Last days

Yesterday was our Good-Bye Lunch at Joy Filled Homes. What a wonderful meal! We ate traditional food, a chicken stew with rice and vegetable and tamales wrapped in leaves, with tortillas of course. Marco and Karina Tullio, a local Pastor and his wife, came with their two children to bless us and send us off. After lunch we ate cake and the kids presented us with a framed photo of the kids and staff at Hogar Los Gozosos (Joy filled Homes). The Tullio family invited us to come visit them in their home.

Today was our last day of service at the orphanage and our final good-byes. Steve moved some trees and shrubs that Maureen wanted moved and the kids and I painted on a mural on the playground wall. There was an already existing scene of a beach and the ocean, but it needed more life so we had a blast! We painted a sun, birds, a sailboat, fish, crabs and a turtle. We added an umbrella, a dog, a ball, and children. The whole beach came alive! When we were finished, as usual, the kids came over to check it out. They loved it!

Then it was time to say good-bye. I don't need to tell you how emotional that was! All the kids gave us hugs and kisses, except Candy; she wouldn't have anything to do with me. That was so hard because Candy was always my favorite, I wanted to bring that smiley little munchkin home with me! Maybe she sensed that we are leaving, I really wanted a hug from her. :( I'm really going to miss those kids and all the amazing nannies that work with them 24/7. Some of them became really close. Andres smiled big for me when I kissed his forehead and I prayed for Leidy one more time. She is such a doll and she always smiled for me when I talked to her, except for when she had been sick recently.

We are stopping by the orphanage briefly on our way out early Saturday morning to drop off the matresses that we had bought for the kids when we got here. The Home was really great and loaned us most of the furniture we needed for our stay, the matresses were the only furniture we had to buy. Turns out they are badly in need of new matresses for some of the kids so we were glad that God could use them to bless the orphanage.

This afternoon we went to visit Marco and Karina Tullio in their home here in Chimaltenango. They live in a 6 story building that they intend to make into an apartment complex. They live on the fourth floor now and would like to complete the other floors so they can rent them out to help support their ministry. Marco Tullio is a full time pastor. In his youth he struggles with drugs and alcohol so his heart is towards the people in Chimaltenango who struggle with drugs and alcohol. He goes out with his wheelbarrow and picks up men that are passed out in the street and brings them back to the church where they bath, clothe and feed them then minister to them until they are ready to go home. They also travel around the country and deliver medical supplies to doctors who help suffering children. Their vision for their ministry is to grow into an international ministry and they have a heart for Africa! They dream of having a ministry center with a hospital, a trades school and a descipleship center where they can send out missionaries into all the world! Steve and I both feel like we share the same vision with the Tullio family. We will continue to pray with them and for them when we are in Canada and maybe we will join them in the future if God confirms that in us.
Please remember to pray for us tomorrow as we go to the city for our embryo transfer. Blessings to you all!

