FBCH International Childcare

TANZANIA - Day 7

2012-01-28T00:59:00.000-05:00

Today started early, with everyone on the bus and driving to the house before 7 am. We split into two groups-- with some headed to town and the rest staying back to do some serious house cleaning. The house on the property was built over twenty years ago, and we are not sure if it had ever been cleaned. It literally took all day. Now it looks great, and so much brighter!
While we were cleaning, we were running out of water. Ksusha went to pull some water from the well. Unfortunately, the rope had been untied from the stay and when she threw in the bucket it went straight to the bottom rope and all! We all had a good time teasing her!

The small group at the house accomplished a lot: floors scoured, bedroom painted, loft cleaned, kitchen cabinets cleaned out, and the newly bought kitchen supplies put in them. After cleaning up our supplies, the house crew decided to go see the fish pond. It is looking great and just waiting for the liner!

About that time the city group returned. Some of their ventures had been successful and others were not. They were still not able to purchase cows! After arriving to buy the calves, they were informed that they were not ready to sell yet!! It has been decided that Ephriam, our neighbor who will be helping us with the cows, will take care of purchasing them for us. Thank goodness for great neighbors! They were successful at getting a bank account set up. This is quite a process here with trips to lawyers, the photo copy store, pictures being taken, and dealing with the bank! They were also able to stop and get a few more supplies that were needed to finish projects at the house.

When the bus pulled in at 3:30 there were more jobs to complete. Juma and some of the other men began working on finishing the deck. Shannin and Kaylene were eager to hang the curtains since everything was finally clean. Doug and Ron discussed more plans for the well, and then Justin showed up. Justin is the man who helps us at MagiTech, our well drillers. There was lots of discussion on lines and septic with lots of great ideas being decided on.

The group finally finished at 5:30 and loaded the bus back to the Lodge. We were all exhausted, but feeling very satisfied with all we were able to accomplish today!!

Oh, one more fun thing happened today: Gabriel brought us our chickens! Yea for fresh eggs!

UGANDA UPDATE

2012-01-27T13:34:00.000-05:00

How exciting to see the progress on the property in Kamonkoli

and on the gate and guard house!

Entrance to property (looking from the outside)

Property has been leveled. No more termite/ant mountains!

Property cleared and leveled

Gate and guard house from the inside

Gate and guard house from inside

Be in prayer concerning what part you could play in the work in Uganda!

Our next trip is February 29. Have you signed up yet? We need you to go with us!

TANZANIA - Day 6

2012-01-25T23:59:00.000-05:00

Every morning following our breakfast we have a short worship time. This morning Ale gave our devotion and reminded us that each of the orphans we meet here really has a Father, their Heavenly Father! She encouraged us to be teaching our kids that God will always be their true Father! She had all the moms in the group in tears by the end. After wiping our tears and gaining our composure we headed to the bus.

We set out to get our 13 chickens that were donated during our holiday fundraiser at the Tangeru market. We all gathered around and enjoyed looking at the colorful chickens and roosters. However, we were counting our chickens before they hatched. When the sellers saw all the Americans looking on with their cameras in hand, the price suddenly sky rocketed, so we flew the coop! Gabriel is going to go tomorrow and buy them without all the on-lookers. There were also plans to buy 3 dairy cows today, but we were informed that they were all out to pasture, so that will be done tomorrow as well.

The Maasai market was open for business, with many sellers willing to barter with us for treasures. All the ladies have been admiring Ksusha's colorful pants, so our first stop was the stall of the lady who makes hers, Mama Mary. Her stall in the market is about 10 feet deep and 5 feet wide. With 9 of us in her "shop", we were all elbow to elbow. Everyone found either a pair of pants from her rack or material for her to make them a pair. After our pants were picked and either being altered or made (she made three pairs in 30 minutes!), we all scattered in the maze of shops. Two hours later we returned to the bus with our goodies: knives, bowls, scarves, carvings, jewelry and more.

We had fun discussing our transactions on the drive to lunch. We ate at a beautiful restaurant, the Coffee Lodge! The restaurant is a little oasis surrounded by coffee bushes. We sat outside and enjoyed the cool breezes while we ate our food.

Following lunch we were off to purchase more of our house supplies: a vacuum and fan at the "Best Buy" in Arusha. Next we needed some different cleaning supplies for our work at the house tomorrow and also some blue paint for the bedrooms at Small Steps house. We gathered a few things for breakfast because we will be leaving early, we have a lot we want to accomplish tomorrow!
After dinner tonight there are plans to play some card games on the porch, Skip-bo! Then it will be "lala salama", a peaceful sleep!

TANZANIA - Day 5

2012-01-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

Today was very busy. We left after breakfast and headed to the house. For the ladies there was lots of cleaning to be done and curtains to make; for the men there was a deck to take down and rebuild.

We were in need of some cleaning supplies when we arrived so Sonya and Elisabeth walked to a local store. It was a very small building with four walls and a roof with a window in the front for us to talk to Maxi. Maxi runs the store and helps Sonya with her Swahili when she comes to shop. It was quite a process explaining that we needed soap and rags and scouring pads. The soap was no problem, Sonya knew that word, but rags and scouring pads were new to her. So the 10 minute game of charades began until Max finally figured out what was being asked for. He was so patient with her and kept guessing and correcting the Swahili she was speaking. It turned out he didn't have any, haha.

Back at the Small Steps home the ladies were busy measuring and preparing for the curtains. Upon Sonya and Elisabeth's return the cleaning began. Buckets were filled with water by dropping another bucket on a string into the shallow well and pulling it up. It took several attempts to get it filled, but when it was full, several of the girls began cleaning the wood framing on the house. It had not been done in a long time so it was quite a process.

The men were outside taking down a portion of deck that had rotted. They had specially treated boards cut by a carpenter that went back on the newly reinforced frame work. It looks much better, and more importantly is safer. It will be stained and sealed before we leave. In the future a roof will be added.

God had some surprises for us today. Corrinne has been very interested in the possibility of Small Steps getting a cow. There had been talk of possibly getting two. The cows could help maintain the grass and give milk for us to use. Today that idea started to grow. A neighbor who has cattle stopped by, and we were able to ask some questions. It turns out that we can get some calves for only $67!!! Several in the group walked over to the neighbor's house to look at his cows and to see what type of structure will be needed for them. After walking ALL our land today, it was recommended that we get up to 20 cows! While we are working on getting our larger Orphan homes built there will be plenty of land that needs mowing and the cows will do it for us! The cows will need care and medicine that needs to be administered periodically, but we told our neighbor that we would buy for his cows and ours if he will administer it. He was very happy with the offer. He told us that he helps other families in the area who cannot afford milk by giving them his extra. We told him we would love to do the same!!!! We are so excited to have another opportunity to help our community! First we can give them clean water from the well, and now we can also provide them with milk! When the land is all developed and there is less grounds to maintain we will be able to sell some of them for a large profit! This will be such a blessing for everyone! A few of us in the group will be going tomorrow to purchase some cows!

The last part of the day was spent with the babies at Cradle of Love, which is filled with beautiful babies all wanting to be held and loved on. We sat outside with about 25 little ones under the age of three. We pushed them on swings and played with and bounced them on our knees.

Then it was dinner time! Apparently an alarm went off in their heads, because they all started walking or crawling into the house and making their way to the dining room. Those who couldn't move themselves began crying to go in! After many trips back and forth with armfuls of babies, everyone was finally seated in the high-chairs. Then mouths began to open like baby birds waiting for their worms. All of us were feeding at least one baby, some were doing two or more. It was crazy! As the babies finished eating they were carried to the room next door where there were rows of changing tables. Each baby had their diaper changed and then were put into their cozy pajamas. It was very reluctantly that we left when Ron told us it was time to go.

Tomorrow we will be heading to the Masai market, it should be some fun bargaining!

TANZANIA - Day 4

2012-01-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

Today we all (minus Ron) headed to the mall for some shopping...well not exactly a mall. There is not a Target or a large mall you can go to and buy everything at once! Most of the stores are actually very small fronts. You tell the person behind the counter what you are interested in buying, and they bring different samples of what they have up to the counter for you to see. You make your selections and then begin the bargaining process. Even the stores that have "set" prices are willing to budge a little bit when they are told it is for an orphanage.

The first store we went to was the book store! We were very excited to buy some books in Kiswahili. We were able to find some really great children's books for 1,000 shillings, which converts to less than a dollar. We also bought many other story books, learning books, and Bibles! We left with two large bags!

Upon leaving the book store we went to a store to buy fabric for the cushions that will go on our long benches in the living room. We found one that was perfect, but it was out of stock so they are ordering more for us that should be in next month. Our home also has lots of windows, so we purchased the fabric for our window coverings and some pillows to make the bench more comfortable! We are excited to start putting up the window coverings later this week! We want to make sure that the orphanage truly feels like a home for these children, cozy and welcoming.

We went down the road a little further and ordered the foam for the cushions. It was an interesting stop because we were parked by an open air market where we could watch the shoppers and eat our lunches on the bus.

Next it was time to hit the kitchen store! We need to fully stock the kitchen. We were able to do that pretty well between two different stores. We are still in need of plates and bowls, but both stores were out of the type we wanted. We hope to be able to buy them later this week. We did buy pots, pans, cups, glasses, silverware, cooking utensils, baking sheet, trash can, rice cooker, can opener, storage containers, and much much more! It will be very fun to unpack it all in to the kitchen tomorrow!

There was a little fun stop today at a local coffee shop that is very Americanized. Most of us ordered frappuccinos or another tasty treat. It really helped cool us down while riding on the hot bus.

Between shops in Arusha today Elivia was mistaken for a rock star. She was approached by a man trying to sell her something, who asked if she was Riana. She replied no, with a laugh, and he asked her age, which she said was 52 (she is a teenager)!! He told her he was 52 also...and then asked if she might be related to Riana, a cousin or neighbor!? Again she said no. The street sellers are very persistent here and he was eager to sell her something and kept talking to her until she entered the coffee shop.

Corrinne also had an interesting experience last night at the Lodge where she was approached by a family who wanted to take a photo with her. She wasn't sure why but obliged them. Then they called to friends who also ran over to take pictures with her until Shannin noticed Corrinne feeling a bit uncomfortable and called her away. We are not sure what prompted the photo op, but think it may be her blond hair. Many people here have not had many opportunities to see a white person before and even less likely to have seen a blonde!! :)

Back at the property today the local men we have hired were still digging away at the soon-to-be fish pond. Ron stayed back to supervise. What a great surprise when we returned from shopping to find it almost done! The entire area has been dug, and tomorrow they will just need to make it deeper!!!! WOW!

We also stopped by the to make a payment to the company that has dug the well. We discussed plans for making the water accessible to our neighbors. Juma suggested that we pay some of the locals to dig the trench for the piping to the outer gate; it will give them a sense of ownership. After discussing this with Gabriel, they are going to organize the neighbors who will dig it for FREE! They will be able to have fresh water available and are eager help!

TANZANIA - Day 3

2012-01-22T19:14:00.000-05:00

What a busy Sunday! We were picked up early this morning, and headed straight to the property. Everyone got busy working on projects. April, Ale, Corrinne, and Elivia went straight to work painting the interior of the house. We had purchased all the paint and supplies we would need for this project on Friday. But we had forgotten to get a tray for the paint rollers, so Mary let us use her plastic baby bath she keeps for when her kids visit. It worked perfectly!

Barbara, Ksusha, and Elisabeth gathered the pick, shovel, and rakes and headed out to the fields to start clearing the area for a burn pit for trash. We needed the burn pile moved because the smoke was blowing into the house. The soil is very rocky and hard here, so it was hard work. Luckily, we were also joined by Gabriel, our neighbor who helps with repairs and does some yard work. Everyone worked hard, but Gabriel was amazing! We took wheelbarrows full of dirt to the old burn pile and began filling in that hole. We dug down about 8 inches in an 8x5 foot area, and next we gathered rocks from different areas on the property and built a small wall around it, about 12-18 inches high. It may not sound like much, but it was very hard in the hot sun! When we were done we went back to the house and helped paint the second coat!

