Finding Noe

While visiting Talanga we met a boy from the street. He looked to be maybe 9 or 10 years old. We found him crouched in the corner of the entrance to the new taco restaurant in town. I could just simply state that he was dirty and un kept but that would be an understatement. His face was smeared with grime; imagine what you would see if a toddler had gone out to play in a sandbox after eating pancakes for breakfast and no one to wash his face. Only it was obvious that Noe had no pancakes for breakfast and perhaps no breakfast at all. His clothes were dirty and his hands were filthy with back crud under his untrimmed nails. The boys had their Honduran friend, Dimaus, with them and he was actually the first to notice. He also was the only one with any food left on his plate and so he asked if he could give his last taco to the boy. He didn’t just give him the taco. He sat down beside the boy and asked him his name. Dimaus looked up at us and said, “His name is Noe.” Dimaus sat and talked with him for just a little while but long enough for him to find out that he sleeps in front of the grocery store, his mother and step father are always drunk and they beat him so he chooses not to go home. He chooses to sleep on the streets and beg for food...anything to avoid another beating. My heart broke as I watched him lick every last bit of the taco from his dirty fingers. My heart cried out to our Father...”Lord, what are we supposed to do? How can we just walk away and leave him sitting here?” We brought him into the restaurant and to order him a full meal. As we escorted Noe to the table I noticed him limping. I asked him if it was his leg or his foot and he pointed to his foot. Oh, how I wanted to remove the threads of what was once a shoe...I wanted to see why his foot was hurting him...but what would I find? What could I do? So we ordered him a meal and we left him. “Lord, should we have done more?” I know that may be what you are asking yourself as you read this. It is so hard to make those calls, what to do, what not to do...it breaks my heart and I feel so inadequate. Yet when the directors of Manuelito heard of Noe they rushed back to the restaurant to find him and hear more of his story. But when they arrived he had already left. They knew he had an orange shirt on so they searched the streets and eventually they found him. They told him about Manuelito but he said he did not want to study and so he chose not to go with them and to stay on the streets. We cannot understand why a child would choose to sleep on the streets and dig through the trash instead of going to a home that would provide for his needs, show him love and give him the opportunity to go to school, yet in some ways it makes sense. I imagine he is probably depressed and lonely, has no self value, sick and hungry. How could a child in this state even begin to think about studying? Perhaps the Lord will open doors for us when we are living in Talanga to begin working with Noe. Perhaps He will give us another opportunity to show him that he matters and that he is a child of God; to take off that shoe and bandage his foot and to bandage his heart. Perhaps we can nurse him back with a little TLC so that he can begin to process the idea of going to school. I trust that if it be the Lord’s will, He will open those doors and have our paths to cross with little Noe again. Will you pray for Noe?

Christmas in Honduras

We had an amazing time celebrating Christmas with the kids in the project. Seeing all the kids gathered near Pappy Pinto, sitting at his feet, listening to him tell them the Christmas story and all about the birth of Jesus was so special. And there was also something special about seeing all the kids gathered around the tree, looking for that special gift that had their name on it. Especially knowing that without Project Manuelito there would be no Christmas celebration for them and it would be just another lonely day. And my heart melted even more when our kids decided that they wanted to put their Christmas money together to buy the boys at the transition house their favorite game for their playstation...to replace the one that was stolen. On Christmas morning Jacob posted on facebook about Christmas not being about gifts, money or even family but about Jesus. I figured that this was stirred in his heart partly because of being away from family this year...and while it is true that it has been so hard not being home for Christmas he told me it was because of the kids in the project. We are learning so much from them! Some of them have connections with someone in their family still and they spend a few days with them for the holidays but there are some who do not have any family to go visit. And when we thought they would be stricken with sadness, they were quick to tell us that Manuelito is their family. Christmas was definitely different this year but there were some priceless golden nuggets that we found from celebrating Christmas in Honduras. God is so good! Now, as soon as I find our camera charger, I'll post pictures.  :)  