Feliz dia de la Madre

One of the things that both Steve and I enjoy is meeting new people. After church yesterday, our doorbell rang and there were two men from our neighborhood there. They invited us to come to a dinner and get together at 6 o'clock. We showed up fashionably late, but not late enough! It was still another hour before people started showing up. The kids played with their friends that they have met while we've lived here and we began to meet our neighbors as they showed up. It turned out that it was a Mother's Day celebration and the men were cooking the food and serving it too! Probably the only time they ever did such a thing! They made Carne Asala (yummy merinated beef), black beans, salsa, bbq'd onions, baked potato and tortillas. It was neat to see the couples interacting as the men did something so out of their cultural norm. Of course there was deffinitly a language barrier, Steve and I managed to visit and get to know quite a few people. There was a hired singer entertaining everyone while we ate and the music was cranked so we also had to yell in order to have any conversation. It was a riot! After dinner, Steve sat with the older men around a fire and I stayed with a group of ladies who were obviously a very tight group. One old guy got up to dance with his wife and the "President" of our neighborhood told Steve that he had to dance with me. We played along and everyone got a big kick out of that. There was this neat old couple that got up and did a traditional dance that looked really fun(ny); we'll try to show you when we get home....not really. We went home at about 10:30 and the party continued into the night. I woke up at various times durring the night and I could still hear them celebrating Mother's Day until daylight. At 5 a.m. They wrapped it up with a song for all the Mothers, Aunties and Grandmothers at full volume that probably could have been heard a mile away.....except it was right outside our window! Then there were fireworks and everyone went home. I'll have to catch up on some sleep later.
This morning we went to Joy Filled Homes to take part in their Mother's Day celebration. The teachers of their school had decorated the dinning area and put together a really nice program with some songs, games and a special message for mothers done by a local pastor. I picked up the gyst of it, but being in Spanish and since I hardly slept last night, I nearly fell asleep once or twice. After the message, the teacher asked for two volunteers. No one responded so I jumped in and volunteered Magda too! She came up and then we needed partners to feed us something for a race! I figured I could handle some crazy ethnic dish or something spicy. When Denise uncovered the bowls and I saw that they were full of soggy cornflakes, I almost threw up on the spot! I do not eat cereal because it gets soggy and gross. As she aproached us with the bowls, I caught a wiff of the nasty warm milk. EWWW! Again, my stomach twisted and groaned. The thought of one bite sent me through the roof, much less a whole bowl of miserable cereal. I couldn't even attempt it. Magda and her partner had already started and Fernenda agreed to switch. I managed not to gag as I fed small fast spoonfuls of the sludge to Fernanda. She was an eating machine and we won by at least a couple spoonfulls! Horay for Fernanda, I had been ready to forfeit! I may even have nightmares about that race!
The kids were all dressed in their Sunday clothes and looked so cute when they danced for us at the end of the program. What darlings! We stayed for chocolate cake and pop. Cole has the ladies in the kitchen wrapped around his finger and they gave him 3 big pieces of cake! They would have given him more but I pulled the plug on his con.
Before we went home for lunch, Eden and I ironed the new curtains that I sewed for the girls room and Steve hung them. They looked pretty good and Maureen was very happy about them. Sigh. Now to clean house and start packing!

Updates

Praise report on Leidy's condition. She had an MRI on Thursday and the results were really good. What was first diagnosed to be a tumor turned out to be a fluid cyst. It is possible to put in a shunt to drain the fluid and remove the current problem. By now her symptoms have stopped, (pain and vomiting) so the neurosurgeon has decided to hold off surgery unless her symptoms return. Praise God, we are continuing to pray for complete healing for Leidy! She is visibly feeling better and she has her smile back.

On Friday we played soccer at Reheboth Orphanage in Paramos for the final time. It looked like rain when we arrived, but the clouds disapeared and we played soccer for an extra hour. Durring our time here, we really made a strong connection with the kids and the staff. We are glad that Naomi will be working there so she can keep us updated on everyone! Laine can attest to how sweet and cute 3 yr old Wesler is. He knows that I'm going to say, "Qiero un abraso y un beso, por favor," and he'd better come give me a hug and a kiss! There are many boys Zeke and Jalen's ages, Luis, Denis, Fitto and the others, who all love the oppertunity to play soccer with the big kids and adults. They get right in there and practice their skills. The older boys are really great at passing to them and encouraging them to get the ball and give it their best effort. The girls like to play soccer too, but not quite as much as they like to play with Autumn, who loves the extra attention. Tatianna is the same age as Eden and they have become fast friends. There are several older boys at the orphanage, Jose, Edgar and Miguel, who are 18 and getting ready to transition out of the Home in the next year or so. Steve has grown very close to these guys and we are looking into what their options are for the future. The Home will do their best to help them get set up in post secondary schooling and/or career aprenticeships. There are oppertunities here for anyone who is interested in supporting any one of these young men financially to help them to succeed. I will look into these options and bring that information home with us. We have seen great potential in these guys, they really have compassion for others which they demonstrate with the younger children at the orphanage and by volunteering their time on a weekly basis at Hope Haven, a local wheelchair ministry. More info on this when I get it.
Thank you everyone for your prayers; we really need them this week as we wrap up our projects and extend our final blessings to the people whom we have been building relationships with.
Oh, and I am finished the curtains! I am quite proud of them even though I don't love the fabric that I had to use. I know that the girls will love the new curtains in their room, so I look forward to their excited squeals.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day in Canada, so my kids plan to make all the meals tomorrow. In Guatemala, Monday is Mother's Day and we are going to a celebration at Joy Filled Homes. I am happy to have two Mother's Days in a row, it should always be like that! Happy Mother's Days to all you mothers that I know and love!

