Rattitudes and Christmas

Greetings,

Well, my chickadees are leaving the nest.  Mary is in the US on a scholarship.  Cinthia is registered with the University that Rosey is going to.  Sonia is going to take a LPN class (first year) with Lizzy and Estephania (second year students) in La Esperanza.  It is really exciting about all the plans that are being made for the girls.  The others have opportunities to get scholarships, but meantime they need to be studying while they are in the country.  There is no way that I would have thought all this would happen, but God is bringing everything together.

Yesterday, I brought Mary through customs and it was so easy. So many people were praying for us and we really saw the prayer in action yesterday.  Mary and I were amazed.  Her mom and her younger brother got to go with us to the airport to see her off, which was really special.  

During my twenty years here at the mission, I never promised any of the girls that they would go to the United States.  We always felt like they would study there in Honduras, and some have and some still are studying. But obviously, God has different agenda and His ways are so much better and higher than what my mind can think of.   I am thankful for everyone of you that came and helped us over the years, encouraging the girls to pray for what God had put on their hearts.  Their faith has been built and so has mine, and I clearly stand amazed.

We have several girls in the 9 grade now and we are trying to know how to proceed with them.  The covering we have been using to get the girls accredited for college is not in the area anymore.  We need your prayers to know how to continue.  They have to be registered by February.  Pray that God would help me know how to do this.  I want to do the best by the girls but He has the ultimate word.  

WE have been buying things by bulk and because sometimes the girls like to get into the 2 lb bags of sugar, boxes of cornflakes and other grocery items, the older girls and Rosa  started putting things in my room and in a trunk in my bathroom.  Well because of this action, I had a ROUS, "rodent of unusual size" running about in my room at night.  Every night I would hear him getting into something.  I would get up and put the light on and find where he had been, but I would never find him.  

This past week I finally saw him.  I reached over and cut on my bedside lamp and he was up on a ledge over my closet and scurried down the wall   I just had no idea rats could do that, and I had no idea how large he was. I was un-nerved about how huge he was and that he could locate at any point in my room including my bed.  I was trying not to let fear have control, but I slept with my light on, since that seemed to hinder his moving about.  He was destroying so many things, including bags of food, and clothing and he was costing me a good night sleep.  

I put out poison, sticky traps ( which he just promptly scraped off) and a metal trap, which was useless.  I tried peanut butter, cheese, and other tasty things, in the traps, and he would eat the little goodies I left and escape.  He got out of all the traps I had laid for him. 

A couple days before I left, I heard him in the office.  I closed the door, and Kenia and Sonia and I got in the office.  I was determined to get this situation taken care of.  He was trapped in the office, but not trapped yet.  So like the office, it is a catch all for all the nice clothes and shoes that the team sends.  WE had new girls come through, so the suitcases were in the office with the stuff the girls needed, but with all the activity around the farm, with graduations and other situations, they had not been put back.  We had to get some space to move, and so I sent out Sonia with the items.  

We closed the door and the huge rat ran over Kenia's foot.  She had on flip flops.  I sent Sonia to go get us some boots.  We got everything off of the floor and then proceeded to look behind the filing cabinets and pulled them to the middle of the room, so we could see clearly.  Then we started moving things out of the room.  WE got it taken care of and Kenia found him lodge between the middle of the wall and the bookshelf on our office desk. I got a broom and punched him down and he ran towards Kenia and she jumped, but when she came down, her boot landed on him.  He was still alive, and it was as long as her foot!!  She was getting weirded out because he was moving under her boot.  She didn't want him to escape again wounded and come at her.  She was not heavy enough to apply pressure and so I stepped on her rubber boot with my weight and it seemed to do the trick.  I think we caught him because he was exhausted.  Anyway, the ROUS (rat of unusual size, (Princess Bride) died that day. WE were grossed out, but victorious and thanking the Lord that was over.  I was so thankful for the courage of Kenia.  

I was thinking about that disgusting rat.  I thought about the areas in our lives that we need to change, are just like that bothersome rat.  I don't know why but when Christmas season get going so do the stress levels.  There has been a lot of different attitudes that have developed on the farm lately. There has been so much going on.   We have been so blessed and we even recognize that those attitudes were wrong, but still those "rattitudes", remained.

We don't realize the size of what is going on to disrupt our lives.  It destroys so much while we let it run free, and costs us our peace of mind, sleep, relationships and so much more.  Eventually, fear gets in the door, then the torment really begins.   Until we get a determination to go through and get our spiritual boots on and clear things out of the way that are blocking us finding the problem,  so we can see a situation clearly, and seriously stomp the cause of all the destruction.  Keeping our spiritual light on will deter the darkness, but we have to take action and pray and ask God to help us crush those rattitudes under His feet. i pray that as this Christmas season approaches, that we will get things cleared up and cleaned up, so that we can be a blessing to others this holiday season.  

Thanks to everyone who has helped us with this mission.  WE have our little pregnant mama, who has had a great report.  She only lacks about 6 weeks. Thanks for the prayers this year about the graduationsl  I thank you for the contributions for the girls who are going to the bilingual school.  It looks like we might have another grade open up for next year and it would be great if more  could girls could go to the Abundante Life School also.  

I am thankful for Jake Compaan and his wife Rachael.  They are the directors of the Abundant Life Schools, and they have helped us with so much these last few months.  I am so thankful for this couple who have come along side our mission. 

Thanks to Chris Briles, came all the way from Texas, just to share in the girls graduations.  It was so special having him here.  Thanks to Vonda his wife that kept their ministry running, while he was here ministering to our girls. 