We know that God allows us to experience certain things to help mold and shape us to be more like him and ready for service...yet sometimes I think about how much our kids are seeing here in Honduras and I wonder how this is molding and shaping them. Today when Lilly came to me with that worried look on her face to tell me that there was an “old” man at our gate I was forced to have to think about this again.  Her look of concern wasn’t for her safety. It was for the elderly man who obviously was in need.  Without our Father in this picture one could easily say that these things will mess them up.  My human tendencies tend to pull my thoughts in that direction as well.  What good could come out of our children seeing an elderly man sitting at our gate, a boy lying on the streets, a man stumbling about with a glue bottle tucked under his shirt, the homeless man sleeping on our steps, the children with their faces pressed upon our car window telling us that they are hungry, the mother with her small child begging on the streets, or hearing their new friend’s story of losing everyone he loves and becoming an orphan.  These things are hard for an adult to take in let alone a child...yet I am reminded that He is clothing them with the perfect combination of compassion and love, justice and mercy, kindness and generosity, courage and perseverance and most importantly He is building their faith and trust in Him.  They are asking some hard questions...they are seeking answers and that is what you must see when a child is finding their own faith and not just leaning on mom and dad’s faith.  So while these things are penetrating not just our hearts but the hearts of our children we must keep praying that they will grow in their knowledge and understanding of Christ and turn to Him when they don’t understand and are filled with grief for what they have seen.  And so when the world around them is dim I pray from Psalm 63:8 “Lord, please instill in my children a soul with a craving for you and a heart that clings passionately to you.” For it is only with Christ by our side that we can witness such need (or experience such need) and still be filled with hope.  And really that is the way it is no matter where we are. 

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It's hard to believe that we are wrapping up our time here in Tegucigalpa.  Our formal language training is ending but we still have much learning to do.  At this point the children in the project will be mostly our guide as they are so willing and eager to help us.  It is with bitter sweet thoughts as ponder the idea of moving again soon.  There are many things that we will certainly not miss about our time in the city but there are also things (people) that we will. Our kids have made good friends and we have an amazing church and youth group but we know God will continue to provide just what we need.  So before we enter into this time of chaos and transition again, I'd like to step you through some of what we've been seeing and learning here in the city.  

Our church, Roca Fuerte

Joe helping to make the church a little more secure.

Our church has an amazing Kids club that reaches out to many at risk youth.  Here Joe is making soccer goals for them and he has many wonderful helpers!

It didn't take Jake long to find the guitar players in the church! 

We witnessed some of their best friends here make the decision to be baptized! 

Max made the decision to be baptized during the missionary retreat in Telah, Honduras!

And so did Miss Lilly!  

We've learned that it's ok if you have to cram 5 people in the backseat of a small car. (You can't see Lilly's friend beside her.) And this was Lilly's 9th birthday!

Who needs a table to arm wrestle? This is some serious business!

Nobody wins a mud fight! Jacob and Max with their youth group.

A big table is a must! We're thankful that our field directors have let us use theirs!

Hondurans are very willing to teach us about their culture and have an amazing gift of hospitality.

Monday afternoons have been a highlight of our week, playing soccer with the kids at the transition house.

And after soccer they love to learn how to make jewelry!

You have to be flexible and creative.  We carved watermelons instead of pumpkins!

It's worth the hour and a half drive on the weekends to visit the project and see our friends there.

There is never a shortage of hugs at Manuelito.

The girls are excited to help us learn how to wash clothes Honduran style.

And we can't forget the new addition to our family, Tippy.  Lucas and Lilly really wanted a puppy but dogs are pretty expensive here and they often are very sick so we weren't sure if we would get one.  They kept praying every night that God would help us find a puppy.  And so he was a gift from God, delivered to us right in front of our church. Two boys came walking by with puppies in their arms.  They were for sale for 120 Limperas, which is equal to a little over six dollars.  So we gave in.  Tippy has been a typical puppy all full of troubles but he has been good for the kids.  He brings many smiles.  God heard their prayers...the desire of their heart was for a puppy, a friend that will go with them wherever they go.  

Thank you for your prayers for us during our time in the city.  We are very thankful for our amazing team of prayer warriors.  Our time in the city has certainly had it's share of challenges and heartaches but in all it has been a good experience with many lessons to be learned.  We have not only been safe and had our needs met, we were blessed with exceedingly and abundantly more than we could have ever hoped for or imagined!  And we know that He will continue to bless our time in Honduras as we move to Talanga and begin our daily routines with Project Manuelito.  

