Raining and Reigning

Greetings from down South, 

We have expectantly been waiting on "the rains".  Normally they cranked up in the middle of April.  They haven't this year.  Finally, the daily rains are common here again.  However, we have no electricity or wifi when it rains hard.  The up-side is that the farm looks great! Everything is green and gorgeous.  The dust has settled and the mud is here, but everything is blooming and growing in every way here at Project Talitha Cumi.  We have been planting seeds in every spot we can clear. (thanks to Tim and Ana, and Dean)  Next week I am receiving a lot of banana trees.  I am on a campaign of never having to buy bananas for my banana loving girls. 

The girls are growing so fast.  I made a decision a while back to put two girls in my house from the other girls houses each month.  I am doing this in an effort to "Not Miss a Thing".  They are growing up so fast.  We have some girls who are really shy, and I don't want to miss their growing up years.  We have the girls who are all out there and they always get attention in one way or another for their good or bad behavior.  However, the ones  who are quiet, are harder to read, and they seem like they have everything they need and are content, but most of the time that is not true.  So I am trying to bond with them a little more by having them in my house.  I started out having them here for a month, but I am going to be at this for 3 years at that rate, because we have so many girls now.  The girls will now stay for two weeks. 

  I have some girls who are permanently  here in my house and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  These are moms with little ones.  So I am trying to keep them here, and not worry about where their little shavers are.  The other ones that can talk, tell on each other so I am safe.  Right now I have our 5 year old and 7 year old here.  They have been really pouty lately and just need some extra attention and some extra hugs to grow in the right direction.  They are the babies in the other houses and here they will be the older sister to the little ones here.  Already I can see a difference.  It helps me too. They make me laugh.  Sometimes things get stressful around here with all the activity of girls and the drama that can happen over nothing.  We all need to laugh to grow right.  The joy of theLord is our strength. 

Last night the girls went with Miss Nicole, our new intern from TEXAS,  to the "vijilia" at the church.  It is an all night long church service.  The girls did their "One World" choreography, for the little round church, Brazos Abiertas (open arms)  in Yamarangula , where we attend. Our long time friend, Pastor Jesus from Santa Cruz was there with his church members.  HIs church played musical instrumentals and sang.   It had been raining hard and the roads and the small bus that sat low to the ground was not a good option, and I couldn't drive the big bus.  I decided that I couldn't  carry all the girls from the farm in the two trucks that could plow through the mud.  I stayed home with the little ones and let the girls that were older go to the church with Miss Nicole.  I knew that the little ones were used to going to bed at 8:00 and they would be asleep before the service got going good. ( and maybe I would have been asleep too right afterward they nodded off. ) I told Nicole that I would come help her drive them back if was raining, because we had about 9 girls in the back of the truck, when they left. They couldn't take the patrol because you can put more girls in the back of the truck than you can get in the patrol altogether   I am planning to sell or trade the patrol and get a diesel mini van.  The patrol was wonderful when we had 17 girls, and we needed a the 4x4 to take us through the worst roads in our area, but now we have 34 girls, and so we have to look for something that will seat more girls.  They are almost through paving our main road close to the farm.  That will help the longevity of our vehicles.   I had to go help pick them up in our HIlux 4-wheel drive because it was raining hard when it was time to leave. It felt weird driving at night.  I had not driven at night this whole year, that I could remember.  WE are usually in the house by dark.  But I had to go because the girls would have been drenched in the rain sitting in the back of the truck.  

When they got home,  around 10:00 p.m. , they were all talking and laughing all at the same time.  I was trying to follow their conversations.  One of our girls, had noticed a young man from another church, who were visiting our church.  He had worked for us off and on for a while.  She said "I just thought he had old ripped clothes, but he was all dressed up and singing church songs and playing a keyboard.  I didn't know he could play a musical instrument! ".  I asked them what kind of clothes do they wear to pick coffee and work on the farm.  And they responded, "Our worst", and then the lights went off about judgements.  They are growing up.  After that comment started another discourse on some of the other people they saw at church. Apparently, one of the town's problematic men decided to go to church.  He had been drinking and the girls were alarmed about him being in church.  The pastor told them not to worry, that they had locked the gate, so he had to behave.  The fact that they were locked in with this guy, who was acting bizarre did not fill them with peace.   I told them it was the best place he could be.  They said he started crying during the service and they knew that God was touching his heart.  They are very observant and they are growing up in so many ways.  

They prayed for some of the people there at church and they introduced themselves, which is huge.  It is another thing I am trying to do.  Usually at church they would beat me back to the bus. WE would practice about how to meet people at devotions.  Each Sunday I asked them if they met anybody new and the response was always the same, "No", I am shy.  So one Sunday, I told them that I was going to sit in the bus after church until they went back and met one person.  The other shocking thing they told me about their night away from MOM was that they told the congregation of a blended church with people that they didn't know that their dance was about Christian unity in the body of Christ.  They didn't practice that speech, but they did it.  I am super proud of these girls. 