Shannin, Kaylene, Doug, Juma, and Sonya sat outside in meetings most of the morning. The Small Steps board needed to go over several things. When they were finished they also helped with the painting and began unloading all the supplies we had brought over in suitcases for the house. There were lots of donations! Thank you to those of you who sent those!

While all of our group was working, there were some hired helpers who were digging out the fish pond! Wow, we thought the trash pit was hard! They were digging down 2-3 feet! The pond is going to be a big size, much bigger than many of us had thought! It will be perfect for helping to sustain the orphanage financially, as well as feed all our kids! There were several other small projects that were done today, and we all feel good about the work that was accomplished!

Oh, we don't want to leave out the best part of the day...Mary cooked lunch for us! It was delicious! She cooked the beans in the outside kitchen, which is a small shack she built! They use the outdoor kitchen to cook items that take longer, like beans, by making a fire and letting them simmer all day. This helps keep our fuel consumption down, since some items can take a long time to cook, but also helps keep the kitchen cooler! Mary made us several dishes, including one that none of us had ever had--banana soup. It was yummy. She made a salad with tasty avocados, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. There was also rice, a meat dish, beans, and tons of fresh fruit, including mangos from our yard!

Everyone was beyond dirty this evening, and hit the showers as soon as we got back! Again the evening is filled with visiting and talk of our day tomorrow, which will be shopping at the market for all our household items, for the ladies of the group! The men have opted to work on more projects at the house! ;)

TANAZANIA - Pictures

2012-01-21T13:44:00.001-05:00

VIEWING THE PROPERTY

THIS IS WHERE THE FISH POND WILL BE BUILT--

WE WILL RAISE TILAPIA TO EAT AND TO SELL

BANANA AND COFFEE TREES ON THE PROPERTY

DELICIOUS TANZANIAN COFFEE

NEW WELL THAT HAS BEEN DUG ON THE PROPERTY

FRONT GATE AND ENTRANCE TO THE PROPERTY

IN CHURCH WITH HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN AND STUDENTS

KAYLENE AND HER FRIEND COLIN, WHO DISLOCATED HIS ELBOW

HI, MY NAME IS DIANA

DOUG AND HIS FRIEND BENJAMIN

TANZANIA - Team 1, Day 2

2012-01-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

We awoke to a beautiful blue sky today. Somehow the air felt crisper and the day seemed clearer, maybe it was the good night's rest. Well, some of us slept well, others are still waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back to sleep...maybe tonight will be a full nights rest!? Either way everyone enjoyed breakfast and then we got on our way.

We headed to a local church, and we were greeted very enthusiastically by the head elder who was sure to get all our names and the names of our different organizations. After finding out some of our plans, he told us he would take us into the church. The Bible study portion of the morning was nearly done, with several classes meeting in the main sanctuary. We were escorted down the main aisle and seated in the very front row, interrupting a teacher during his class. It was quite embarrassing! But after welcoming us he continued the class discussion with enthusiasm, not realizing he was stepping on Shannin's feet, over and over. With the Bible study ended, we decided to move out of the front row and be less conspicuous. However, we were not quick enough, as the sanctuary was filling fast, and we were only able to move back 2 rows. Oh well, it made it much easier for them to introduce us during the main service, by having us all stand and wave to the congregation.

The service was filled with lots of singing and music, which was led by several secondary students, because the church is located on their campus. It was very beautiful! Before the sermon Sonya, told the children's story, encouraging everyone to give with a cheerful heart. She had Ale, Corrinne, and Elivia pass out candy to all 500 students there, and asked them to share with someone else after the service. (Although she did have to scold them when several started eating the candy right away) The service was easy to understand with the help of a translator, and we all survived the heat, it was VERY hot!

Following the service we were able to say hello to several friends and meet a few new ones before hopping on the bus and heading back to the Lodge for lunch. Let me say now, the food has been amazing! We had soup, a couple of salads, local meat dishes, rice, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit and flan for dessert! Needless to say, no one went hungry. Every meal we have eaten at the Lodge has had several courses with everything being yummy and unique!

Following lunch we had a small break to get freshened up and then set out for Havilah, a local orphanage, to spend some time with the children there. Several in the group had been there before, and it was so wonderful to see their smiling faces again. We all walked out to the pavilion to talk, play games, swing, and take pictures! The kids went crazy for the cameras, with all of them wanting to take pictures of each other using every camera that we brought, and we brought a lot of cameras! Some of the kids did gymnastics while we clapped; others just wanted to sit in our laps. All the women had their hair "styled" by the kids, in many fun and interesting ways.

It is hard to put into the words the feeling of spending time with these kids; they have beautiful and loving souls. They eat up any attention you give them, and just want to be close. They want to hold your hand, sit in your lap, or just sit and talk with you! There were tears when it was time to leave--by the children and by some of us. They stole our hearts!!!!! We are all hoping there will be time before we leave to go and visit them again!

It is evening now, and we are back at the Lodge awaiting dinner, visiting, and excited to begin all our projects at the property in the morning!

TANZANIA - 1st Team, 1st Day!

2012-01-20T12:57:00.000-05:00

Stepping off the plane on to the tarmac we were met with a beautiful breeze! Arriving in Tanzania shortly after night fall after 25 hours of travel, the breeze sure was refreshing. Our group of ten made our way into the airport, and after a short wait had our visas and luggage in hand. We made our way out of the holding area where we were greeted with many friendly faces, including a very excited Sonya (missionary with "Small Steps of Compassion") and Ksusha (a friend of ours who volunteers at another orphanage). Juma ("Small Steps" Director of Operations) kept all the people and our 17 bags organized and loaded us into a bus that drove us to our hotel, the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge.

As we pulled into the Lodge, we heard the pounding of drums and soon saw several dancers with torches who performed and sang for us. They put on quite a show, singing and dancing to the rhythm in traditional fashion. We made a toast for a successful trip with our fresh juice and made our way to our bungalows, a beautiful oasis surrounded by trees and a small stream. We dropped our bags in our rooms and then made our way to the dining hall where we feasted as the local dancers continued their show. The show continued through dinner and ended with all ten of us on the floor as they sang and guided us through their dances. We ended the evening on the back porch going over our schedule while we are here, and then sleepily made our way to our rooms for the night at one in the morning.

The sun came early as everyone enjoyed waking up and exploring the Lodge grounds. It is a beautiful facility with about 50 bungalows, a conference center and pool! The giant storks walk around the grounds, and birds fly in and out of the large back porch. Beautiful sounds of birds singing can be heard all over the site. Breakfast included fresh made omlettes, fruit and meats, it was much more then everyone expected and very delicious!

Sonya was in charge of our morning worship and shared her personal story of how she came to be working with "Small Steps for Compassion." She encouraged us all to wait on the Lord for His direction in our own lives.

Juma arrived with the bus, and we made our way to the property! Everyone was very excited to finally see the land most had only seen in pictures before. The home sits in a peaceful setting near the base of Mt. Meru. We got a quick tour of the two-bedroom house and went out to walk the property. The eleven acres has many fruit trees; banana, mango, lemon, orange, and also coffee bean bushes. We walked the perimeter and heard all the plans for the property and began planning for what projects will need to be addressed first.

We learned that Sonya has made arrangements for a local farmer to use the grass in one of our fields in exchange for pay. She has been using the money for small needs around the house and the electric bill. Much of the property has been neglected by the previous owner, and Sonya and Juma have been working with our neighbor Gabriel to get things in order. Gabriel and his family live right next door and have been a huge help in taking care of small repairs around the house and yard projects. His son, Enesmo, has also been great company for Sonya, as he and Mary (a local who has been helping Sonya get acclimated) speak Swahili with her, trying to help her learn the language faster.

When we returned to the house we began going over the list of needs Sonya wants addressed. Ron already had phone calls being made by Juma to get the work started on the completion of the fish pond. We are hoping the project will be done before we leave. There is a lot of shopping to be done for the house, and the women are planning to get started on that Monday when the market is open. The men are less excited about shopping and are planning to repair the gate and begin the clearing for the garden. We needed a few supplies to make sure we are ready to work on Sunday morning, so we went to the local "Home Depot" and got our tools and paint.

Jet lag was taking over the group as we drove through town in our bus on our way back to the Lodge, and many fell asleep. We enjoyed sitting in the shade on the back porch while waiting for dinner and visiting. The group is tired but excited for the adventures that will unfold during our time here in Tanzania!

HAITI - January 13 - Construction Team

2012-01-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

The last day of construction started with the entire team visiting the orphans for a couple of hours. All this week they have been heads down building and have not had the opportunity to really get to know the kids they are building for. They came back to the site highly motivated, and tackled 8 more truckloads of fill for the road, as well as finishing up all the blocks they had left on their side of the wall. What a team! This is what their week of work produced!

And here are some of the crew members at work...

And Harrison with his daily futbol game with the neighbor kids...

All together it was a wonderful week. Charlie's friend Edgar came back for his promised Bible and was saved! One of our crew, David, witnessed to one of the Haitian workers from across the road, also named David, who worked with him mixing mortar, and made a friend; we can't wait to see where the Lord will go with that relationship. As we build up the orphanage physically, we are building up relationships with the neighborhood that we hope and pray will lead to much fruit for the Kingdom! Praise the Lord for blessing us with this fantastic week. And there is more to come soon!

"Favorites"

2012-01-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

In orientation, they tell us that we are supposed to
avoid having favorites at the Center.

Well...maybe we'll have to work on that next time!

Telma and Maria Asuncion aren't my favorites!

Madelyn isn't my favorite!

Noe isn't my favorite!

Odilia isn't my favorite!

Simeon isn't my favorite buddy!

Gerson isn't my favorite!

Estuardo isn't my favorite!

Jamilett isn't my favorite!

Maria Elena isn't my favorite!

Daniel isn't my favorite!

Jefferson isn't my favorite!

Sonia isn't my favorite!

Billy isn't my favorite!

Simeon isn't my favorite helper!

Lesvia isn't my favorite!

Gladis isn't my favorite!

Alejandra and Olivia aren't our favorite translators!

MALNUTRITION CENTER - January 11

2012-01-14T01:05:00.000-05:00

I often say in my “real life” that time flies by, but it truly has sped by this week. It’s so hard to believe that we have only one day left serving the children of the Malnutrition Center. Today was another full day of playing with, feeding, diapering, and loving the children.

In the Canaries, twins Marta and Sucena are both close to walking. Marta spent as much time as possible toddling around holding our fingers with a contagious smile on her face, while Sucena enjoyed standing at the bar looking at herself in the mirror. Rosita also greatly enjoys the bar and mirror. Her big, toothy smile is nearly always present on her chubby-cheeked face as she grips the bar. Her twin, William, still prefers to scoot around on his bottom instead of crawl, but he now likes to walk by holding some fingers, too. He isn’t as adept as Marta, but he’s getting there! Walter was a bit under the weather in the morning, but was better in the afternoon and permitted to join the children again, which pleased him immensely. Jefferson was also feeling a bit puny, though, and will hopefully be back to his normal sweet self tomorrow.

All little children love music and these children are certainly no exception! The older kids had a time of singing before listening to the Bible story about Jesus feeding the crowd with the bread and fish. They sang several songs, including “Jesus Loves Me”, “I’ve Got the Joy”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, and “My God Is So Big.” Observing some of their faces as they looked at the pages in the Bible storybook was priceless. The most touching moment for me, though, was watching them bow their heads and have praying hands while learning to talk to their Creator.

The afternoon was filled with lunchtime, “train” rides, outdoor play, and naps. Bubbles are a favorite, as well as sliding. Victoria, from the Canaries, joined the Squirrels for part of the day and had a great time riding the train and taking her first ride down the slide.

Some additional projects and handy-man work was also accomplished today, including work with faucets, toilets, trashcans, and ceiling tiles. So much work to be done and so little time!! We also took a tour of the area that will soon house the interns and teams that come to work at the Center. It’s going to be a great space and is on schedule to be completed by March. What a blessing it will be to not spend 2 hours each day on the bus!