Writing poetry has been a way that I can express myself when it seems there are no other words to express how I am feeling.  The realization of the reality here in Honduras has hit me pretty hard and I've been struggling to find a way to put into words what my heart is feeling.  Not only has the realization of "their" reality been hard for me but also making the transition with our family.  Helping our children to understand what they are seeing and helping them to understand what they are feeling has been overwhelmingly hard too.  Please pray for us as we continue to make adjustments here and as the "Honeymoon" phase has worn off.  The reality here seems to have hit us pretty hard but we hold firm to our calling and know that He who started this will help us finish.  Thanks so much!

Lord, I feel so torn

In this land with such need

I feel so small

With just a little mustard seed.

Lord, I’m holding on to your word 

My little seed of faith I’ll hold tight

You said it can move the mountains

So it can surely help us fight.

To fight for Your precious children

To fight for what is right

To step into the darkness

In order to bring Your light!

Lord, apart from you

I can do nothing of eternal worth

For my heart has already broken

And could not proceed forth.

My flesh is so weak

And yet I try to do so much alone

Forgive me, Lord

For no Glory do I own.

It should be of no surprise

That I would feel so weak

And that my heart would shatter

At only just one peek.

Just one peek of your broken world

Just one peek of a broken heart

Just one peek of the greatest need

Just one small part. 

Lord, help me please,

To be all that you’ve called me to be

Lord, remind me please

That I am only little me.

Let no area be left in darkness

No matter which way I go

Even though I am so weak

Please help me to know.

Help me to better know how

Help me to better know who 

Help me to better know when 

Help me to better know You. 

Are We Helping or Hurting?

This is the question we’ve found ourselves pondering on a lot these days.  You give to the elderly woman only to have her staring back at you with a dissatisfied look on her face as if to say “that’s not enough”.  You buy sandwiches for the pregnant women and children after they tell you that their hungry and ask you for food and they still look at you with the same hopeless eyes...wanting, needing more.   We try to do what is right but we are left wondering what is even right.  We would never want to be part of the reason for their constant return to the streets because that is where they get their needs met but to drive on past a hungry child who is asking for food feels wrong too. We try to do the right thing but we still leave with an empty feeling inside and they are still left in desperate need. That constant look of desperation reminds me of the scripture from Matthew 4:4 “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”.  So yes, we should expect that they will return that look of desperation to us even after we buy them all that their stomach’s can hold.  And yet I’m left wondering,  “How can we help them to see what their greatest need is in such a situation?  And where do we even start?  We help one and 10 more come running to your door. Somewhere in the midst of such desperate need we need to find a peace in knowing that we can’t help them all but we need to be extra sensitive to the prompting of the spirit in order to know those that we can.  I am constantly reminded of the little boy who came upon the thousands of starfish that were washed upon the shore.  He knew that they would surely die if they were left on the shore and yet the fact that he could never save them all didn’t deter him from helping those he could.  It would be easy for a person to see a need that surpassed their ability and to turn away. Yet we need to always remember that everything that surpasses our ability is for the sake of depending on God so that He will be glorified and not man.   

Before I begin I need to tell you that we have a new blog site we will be switching over to.  Anissa Burson was so kind to help us get a site that will work better for us.  We have hopes of using many videos and other features to help keep you all connected and feel as if you are here with us.  For now we will keep them both updated while we give our followers time to switch.  So come on over and visit us at www.schmits.blogspot.com   Don't forget to sign up to follow us with email updates if you'd like.

So here we are...been here in Honduras for a little over a month now!  I’m sorry that I haven’t blogged much for so long.  The past nine months have been the most hectic time of chaos I’ve ever experienced.  It is true that it has been crazy busy but that is not really my reason for failing to blog.  The truth is during this time there were just no words and if there were words they would have been very contradicting...one hour I felt one way and the next I felt totally different.  And just to warn you...I’m still there.  But I need to blog anyway so you will find in my blogs to come that one post may be about the excitement and thrill of being in a new country and the next may be about our struggles.  The point of this blog is to be real with you.  We are normal people with normal struggles.  We have the normal paradox of feelings that come with following the Lord into the unknown. But it is in our normality that we can see God's glory.  

I want to thank you for any part you may have had in getting us here.  It is because of your prayers, your gifts, your words of encouragement, your friendships and so much more that we are here.  We thank God for the way He provided just what we needed and still continues to do so. We are trusting in His continued provision.  We are also trusting that He will give us wisdom and discernment on the details surrounding being His hands and His feet in this country with such need.  The needs can be overwhelming.  At times it can seem so big that I just want to go back home to my land of familiar.  Oh the days I long for familiar...but that is not where He has called us to be.  We ask that you join us in asking God to help us find familiar here in Honduras and for wisdom and discernment.   Thanks so much!