WE are experiencing a lot of growth in our ministry.  We have double the amount of girls  that live here with us 24/7 in the past year.  WE have an extra 9 girls from our community attending our school that are here for just a day. If the girls stay on course we will have 5 girls ready to go to college, with the other one who is already studying at the university.   We have bakery, and now our Boys Home is built.   We have 4 cows, 2 calves, 13 goats, rabbits, 4 ponds of fish, corn, beans, vegetables of every sort, and house 5 is on the horizon this year, and an addition to the school we hope for next year. We have two doctors who are coming once a week.  One ministers to the girls on our farm, every two weeks  and the other just Doctor will ministers to the community starting next Saturday for a day every other Saturday.  Just this past week,  we have had a couple who I have known for a while.  They are moving to Yamaranguila and they want to help us by getting  other Hondurans to assist us in helping their Honduran Girls. 

  God is really moving here in Honduras.  I thank you for participating with us in this season of Such is the Kingdom Ministeries.  These children are part of the future of this country and for His Kingdom.  That is why we are here.  Thank you for helping us remain here.  

These last few days without communication allows one to reflect on all the people who have invested in these girls and some of the girls in our community. 

  Sometimes we have wonderful soaking rains of people who come and saturate the girls with their love and counsel.  Sometimes they stay for a short time, but sometimes they stay longer. WE have heavy rains that last for days, almost a monsoon season, but they wash away anything that is not important and leave the ground clean, fresh and green, everything is filled.   Then we have the rains that are storms, where crazy things happen, lightening, thunder, winds blow, trees fall, fear comes and sometimes people get hurt, but we still grow in forgiveness and strength in HIm.  For months things completely dry up.  This was the worst year of dry season, and our water table was so low, it would take the pump sometime to recuperate each day. We just banded together, got water from the rivers, and we held on to the hope that the blessing of rain was on the way.   Sometimes we have clouds and mists here on this mountain.  If you stay outside you will get wet, but you can barely feel the moisture on you, but it is there, saturating you without you knowing it.  Those are the people that call and send their love, or a birthday wish through Skype or Facetime, but the water sustains us, through dry times.  I am thankful for all the seasons of life giving rain to our girls.  They are thriving because of all of you who continue soak them in prayer.  Thanks for blessing Him, through blessing us!!!  

Thanks from the community girls.  You are helping provide for their uniforms and and shoes, and education.  Their names are: Sarah, Marcela, Noehmi, Diana, Nicole, Lucy, Andrea, Siniada, Sammi,

 (our girls) Sonia, Lizzy, Angela, Nancy, Gabby Roxana, Yency, Darlin, Miledy, Alexa, Alicia, Cinthia, Carmen, Paola, Jeimy, Carina, Stephani, Lucy, Eva, Maite, Jennifer, Kimberly, Anna, Elida, Nicole, Genisis, Belkis, Jelsey , Estrella, Mary, Noehmi, Karla, Kenia,  Rosey.

(teachers) Miss Dariela, Miss Bessy, Miss Alicia, Miss Daisy, Miss Waldina, Miss Angelina, (house moms) Miss Teresa, Miss Lucia, Miss Avi, Miss Manuela,

 (Watchman and workers) Mr. Pedro, Mr. Pedro B, Mr. Adrian, Mr. Elbin, Mr. Armando, Mr. Ever, (Bakery) Cruz, Miss Rosa, Miss Anastacia, Miss Lina, Dra. Paola, Dr. Javier. 

We may never know how many people are being blessed by your  prayers and generosity, but He does. These are only a few of the people that I see every day being blessed and blessing others.   Please continue to pray for us all.   WE have the very best staff in all the world.  Blessings from the Raining/Reigning  and Growing with Him Honduran MOM and Associates. 

  

April Showers

Greetings to all,

So much is happening all the time around here. When you have a family the size of mine, that is the norm.   We have finally come out of a long drought and it is raining… a lot, but we are okay with that.  Everyone was having trouble in keeping  basic needs for water attended too.  Our conductor on our deep well had burned up, and then the electrical float valve did likewise.  With the lack of water in  El Cahon Dam,  we were suffering with power outages.  We would have brown outs, where we had electricity, but not enough to run a fan.  When that happened we had to start shutting down our major appliances lest it burn up also.  Then when the power would come back on it would be so strong it would burn up the light bulbs and our hot water douches.  It has been feast or famine with the electricity here.

We had a irrigation project at the other farm in Las Harenas, where hopefully is the site for the future boys home.  The reservoir that is nearby  has never run dry, but it dried up completely!  Everyone around was shocked!  We had 5,000 onions planted, along with corn and beans.  I remember a pump that a lady from Doerun, donated years ago.  We wiped the dust off of it and plugged in our local river, that was extremely low.  It saved the crop there at the farm. 