After an action-packed day, we wrapped it up with a fabulous meal at La Pena de Sol, complete with live musical entertainment. We were all SO stuffed after dinner, but most of the team still managed to find room for a McFlurry (or 2) on the way back to the Hotel. J It was a sweet end to a wonderful day!

MALNUTRITION CENTER - January 12

2012-01-14T00:54:00.002-05:00

Today was our final day at the Malnutrition Center. It was filled with joy and emotion.

The “Ducks and Squirrels” enjoyed puzzle time and taking a walk outside.

They covered the pavilion in sidewalk chalk.

Several of the children wanted us to outline them on the ground.

They were covered in chalk as they walked back inside.

It was precious to see little Victoria join the Squirrels over the last couple of days. She sure would like to get out of the Canaries and join the big girls! Her face lit up when she went down the slide for the first time. It seems she may have even found a boyfriend!

Right before lunch most of the children had the opportunity to help unload supplies for the Center. We couldn’t believe how excited the children were to carry a container of wipes & diapers. They ran back and forth to the van without any whining or complaining. It was a joyful experience.

RUTH

ODILIA

MARIA ELENA

SANDRA

ZOILA AND RICARDO

MARIA ELENA

MIKAELA

ODILIA

RICARDO

SONIA ESPERANZA

MADELYN

ELENA

SAM

MIGUEL ANGEL

BILLY

Luis Fernando & Dalia have shown great improvement in moving all around. Dalila walked holding onto a chair. Luis actually took a few steps on his own!

We heard stories of how severely malnourished some of these children were, and it was so encouraging to see the improvements they made even this week.

In the afternoon, we gave the staff some of their favorite things...chocolate! And the staff provided a wonderful snack for us as a send off… authentic Guatemalan food.

They had fun taking pictures and we had a chance to see more of their personalities come out despite the language barrier. A smile and laughter are universal.

As we prepared to say good-bye, the kids were given a small toy car and a package of Oreos. We loved seeing them with chocolate outlining their mouths and faces. They enjoyed every morsel, and I think they left some clean up for the workers at the Center, too!

This day was no different than the previous three days in regard to the way we would leave each day. The children and staff would all come out and wave good-bye until we were out of sight.

What was different about today was the fact that we wouldn’t physically be back tomorrow. Our team may not be at the Center tomorrow, but a part of our hearts will always be there. What a joy and a blessing the Lord gave us this week!

HAITI - January 12 - Construction Team

2012-01-13T17:59:00.000-05:00

We've had our challenges this trip, but oh,the wonderful opportunities for spreading God's Word and His love!

Yesterday we ran into a few difficulties....

but the wall is progressing well!

Harrison always attracts a crowd of kids - this time it was all about thumb wrestling.

Charlie met a young unsaved man who wanted a Bible, so he gave him his New Testament, along with some verses to look up and study, and asked him to come back today for a whole Bible.

The wall was looking awesome.

Today, Thursday, was all about doing the wall. There was a friendly competition between our team and the Haitians, but great cooperation as well. We sifted sand for their mortar and carried blocks over for their side of the wall. They lent us their expertise, and at one point their "Bos" mason came over and complemented us on our work.

David has become an expert at mixing mortar, and Charlie at cutting block. Hugh is our best wheelbarrow man, he has literaly hauled a "ton" of fill,. and even Wanda got into the act carrying rocks "Haitian" style!

Here is most of our fantastic "Wall" team.

Today was our best day of interacting with the neighbors. Charlie's young man came back for his whole Bible, and had read and understood all the verses Charlie had given him, and praise the Lord he was saved!. Harrison had fun as usual with his gang of kids, and the ladies brought their neiborhood group over to meet their "maris" (husbands).

Two precious girls from the group.

The house also got a lot of attention, with everyone not working on the wall carrying every bit of fill they could scrounge from all corners of the compound to fill it. Almost done! Plus the benefit that the compound is being cleared of all old dirt piles and debris and has never looked so good!

Is that a wall, or what?!! Eventually it will be twice as tall, and the space you see where the bridge is will be filled with a magnificent rolling metal gate, hopefully by the time the next team gets here on Jan 28!!

Malnutrition Center - January 11

2012-01-12T07:54:00.004-05:00

HAITI - January 11

2012-01-11T23:43:00.000-05:00

We began our morning at the orphanage praising God with songs in both English and Creole. The kids have learned two songs in American Sign Language, which is an amazing sight! We went straight into our lesson after singing. Today’s lesson was all about salvation, so we made salvation necklaces using the different color beads as symbols. The kids were very receptive to the message. After the necklaces, we made paper airplanes. It was a windy day so it was good timing.

The kids ate lunch early today. While they ate, the women organized the distribution of little baby dolls for all the girls and toy trucks for the boys. The excitement on the orphans’ faces was indescribable. I even saw one little girl literally shaking she was so happy. We feel so blessed to have gotten to know these kids on a personal level and to see them feel more with us as well.

After the orphanage we went to the worksite. We gathered some children from around the site and took them to Pastor Edmond’s church. We once again sang songs as an ice breaker. We asked these kids if they had any favorite songs and a handful stood up and sang worship songs. Again we made paper airplanes as well as teach them the salvation message. We plan to give them all salvation bracelets tomorrow.

All in all it was another wonderful day in Haiti. We are making great progress on the worksite as well as being an incredible encouragement to the orphans. Bondye Bon!

CRAFT TIME!

I GOT ONE, TOO!

LOOK AT OUR HATS WE MADE!

MY NEW BABY DOLL!

YUMMY!

MALNUTRITION CENTER KIDS

2012-01-11T08:18:00.000-05:00

VERONICA

OLSON AND JAMILETT

MIGUEL AND BILLY

WENDY

RUTH

MARTA

ESTUARDO

BILLY

ANDERSON HAS HIS TICKLE MACHINE GOING!

VICTORIA

ETHAN AND ALEX

WALTER

SANTOS

DULCE

ODILIA

MIKAELA

SANDRA

KEVIN AND VILMA, DALILA, CINDY

TAYLOR AND TELMA AND MARIA ASUNCION

MADELYN

GUADELUPE

RICARDO

MIGUEL

ESTUARDO

HAITI - January 10 - Construction Team

2012-01-11T07:23:00.000-05:00

Another awesome day in Haiti! God has blessed us with splendid weather, sunny but not too terribly hot, and the work is progressing at a fast pace. The septic team finished scooping out the "bad" dirt and then dug the septic tank hole. They hit ground water at about 18 inches, but had all the depth they needed to put the septic tank in. Believe it or not, there will be enough "good" fill dirt in between the house and the back wall to cover the entire septic tank up to the inspection hatches.

Meanwhile, no rest for the rebar team, with Chris bending rings and John wiring up the posts we will need for the first floor of the house. The Haitians actually came over and complemented John's work, saying that he might have started out as an "apprentice" but now he is a "Bos" (Master) ironworker!

The ladies came back from VBS at noon and pitched right in. Who knew Wanda and the other ladies had such a talent for sifting sand! They were so good they even got the job of mixing mortar for the guys, which freed them up to work faster on the blocks.

Some of the guys got the un-enviable job of attacking a mountain of coarse fill (lots of rocks) and carting it in wheel barrows to the house, and also spreading it out as a ramp for more trucks to come in. They worked on it all day long and it didn't seem to get any smaller. But finally they conquered it and it is no more.

Despite working the mountain all day, Harrison had time for futbol with the neighborhood kids. We gave them two balls, and had to promise to bring two more back tomorrow.

The House team, in addition to putting coarse fill in the house foundation to support the first floor slab, laid the rest of the blocks to bring everything up to the 4 block level where the slab floor will be.

The Wall team continued work on the front wall, then turned the corner and started working on the side.

We decided to have the Haitian masons start on the front wall on the other side of the bridge, and they caught up fast with the "blancs." It's a race to see who will make it to the back wall first!

The entire front wall is now finished up to the six block level, where we will pour a reinforced concrete bond beam for strength.

We had ample opportunity to witness to the neighbors and are building a good relationship with them. The ladies did a mini-VBS after lunch with the neighborhood kids at Pastor Edmond's church nearby, and Charlie gave his English New Testament to an English-speaking Haitian neighbor who is not saved. Hopefully he will be back tomorrow to get a whole Bible and to hear more of the Word.

God has truly blessed us in every way, and we feel His presence here as we seek to follow where He is leading us. Praise His Holy Name!

MALNUTRITION CENTER - January 10

2012-01-11T07:08:00.001-05:00

Another great day at the Malnutrition Center! The “Ducks & Squirrels” had some time coloring and playing on the playground. Several of the children can’t get enough of the slide. Lunch time was very entertaining as they ate chicken (on the bone) and beets. Yes, beets. All the “Ducks & Squirrels” ate every bite because they wanted strawberry jell-o for dessert. So, just imagine about 20 children feeding themselves RED beets & RED jell-o. Each one had pink palms for the rest of the day.

We had the opportunity to spend some time in San Juan after lunch. What an experience! This is where you find the truly authentic Guatemalan foods. Some of the foods we couldn’t identify. We also saw the “real” side of Guatemala. Antigua is more of a tourist area, while San Juan is more traditional.

When we came back to the Center we were able to do some cleaning while the kids took their nap time. Some team members wiped down chairs, others washed play mats, and some repairs were completed. When the kids woke up after the nap time, many of us were on diaper duty/bathroom duty. Just imagine with me how long it takes to change diapers or take 66 kids to the bathroom. We are all amazed at how the full-time workers get all this done without volunteer teams. They are our heroes!

God has shown us that it doesn’t matter what country you are in or what you are called to do. It all comes down to God’s glory. We simply show up and let His glory be revealed by each of us being willing to play with children, observe culture and even clean a malnutrition center. It’s all about Him no matter where we are.

MITZI AND ADELIN

SIMEON IS GETTING SO BIG

OLIVIA AND MARIA ASUNCION

ANDERSON AND MIKE WALKING WITH TELMA

SARAH AND GLADIS

LESVIA

JOSEFINA

ALEX

SANTOS

JAMILETT

MAYRA

MARTA

MALNUTRITION CENTER-Jan. 9

2012-01-10T16:41:00.000-05:00

DOMINGO

JOHN DANIEL AND HIS GIRLS

DORA AFTER HER CLEFT PALATE SURGERY

DORA AND HER MOM

DUCKS AND SQUIRRELS

CHICKS

CANARIES

BUNNIES

ANDREW HAS A NEW GIRLFRIEND

GUATEMALA - January 9

2012-01-10T07:48:00.000-05:00

“The Lord is good to all, He has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145:9

The Malnutrition Center in San Juan, Guatemala is a study in compassion. There are those who oversee the ministry of the Center, administering the many details associated with caring for the malnourished, sick, and disadvantaged children in the area. There are others of you reading this who provided financial resources to maintain, sustain, and improve the Center. Still others daily labor there with patience and love.

The team I am a part of this week traveled from Georgia and Florida to serve the Malnutrition Center in many capacities, offering extra pairs of hands to help serve the many wonderful children here. And many pairs of hands are needed to not only care for, but also to show compassion to the little souls housed at the Center. How the women care for these children on their own without a team of volunteers to assist, I’ll never know! The many mouths to feed, bottles to make, diapers to change, noses to wipe, vegetables to cut, dishes to wash, toys to clean, and laundry to fold could certainly be overwhelming. And yet, the environment is stable and loving.

To be even a small part in the shaping and developing of these children that God has made is humbling. We find ouselves wondering what paths their lives will eventually take; praying for them as we feed them cereal, soup, or spaghetti or as they lay peacefully sleeping; smiling as Alex does contortions in his Bumbo seat while eating, thinking that he could be a great gymnast one day; or watching Victoria, the little explorer, constantly looking for a way to escape the barriers created to serve as baby gates. Little Mayra, still so tiny and struggling just to grow and flourish, smiling from her heart in a way that lights her big brown eyes. God’s plan for them is really no different than His plan for me; they are created to serve Him, to worship Him, to one day be His hands and feet. All they need is opportunity. The opportunity to grow up strong and healthy and to experience the One Who knows them best and loves them most. The Malnutrition Center exists to provide them with this opportunity and our team is only one of many with the chance to be part of their lives.