One Man's Testimony of Faith

I believe sometimes God uses the lives of other people to get our attention on certain issues.  The words they say, the things they do and the things they "don't do".  I believe that God wants His children to be noticed...not in such a way to bring glory to themselves, but in such a way that brings glory to Him.  Last night I noticed a few of his children.  I noticed them in such a way that only God could be given credit for and in such a way that left me challenged; challenged to evaluate my attitude towards the season of life I am in right now.

It's easy to look at the season we are in and focus on all that isn't perfect.  It's easy for me to focus on all that is hard about answering to this call and all the goodbyes that are just around the corner.  Yet last night my eyes were opened so much wider to the peace that is available to me through Christ.  We were invited to a bible study in town.  As I sat in this man's house, who has been fighting cancer and watched as he had people of all ages gathered around very eager to hear what he had to say, I realized that this was like no bible study I have ever been to.  He spoke in such a way that the very young and the old could clearly understand.  And he spoke about his illness, his reason's for wanting to live and his reason's for praising God no matter the outcome.  We live in a watching world and he is being noticed.  His attitude towards all the possibilities is being noticed.  His leaning on God's word, his wife's asking not just for the prayers of men but for the prayers of small children, his children reaching out to the broken hearted while they are praying for a miracle for their dad.  People are watching...and what are their attitudes?  "We will praise His name."

Wow....and so God began to speak to me.  What has my attitude been towards the possibility of saying goodbye to friends and family here for a season of life?  What has my attitude been towards dying to self so that He may live in me and through me to help suffering children and glorify His name?  Am I praising His name so that this watching world might ask..."where does her joy come from?" I submitted to His will and I prayed those words, "Whatever you want Lord".  Has my heart truly reflected that prayer?  Have I found joy and honor in the Lord choosing to use me to be a part of another child rescued and another soul finding hope in Christ?
So I will ask God to help me overcome my negative thoughts and focus on all that He has given me and praise His name for allowing me to be a part of His wonderful plan in building His kingdom!  And I will thank Him for allowing me to "notice" an amazing testimony of faith in this man and his family.

And so this man's name is Kevin.  If you would...would you say a prayer for him tonight?  Tomorrow he will find out if the treatments he has undergone has cured him or if the cancer remains.  His prayer is that the Lord would be glorified no matter the outcome...of course we want the Lord to be glorified through his miraculous healing!  God's will be done! Thank you...and I will keep you posted.

Video Joe made

This video is about Project Manuelito, which is where we will be serving.

Update from South Carolina

So here we are, wrapping up our final weeks here in South Carolina.  We've been here for over a month now and the Lord has shown Himself true and faithful once again.  Leaving Indiana was so much harder than we ever thought it would be.  While we knew we were only leaving for a few months, the reality of the fact that soon it will be for a few years seemed to sink in so much more.  Yet at the same time we are struggling with being patient because we are not there yet.  Funny how our brains work sometimes. 

One of my biggest struggles in this adventure was how our kids will be effected.  Yet I can see again, how His ways are always just what they need.  It shouldn't surprise me that when I cannot understand or see the whole picture but continue to step in obedience, that is when some of the greatest blessings await.

Spending time with my family has been good.  This will be the first time for our kids to celebrate the Holidays with them down here.  Saying goodbye to our family back home was so hard and yet saying goodbye to the family here will be equally as hard.  We could easily look at the blessings of family and friends and see the heartache that comes with not being able to be with them whenever we wish or we can learn to be thankful for the times that we do get together.  I am thankful for this time with our family. Thankful for today.

We knew we had family awaiting us in South Carolina so in the realization of our need for friends as well, I often spoke of the friends we had yet to meet ...as a little pep talk to the kids and to myself.  I am still amazed at how He has supplied them.  In looking for an opportunity to share in one specific church I stumbled upon a homeschool co-op.  This was on my list of things to do but I had yet to pursue it.  God led me to this wonderful group of friends.  Lucas and Lilly have really enjoyed their time with them.  And then there's all the bible studies we've been invited to.  I could mention them all by name but the Lord has been so generous that it would create quite a long list.  :)  And all the while the awareness of Project Manuelito is spreading and the team is growing!

