Recovery & empty nest...

Will is pretty much over his bug and back to normal. Hopefully he'll stay that way now. Maybe that was just his initiation!

Andrea, the older sister who was visiting, is back in her orphanage now. We took her back today at noon and it was a somewhat somber ride. Will and I felt badly about taking her back to the institution-style facility, but we're trying to be very careful we don't upset the chemistry in our own family. It's a tough thing watch and to do nothing when you know you could change her life dramatically. However, we feel the request to bring her into our family has to come from within the family and not from Joyce, Will, or myself. In the meantime we pray that we have been able to give her some encouragement and some idea of what she can have if she stays close to God.

We did send her home with a new Bible and we checked carefully to be sure she had invited Christ into her heart and we feel confident that she has. As the Lord reminds you; lift Andrea in your prayers!

The Latino bug bites Will...

Will has been zapped by a Latino bug...you know the one, the one that causes your stomach to tie in knots and does things to your bowels that you don't want to discuss. I don't know how he got it and we didn't ...and I do feel sorry for him, but........better him than me! In some cases there's just no compassion...sorry Will!

House Guest...

It's semana santa (Holy week) here and everything in the city shuts down...from Wednesday on I mean EVERYTHING! With the kids off school all week Fabi asked if we could try to get permission for her older sister to stay with us for a few days.

So, beginning this morning we have Andrea, the sister of Angel, Mauricio, & Fabiola, staying with us. She will be with us through Thursday. It's something to watch and observe siblings getting to know each other again after years of separation. It looks and feels like a good thing, but there are a lot of parameters to consider before going any further with this. The obvious thing is to simply say why don't we put them all together again. But there are finances, family dynamics, and pecking orders to consider as well. We don't yet know what God has in mind, but we will spend the next few days seeking his guidance on where, if anywhere, we should take this new development.

Pray with us that we hear clearly.......

Surprise, surprise....

We picked up the report cards for the three at Rodolfo Rojas school and got a bit of a shock. For 3 months we've never seen anything but good marks and good reports...now we get report cards with bad grades and reports of gross disobedience from one of the boys and the other one has been copying off a girl who sits beside him. Things just never seem to be what they appear to be...However, Rosa was even better than we realized...this girl is really blossoming and coming into her own. If you had any inkling of how despicable her past was you would be rejoicing with us!

We've hooked up with the sister of Fabi, Mauricio, & Angel again and we will be picking her up on Monday and keeping her until Wed. The kids are excited about the reunion and we're eager to see how it goes. We'll also get her medical records at that time and see if we feel we need to do anything further.

Final Score: 800-1

At least...that is how it felt to me!!! I just finished a soccer match with the kids and I was OBLITERATED!!! It amazes me how I am 24 but can't beat any of these kids in a pickup game of basketball or soccer! So what was the real final score? 8-2.

Bring it David Beckham....I'm ready for you.............

Will's Visit To The Homeless Ministry

Will here.

Yesterday I accompanied Bob to Terry and Shari's ministry to listen to Bob preach. For me it was pretty cool! For one, I have been wanting to see their ministry at work for a while now and two, I really enjoy listening to God's WORD being preached. I never get tired of hearing His WORD. I pray that eventually God will bless me with the privilege and honor of preaching His WORD because that is a burning desire that I have had for a long time now.

As I was there listening to Bob and observing the poor in the building, my heart was heavy and I was continually reminded of how God has blessed me so much....even when I did not know Him. I was blessed to be raised in the States. I never had to worry about when my next meal would be, what I would have to wear, when my next shower would be, never having to fear about being shot or stabbed on the street, etc.

I was also amazed to see the poorest of the poor wanting to sow into a ministry of God. They willingly reached into their pockets and gave unto the Lord. Such a powerful statement! For me it was like watching the widow placing the two coins (which was all she had in her name) she had in the basket (Mark 12:38-44). These people had nothing and yet they gave! For those of us who are so blessed by God we find it extremely difficult to even give a tenth of what we have or even what God lays on our hearts! We as mankind are so stubborn sometimes. We desire more when we have all that we need. Instead of giving we desire to store up for no reason at all. This is not aimed at anyone...just my heart. For me it was hard. I wanted to converse with them so much....but I couldn't due to my own inability to speak fluently. Talk about frustration!

Eventually, I got to help serve the individual's their meals. For me that was awesome. I could not converse with them, but I could serve them. For me it was such a rewarding and humbling experience. It is definitely an awesome ministry that Terry and Shari have. Please pray for them as they will eventually need a new facility in which they can continue to serve our Lord that they so love and those on the streets!

Thanks for listening......well, reading! :)

P.S.: I had pictures but they turned out to be pretty blurry for some odd reason! :(

New Opportunity...

A couple from our church, Terry & Shari, invited me to preach at their dinner for the homeless this afternoon. It's a tough inner city ministry that gives a shower and a hot meal to the homeless twice a week here in San Pedro Sula. It's really an impressive ministry...they begin with a time of praise and worship, take an offering, and they actually come up and put their limpera in the basket, move to the message and then the dinner. Of course, there's prep work before hand and clean-up afterwards.

I enjoyed sharing the word with them and quite a few made statements to invite Jesus into their hearts. Obviously only they and God know if the actions were real or not; but we did what we're supposed to do and presented them the opportunity to make a change in their life styles.