Many of us have formed or will form special bonds with these children. It’s a natural part of life. We were created for relationships. I pray that through the experience of the many teams of people that will come and go from these children’s lives, they will learn the valuable lesson of compassion, will one day realize that they are perfectly loved by a Creator, and will share that compassion with others.

Jenna and Maria Asuncion--getting lots of hugs!

The Lethers' were so happy to see their little Madelyn again!

Great team!!!

Freddy and his mom and grandmom came for a visit! It was so good to see him!

HAITI - January 9 - Orphanage Team

2012-01-09T23:35:00.001-05:00

Today was our first day at the orphanage. The children were so happy to see us. We brought them bubbles, T-shirts, flip flops, and a snack.

We began the day by introducing ourselves and showing the children on a globe where we are from. There is a team from Plant City, FL, and a team from Franklin, KY.

After the introductions, the children sang us three songs, some in Creole and one in English. We spent some time getting to know them by doing a name game. It took the children a while to warm up to us, but after awhile, they were showering us with hugs and kisses, showing us their games, and even calling us “mama.”

It was an emotional day to say the least. These children are precious. They are living in conditions that seem to be unbearable to us: wooden beds, no toilet, and as of this afternoon, they were not going to get to eat today.

The Franklin team led the Bible lesson today on creation, and the Florida team told the story of “The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar,” and then led the craft of making butterflies out of coffee filters. The teams are working together very well and bonding with the children.

We can’t wait to go back tomorrow and continue to form these relationships. We are praying for the Holy Spirit to fill us and help us show the love of Christ to these children.

HAITI - January 9 - Construction Team

2012-01-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

The construction team hit the ground running today on our first day of construction. We divided into three teams: compound wall, septic and house foundation; everyone found their tools and supplies and started work. We had some initial problems with water for mixing concrete and mortar, but they were soon resolved. The wall team started laying block on the front left side, and despite a very un-level base wall and a lot of debate with the Haitian onlookers on the best way to do things, steadily laid out the first course of blocks. They did four courses today.

Meanwhile the septic team was busy digging out a foot of the old soil behind the house, which is unsuitable for septic drainage, and put it into the foundation of the house to support the slab that will be poured there. While they were doing that, the house foundation team formed up the 12 posts needed to support the slab with wood forms and cut and wired the four-rebar posts. They were actually able to mix and pour all twelve posts today, as well as laying a lot of blocks to get the walls up to the four block level where the slab will be. They accomplished all of this in only one day, instead of the two we planned on.

The ladies joined us in the afternoon after spending the morning doing VBS with the kids, and literally dug right in.

We learned that Wanda Cox had a lot of experience with concrete so we made her foreman!

Some of the ladies got a bunch of the local kids that were always around watching us and sang Christian songs to them . Even the Haitian workers and onlookers stopped to watch and listen to them.

God really has been with us on this trip and now we may have a new neighborhood ministry that will bear fruit in the future. We can't wait to see what He will be doing tomorrow!

HAITI Mission Trip - 1/8/12

2012-01-09T00:04:00.000-05:00

Today the whole team attended Pastor Edmond's church. What an incredible experience! These people who have absolutely nothing of the world's wealth are rich beyond belief spiritually. The singing and praying were so uplifting, praising God as only people who have nothing and no one else to rely on can.

We were welcomed with open arms and even given flower corsages! The children were brought over from the orphanage dressed in their Sunday best and sang for us. After church and looking over the new building site, we went over to see the place they are living now. The conditions they are currently living in are enough to make you cry. All the more reason to get the first phase of construction done as soon as possible, so we can get them moved over!

After lunch we drove into town and saw how much of the earthquake's devastation is still there. The Cathedral where all the priceless frescos depicting Haiti's history and culture were is now just a shell. Everything inside was lost. The National Palace is still flattened, and no work has been done to repair it.

We are four days away from the second anniversary of the earthquake, and there is so little evident progress.

After seeing downtown, we drove up above Petionville to Boutillay, where there is a magnificent overlook of the city, and lots of artisans selling their arts and crafts. What a contrast! Everything up there was beautiful and untouched.

Tomorrow the men begin five days of heavy work on the orphanage wall, the pastor's house and its septic system. The ladies will be doing VBS with the kids in the morning and joining the men after lunch.

Please pray for our safety and that we will be a beacon here that will shine God's love out to the lost in this area.

GUATEMALA Mission Trip - 1/8/12

2012-01-08T23:47:00.000-05:00

Our day began with a wonderful worship service with our team. We shared songs together and talked about how God many times chooses the impossible to reveal His glory to us.

Beautiful and childlike faith were just some of the words used to describe the day during our WOW time tonight. We had the opportunity to see God’s beautiful and stunning creation as we went as a group zip lining across the mountain canyons.

We even got to see one of the volcanoes erupt several times!

Even though the ministry to the malnutrition center didn’t begin today, team building did! Our team seemed to connect almost instantly from the children to the adults.

We can’t wait to see what happens as God uses all of us to do His work this week. Tomorrow begins a full week of ministry! Pray that God's glory would be revealed through our sacrifice of service!

UGANDA Nov. 30-Dec. 11, 2011 ...Home Visitation

2012-01-08T17:47:00.000-05:00

HOME VISITS

One of the most meaningful aspects of our work in Uganda was the visits we made to children’s homes. Approximately 200 children are currently sponsored in Uganda, and each child receives regular visits and is delivered necessary supplies as provided for by their sponsorship.

It was special to me, because we were able to see the children and families in their natural environment, in their home, the way they live day to day. I received blessings over and over again at each home/hut we visited, as the children greeted us and opened their hearts to us.

At each stop we made, we had the name of a particular child or widow that we were to visit, including their family members, and we came always bearing gifts of one kind or another—clothes, candy, shoes, toys, etc., or delivering supplies—mattresses, storage lockers, etc. We found at each stop that as we lingered in that location, the crowd gradually swelled as word got out that the van had rolled in. Children seemed to appear from nowhere…everywhere! The longer we stayed, the larger the crowd grew! Finally, we would just have to say ‘enough’ and move on to our next stop. We realized that we would never be able to meet every child’s need at every stop—not even come close—but oh, we wanted to so much! It was so hard to pull away, knowing that there were still so many children to love!

Each home was different, with a different story to tell and different needs. Some were so heart-breaking that we went away weeping at what we had just seen; but others brought us absolute joy as we saw people who had nothing in terms of this world’s standards, but had such contentment and happiness in their hearts. All the homes were alike, however, in that they were so warm and receptive, and so grateful. (With the exception of a few children who were very frightened at the sight of a white face—a “Muzungu!”)

It was a special time when we sat down together in the yard of a hut and shared fellowship and prayer and often sang together. Some of the children we visited we had met at Awana and at Sunday School, so we could sing songs they knew and songs that we had taught them. It was special to see many of them still wearing their candy cane necklace from Awana!

Probably the most meaningful of all, being the Christmas season, we shared the wonderful story of how Jesus, the Savior of the whole world, came to this earth as a baby because of God’s great love for them. We shared the Good News of John 3:16 with every person in every home, and told them that unlike the gifts we were bringing, the gift that God gave the world on that first Christmas will never fade or grow old, it is eternal! Anyone with compassion could travel around and hand out clothes, but we believed if we “gave them Jesus,” they would know the Source of all good gifts!

If you want to be blessed to over flowing, beyond what your heart or mind can hold, come with us to Uganda, and just see what God has in store!

Cynthia

HAITI and GUATEMALA TEAMS

2012-01-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

Today, Jan. 7, two Orphan's Heart teams left the States to be the hands and feet of Christ in two very different places.

A team of 5 left from Miami, and a team of 13 left from Atlanta and met in Guatemala City to work this week in San Juan, Sacatapequez, GUATEMALA, at the Malnutrition Center. God granted safe travel, and the team is well on their way to becoming family.

At the same time a team of 9 left from Miami, and a team of 22 left from Kentucky to meet up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to begin construction on the orphanage and work with the orphans in Bon Repos, Haiti. This team also arrived safely and is ready for an incredible week serving "the least of these" in their appointed place.

We all covet your prayers for health and safety and completion of what God has prepared in advance for us to do.

Uganda...continued

2012-01-01T22:58:00.000-05:00

AWANA...

Armed and ready for the day!

We hit the ground running on our first full day in Kamonkoli. Saturday morning we were able to help lead the weekly Awana program. Awana is usually held at the church, but because of a local wedding they switched the location to the primary school just a bit further down the road.

Kamonkoli Primary School

What a rush of joy it was to walk into a room of more than 600 children singing with excitement and just waiting to hear whatever it was we had to share. The children were all in one large room sitting jam-packed on wooden benches filling the space. Many of the older (7-12 year olds) children had younger (1-6 year olds) siblings in their laps or tied to their backs. As I looked back out the door to the dirt outside I realized something--there were no cars. These children weren’t dropped off by parents in minivans with car seats and seat belts--these children walked by themselves, alone, in some cases for miles early in the morning to get to Awana that day. They wanted to be there!

Not all of the children speak English fluently, and so many of the songs they sang were in local dialects or Luganda. They did know some songs in English, and we were able to lead a few new ones that they quickly picked up on. Not knowing what we were about to get, we started “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!” with the sitting and standing motions, splitting the room in half... apparently they had done this one before, and someone had taught them to use volume! “Hallelu, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord!” It was awesome!

After singing, Cynthia shared the story of the candy cane using a translator. We had giant candy canes so everyone could see and understand the colors and symbolism of the staff turned upside down making a J for Jesus. After the story and prayer, some of the older children left and went to a separate room for other lessons and games. Our men went with those groups and took Christmas Bingo and other games to play. Remaining in the big room were about 350 of the youngest kids.

Craft supplies don’t readily exist in Africa-- there isn’t a dollar store to pick stuff up, so any chance these children get to do something fun or crafty with some new material they’ve never seen is really exciting for them. We only had rough numbers to plan for in advance, so with red and white macaroni noodles, plastic necklace yarn and mini candy canes in tow we were able to help these kids whip up candy cane necklaces representing “Jesus Loves Me”. We had just the right amount of materials to go around. What a success!

While we were going child to child hand taping the candy cane in the shape of a “J” for Jesus, the children were so patient. There were only 3 of us plus a few of their regular teachers around to lend a hand. We had almost finished helping each child with their necklace when we started to notice some children sitting in the back had only empty slobbery wrappers left. Most of these children had never seen a candy cane and at the beginning didn’t realize it was edible sweet peppermint. Once one child figured this out-- you can imagine how it went! By the end of Awana I think everyone had enjoyed their candy cane-- but they proudly wore the necklaces for days longer.

After the craft was complete, we headed outside with all 600 of the kids. We split into a few large groups and proceeded to make up games to entertain them for a bit longer. We did a candy cane relay using plastic candy canes hooked together and balanced while running, a ball toss, etc.

After the games, we started singing again. In a huge circle we led the "Hokey-Pokey" and other silly songs.

How do you get this many children in a circle?!

"You put your right hand in..."

"You turn yourself around..."

"You put your right foot in..."

"That's what it's all about!"

Before long the circle contracted, and we found ourselves in the center of a press of 600 children all singing and wanting to get as close as they could!

When the time came for us to leave, the children were still hanging around waiting on us. They walked us back to the gates of the compound where we were staying before saying goodbye and heading home in all directions. In the few hours we had spent with these children we had fallen in love.

As we made home visits throughout the week we would often recognize faces and see those macaroni noodles hanging around their necks. They remembered the new songs we had sung together and happily sang them with us again and again.

Alison Wilson

Guatemala, December 27, 2011-January 2, 2012

2011-12-31T10:52:00.001-05:00

Hola mi amigos! Here we are again at the center. It is our last day with our little angels. After lunch the kids get to break the pollo piñata we’ve gotten. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it a lot.