As we headed out to Georgia and then on to Florida we couldn't help but have great anticipation for what the Lord had planned for this time.  We found ourself in Georgia because of a mission celebration and had an opportunity to share there.  Lilly made a wonderful friend, Aubree.  From there we went on to Florida to share with a church in Sebring.  One of the greatest parts of this time was in watching the retirees that came to the mission celebration and then those in Avon Park, which is where we stayed in Fl.  They have so much wisdom about life.  This time helped me to realize more the importance of spending time with our grandparents and how much I have taken them for granted. You might find this odd, but it seems that the crowd of friends that Max and Jacob seem to be attracting are the elderly men.  One man seemed to just click with them and they had some great conversations on fishing.  Jacob even found himself in one service with one man pretty much in his lap...not that he had time to think about it but he did catch him and help break his fall.

Through this journey I have seen our kids grow leaps and bounds in their faith and trust in God.  They have made so many comments about "seeing" God in this more than they ever have before!

Once again we have found ourselves wondering what is next. Our team is not complete yet and we are still in need of monthly commitments.  So we are waiting on the Lord to reveal to us where He wants us to be. We will have an early Christmas with the family here and then we will be back in Indiana in time for Christmas with them.  What is after that remains unknown for now.  Please join us in prayer that the Lord will show us where we are to be.  Everything in me wants to begin making plans, doing the "responsible thing" but the Lord has chosen to remain quiet on this for now.  I know that he will show us in His time and until then I suppose we should be in great anticipation for what is next.  I should remind myself of how he has worked in our lives already...knowing that when we don't understand and are unable to see the whole picture, great blessings await if we continue to step in obedience.

Oh, and I guess I should add something about our kids' schooling since some of you have been wondering how that is going.  Our school day is pretty much the same as it was in Indiana, only now they have Joe to help with some of the subjects.  Jacob and Max have really appreciated Joe's taking over of their Chemistry class and they all have benefited from his leadership in our Bible class.  They're plugging right along and have had some pretty cool field trips too! :)

 

Gettysburg

St. Simons Island, Georgia

It's What You Make Of It That Counts

 
   Last night was the opening night to our kids club events that go throughout the school year.  We've been involved in the previous years in many different ways and our kids have all grown to love Kid's Club at our home church.  Jacob and Max have since graduated to the youth group but love it just as much.  We feel so blessed to have a church that has so much for the kids to do and so many adults pouring their lives into helping teach these young ones to know the ways of the Lord.  We are truly blessed.

  School always goes a little smoother on Wednesdays.  When someone is found "goofing off" or daydreaming it only takes a little reminding of their plans for the evening and they usually get right back to work.  While I am so thankful for all of this I am also reminded of how much more it's going to hurt when we leave.  It's hard for me sometimes to not weigh the pros and cons of getting involved in such great things, great family, great friends...just to say goodbye.  Yet I must remind myself that this isn't Mars we're going to and it's only goodbye for a season. (Not literally, just an illustration. :) )
  
   So it was one of those hard nights for me; seems I'm struggling more lately as we get closer and especially with how our kids will be effected.  Seeing all the kids come with such enthusiasm to be there; kids who are so hungry to learn about Jesus, is hard for me now because I want to be involved in it all.  Watching our kids in the midst of them all, playing and having such fun, reciting their memory verse together, eating snack, playing games, singing songs, stirs within me a bit of sadness.  It's hard not to dwell on the fact that we only have two weeks left with Bryant Wesleyan kids club when it has only just begun.  Yet, we can look at this two different ways.  We can be thankful for the blessings of  many years of amazing opportunities for our kids to see Jesus in our church and and I can trust that God will still provide those opportunities for them through other means or I can sit and mope about all that we are leaving and all that we will miss.  In doing so we would probably miss all the rest of the blessings and opportunities He has for them because we cannot see through our weeping and moping.  And the old saying proves very true that your kids pick up so much more of what they see than what they are told.  Our attitudes are very contagious.  We found that out the hard way. I'm holding tight to Jeremiah 29:11, not just for the kids in the project or for those waiting to be rescued, but for our kids too!  For He knows the plans He has for them, plans to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them a future and a hope! 
  
