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.
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