Pray for my girls to be safe while I am away getting Mary Settled in the United States.  Thanks again for all your love and support towards the girls of Project Talitha Cumi.  

Blessings, the Ratittude Killing Honduran Mom.  

Merry Christmas!!!!!

United Families

This has been an amazing time with my family this month.  I usually spend about 3 weeks in the States when I come home from Honduras.  Usually 3 weeks are about all the girls can do without them getting a little antsy.  However, this time, we had Ken and Katrina Bethea stay the first week I was gone.  Mr. JOE, the granddad of the farm came also. I don't know what I would do without Mr. Joe, that steps in, when I have to step out.   We had Kelsey McHugh who helped with the girls and the director of the girl's new private school, Jake and his wife, Rachael and some of their teachers, who would fill in as needed, keeping the girls focused.

 This was the longest time I have been home to the States in years.  I was to go to my niece's wedding, and be with my mom and dad, stayed with my brothers and sisters and my kids. I got to spend a few days solid, with my grandchildren, going to the movies, picking and boiling peanuts, watching movies and having sleep overs at the family's log cabin. We stomped around the farm and went to Wild Adventures and it was pretty wild.   WE had a large time together.  I loved it and I needed it.  

The Grands

  I saw a lot of my friends and just missed seeing others, but at least I got to touch base.  I met new friends, who are planning to come down one day on a mission and checked in at my church, with Crosspointe's Missions Pastor, Deron Roberts.  I bought school shoes for the girls, who are attending the private bi-lingual school, (Abundant Life Christian School),  at Payless shoes with their by one get the other half price.  People brought in a plethora of very nice dresses and jeans, through my sister-in-law, Susan Steel.  People sent books and other things for the farm to be shipped shortly from the States to Honduras.  It was a very productive time for the ministry, but mostly to me getting to spend time with so many special caring people. 

All that was wonderful, but the best time was preparing for the wedding of my daughter Charisa.  All my girls are list oriented.  I don't know where they get that, but that was not a skill I passed down the family tree.  She and her fiancee' , Mark Lakin, had most of everything under control.  I just had some small jobs to do.  

It was a beautiful wedding to be sure. My dear life long friends, Robin and Kendall Noethe, have catered all my girl's weddings and my son's rehearsal dinner.  They out did themselves yet again. I can not say enough about the gift of service and the  heart of this couple.  Charisa's florist did an amazing job of decorating the venue, called the Peach Barn.  There were a few hiccups in the planning, but Charisa was the most even tempered bride.  She was amazing.

 I have been so blessed at each one of my children's weddings.  I have the best sons-in-laws and daughter-in-law ever.  But what made this wedding different is that it incorporated my family in the States with my family that we raised in  Honduras, with Mark's huge family.   We had two of the girls, who are now women, from Honduras that now live Stateside with their husbands, attend the wedding.  Pat Schaer, Corrie and Daniel came.  They were part of our Honduran family for years.  They played an important part in getting us started on the mission field and of the raising of our girls at PTC.  When we all were assembled along with other family members, board members, and friends of the ministry, that started the first buildings at PTC and people who are very involved in so many ways helping us get the girls raised now. 

We were the group who the Scripture tells us, "that they will know us by the love we have one for another".   It was clear, we had so much love in that room.  So we had our big family and friends united with all of Mark's big family and his friends.  I was on an emotional overload.  I was so blessed, and am still reveling in the sweetest of our time together.  It is going to be like that on a grander scale one day when Jesus gets back.  It is going to be a grand wedding and everybody will joined as a huge family.  There was no Honduran or American group, just family.

My girls and their families

After the newlyweds left, we all jumped in and got the place where the wedding was held at the Peach Barn, back in order.  Nobody was in a hurry to leave really, but we slowly started getting things cleaned up. While cleaning up, I remember yet again how God told me that if I would take care of His kids, He would take care of mine.  God is so faithful.  He has and He continues to take care of me and mine.

The morning before the wedding

The thing is that the "mine"  (which are really His) is growing.  We have a 15 year old girl who is going to have a baby in January.  Her nine year old sister came with her to Project Talitha Cumi.  We have other girls who are on the way.  WE have other interns beside Ken and Katrina that will be walking with us.  We have Suzanne and Wesley Jarrard that are bringing building teams. We have already 13 teams that have planned to come January- June in 2016, who are coming to do medical outreaches and to build house number five.  The vision for the farm has always been for 6 houses.  We wrote down the vision and others have helped us run with it. 

Mary is going to St. Louis to study for the next year and a half!  While I was home I got the tickets.  She has her visa and thanks to Jake and Mirian, Andrea Durall and her husband,  she will be in St. Louis on the 8th of December.  I am amazed at all of the blessings God is sending to our family.  Pray for Mary to adjust to the snow and to life in the States and that God will keep her safe and secure and that in this time that she will grow in Him even more. 

Estephania and Lizzy graduate the first year of the 2 year LPN course.  WE have 5 girls graduating from High School on the 4th of December.  WE have so much to be thankful for.  Thanks to all of you that have helped us get to this point in the lives of the girls.  Thank you for being faithful, by you sacrificial giving and coming to invest into the lives of these wonderful girls.  Pray for all of our new girls and the girls who will be transitioning to college.  

A scripture that I have been hearing and praying,  is that everyone that I know, will know Him, and that they be filled with the fullness of God. I pray that scripture is incorporated in your families.   Blessings, from the Totally and Thankfully Full, Honduran MOM 

Mark Lakin,husband of Charisa