   The Lord has been good and the summer months added more confirmation for us as we continue on in this journey.  The one time start up fund needed has been supplied and we are at 50% on the monthly commitments needed!  We feel that God is leading us to begin traveling to continue sharing and spreading awareness for Project Manuelito.  It is our hope that through this time God will also lead us to the people who already share our vision for the "least of these" and who are important pieces to this team.  This team is growing everyday yet is still in need of prayer warriors, monthly supporters and many other needs within the project.  Thank you for all that you have done and are doing. 

A Glimpse of Jesus in Action

There are moments in life when we are given a glimpse of what it must have looked like to see Jesus walk the streets of this earth.  There are moments in life when you can clearly see a man living out his passion of being the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need to be loved.  I heard an amazing story last night at the World Gospel Mission's Men with Vision conference that I want to share with you. 

Do you remember us telling you about Jorge Pinto?  The man who started Manuelito?  After we were done sharing about our calling to move our family to Honduras to serve at Manuelito a man shared something that touched my heart so much that I cannot stop thinking about it. 

He was in Honduras with Jorge Pinto when Jorge made plans to go into the city one night to pass out ham sandwiches to the children waiting to be rescued.  He first made a stop at the police station and offered them a bag of sandwiches in return for their protection while on the streets.  When they first arrived it was quiet, dark and raining.  He asked Jorge where the children were.  Jorge told him that they were hiding.  Why wouldn't they be?  Do you know of a child who wouldn't be scared on a dark rainy night in the city of Tegucigalpa?  It was when Jorge stepped out of the vehicle and said a few words that a mob of children came out from every nook and cranny that you can imagine and ran to him saying "Pappy Pinto!"  That translates to Daddy Pinto.  They threw their arms around him, climbed into his arms and soon had brought him down to the curb.  These children are what some might consider the unlovable.  I say that because some would only see the dirt on their skin, the lice in their hair or the odor from their lifestyle.  Yet Jorge held as tight to those precious children as they did to him and Jorge looked up at this man with big tears running down his face.  He begged and pleaded with him to go back to the United States and get him some help.  "I need help" he cried.  "I need help!  There are still so many who need to be rescued, who need to experience the love of Jesus Christ!" 

They prayed together that night, which was approximately 4 years ago at midnight on the streets of Tegucigalpa that God would send him help.  What amazes me most about this story is that it was approximately 4 years ago that we started this journey by answering, "Whatever you are asking of us Lord, we'll do it, whatever that means, wherever that might bring us, we'll go."  Last night, this man looked at us and said to us with such confidence in how BIG our God is, "Your family is part of God's answer to our prayers that night on the streets of Honduras."  Wow, how honored I am to be worthy enough to be His servant, His hands and His feet to these precious children. 

The reason I say that there are moments in life when we are given a glimpse of what it must have looked like to see Jesus walking the streets of this earth is because I believe that what that man saw that night with the children running to Jorge calling him "Daddy" had to be Jesus in action through his willing followers.  Wow!

God's Recent Projects

God has been providing in such ways that speak loud and clear the words of Jesus in John 14:11-14 "Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. ¹² I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. ¹³ I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it."  

We knew that we would need a network of Christian friends to help us along in this journey.  We knew we'd have times of needing encouragement, wisdom and help with this task of raising funds.  We just weren't sure how this "network" would develop but God is showing us that He already had given the same vision to others in our community that would become part of our team.

He has done so in  many different ways with our home church family, friends, and other churches in our community.  God's recent project has been though re-connecting me with  high school friends who also have a heart for missions.  God has given them a vision for starting a non for profit organization with the purpose of connecting local short and long term missionaries who serve the orphans within the community of Jay County.  They want to encourage our community to lift our adoptive families and short and long term missionaries up in prayer, serve with them on the mission field, encourage them and support them financially.

And God has helped them to develop this organization which is named Friends of the Orphans Jay County!  They are holding their first annual walk for orphans this Saturday at 10:00 in the new Hudson park and have chosen for our ministry account to be the recipients of the proceeds!  Wow!

