast, getting 12 kids ready for school, taking care of baby through the night; I am in a "Great Humbling" ;) The good things, they are only, only, only from Jesus, and the safe place is under His Wings. I just wanted to share part of one of my mom's messages and I hope that it encourages you as much as it did me.

"We just have to stay at the feet of Jesus. It keeps us down low so we moreso see our own faults than those of others. It keeps us humble, it gives us a good view of His feet so as to remeber that we are to wash others feet like He showed us. It let's us be close to the hem of His garment to remember the woman who touched Him and was healed and that we must carry healing to the world. At His feet we are in a stance of adoration and we are declaring to the world that He is above all....all of us...and deserves the highest place. At His feet, He can lift us up if he wants to. At His feet we are close, We can hear Him, He doesn't have to shout and put us through all kinds of stuff to get us to pay attention to Him. And if we cry at His feet, our tears can wash His feet and not be wasted. One day we will worship together."

New Stove

Thank you, thank you to the family who donated a stove for us! We are so thankful.  Hopefully there will be some better pictures in the future with everyone in them but~this is the debut. :)

Ever grateful~Thank you Lord. 

Educations ;)

School is back in session --pray we can get back into our routine fast ;) and that I would have the energy for the day (Casa in the evenings and mornings and school in the day) thanks everyone!

Nights like these...

A little drama from last night ;)

It's nights like these when it would be nice to have a very large "RESET" button.  Sitting here with baby nestled in my lap because his tummy hurts and pondering how and what I could have done to make the evening different, better, less stressful...

Some of tonight's dialog:

Me (in Spanish): okay little guys (their names left out for their safety) after you clean your shoes and have them ready for school tomorrow you can have a cookie for a bed-time snack and then you have to get ready for bed.
~~various little guys get their shoes clean and i decided to give them two cookies, and everything is good for like 5min~
Little Guy (in Spanish): My shoes are clean!
Me: okay, let me see!!!
~he shows me his clean shoes
Me: YAY good job! Here are your two cookies.
Little Guy: Two??? I want the whole pack
Me: ...you can't have the whole pack, it's two or nothing, what do you want?
Little Guy: Nothing.
Me: Okay it's your choice, remember what you say is powerful....((My on-going attempt to teach them that "words are powerful; be careful what you say"))
Little Guy: I don't want any~folds arms and pout face on and turns away~
~2 seconds go by~
Little Guy: I want the whole pack (whining voice)
Me: No
~at this point somebody else is having a fit about brushing their teeth and baby is crying and there are a stack of notebooks all over the table that need to be ready for school tomorrow and the house mom didn't tell me what's going on with them~and it is 8:45, way past everyone's bed time.....~
Little Guy: Maaannnnnnddddyyyyyyyy~ a pack of cooookieeessss....
Me: No, you cannot have a pack of cookies.
~repeated like 5 times~whining and fits added in~

AND God gave me peace through it, thank the Lord (yes, I was frustrated, but peacefully frustrated) Also Lamentations 3:21-25~Hurray for new mercies for me and for the kids and for me to give to the kids :D

²¹ Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, 
    for his compassions never fail. 
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. 
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; 
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;

Kids' Club

There are so many things I want to share with you my dear readers {even though I don't know you, I just love you guys} about Kids' Club! Every Thursday the director here and several of the older girls and I hold a woman's Bible study and kids club in our neighborhood. It is such a wonderful, real-life hour of Bible, fellowship, and prayer. The kids are in such poverty {and for many broken homes} that my heart breaks every time we are there. Thanks to the Lord for generous donations from a Lovely Lady back home because through her efforts we have been able to distribute many Gospel materials. The Gospel of Jesus's Christ's gift of life-changing salvation has gone out into the neighborhood through words, booklets, work pages, Bible readings, and Bible memory. Pray that the Spirit of Jesus would be moving in the hearts of our neighbors and; that we would be real in our Christianity and true friends to them as we seek to walk as Christ walked.

~About 1/2 of the older kids with their teacher~

~The younger kids and their teachers~

~Woman's Bible Study inside~

There are so many more things that I will be sharing but for now am just setting the stage for talking about Kids' Clubs and Bible study.  

"Those who have truly known their diseased condition are often shameless and persistent--even embarrassing--in their gratitude. And this is exactly the attitude Jesus comments. He welcomes exuberance. More than anything, if reflects a genuine understanding of His grace." ~At His Feet

"If He bids us carry a burden, He carries it also."   ~~Charles Spurgeon

Girl Time

 I haven't spent much time in the girls house because another worker has the shifts over there so I was glad to have a few nights with them over this vacation! The little girls were so excited about getting their nails painted ;)

Pray that they would be healed and feel the true love of the Lover~Pray that they would release the bitterness from abuse~Pray that they would find forgiveness with Jesus, themselves, and those who hurt them~Pray that they would understand how WANTED they are {how much Jesus wants them to be part of His intimate family}~Pray that the pain of rejection would be healed through His Power in their daily living~Pray for workers who will invest, love, protect, and teach godly womanhood <3

Non-colic bottle I found while spending 3 days with Avis in a larger town--Here's to hoping!!! :)

Brother love

The older boys in the house have been super helpful-so proud of them!

~Missing~

One of our beautiful teenage girls went missing from school in mid July. She attended a non-traditional school because she was at a second grade level but much older. Her schooling took place on the weekends and no one knew she was missing until she did not come back from school Sunday afternoon. Her backpack was still at school~no one had seen her after break. We all expected the worse. Kid's here go missing and are later found in the desert with organs missing "harvested"~horrible things that make your stomach ache~one of the many sickening thoughts when someone goes missing.  BUT small victories, she has been reported to be with her father in the mountains. He is supposedly a bandit~BUT~she is alive, praise the Lord! and two of the workers here are taking the 7 hour bus ride to talk to her about why she left and give her a second chance! :D Pray that the meeting goes well and they find her safe and also that she will make the right decision for her life.

chilly

Okay, I know I'm from the North, but it has been legitimately cold here lately! I'm not a facts person but I checked the temperature and it was only 63 degrees so I feel like a baby saying this  knowing that I have de-iced my car at 6am, driven in blizzards, and spent the day on the ski hills ;) Let me just clarify that taking morning shower (NO hot water here) is something else!!

In the near future I will be posting about:

• kid's club
• The Missing Teen Search
• and our NEW STOVE in the boy's house

Bebito

A previous volunteer came to be in the boys' house for a few weeks while they are on vacation so I've been enjoying my evenings with just me and baby. He came to us in June without a name and with various health issues: some skin infections (that stretched me because they apparently were contagious, BUT it made me a more well-rounded person!) and continuing tummy issues. The day house mom, who read his paperwork, said that he was in very filthy living conditions before being taken to the hospital for head injuries. He spent a month in the hospital before he was brought here to the Casa.

All that, needless to say, we are quite bonded and our 4am conversations consist of various topics~bacteria, cannibals, his little tooting episodes, the song "Sexy and You Know It"~it's deep stuff as you can tell ;) We are usually up at night several times~AND if you are too (or you just know we need it~because we DO!!!) here are a few prayer requests

• he seems to have very poor vision (pray for healing)
• peace and patience for both of us ;)
• a solution to his tummy issues
• that his little head would heal right (he had a brain scan several weeks ago and we are waiting for the results)
• grace for myself