Time for Some Good News!

Joyce & I had a meeting today with the tutor for Fabiola & Mauricio who is attempting to get their English up to speed so they can enter her school in August which is entirely in English. We took Angel & Jesus with us as we want to enroll them as well.

The teacher and the principle says they are great students and will be ready to go...they also said the loved the little guys and are eager to have them there as well.

This is the best school we've seen and although, once again, it's more money it's certainly worth it. Their teachers are certified, all classes including recess are in English, and each day begins with Praise & Worship and Bible Study! Is this good or what? We are really excited to be able to give them this opportunity and hope that next year Karen, Rosa, & Cesar might be able to make the switch.

Please keep praying...we haven't heard that the hearing in front of the judge has been called off, but that's what we're praying for.

Love, Bob, Joyce, & Kids

IHNFA continues to Attack

This afternoon I took Gershon, Karen, & Jesus for another 'forced' visit with their birth mother at the IHNFA offices. However, this time she wasn't late; SHE DIDN'T SHOW! It was actually what I was praying for...I thought if she didn't show and demonstrated her unreliability IHNFA would relent and see that the kids were better off where they were.

But it had the opposite effect on Irma...she went into panic mode, literally using three phones at once to make calls to find a solution to her new 'problem'...no place to send the kids. She finally succeeded in finding a Judge who agreed to make the kids show up in court next Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. to be questioned by her with the ultimate goal of removing the children from our care.

When Irma wouldn't answer me, or even acknowledge my presence, I lost a little self-control and got 'in her face' a bit. I asked her why she was trying so desperately to take all of our children and her response was feigned surprise and a weak denial. When I told her I knew she had been offering our children to other orphanages she just quit talking to me altogether. I asked her to tell me if she honestly believed the kids would be better off somewhere else, and she refused to answer me. Instead she shoved a handwritten (I watched her write as she spoke on the phone) note under my nose telling me of the appointment w/the judge.

In desperation I called the First Lady's secretary knowing I had little chance of actually getting through to her...BUT I DID! She agreed to meet me at her office in an hour which gave me time to take the kids home, pick up Joyce, and make the meeting. She told me she was glad I called because she had been trying to reach me and had lost my number. She said the First Lady wanted an update on the situation and was coming to town tomorrow along with her assistant in charge of restaffing this IHNFA office. I told her I realized how busy everyone would be but told her if they could make any time at all we would love to have the First Lady, her assistant, or the secretary come by the house and visit w/the children. She made notes as we re-told the story to her and promised to make sure everyone got the update. She seemed extremely positive to us that this should not happen and she would help to fight for us.

Joyce & I left very encouraged, but cautious! We have come to understand that it doesn't have to make sense, earthly or moral, for something bad to happen here. We are still in great danger of losing our children and we ask for your fervent, consistent prayers! We need to call upon all the forces of heaven to break down our enemy and the bible makes it clear that when many pray together great things happen. Let's be a part of making something great happen! PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY!!!

God's Providence

Yesterday Joyce and I both got caught in a horrendous traffic jam when one of the main streets of the city (4 lanes in each direction) was completely shut down. When we each reached the point of the problem we could see police tape blocking both directions of the avenue and photographers taking pictures, so we knew there had been a crime committed, we just didn't know what.

This morning's paper gave us the answer. An American missionary couple had stopped at a red light and two thieves ran to the car to rob them and were holding them at gunpoint. It was then that God's protection kicked in...two private security guards "just happened" to be driving by and saw the robbery in process and shot & killed one of the robbers; the other got away. The couple, unidentified, only spoke English and who knows what was about to happen to them.

I share this story for two reasons: 1) It's important that you know San Pedro Sula is one of the most dangerous cities in the world and that you pray accordingly for us. 2) It's also important to realize that God is our protection and He shows up when He's needed!

Satan would use incidents such as this to frighten people, to keep them away. After all, what chance do you have when you're stopped in traffic? But we choose to use this story as inspiration for us to simply trust in the Lord and His promises! We must use common sense and do everything we can to keep ourselves safe; but ultimately it is God who is our protection...and He never fails!

Satan's Attacks - God's Divine Appointments

On Friday the starter on one of the drill rig engines got 'fried' and we had to stop working. The location of the drill is one hour up a dirt road high into the mountains and getting a mechanic there is not easily done. It seems Satan is constantly trying to discourage us and get us to give in, but "...we walk by faith and not by sight..."

Saturday the missionary we're drilling for took the starter to a mechanic he knows at the bottom of the mountain. Turns out he worked for Carnival Cruise Lines for many years and is extremely knowledgeable, but he wouldn't be able to do anything until Monday. This morning I took Gershon, Fabiola, & Mauricio(no school today for some reason nobody knows) and headed to Villanueva to pick up the mechanic and then head up the mountain. During the hour long ride up the mountain I began to talk to the mechanic about Christ and God. He told me he wasn't saved and didn't really have time to go to church, but he did try to do the right things. What an open door the Lord presented to me! From there is was fairly easy to help him to see that it wasn't church or good deeds that he needed; it was a personal relationship with Jesus! Before we reached the top of the mountain we became brothers in Christ as he prayed and asked Jesus to become his Lord! Is that not amazing...if the starter hadn't burned up I would never have met this man. What Satan means for evil, God often turns to glorious victories!!!

This evening after dinner we all walked down to the local soccer field/playground and it is really a treat to see how much fun they all have...Gershon, Mauricio, Fabiola, & Karen all entered into a soccer game with some other neighborhood kids, Angel, Jesus, & Pedro chased each other non-stop and built a seesaw with a board and broken concrete blocks, while Cesar, Antonio, and Rosa found a skate board and all sat on it rode a steep hill on the side of the playground. They giggled, laughed, grunted, ran, jumped, chased until they were all exhausted and thoroughly sweaty and dirt encrusted! It's neat to remember just eleven months ago they never laughed or played with any freedom...God is good to us all!

Escape

Today we escape! This morning we taking everyone to church which means will escape the confines of our house for the first time in eight days, PTL!!! The chicken pox appears to have run its' course, blisters are almost totally dried up and we've not had any new outbreaks...so we're 'breaking out'!

El Dia de Madre

Today was the Mother's Day celebration at the children's school and it was for mothers "only"! It was a big deal to the kids, in fact when Joyce dropped them off at school Fabi asked her to come home and put on a different blouse...who's running this ship?

Anyhow the kids had a lot of fun as Karen & Rosa danced a skit, Fabi made a butterfly fan for Joyce, and Gershon recited a long poem from memory which Joyce says was quite impressive.

Meanwhile I picked up the air compressor and headed to the mountains to drill. Picking up the compressor was still not a walk in the park; I won't tell you it happened again but let's just say they still had to "cut" the lock off the door...enough said!

Chicken pox is slowly drying up.....

"Hondurased" Again!

It happened again...you say you can't believe it...you say I couldn't be that dumb, but guess what?

I got a call today pleading with me to come take the air compressor out of the warehouse today because they would be getting 5 containers in tomorrow and needed the space. Mindlessly, I said I would come and move the compressor...believing it would actually happen.

I had to take the kids w/me since Joyce wasn't home, so we loaded into the truck and headed to warehouse. Once there I was delighted to see the containers had been moved and the boxes had been cleared out the way on the inside as well. As I started to back into place the supervisor called to me to stop...uh-ooh!

We had just one problem...it seems no one had the key to the overhead door!!! I don't think I'm capable of believing it..."Hondurased, Again!"