This morning I woke up on time to go walking with the early birds. We saw a church named “Iglesias la Merced”; and it was extravagant inside and out. The architecture is so beautiful. I like how they had statues of the saints and Mary and Jesus. There were a lot of pigeons outside. Perhaps they were congregating for mass! *laugh* And we took a few photos outside in front of the church, too. It was a great walk, though, and I am glad I made it.

That reminds me of a verse I saw this morning:

“‘Job, are you listening? Have you noticed all this?

Stop in your tracks! Take in God’s miracle wonders.

Do you have any idea how GOD does it all,

how he makes bright lightning from dark storms,

How HE piles up the cumulus clouds-

all these miracle wonders of a perfect Mind?

Why, you don’t even know how to keep cool

on a sweltering hot day,

So how could you even dream

of making a dent in that hot-tin-roof sky?”

_PROVERBS 37:14-18 (The Message)

This verse is obviously humbling, but it reminds me of how GOD is so mighty and just absolutely awesome. All throughout this trip, we have all seen GOD work in many ways. And as I said yesterday HIS creation just screams it out. We have had a wonderful time here in Guatemala- especially with our kids. Everyday GOD blesses us with many “gifts”.

So readers, take a moment to just praise HIM. Let this be a time of pure worship- really, I’m serious! Get away from this screen and worship God- with ALL your heart. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just genuine. God loves it when we are brutally real with HIM. You can pray aloud or maybe write it down. You could even sing, if you’d like. Whatever you feel led to do; let’s just glorify HIM in all we do.

I am very glad to be able to blog to you readers today, but my niñas are waiting. Good day!

Guatemala, December 27, 2011-January 2, 2012

2011-12-30T17:03:00.000-05:00

Another day in paradise… We love it here. Yesterday a few of us went to the market again in Antigua. I like shopping in the markets-note: normally I am NOT a shopaholic type of person! The markets have many colors and it is a Noah’s ark of things you could buy. But it was fun; and we are very thankful to have been blessed with our two translators: Alejandra and Olivia. Without them, we would have been lost! Later on last night, those who were strong and not so unconscious enough went with Howie to McDonald’s. It was pretty neat to be able to see what it is like to eat in there when you are in another country.

I missed it since I slept in, but some of us and Mrs. Hooper went on the morning walk; and today they went to San Francisco. (And no, I don’t mean the California one.) The cathedral there was lovely and the skies quite clear outside. Mr. Terry was quite awed by it all; and none of the walkers could pick a favorite part of the walk, either. God has really touched all of our hearts by this.

And I am convinced that HE is real and alive, and creation screams out God’s majesty, creativity, and beauty-especially here. You can see it in the splendor of the mountains; the clouds in the sky, the color of the flowers, and so many other places. But best of all, you can see HIS love in the children’s’ eyes and smiles. You can feel HIS power in the strength HE gives you when you walk and serve. It has been a fantastic privilege for all of us to be here. We came to bless, but instead the blessings are just overflowing every moment in our hearts and through our hands, willing to serve because of GOD’s uncountable grace. It is a glorious thing to be able to experience that.

May GOD bless you as you go about today. I would like to encourage you readers to pray for our team and most importantly our children. They are both gifts from GOD, wrapped in love, laughter, and adventure.

Guatemala, December 27, 2011-January 2, 2012

2011-12-29T11:51:00.001-05:00

Here we are in Guatemala! I never dreamed that I’d ever be able to travel to other countries, but God has blessed our team to be able to come and work at the Malnutrition Center. We traveled here and God watched over us and kept us safe. As soon as we arrived, all of us were absolutely awed by the lush, greenery here. The flowers are so bright and the land very mountainous. The people are so friendly, and I began to be very at ease once we reached the hotel.

Let me tell you a very special moment that I had yesterday. Of course, there were many of them, but this really spoke to me:

Yesterday we finally got to come to the center, and while Howie was starting to talk to our team when we walked in the door, I looked in one of the children’s rooms to see the most adorable girls on earth. Three or four of them walked to the doorway and looked at me. I looked at them and they stared at me, too. And when I looked in their rich-brown eyes-oh, it was amazing. They just lit up like little stars, and I could see the hope and joy they felt to see me. One of them-Maria Elena, I believe, just walked right up to me and fell into my arms for a hug. My heart melted at the site of them. And once they saw it was okay to hug me, the other two began walking to me for hugs, also. Back and forth they went-hugging me, walking away a bit, smiling, then coming back. It was absolutely adorable. I absolutely love to be here with the kids- when you just hold them or kiss their cute little cheeks, they just eat it up.

If you want to learn what trusting God is and what his love feels like, then come here. Love is all over this place. It is a symphony of little voices laughing, lit up faces, and love-filled hearts. Our team has had a blast here on our trip and God has really touched our lives through this. And while I have so much more to write, I am very anxious to see my little girls. I am sure they want to see me too. I cannot wait to see their precious smiles and hold their little hands. May God bless those reading this blog. Adios!

New Homes Baptist Church, Lakeland, FL

KAMONKOLI, UGANDA

2011-12-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

Being my first mission trip, yet alone my first trip to Africa, I had no
idea what to expect as our van pulled into Kamonkoli village in
Uganda. A mixture of anxiety and excitement in tow, Kamonkoli greeted
us with open arms as we pulled up to what would be our home for the
next week. The next seven days were filled with so many eye opening
experiences and realizations that it is near impossible to recount
them all, and I would hardly do them justice in terms of the gravity of
impact they made on my life.

One experience that certainly sticks out in my mind is leading the
men’s Bible study at the local community church. The lesson I had
chosen was a short message on the be-attitudes, and never having used a
translator before, I was a bit nervous opening up that morning. Just
to break the ice a little bit I shared my personal testimony and
asked them to do the same. Little did I know what I was about to
hear. Hands shot up all around the room full of men of all ages eager
to share their stories.

Growing up in a strict Muslim household, one
man told us about how his father had disowned him and threw him out of
his house as a teenager after telling his father he was converting to
Christianity. Another man told us about growing up in a home that was
heavily into witchcraft and the ongoing persecution he has faced from
that community after he came to Christ. One after another, the
stories went on like this. Even more amazing was the fact that
despite all that these men had gone through in their lives, despite their
poverty and the adversity all around them, they were some of the most
upbeat and positive people I had ever met. Despite my attempts to
share a few words of insight into the Biblical text, at the end of the
day it was they who were the ones doing the teaching!

From the men of that special Bible study to the line of children who
waited outside their huts to run and hold my hand each morning as we
walked down the village road toward the worksite, the smiling faces
and warm embraces of the people of Kamonkoli will always hold a
special place in my heart.
Pat Wilson

You might be in Uganda if...

2011-12-19T08:47:00.001-05:00

YOU MIGHT BE IN UGANDA IF…

...You’re sleeping under a mosquito net.

...You’re nauseous from taking malaria medication.

...Your most reliable alarm clock is a rooster.

...You have ant swarms in your kitchen.

...You call “Boda boda!” if you want a taxi, and a motorcycle comes riding up.

...You don’t have electricity or hot water.

...You’re drinking only bottled water...and a lot of it!

...You’re driving on the left side of the road.

...You take off your shoes at the door of a home when you visit.

...You smell like insect repellent all the time.

...Everyone around you is multi-lingual,
speaking English, Lugandan, Luguere, Swahili
(depending on what village you’re in).

...Your dinner was slaughtered earlier that day!

...You have to pick out the stones from your rice before you cook it.

...You’re name is “Muzungu”(white person).

...You can buy grasshoppers on the street for a snack.

...Young people kneel down out of respect to greet you.

...You’re served hot tea with milk—African chai.

...You have to be able to dance to be in the church choir!
(We don't know how Ron made it!)

...You find ears of corn in the offering plate at church.

...You receive a rooster as a gift from a family when you visit them.

AND BEST OF ALL...

...You’re surrounded by warm and loving people who, even though just a moment before they were perfect strangers, welcome you with open arms!

Uganda Construction Project

2011-12-17T13:53:00.000-05:00

This past August, a team from Orphan's Heart had begun work on a 10-foot high fence to enclose the entire Hines Ugandan Ministries (HUM) property in Kamonkoli, Uganda, digging fence post holes and laying the fence posts in concrete--some 140 of them! During the week of December 5-9, four members of our team, Wayne, Tim, Pat and Ron, picked up where that team left off. We worked alongside volunteers from the Kamonkoli church and some contracted brick masons to continue the work that the previous team had started. When we arrived, all of the fence posts were up, and most of the fencing had been stretched along the fence posts, and they were ready for us to begin building.
In our five days of working, we completed the foundation and brick work portion of the project. It was a blessing to see all of this come together! This walled entrance area and the guard house will become the main entrance of the community ministries area of the compound for HUM. We will keep this area separate from the orphanages area for security reasons. With the completion of the fence and guarded entrance, security can now be procured for future development on the site. The first building currently planned will be a much needed community center for the village.
All workers along with friends and team members were rewarded for a job well done at the end of the week with a fresh, REALLY FRESH, goat and pig roast! It was a feast!

Let us break bread together...

2011-12-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

Forty eight hours had passed since we had taken off from Miami, and finally we arrived in the village of Kamonkoli, Uganda. Travel and adventure were not over, however. God would lead us down many paths during our stay in Uganda. While traveling, whether to Mbale Town for supplies, or to and from our hosts' homes for meals, or to the construction site, or down the long and winding foot paths in the bush to visit families, the question would be asked, “What could be down this path?” Sometimes the path was narrow with trees brushing the sides of the van. Often the rain would fall, and travel would be muddy and slow, and the wheels of the van would spin and get stuck in the mud. The path would sometimes lead to a ditch that had to be crossed. I was reminded how God’s path for each of us often leads down narrow, muddy, and pit-filled trials, but God never leads where He is not at work among His people.

On the road between our home and the church--

a "path" we walked many times during the week!

One of the most meaningful parts of our trip were the relationships we built with our Ugandan brothers and sisters. Friday evening the team ate at the home of Katherine Hines, the founder of Hines Ugandan Ministries. Her home is approximately three years old and kept very nice. Katherine related how it took many years of saving the money needed to build the house. It is home to Katherine and 11 of her foster and adopted children, Sarah, Katie, Mary, Beatrice, Brenda, Violet, Sabrina, Susan, Goma, David, and Israel (Izzy).

Katherine's family with our team member, Alison,

who is trying on a tradtional wedding "gomez."

As our team entered the house, we removed our shoes, a ritual that would be repeated over and over in the course of the week. (I could relate since our family removes our shoes when we come in from outside as well.) What met the team afterwards were smiling children shaking our hands, introducing themselves and welcoming us to their home.

The "baldies"--Goma, Ron and Izzy

Sweet girls--Peace, Susan, Alison and Sabrina

Precious and hard-working girls--Brenda, Irene and Violet

We gathered in the sitting room and made formal introductions, and then the children, youth and several young adults began to sing for us. No cds, cassette tapes, mp3 players, or walkmans, just beautiful voices accompanied by a drum lightly beating to keep rhythm, worshiping the Holiness of God had begun. I don’t know how long we sang together, but it seemed too short of time as several songs brought tears to our eyes. When praise to Jesus had stopped, a nervous child read to us from God’s Word. I prayed for him the whole time. We were strangers, but that would change over the course of the coming week.

Singing praises with Katherine's family

Little David was in charge of devotion.

He read us the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho.

After worship and reading God’s Word, the children prepared the dining table for us. The silverware was placed, cups filled with juice and plates of food were placed on the table. We all gathered to eat. The food was great and all were filled. Some of us learned over the next few nights to use mayonnaise on foods we never tried before. A spicy garlic ketchup was used and enjoyed by some. Yes, some of us even bought some of the garlic ketchup to bring home. The mayonnaise, garlic ketchup and fruit juice we had were all good, but the meals around that big, big, yes, big dining room table will never be forgotten, because God had brought us together and made a family not for us but for Himself. It was an honor God had brought us together. If the week had ended right then, I think most of the team would have been content, but God was not done and had three more families to host us for dinner.

Great food and fellowship!