Trying to keep enough water more that 40 people a day, is huge.  When there is no electricity, we can adapt, but when there is no water, it is a huge mess.  Usually, the girls bathe in the morning and in the evening, but because our deep well and local aquifers were at an all new low, we had to wait for the levels to recuperate, before we could turn on the pump. We had to change our mode of operations and just the babies got the morning and night bath.  That brought some more problems, such as some girls wanting to skip bathing all together, but we are now with water and we are back on schedule.  Even though it is extremely muddy, the construction on the roads has come to a screeching halt, we are all thankful for the rains. 

The girls are doing so well at school.  We have a total of 40 students.  (33 girls are ours from Project TAlitha Cumi, and 7 girls are from our local community)  We have our ICANS here in La Esperanza and one in our Bakery.  The ICANS are to help with this education program for the girls who are not registered in the local school system.  Zuri, our director of the school, has been the biggest help to us.  She has gotten all the paperwork for the school registered, and all the new girls who have transferred in to our ministry from other schools.  She has been a liaison with the community and school officials also.  She has been magnificent in her work with the girls, and in leading the other teachers.  However, she got married last year to a wonderful young man.  He had received a promotion and because of that he will have to go back to school either here or abroad and Zuri will have to go with him.  So I started praying for a replacement.  I couldn't tell the girls because Zuri didn't want them to know until everything was final. 

So I called in some big  guns, missionaries I have known, who have ministered to the Honduran people for years.  I told them I needed a bi-lingual teacher,  who wanted to work in an all girls home in the hills of Honduras, and this person needed to be a graduate from college and have some teaching background, with great interpersonal skills to deal with the community and the officials.  She needed to be able to teach our ABEKA program and be able to lead our girls as well as our teaching staff, and do it all for the amount that is less that the cities pay.  Many of the people,  who have graduate from college, go to the cities to study.  They normally don't go back to the hills.  One dear friend, who was trying to think of someone she might know who could fill the bill and she said "You are asking  for something that is really big".  I know what I was asking was almost impossible, but we serve a big God.

 Last week after the girls 15th Quincenera celebration, and secretary from the local Jusdicial office came by to bring the gifts she had bought for the girls.  She was unable to attend because she didn't get her invitation.  She said she had a sister that spoke English.  I have known Ms. Merlin for a long time and I never knew she had a sister.  She is bi-lingual, worked in the US under a scholarship, and afterwards.  She had worked in Haiti and she had taught in the local private schools, and had taught ABEKA!  She had graduated from College and had studied on other courses of study over the years.  She starts Monday.  Zuri will have time to show her what she needs to do and so we are really excited that everything has worked out in time before Zuri had to leave.   WE are going to miss Zuri like crazy around here.  WE are thankful for Skype and What's UP, but her presence will be missed sorely.  I do rejoice that God heard my prayers and answered everyone of them in just the right time.  We do serve a big God!

We have had several teams already this year.  Each team had a goal to meet.  The girls have learned to do so many things, from business courses, to  painting, creating jewelry, and making some new friends.  Some short term missionaries have come to minister to the community, build, plant, paint, create, here at PTC with our girls,  but all have come to continue build relationships with the girls and see how much God can stretch them while they are here. 

We have had teams to have to cancel.  Even that was God's timing.  We were so tired and He knew it.  So now we have been getting the barn, the farm  and the houses and the school whipped back into shape. We are making compost piles, for fertilizing the two farms. We have been picking beans and tomatoes, corn, and peppers.  We have been preparing the soil to plant the seeds we have been blessed with.  We have been raking grand quantities of pine straw so that we can have straw for the animals beds during this rainy season. With the straw off the ground the grass has popped out and the animals are enjoying that also. We have gathered pine cones, split wood for the cook stoves and for the fireplaces.   We do this work all together and it makes the work go by faster. 

I was reading to the girls in the devotions last night.  There is a season for everything: Planting, Harvesting, weeping, dancing, loving, hating, a time to break down and a time to build up. People coming, and people going.   I am thankful God brings everything to us in His time.  I am thankful He directs  a time for the ones who come to bless us by so many strong Christian examples to our girls here at the ministry. We are blessed and we know it.   We have a new intern coming in a few days. WE have a new house going up to hold more girls.  WE are all excited about a new beginning. 

Thanks to all of you who have continued to pray and support us. WE are thankful for the ones who are helping us Stateside.  WE are thankful for the containers, electrical parts, KAH rice for the community, Easter clothes for the girls and all the other blessings that have been sent our way.  We are thankful for all the plans being made on behalf of the girls and the community that we are blessed to live in.  So in turn we send our blessings from, House #1 :  Sonia, Yency, Lizzy, Roxana, Gabby Angela, Nancy.  House #2 : Alicia, Darlin, Paola, Carmen, Alexa, Meladi, Cinthia, House #3 :  Carina, Lucy, Eva, Kimbo, Jennifer, Maite, Cruz, Estephania,  House #4  Ana, Mary, Elida, Jelsey, Belkis, Estrella, Nicole, Genisis,  Mom's House: Naomi, Anastacia, Kenia, Karla, Yeimy  Rosey,  who is in college studying law, and their Honduran MOM . 

PS  We all miss Angie very much. We are thankful she is with her husband in the USA, but the lack of her presence here has been sorely felt.