Monday, December 5, 2016

November Update and Visit from the Meckles



WOW! November was a month of miracles for us, starting with the birth of our daughter and concluding with a hug and kiss goodbye to Wil and Jane Meckle at the airport. Let me start off with sharing the highlight of my month, meeting Joanna Elizabeth Ramos on November 1st.


“God gives good gifts” was a phrase that I wrote on a piece of paper in February while coloring with Thomas. Little did I know that God intended on giving us a GREAT gift, a daughter. Right about the time that news began pouring in about ZIKA and warnings not to get pregnant and certainly not to travel was the time that God planned out this gift. It is so easy to succumb to fear and not follow the path that God wants us on. We already knew we were moving an hour and a half away from the murder capital of the world, but now ZIKA! Thankfully, none of these things changed God’s plans. He still intended us to live in Honduras; He still intended us to care for and educate Manuel and Josué; He still intended us to support local ministries; He still intended to give us a GREAT gift. On October 31st, Thomas and I were coloring together again. I thought about how sick Thomas had been the last two weeks of October, how the sores in his mouth prevented him from eating, but how he was just starting to get better and starting to eat soft foods. I thought about how God blessed us, not only with a church where we have been able to grow spiritually, but also with a wonderful pastor, his loving wife, and four amazing children that would watch Thomas when my labor began. And I thought about Marvin, how thankful I was that God united us almost 6 years ago and how we have grown so much in the past year. As Thomas and I sat on the tile floor coloring, I found myself writing the same phrase I had written 9 months prior, “God gives good gifts.” By the next morning, I was face to face with that “good gift” and praising the Lord for his perfect timing and for this perfect gift. Welcome to our family Joanna!

Bringing Joanna home was a little distracting for Manuel and Josué as they completed their final exams, but they each did an excellent job and were both on the honor roll. Josué even received an award for having the highest average in his class for the whole year. What an amazing thing to see them complete a year of high school. Manuel never expected to have the opportunity to go to high school, in fact both his older brothers stopped studying after 6th grade. Josué has always loved to study and has said he wants to be a dentist for many years, but he never knew the path that God would open for him to reach his goal. It has been a joy (and an occasional challenge) to share our life and home with these two wonderful boys. 
 

 

 
Wil and Jane Meckle arrived a week after Manuel and Josué finished their exams and stayed for two weeks. The Meckles served for many years with Heart to Heart Children’s Village where Marvin lived from age 15 until we married. In 2010, they invited Marvin to live with them and take welding and English classes in Washington state for three months. To call them sponsors or even friends does not do justice to our relationship. They are FAMILY. Wil and Jane came to Honduras, not only with the heart to help our family during this new season we have entered, but also to serve many others. They brought lots of donations for the ministries we are connected with, built tables for the Home of Blessing feeding program, traveled to the mountains to provide food to families connected with our church, helped in the kitchen for 2 Saturdays at the Home of Blessing, gave an appreciation dinner for the Home of Blessing cooks, and SO MUCH MORE!
 
 
 
 
 
 One of the miracles that occurred during their time here was finding our new rental house. If you don’t consider this a miracle, my guess is you have never looked for a rental in a small Honduran town. We are so amazed at how God has again provided for our needs in His perfect timing. The best thing about this house is its location: less than a block from the church, closer to the boys school, closer to town, and located just two short turns off of a flat paved road. The Meckles helped us to secure this rental and have already blessed us with a table and chairs. I am confident that lots of laughter will occur around that table and if anyone is interested in visiting Honduras, joining us at this table, and partnering with us in ministry over the next year, YOU ARE WELCOME! 


Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 were two of the verses that motivated me through the labor and delivery of Joanna. These verses continue to motivate me today. I hope LOVE can motivate you as we enter into the exciting season of Christmas and that you too can see the many miracles that are occurring among us and around the world. 

Saturday, November 12, 2016

October Update



I find it a little challenging to reflect on October, when November 1st was one of the most miraculous days of my life, the day God brought our daughter into this world. Despite the challenge, there are many things we would like to share with you about October because we saw God at work in our community and in our own hearts.


We were incredibly blessed this month with 7 new friendships with individuals participating in the ministry World Racers. These 7 friends are on an incredible journey in which they go to 11 countries in 11 months to connect with local ministries. Honduras was their first stop and they spent the month serving Eternal Family Project Girls’ Home. Part of that blessing was shared with us as 2 of the team members cared for the toddlers at Eternal Family Project, they also cared for our son Thomas. Two weeks of morning childcare was one of the greatest gifts I could have received as we got ready for our baby’s arrival. 


The best thing about the group from World Racers is that they stayed in the dorm housing on the same property we live on so we got to enjoy being in community with them each day. A challenge that brought us much closer together was lack of water. Water and electricity are not so dependable in Honduras. Electricity may get turned off for a day or two by the city or we may lose it in big storms. The water on the property we live on is usually wonderful, but we have had a few times where it just barely drips out of the faucets or days where we have none. Well, October was no exception from water challenges. We had two weeks on the property of very little to no water at all. Since there is a private pipe line here, Marvin took over the responsibility of working on the water for us, the World Racers team, and Dennys and Yolanda’s family. This meant almost 2 weeks of long days, muddy jeans, and very little water to wash those jeans with. In the end, after a lot of prayer and hard work, the water filled the pipes to the property and poured out of the faucets. Now, after a week with no water this month of November, we have had 3 days with a good water supply. We hope it stays!



Our work with the Home of Blessing has continued and the final health class is done. In addition to offering education, we wanted to provide something tangible that could improve the health of the children and their families. We chose to provide chimneys to these families like we did in Marvin's village Las Flores a few years ago. To read more about the chimney project and its significant health benefits click here. Just like we did in Las Flores, we asked each family to donate 1 pound of anything in exchange for a chimney. These donations which consisted of sugar, oil, plantains, firewood, noodles, celery, tomato paste, etc. were then used for the meals at the Home of Blessing. As my pregnancy progressed this past month, Manuel and Josué took over the Saturday Bible class at the Home of Blessing. It has been so much fun to watch them take the initiative to prepare a lesson and make coloring sheets for the children they teach. The class usually has about 20 kids between age 7 to 9 years old. 






Another exciting thing this month was finally meeting one of the owners of the home we have lived in since January. Thank you John and Anna for your generosity and trust. We have enjoyed this home and property so much. It truly was the perfect start to our life in Honduras. We are now looking for another place to move to. This is challenging in a small community because there are not many rentals available. God provided once, and we know He will provide again. One of the amazing things about the home that we live in now is that it was furnished! We didn’t even need silverware when we moved in! Now as we get ready to move, we will need beds, kitchen appliances, chairs, shelves, etc. to furnish our next home. 


Manuel and Josué finished their school year on November 4th! We are so proud of all the hard work that they have put into guaranteeing their success in high school. Not only do they study on their own without being asked, but they are content doing their chores and helping out around the house. Way to go guys!!! Something they really enjoyed this last month of school was a Christmas project. This project required creativity and lots of time to complete. Manuel and Josué both enjoy art and are creative in their own ways. They were both very proud of the final product and we are so proud of both of them!



Proverbs 16:1-3 says “To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” As we moved to Honduras, we trusted the Lord with His plans. As we awaited the arrival of our baby girl, we trusted the Lord with His plans. As we get ready to move, we must continue to trust that the Lord will provide and show us His perfect plan for our next home here. God seems to be testing our ability to trust Him, but time after time proves himself FAITHFUL and certainly WORTHY of our trust!