Monday night dinner brought us to the home of Uncle Bosco and his wife Mama Nancy, and their children, Florence, Dorcas, Sherri, Dianna and Samuel. They live in the house next to the home where our team stayed. Samuel, their son of two or three, met us every day with infectious excitement and a smile. Samuel loves to drive in the van with his daddy, or be carried. The other children would join Pat, a team member, for a game of marbles or football (soccer in the U.S.)

Our sweet little Ugandan Samuel

When the team came to dinner, Bosco and his family met us at the door with greetings. The team and family gathered in the room with chairs placed in a circle so no one was left out. After formal introductions we all worshiped in prayer and singing. Before our meal, two of their children came around with a bowl and pitcher of water and allowed us to wash our hands. It was a demonstration of the true servants these wonderful people are. The meal consisted of sloppy joes with a Ugandan flair. I don’t remember the Ugandan name, but the homemade hamburger buns I will always remember along with Mama Nancy's homemade spice cake with lots of icing.

Nancy and her sweet children

After the meal, we shared a time of praise and thanksgiving. Bosco’s family sang several songs for us in Swahili that brought us to tears. Bosco shared his journey of faith and the trials of his life. He said that life in the ministry has not always been easy, but God has been faithful. Bosco has been working for Hines Ugandan Ministry about a year; prior to that, he had served at other orphan ministries across Africa. His wife is from Kenya and misses her family, but will follow God to any place of service for the kingdom of God.

Uncle Bosco

Enjoying fellowship with Mama Nancy and her children

Tuesday night the team shared fellowship and a wonderful meal at the home of Pastor Charles. He met us and walked us to his home just across the court yard from where the team was staying. The pastor carried his youngest daughter, Rebecca; she is two and had our attention from the beginning, and she knew it. The team laughed with her on the three minute walk to their home.

Pastor Charles and little Rebecca

Fellow Pastors' wives, encouraging each other

Rebecca had Wayne wrapped around her finger!

The pastor is a quiet man who is honored to serve God, and he deeply cares for the children and widows.

Pastor Charles and his beautiful children, Gift, Rebecca, Dan and Anna

We entered his home and greeted everyone. After being given a tour of the family home, we all gathered for a time of praise and prayer. During dinner, Pastor Charles shared with us how a young white woman came to his village some 17 years ago, and endured many trials, sickness, accidents and lack of support, and yet she refused to leave the village. Pastor Charles stated, “Everyone thought she would run away.” With tears in his eyes, he said, “She kept coming back, and she did not run. Katherine Hines stayed, and today, for the glory of God, there is Hines Ugandan Ministries.” Pastor Charles never gave up on the woman from a different culture who loved his people.

Wednesday brought us to the home of Dr. Michael, a tall man with a smile that never ends. The team entered the house and Michael said, “your team is many and my home is small, we shall fill it up”. Dr. Michael’s home was already filled with respect, honor and love for God. After introductions and prayer, everyone filled their plates with food. The women were in the sitting room eating and laughing, and the men were in the dining room/kitchen, solving the problems of the world. (We concluded: leave the problems to God!)

What a spread!

Dr. Michael and his wife have two children, both of whom are in boarding school, a son who wants to be a doctor and a daughter who wants to be a lawyer. Uganda, like the United States, needs Christian leaders in all walks of life. Michael and his wife work hard and are trying to build a house they will own. They trust God and, like many in Uganda, build their homes one brick at a time as they have the money. People in the world could learn from this couple’s example. Michael said they have worked on their new home for seven years and God provides in His own time.

Michael with his wife, Joy, and their daughter Elena

Much more can be said about the wonderful families that our team met. The families met our need for food on a daily basis, but in their own unique way, each family fed our hearts and souls even more. These families, like others across the world, honor God for His holiness, faithfulness and salvation.

Our new forever friends, Nancy and Judith

God calls His people together, the Church, brothers and sisters in Jesus, to walk the path set before each one. When it rains and is muddy, God says He will get out and push. When the trail gets narrow and looks impossible, Jesus says “hold my hand”. God in His Word says when the pit before us will not let us cross, He, God alone, will carry His people to safety.

Tim Roe

Uganda Ladies Christmas Party

2011-12-14T11:16:00.001-05:00

Preparations for the Ladies' Christmas Party started early in the week with a visit to Mbale Town market shops in search of 200 pairs of slipper shoes as gifts for both ladies and men. We sat along side the narrow street with mounds of shoes piled beside us, counting sizes 39, 40, 41.....45. Soon people were gathering all around us to see what all the commotion was about with these "Muzungus"! (Muzungu is Swahili for 'white people.' It literally means 'confused!') Not that our white faces stood out or anything! Right? We just smiled and kept on counting and sorting sizes. Mission was accomplished in less than two hours! We hauled huge bags and boxes of shoes into the van, ready to be gift-wrapped the next morning together with a large bottle of lotion. (The team brought 380 bottles of lotion from the USA!)

Mama Nancy (Bosco's wonderful wife) was back at the compound baking a table full of wonderful sugar-iced spice cakes for the party! We had a peek at the cakes when returning with our shoes. They were beautiful!!

Tuesday morning was filled with gift wrapping and last-minute prep for various activities for the ladies that afternoon. All wrapping and preparations were finished just before heading to eat lunch at Katherine's house. We then headed to the church for the party with our wrapped gifts, 72 large inflated balloons (for a game), story visuals, prizes, etc.

It started raining! Yuk!!! We usually walk the half mile to the church, and the ladies come from miles around, walking on the long red clay road to the church. We had prepared for many ladies, and we feared the rains would keep them away. Not in Kamonkoli! We arrived to find at least 100 ladies already there, sitting on the old primitive backless benches, waiting for us. And they just kept coming --rain or not! As we entered the sanctuary, their applause rang out! Wow! Cynthia, Alison and I were overwhelmed when we looked out over the gathering group. You see, most all the ladies were dressed in their long, satin-like "Gomez" dresses and head wrap. The Gomez is the traditional dress for women in Uganda. They usually have only one, and it's tucked away in a metal box in their mud hut along with their Luganda Bible (if they can read) --their most treasured earthly possessions! The drab, gray, cinder block sanctuary had come alive with so many colors of their traditional dresses that the room just sparkled! They were so beautiful to look out and see!

We set up our things with no lights. Judith (Pastor Charles' wonderful wife) began our party with prayer and praise, as another hundred or so ladies arrived. We were so excited to be in such a unique part of the world, and we were honored to be worshipping with such precious women. They love the Lord and worship Him with all their spirit in their songs and praises and dancing! The music is like no other we have ever heard. Simple--with only a goat skin drum for accompaniment. So powerful! We felt the presence of the Lord in this simple African church. We knew we were on Holy ground.

Cynthia, Alison, and Mama Nancy shared an English Christmas carol with the ladies, "Angels We Have Heard on High." The sounds bounced off those concrete walls in an amazing way. Chills ran all over me as I listened. Wow! What a sound!

The story of "The Three Trees" started off our ladies' Bible Study, a simple story about three trees in the forest dreaming about what they plan to be when they grow up. The parable-like story reminded us that God's plan for our life may not be what our plan is, but God's plans are best if we follow them. Christine was our interpreter for the story . She did a great job explaining as the story was taught.

After our Bible study time, the tea party continued with some games, crafts and prizes. We had a Christmas tree craft for each lady to make with jewels and stickers. They were so proud of their simple craft to take home. Then we started our games. We had planned to have a balloon relay, but we weren't real sure how this was going to go over. We demonstrated, showing them how to sit on the balloon to pop it. The ladies were so excited! After lining up benches in the center of the room, they were more than ready to try. To see those ladies squealing and laughing at themselves and their friends was a sight to behold! We were all laughing so hard that we were crying! Watching those beautiful gomez dresses bouncing on the benches, popping balloons was so much fun!!!! We made so much noise that the men had to come over from their Bible Study to see what in the world was going on! We even got Pastor Ron to sit and pop a balloon!

After our games, the men came to join the ladies for African chai (hot tea with milk) and cake. All gathered together again while tea and cakes were served. This is traditional and a very special event for these Kamonkoli ladies. After tea, a line was formed while they sang and came forward for their wrapped shoes and lotion. For most ladies, it was the first time they had ever received a gift wrapped in Christmas paper. They were so gracious and thankful for such a simple gift. After more fellowship and many hugs, we all cleaned up the sanctuary and headed back down the red clay road to our compound.

For me the best surprise came after the Christmas party as all the beautiful women in their brightly colored luminescent dresses with sleeves like butterfly wings started down the dusty road to their mud huts. I was overwhelmed by the colors moving down the road. It looked like a beautiful, brightly-decorated, moving Christmas tree. There they were...they have no trees to decorate nor decorations to store each year. They WERE the Christmas tree themselves! They praised and worshiped the new born Christ. I have seen many many beautifully decorated trees in my life, but I have never seen a more beautiful one as watching those beautiful African women walking down the road.

This Christmas party was like none I could ever have imagined in my life's journey. It will be one I will keep in my heart all the days of my life. Merry Christmas, dear Kamonkoli ladies. We love you!

Nikki Bodie

Praise and worship!

Angels singing!

Nikki tells the story of the Three Trees, Christine translating

Beautiful ladies working on their craft.

The mat is reserved for mothers with young children.

Mama Nancy's yummy gifts!

Mama Nancy cuts the cakes!

Peace ladles out a pot of African chai.

Alison, Nikki, Cynthia...what a team!

Handing out gifts

The ladies line up for their gifts...singing all the while!

A sincere thank you to Katherine Hines for all she's done!

Medical Work on Uganda Mission Trip

2011-12-13T11:17:00.000-05:00

The roles of our team members varied on this trip to Uganda. Some did construction, some did Bible studies, and some did home visits. My role, primarily, was to provide medical care. All of our roles had a commonality in that they were to glorify God in serving the people of Kamonkoli.

Our team was able to acquire a large of amount of medications and medical supplies and bring them to Uganda. These medications were used throughout our stay to treat patients at Marah Clinic. What was left over, which was a lot, was left in the very capable hands of Michael Namai, a Clinical Officer (physician's assistant) who works with Hines Ugandan Ministries. He will use them to continue to meet the medical needs of HUM and the people of Kamonkoli.

Dr. Jason and Michael sorting medicines

Marah Clinic is a small clinic that is located adjacent to the compound where we stayed. Their staff provide basic health care services for the village of Kamonkoli, including HIV and malaria blood testing in their small lab, serve as midwives to many of the pregnant woman of the village, as well as run a vaccination program for the children of Kamonkoli.

Sign of lab services provided

The lab -- HIV and Malaria testing

Florence, the head midwife, in her supply room at the clinic

Labor and Delivery room

The injection room

They were gracious enough to allow me to use their facility to see patients this week. Their staff: Margaret, Florence, Mili, Andrew and Robert were very helpful, and we ended up seeing over 100 patients. Their ailments varied including anemia, upper respiratory infections, hypertension, malaria, typhoid, HIV-related conditions, as well as muscular-skeletal problems and skin infections. We were able to provide antibiotics and other medications. A couple of patients required care beyond the scope of our clinic, but we were able to provide resources for them to travel to the nearby town of Mbale to get further care.

The Doctor is in!

It was a pleasure to work with Michael. He proved to be very knowledgeable and clinically savvy. His ambition is to work with HUM to open a clinic to provide free care to HUM sponsored children, their families, and the people of Kamonkoli. We did much planning this week to that end, and it is our prayer that we can get a temporary clinic opened very soon and ultimately a permanent clinic built as part of the development of the HUM project. Michael is a huge asset to the people of Kamonkoli, and I am very confident he is going to provide excellent care for them. It is our goal to work along side him, helping to provide medications, medical supplies, and financial resources to make this clinic a success.

Michael at the General Clinic in Mbale Town

Two patients stuck out to me in particular. The first is a 30 year old man with psychiatric issues. He has been struggling with the problem since the age of 22, but has not been able to get any medical attention. This past week, he finally received the evaluation he needed. We were able to see that he got a medical evaluation as well as a consultation with a psychiatrist. A treatment plan was established for him involving an inpatient stay and on-going therapy. We pray that through this treatment plan and God's hand, this gentleman will once again become a productive member of the village and be a testament to what Godly love in action can result in.