Little Leidy

Today was one of my favorite days so far at Joy Filled Homes. One of the items that travelled all the way here from Canada was an 8' Trampoline with enclosure that we intended to set up at the orphanage. I wasn't terribly shocked that we were met with a little resistance on the subject. I don't mind a challenge, so I began to advocate the therapeutic and physical benefits of a Trampoline. They have a fairly small yard with a lawn and a swingset; the only exercise they get on a regular basis is walking to the school room and back to the house. Finally last week, Maureen consented to taking the Trampoline and agreed to allow the kids to use it on a regular basis. Today was the big day! We brought it over in the morning while the kids were in school. By the time they were finished class, it was ready! Lila was the first one to try it out, a little timid at first then she began to squeal and bounce higher and faster. Steve helped Gaby on and Eden sat with her to support her while Steve bounced her. Gaby doesn't smile very often, but I have plenty of video to prove that she broke her smile record today! Soon, Helen, Candy and Andrea climbed on. Sometimes they sat while others bounced them, sometimes they stood up and bounced everyone else. Today was the first time I saw the kids playing together like that, helping eachother to stand up and laughing together when they fell over. We had so much fun! The kids were having such a good time that the nannies delayed lunch until everyone had had a turn. Today was the happiest day!
Tomorrow might not be such a happy day. We would really appreciate your prayers for Leidy. She is a 4 year old darling who had Hydrocephalus as an infant which caused severe damage to her brain. She really is a miracle child because Doctors had given her only a few months to live when she was a baby and her symptoms of Hydrocephalus just went away. A couple weeks ago she began to show signs that there were problems in her head. She began to vomit and she had a lot of pain in her head. Thinking that maybe the Hydrocephalus had returned, they brought her in for a CT scan. Instead they found a brain tumor. It may be possible to do surgery to remove the brain tumor, otherwise it just a matter of time. Tomorrow we are taking Leidy and one of her caregivers to a Hospital in Guatemala City to have an MRI which will determine wether or not they will do the surgery. Please pray as the Holy Spirit directs you. This is very hard for the staff at the orphanage, everyone is very attatched to their miracle baby. I will give you an update as soon as we get some answers.

Luke 12:22-28

We have been very blessed to be ambassadors of Christ in Guatemala. We want to extend our gratitude to each of you who have been a part of our ministry here through prayer and financial participation. We feel that our time here has been a scouting trip, like when the Israelites sent the spies into the Promise Land. While we have been here we have met with many different missions groups and heard their hearts, God's heart, for this country. We have seen many needs while we have travelled around the interior of Guatemala and our vision grows ever stronger.
Many of you know that we did not afford to come here by our own means, but recieved the money by God's provision through our church family and our own families and friends. I want to be fairly candid about how we have used those finances as God has directed us here and I assure you that we have never been so dilligent in our prayer and consideration of how we spend money.
We chose to drive to Guatemala because it was going to be cheaper than flying and we felt that having a vehicle here would be more reasonable for our family than relying on public transportation. On our trip down we bought our food at groceries stores on almost every occasion and we stayed at cheap hotels. In fact, the cheapest hotel we stayed at cost only 10 bucks! Not something I would recomend to anyone, but God provided grace.
We left Canada with enough money to get to Guatemala and then some to get most of the way home again. Our expenses back home were covered by tenants that were renting our house. It seemed like a fairly workable budget, but there wasn't any wiggle room or extra for projects. Steve and I felt that God brought us here for a purpose and any money needed to fulfill that purpose was to come out of our budget wether it made financial sense or not. There were funds that were specifically donated to Joy Filled Homes and we gave that money directly to them. They are struggling financialy and could not afford to spend any money on project material so we bought the materials that Steve need to complete some maintenance jobs and small building projects around the Home. At that point we had just enough money left to live off of until the end of our stay.
When we came to Guatemala, it had never crossed our minds to adopt embryos while we were here. We hadn't even wondered if it was possible. Adopting embryos was something that God had put on our hearts a few years ago, but it was something that we were planning to do when we were back in Canada, maybe this summer or next. Well, we did end up wondering if it was possible and God opened up doors for us with confirmation every step of the way. It was not a deciding factor, but probably worth noting that embryo adoption in Guatemala is a fraction of the price that it is in Canada. This brings me back to finances because I have already told you that we did not have any money to pay for it. It was the last door that was shut at that moment. We put out our fleece to see if this was really God's will that he would provide. Just before our next appointment at the clinic when we would need to make a commitment or back out, we got a phone call from Rebekah that there had been money donated and put in our account. When she told me how much it was, we had our final confirmation. It was not the amount of money we needed to get home again. It was exactly what we needed for the adoption. Exactly.
I feel that the purpose of writing this is so that God can be glorified. It is not in our own strength that we opperate, for we are weak but He is strong.