We are very humbled to have been chosen as recipients of the proceeds raised for this event but even more so are we in awe of how our God provides just what we need, when we need it.  Through the planning of this event we have developed friendships that will last a lifetime.  I have already seen an impact on our community as the awareness of orphans and missions have circulated with the fliers and word of mouth to promote this event.  Most importantly though, it is our prayer that God will be glorified in all that is done through this group and that individuals will come to the place in their walk with Christ when they truly ask him, "What would you have me to do?"  I'm not talking so narrow minded as just in "what would you have me to do with the orphans."  God gives us each a job within the great commission.  For some it is for the orphans in another country.  For some it's in church ministry.  For some it's in being that special mentor for the child in your local school, who just needs someone to care. For some it's foster care, and for some it's through prayer, encouragement, giving, or going. 

I would love to see you there.  You will be encouraged by this walk with time to reflect on what God is doing in your life and through the music and message by the Two-Eight band featuring Eric Maitlen.  Will you consider coming?  If you do, please bring a lawn chair.  Visit http://www.friendsoftheorphansjc.org/ if you have questions or send me a message and I'll try to answer them.  There is no admission fee...it's donations only.  You do not need to be registered.  If you'd like to come but have concerns about the 2 mile walk then come even if you cannot walk.  You will still be encouraged! 

 "Be of good courage,
         And He shall strengthen your heart,
         All you who hope in the LORD."  ♥
                      Psalm 31:24

How Do You Measure That?

As we’ve begun this mission funding process, the Lord has helped us to see that our progress is not solely scaled by the dollar amount.  While the financial support is necessary for this mission to be accomplished, it’s not the only need.  Yet the first time we got our weekly progress report (this is all of the monies that came in the week prior) with a grand total of 0, I’ll admit my heart was unsettled. 

Yet there is no dollar amount that can be put on the words of encouragement that came when I needed it most, or for the woman that found a good deal on T-shirts and play dough for the kids or for the child who went through his own toy box to give Christmas presents for the children who will do without.  There’s no dollar amount to put on a timid woman who came to me at a time that I felt I could not go any further, and told me that she knew she needed to tell me that the Lord had laid me and my family on her heart lately and that she is praying for us.  Where does this fit on the percentage scale when she goes on to tell me just exactly how I had been feeling because the Lord had also put that on her heart so that she would know how to better pray?  Or for the stranger that came to Joe and I to tell us how the Lord says to fear not, and that we have no need to be afraid, He is with us and He will help us?  There is no scale to measure the confirmation we felt as we held those precious children in our arms and had not ever felt so close to Jesus except for when we first held our own children.  “and the king will say, what you do for the least of these, you do also for me.”  How much is this confirmation worth?... finally finding the place in which the Lord is whispering in our ears, “I’m here!”  I think of our little magellum travel guide that tells us when we get to the place we’re looking for “you have arrived!”, and then gives the address of our place of destination.  What percentage is this worth…feeling as though the Lord was saying, “you have arrived…this is where I want you, this is where you’ll find me.” 

For us, and those who are a part of this team with us or a cause of some other sort, this is where he reminds us…”what you do for the least of these you do also for me.”  There’s no percentages or graphs for this and all the prayers, encouragement, and big hearts who have answered to the Lord’s asking them to be a part of this team because it would be more then what can be measured.  The Lord is showing me why he gave me the title for this blog…”Raising Funds of Faith, Hope and Love…and the rest will come.”  Faith, Hope, and Love... Faith gets to work, Love has its labors of good deeds and hope is a confident expectation that requires patience.  Our Lord is so true, so faithful, so trustworthy, and full of hope and love.  He is Faith, Hope and Love, we receive it from Him and are then able to pass it on.  Our faith gets to work because His faith got to work.  We give labors of love to others because he gave labors of love to us and we can have and give hope with confident expectations in Jesus because He had confident expectations in His Father.  How do you measure that?

Where are we now?

So now that we've told you that we know the Lord has plans for us to serve at the Manuelito project you may be wondering now what?  In February we are going to have a meeting with the field directors about some of the specifics and together we'll work on a plan.  There is such peace in knowing that we are part of a team and that the Lord has placed specific people in our path to help us along the way.  Not only are we a part of the team with the other missionaries and staff at the World Gospel Headquarters, the Lord has also given us a great team of friends and family who are equally important pieces to this puzzle.  We have said all along that this is not something we could ever do on our own and the Lord has faithfully been providing the support we need in order to keep pressing on.  The words of encouragement, financial support and the times you have brought our family before the Lord are greatly appreciated.  I know I have said this before, but I feel so strongly about this that I'll say it again, and again, Together, the Lord will use us all to be His hands and His feet, bringing hope to those that have none, hope to the least of these in Honduras.  The Hand will not go where the arm has not taken it and the arm will not go where the feet have not walked!  So we say thank you for the part you have in this mission!  We received an email on Monday with our ministry account information and the Lord has provided approximately $17,500 so far for our one time cash amount needed and our monthly commitments are coming along too.  At this moment we're not sure exactly where we are on the montly commitments that are needed but we know that the Lord has been providing that need as well! So we can thank the Lord for His confirmation and His provision and trust that He will continue to provide the rest of these needs in His perfect timing!