The second patient, was not one I saw directly. It was a little boy that was born into this world just 2 doors down from where I was seeing patients. I had been talking to one of the clinic workers about the government-run HIV program in Uganda and particularly about the efforts to reduce the rates of transmission from mother to baby. And then, I heard the cry of a new born baby.

I waited an hour or two and then went to see him. There on a hard table lay the baby beside his young mother, who was wearing her gomez (fancy Ugandan dress) . The little boy was lying peacefully, sucking his thumb. He had a full head of hair and looked healthy, weighing a little over 7 lbs. The mother was 19 years old and this was her second child. The father was not there at the time. He was out trying to borrow 30,000 shillings ($12) to pay for the delivery. Our team was able to help them. The mother hadn't eaten, and we were able to gather a bag of food for her, provide some clothes and a quilt for the baby, and took care of the delivery costs.

The more I looked at this child, the reality of his future began to set in. This boy, only hours old, was born in Uganda, one of the poorest countries on earth. He was born in a country where there is lack of clean water, nutrition, immunizations, money, education, and hope. I thought back to my own birth, and the birth of my son, and what vastly different circumstances we were born into compared to this boy. The only thing that separates our circumstances is God's sovereign grace. I began to think about what the weeks and months to come would bring to this child. No doubt, bouts with malaria will ensue, along with parasitic worm infestations, malnutrition, and all the other maladies common in the developing world. The unfairness of it saddens me.

The dim reality of his future makes my heart ache, yet it does not have to be this way, not for this boy and his future. Not for the children of Hines Ugandan Ministries. Not for the children of Kamonkoli. If we would but follow the "true religion" of caring for the widows and orphans as described in James 1:27, we could provide these children, and this generation of Kamonkoli a brighter future. One that would give them access to clean water, nutritious food, freedom from disease, and an education that would help them rise above the poverty that is Uganda. Most importantly, it would give them a future basked in and supported by a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. With Him, all things would be possible, even here in Uganda.

This little boy will remain in our thoughts and prayers, because he is a living representation of what is Uganda and the whole developing world. He represents the enormous challenges that are in need of a gracious, all-powerful, loving God that I know and believe will provide.

This week marked the beginning of an asserted effort to meet the on-going medical needs of Kamonkoli, in addition to the spiritual and physical needs of the children of Hines Ugandan Ministries.

Dr. Allen J. Holmes

UGANDA TEAM BACK IN THE U.S.A

2011-12-12T12:57:00.003-05:00

Our Uganda team returned safely to the States yesterday. Our hearts are so full of joy, and we're bursting with excitement to tell of all that we experienced! Thank you for your prayers for our team; God answered every one, beyond what we could have asked or imagined!

As we did not have a way to post our blog while we were in Uganda, we will be posting for the next few days as best we can. There simply is no way that words, or even pictures, could ever describe what we experienced; but our desire is that God would somehow stir a passion in your heart for this incredible work through the telling of our stories and sharing of our photos.

Meet the team...

Dr. Jason Holmes, Tim Roe, Cynthia & Ron Gunter,

Pat & Alison Wilson, Wayne & Nikki Bodie

And now meet just a few of the wonderful people who loved us and hosted us...

Pastor Charles Magale, his wife Judith, and their family

Uncle Bosco and Mama Nancy

Dr. Michael Namai, his wife Joy, and their children, Elena and Marvin

Katherine Hines, of Hines Ugandan Ministries

Stay tuned for more...

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-12-06T19:33:00.001-05:00

Gautemala - Day 7: The “Texas 5” returned to the center for our last day with the kids. Since the rest of the team flew back home early this morning, we were small in numbers and decided to hang out with the babies today. It made for a nice change in pace although after a while Lynn said it was a little too slow for him. Nonetheless, we stuck it out. I also took the opportunity to take a video recording tour of the building. I haven’t reviewed it yet, but I am sure it will come out a bit shaky. I will post it as soon as I can.

Our translator went back out to the center with us as well. This gave us a chance to get to know her a little better . She is 22 and loves the twins in the nursery. She lives about 15 minutes outside of Antigua. She goes to a Pentecostal church in that community and shared with us that she used to go to a Baptist church in Antigua. We asked her if she would show us where it is and on our way home we drove by. It is near the arch of Antigua and has a restaurant as a part of its ministry. However, both were closed by the time we arrived.

This afternoon we will finish shopping at the market, enjoy our last dinner, and pack our bags for our flights tomorrow. LeeAnn and I will be leaving the hotel at 3:30 in the morning for our 7am flight. Bette Sue, Lynn, and Barabara will get to sleep in, eat breakfast, and leave the hotel at 9:30 for a 1:30pm flight. LeeAnn and I will stop over in Panama and Miami before arriving in Houston at 7pm. The rest will stop over in Ft. Lauderdale and then on to Dallas by 10pm. Llano will be our final destination in the wee hours of Thursday morning. See you all when we get home! Tell our kids we love them and have surprises for them!

Below are some reflections that could have changed the way this trip ended:
1) One of our team members, Fred, learned that his brother went into the hospital with a serious condition after we arrived in Guatemala. The condition was serious enough that the doctors were considering amputation of one of his feet.
2) One of Greg and Darla’s children went to the hospital after our arrival as well.
3) Barbara’s blood pressure got up to 170 and she dealt with faintness for a day.
4) Mrs. Jewel Lamb who is 84 years old and who also broke her hip in November of 2010, fell into a flower bed surrounded with stone, nearly hitting a flag pole, but was not injured.

I am thankful that these occurrences did not become something more. It goes to show that God would not allow anything to redirect what He had already planned. We have all had a blessed week. It has been very uplifting and a blessing to serve and bless others. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will do with those who hear of this ministry and join in His work here at the Malnutrition Center. God’s grace and peace to all of you!

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-12-06T04:35:00.001-05:00

Gautemala – Day 6: It’s Monday and after a day off we head back to the center to see the kids. The routine begins with bathing and dressing the kids to play. Today is a hard day for most of our team as it will be their last day to see the kids, and then they will fly back home in the morning. All around the center I saw team members trying to soak up the final moments. They were holding the kids more, holding more kids, doing crafts and activities with them, dancing (yes, I said dancing – it’s in the Bible!) playing ball, chasing them around, endless pictures, and again…holding them as much as they could. It’s funny how these cute little guys and gals play with your emotions. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like before you get here. But once you’ve experienced their open arms raised high, or their little bodies turned around and backing into your lap so that you will hold them, or their endless invitation to a tickle-fight, or their repeated “hola!” 's in only a way that their precious little kiddy-voices can say it…you’re hooked. You want to see them again. You want to take them home. You don’t want to leave.

Nonetheless, that’s what we have to do. We have our families and our jobs to return to. The center will go on and wait for the next team to arrive the week after Christmas. How they do it without all the help we provide is beyond comprehension. All I can say is that the center’s workers are a very special, hard-working, and loving people. I cannot speak Spanish very well, but I understand a little bit. Today and yesterday, one of the elderly lady workers at the center expressed such gratitude to LeeAnn and I (and I know they have to others) for coming to help her. She said that it made things so much easier for her to feed, change, and take care of the little ones she loves. She hugged us many times and said that she thanked God for our team coming and that she prayed for His blessings on us. It was an emotional and uplifting moment to know that what we have done has brought Christ glory through others heart-felt thanksgiving.

As we departed the center today, the children and the workers came out to see us off. As they waved good-bye, blew kisses at us, and shouted “adios!,” our hearts melted, tears fell, and for some…silence was all that could be mustered.

Tonight we had our last dinner together and our last WOW time together. We shared with each other how much we have changed each other’s lives in this short time we have had together. We also shared how much this ministry has meant to us. One comment in particular was Pat’s story about a conversation she had with some of the cooks at the center. She told the cooks that if they ever got to come to Orlando that she wanted them to come to her house so she could cook for THEM. She followed that by saying that she was not sure when or if she would get to come back to Guatemala because of how expensive the trip is. Then one of the ladies asked her to imagine how much harder it would be for them to come to see her. Now that puts what we do into perspective. Finally, Greg shared with us that when we think about what the kids, their families, and the workers need, to think not about what ‘things’ they need or how much money they need. They do not need our things or our money, they ‘need’ our Savior. We closed our time together sharing contacts and giving invitations to visit each other. I personally am looking forward to visiting these great friends and getting to know them better.

I can’t think of a better way to spend the holidays than to serve like this. I look forward to doing this for many years to come. But first, there are five of us from Llano, TX, (now known as the "Texas 5") who will remain in Guatemala for an extra day. We will travel back to the center tomorrow and spend the day in the nursery. One of our team members has been blessed to be with these babies since we arrived. We are all looking forward to a change of pace and getting to hold those tiny cuties. I learned this week that there is a set of twins in the nursery that are up for adoption. I have only seen the girl (the other is a boy). She is so adorable! I want to take her home! Am I nuts with seven kids already?!

I learned of a story about our translator today. She is a young lady, maybe in her early 20’s. Her name is Keren. Keren lost her dad 3 years ago. She said that this group has been the most meaningful group to her since her dad died because there was a man on our team who looked and acted goofy just like him. She said this of Lynn. Lynn is tall and is 50-something going on 12. He loves to be silly. He is always trying to lift someone’s spirit. He’s a hoot and so much fun to be around. Keren says that the only thing different about Lynn is that he is about 3 shades lighter than her dad was. Funny how God uses you in ways that you would never know and could never plan.

In closing, I want to share a moment we had during lunch today. A mother was visiting the center and carrying a bag full of items on her head (as is a custom here in Guatemala). Several of our ladies wanted to give it a try and she let them. They could get the bag on their heads (and noted that it was heavy), but none could balance it. One nearly fell down trying! These mothers who carry these bags up and down hills, across rugged terrain, carrying a baby on their back, and holding children’s hands are quite an impressive sight! Tonight, Greg challenged Bette Sue to learn how to balance the bag. If she mastered it, he said he would fly her from Texas out to Florida to use her during a sermon that he would title “How to live a balanced life”. She would, however, have to balance it for the duration of the sermon. Bette Sue issued the challenge back to Greg saying he should learn to do it so he could be the example of a balance life! What fun this group is…it all started at the airport a week ago…and I am looking forward to where it will go!

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-12-06T04:34:00.000-05:00

Guatemala – Day 5: Today being Sunday, we have the day off and have it planned to explore Antigua. But first we join together in worship. After a time of singing, Pastor Greg from Cornerstone Church in Inverness, Florida, shared with us a message about how we all have “Potential”. I have included some of the points shared below:
1) Potential is not something you gain, but something you use up.
2) There is incredible potential in all of us…given by God.
3) These children at the Malnutrition Center were created by God with incredible potential. He knew they would be born poor. He knew what their physical, spiritual, and emotional handicaps would be. But He has a plan for every one of them. They are not where they are by accident. God’s plan for them is to help them realize their potential. We also are a part of God’s plan in being here this week. Every day 25,000 children die of hunger. Imagine waking up tomorrow to find out that all the children in your town have died. In some small way, we get to play a small role in changing that statistic.
4) God has created incredible potential through the center’s workers…for their lives, their families, and for the kids.
5) Perhaps one of the greatest sins of the church today is being ‘content to live without using the potential God has given them’.
6) Finally, love the kids…don’t pity them. They are special, and God created them for something special.

After worship, we loaded two big green machines (WWII Trucks – think M.A.S.H.) that carried us to the Filadelphia Coffee Plantation and Resort for zip-lining. Those that did not want to zip-line got a special tour of the plantation and its facilities. Those who went zip-lining chose either the high or the low zip-line. We then mounted the green machines to climb a steep and winding road with numerous switchbacks up a mountain overlooking Antigua. The views were breathtaking. Once the high zip-liners arrived at our destination, we saw first-hand the 393 feet high zip-line that stretched 1700 feet across two mountains. Several of our group members nearly backed out of the fun, but mustered up the courage to take a leap of faith (as Pastor Greg would say). The lower zip-liners were still high in the mountain and they went through a series of 7 lines.