Some more of the pictures

I feel the Lord has prompted me to be more considerate of the stories we share about these kids.  Something just doesn't feel quite right about it, so i have made some editing changes tonight.  I wish we could put more details on here about each child's story.  They each have a name, they each have a story.  If we knew a fraction of what these kids have been through we'd know more than our hearts can handle.  We only heard a hand full of them and it has changed me forever.  The biggest thing that gets me, is when I think about who these children belong to.  They are our Father's children!  They are His and He's asking us...will you help them?  The need is so great...there are still thousands of children yet to be rescued but as long as the harvest is plentiful the Lord will be whispering in so many of his children's ears..."Do you trust me?  These children are mine...and what you do for the least of these you do also for me. Do you trust me?"

 This is the statue of Jesus overlooking Tegucigalpa. 

 They were excited to have their hats and to use Joe's purple pen!

 This is some of the pizza from the party.  We started out with three pieces each...I thought that would be too much but they just kept eating and eating and then they snuck some back to their rooms to hide. 

                  They were trying to find a place to hide their pizza.

 

 He really liked the sunglasses that someone donated to be a part of the gifts we brought.

Visiting their mother's memorial stone.

 This is one of the boys who was right beside Joe while he was fixing their beds.  He really enjoyed working with the tools and the special time Joe gave him.

 We painted their rooms and hung the curtains that someone had sewn for them.  They really liked the way their rooms looked when we were done!

We were able to be a part of his transition to the farm at Manuelito. 

 She really liked her sunglasses that someone donated but she liked them most on Joe!

 They love to chew on the sugar cane!

 We were without power and water some of the time, so this was how we helped that night. It's a hard job!

 We climbed the big hill in Talanga to see the scenery and the big cross.  It was beautiful!

 This is a photo shot from the top of this big hill where we could see some of the houses on the other side.

This is one of their new classrooms. They will start school next week in their own school on the farm!

Photos

So here are some of the pictures.  I'll post more another day.  Keep in mind that when I tell the stories of these kids, I'm telling the best that I understood or can remember.  I may have some of the details not completely right but I'm sure they're pretty close.  Thanks for being patient with the photos. I'm having trouble again getting them all to show on this posting...so Joe says that I should just post one each night...we'll see what happens.

This is Jorge Pinto. He is the man who started this project. He was a street child himself, being rescued when he was around seven years old by the Hawk family and he graduated from El Sembrador. He is a pastor in the capital city. The children run to him and call him Pappy Pinto!

The girls were always wanting me to pull up Justin Beiber on my laptop. Justin is a celebrity in Honduras too with the girls!

  This is Jenny.  She was found sleeping in a card board box.

This is Donnie. He was given to the project when he was three. His dad died and his mom couldn't care for him.

 Nichol and Scott. Scott was the team leader from Oregon.

Owen and Jodee. Jodee is Scott's wife. They are some great new friends we made.

This is Shayla and Jose. Shayla is Scott and Jodee's daughter. She sure enjoyed the kids too!

Donnie was so excited to get his Christmas presents. He got a batman washcloth too, which he really needed because he always had a dirty face. :)

Jose sure loved the sunglasses someone donated!

Gary is Nichol's brother.  He's such a sweetie!

Jenny sure loved her purse that someone donated!

We painted their rooms, cleaned them up and hung the curtains that someone sewed for them. Their room looked so nice when it was done and they really liked it!

Hexon and Cristian were often found outside the fence of Manuelito, hiding from their step father who beat them regularly. Their mother had aids and was pregnant. After she gave birth to her son she died shortly after and Manuelito took the older two boys in but could not take the baby because he tested positive for HIV and they are not equipped to handle this. This is the memorial stone for their mother, outside the fence where they would find the boys hiding.

This is how they got in and out of the fencing when they want to visit their mother's stone.