After coming down off the mountain, we headed for McDonald’s for lunch. It is the finest McDonald’s I’ve yet to see, as it includes McCafe (with baked goods and coffee), McInternet (which includes free access through four computers), a playground and a courtyard with fountains, sculptures, lighting at night, and a great view of one of the volcanoes.

Next we head to the market for gift shopping. Many of the market’s items are handmade and if you’re lucky, you might catch one of the locals painting a piece of art or weaving a piece of fabric as you shop. Treasures to be found include jewelry, handbags, ornaments, clothes, rugs, table runners, hand-made crafts, pictures, and much more. There was sure to be something found for everyone.
LeeAnn and I took the entire afternoon shopping as we have many children, family, and friends back home to bring back gifts to (even some for Christmas!). Instead of walking back to the hotel after shopping, we gave our sore feet a rest and rode the tuc-tuc which is the local 3-wheel, motorcycle-like taxi.

After dinner and wow time (our time of sharing with each other our special moments of each day), Howie took a group for an evening stroll back to McDonald’s for coffee, dessert, and fellowship. There never seems to be a shortage of food. No one here can say they will go home starved.

Thinking forward to a return trip, several in our group have already been discussing plans for a trip next December. We love the ministry here at the Malnutrition Center, we love our wonderful leader, Howie, we love being around each other, and we love Guatemala! It seems so many of us are becoming close friends very quickly. This is amazing to see how God can bring people together from different places and unite them in friendship and service to Him. Speaking of service, break time is over…we head back to the center tomorrow!

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-12-05T16:36:00.000-05:00

Guatemala - Day 4: Today is Saturday. Normally the center is closed on Saturdays and no teams would come out. This week is bit different in that our team is working from Wednesday to Wednesday instead of Monday through Friday. I'm not really sure what 'closed' means except that no one would be able to get into the facilities. Obviously, the kids do not magically disappear, so there is still much work to be done at the center.

Speaking of magic, today the staff held their own Christmas party for each other and their families. At the party there was live music and one of our team members from Florida performed a magic show. This was just one of the many ways that we have been able to be a part of the lives of the families who are connected to the center. Orphan's Heart will host another Christmas party for the workers later in the month when the team will serve the families a meal and worship with them.

Speaking of improvements, the center has changed a bit since I was here last December. There are so many diapers now that they have their own stock room. The food pantry has increased it's supply greatly. And the clothes and blankets are well-stocked. But, although the center appears stocked well on all these, we are told that these rotate out on a continual basis. The clothes go out to the kids here at the center and to their siblings at home. With some 40 kids in diapers, nearly 120 diapers are used daily, 800 weekly, and 3200 monthly. The 78 kids at the center are fed breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner. All said, supplies get used quickly here. But thanks to mission teams who come to the center the supplies are staying constant and increasing. Another addition that I noticed today was mirrors in the baby play area. This might not seem all that significant, but these kids rarely get to see themselves. I never thought about that until it was mentioned this week, but there are next to no mirrors in the center, and most certainly none at home. Having a mirror is a very special treat. Can you imagine what life would be like without it?

There's some talk about remodeling a portion of the center to be used as housing for teams to stay a portion of their time here. This would help to reduce the cost of travel, and the plans would still include Antigua and other frills that we all love about the trip. Other talks have included looking into a church plant and doing construction projects for the families of the children at the center. These could be viable ways to reach out to the local communities and draw them in to knowing and experiencing God's love.

So far this week we have noticed some interesting things about the kids: 1) Some of the kids are now calling us 'momma' and 'dad' 2) Most of the kids eat ALL of their food. They wil not let you take a plate with food left on it. 3) They eat a LOT of food. Their meals are jam-packed! 4) Some of them can speak a few English words...but most all of them understand what we say in English (such as sit-down, lay down, play ball) 5) When they get the chance to watch TV, they are glued to it...they seem to look right through you if you stand in the way 6) Two things they love: riding their trikes and playing ball (not so different than our children!) 7) They are all well taken care of at the center. They have a good life here...even though it is not home.

From day one, perhaps one of the most memorable experiences about this trip has been the fellowship of the team with each other. We have heard from each other how God orchestrated this trip, we have shared ministry experiences and future ministry plans, we have prayed with and for each other, and most of all, we have met people that you can truly call friends.

I have to say, we all know that we are on a mission trip, but in a way it feels like a vacation. I mean, the hotel is beautiful, the food is abundantly excellent, the mountains are gorgeous, the culture is authentic, the architecture is rustic, and the shopping is a classic experience! We have even experienced a tremor caused by the local, active volcano. It was wierd to feel the concrete slab underneath our feet sway like wooden boards (happened during a prayer too...now that's neat!)! We regularly hear the volcano boom (like a shotgun) and see it put off plumes of smoke. These are all of the things that you would want in a vacation! But none of us are kidding ourselves, we know we are on a mission. And the last couple of days we have felt it. A combination of fatigue from elevation, weariness from chasing infants and toddlers, and a busy schedule has played upon the team. It hit me sooner than most of the rest as I was suffering from caffeine withdrawals. Solution? I hit the store across the street from the hotel for a big bottle of Coke (there is no Dr. Pepper here - geez!). After 3 days at the center, tomorrow we will be getting a nice break as we pause to go zip-lining, shopping, and sight-seeing. Then we will be back at the center again on Monday!

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-12-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

Guatemala - Day 3: Today is Friday, and on Fridays the children's parents get to vist them at the center for a short while during the afternoon. Teams do not stay at the center during this time. So, after we fed and played the children this morning, we left the center to go to the San Juan outdoor market. The market is set up in a courtyard setting in town. There are many venders along the sidewalks around the courtyard and nearby streets. These venders offer many different products including produce, meats, jewelry, clothing, and toys. We were told before getting off the bus to walk the market that we should not purchase any foods. It became apparent why. The venders displayed their product in various types of containers, on cloths, or right on the sidewalk...but nothing was refrigerated or protected from flies or other environmental elements. There were some foods that you had to wonder what they really were or what they were intended for. Take various animals innards for example...or a cleaned out and dried out iguana (with the claws and hide still remaining). We called this iguana jerky. What else could it be? A more comical cultural experience would be the very tiny lady who carried a burlap bag around the market with a small squeeling pig inside. Another would be the large turkey who lay perfectly still on the sidewalk next to his vendor as if he had no idea what he was there for (ok, his legs were tied...but still...he lay so still!) A wonderful touch to the tour of the courtyard was a visit to an old catholic church. The architecture was beautiful!

We returned to the center to wake the kids from their naps, give them snacks, and spend more time giving them attention. It is so amazing to see how much they long for someone to play with them and to hold them. Once you pick up a child, every child refuses to be put back down. They will even throw screaming fits. It's mind-boggling. They know they must get all the attention they can get while we are there...because when we leave...they only have a small number of workers at the center who can do this. I was told that when we left this evening to go back to the hotel that the babies began crying. The workers told our team that they were not crying because their parents were not there, they were crying because we were leaving...because they know we are there to hold and play with them. It doesn't take long for these kids to grow on you and pull your heart strings.

Back in Antigua, Howie took the team out to a wonderful Mexican dinner complete with a live band at La Pina. The band performed a combination of guitar, congas, bass, drums, and pan flutes. They were magnificent! I know at least one other of our team members thought so too! How do I know? SHE DANCED! Oh what a wondeful night it was! We love Guatemala! And we are looking forward to another day with the kids tomorrow!

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-12-02T22:12:00.005-05:00

Gautemala - Day 2: I am told that once you've been to the Malnutrition Center once, you're a pro. Each person gets baptized into the fire almost immediately upon first arrival. That was true today. Just after we arrived, Howie (from Orphan's Heart) gave us a tour, which included getting to see the facilities and all the kids in their various rooms. Well, at some point during the tour we noticed Barbara was missing (not that that is anything really surprising). Nonetheless, I go looking for her and find her changing a child from one of the first rooms we visited. He was a mess and she could not leave him that way. Barbara took the these babies like they were her own. It was a very special thing to see. But not only Barbara...seeing Lynn swinging the kids, Bette Sue pushing the kids around in the train, and LeeAnn rocking two babies at a time...priceless. The kids here crave attention and we got to be the ones who were blessed to love them. Today was wonderful! Shawn Messer

Guatemala, Nov 30-Dec 6, 2011

2011-11-30T22:47:00.001-05:00

Arrived safe and sound after an early start (4am trip to the airport). We have four churches represented this week...FBC Columbus, GA, Cornerstone Baptist Church, FBC Llano, Texas, and FBC Mount Dora. Tomorrow we will begin our week at the center with the children. We are super excited to start loving on them. Thank you Lord for safe travel and a nice comfortable bed! Check back tomorrow for news on our first day!

Greetings from Guatemala! We have arrived in Antigua with smooth travels! We spent the evening getting to know the rest of our mission team who are from Florida and Georgia. We have all just met, but our day has been full of such great fellowship and laughter and neat stories about each other's lives...you'd think we have known each other for years. The food, the architecture, and the grounds here at Hotel Soliel are gorgeous (including a fireplace in every room)! There are three volcanoes around us, but we had only a hint of the views through the clouds today. The weather was a bit cool (60 degrees), but is expected to be in the mid-70's through the rest of our stay. Today has been great, but tomorrow the real fun begins as we head out to Maluntrition Center to spend the day with the kids! Blessings to all of you and tell our kids we love them! Shawn Messer

November 12-17, 2011

2011-11-17T23:23:00.000-05:00

Well, today was our last day at the center and we all felt so special. The staff served us homemade tortillas, a special drink that tasted like corn chowder, it was all delicious. We had our regular brown bag lunch plus nachos and salsa. Yum yum!! They set up tables inside which were saw horses as the base and pieces of wood as the table. This reminded me of my days as a child in Key West… Since it was inside due to rain, they even brought grass in from outside and placed it all around the table. We then served the workers and gave them each a little gift. It was very emotional as we each shared what one group meant to the other group. We played a game similar to bingo that was in Spanish and we used black beans as our markers. It was very fun.
Aside from the farewell activities, it was pretty much a regular day today at the center. One of the little babies, Daniel has chicken pox and we fear William and Samuel will be next… if not the entire Canary unit (this is what the little babies are named).
I learned that the older toddler boys have to sit on the potty after breakfast every day until they do their business. Seems some get impatient and take the potty with them wherever they think they have to be. Picture these little guys carrying their potty chair around. They obeyed and did not get off their potty. You have to give them credit.
Today we gave four of the older girls dresses and yarn dolls our ladies and youth made. Wait til we show you their pictures! You would have thought we gave them a million dollars or they were just named Miss Guatemala. They were twirling around and running with the biggest smiles on their precious faces.
At the end of the day we all took our babies out to the lobby for a final group picture. Then we put all our babies in their beds said some tearful goodbyes and boarded our bus for the ride back to the hotel. It was a quiet ride with lots of sniffling. The day went by WAY too fast. Most of us prayed over the babies throughout the day.
Our final evening together was great. Our translators and our bus drivers joined us as well. Again more tearful goodbyes but we promised to keep in touch.
We have so much more to share but it will have to be later as 4:30am will be here before we know it.
One thing, actually two things, you must hear that happened while we were here. Tuesday night Fuego (fire) the volcano erupted and this morning during our devotions there was an earth quake. Obviously neither was large enough to cause concern or you would have heard about them on the news. Just something else the Lord allowed us to experience as part of His creation.
We are well and anxious to see you all tomorrow. Our plane arrives at 1:52 so we should be at the church around 4 or so.
Thank you for your prayers and we hope you have been blessed by our mission trip.
See you tomorrow.

Guatemala November 12-18, 2011

2011-11-17T11:06:00.001-05:00

Wednesday

From our correspondent on the ground in Guatemala, here is the latest.

A first haircut for Santos. He is the youngest of four here in the center. His oldest brother, Simeon, has been returned a number of times. He is very sweet and loves to help with yard work outside. Back to the haircuts. The children sat very still, quiet and patient while they got their hair cuts. We are amazed at how well behaved the children are. When we show them their picture after their haircut, they get the biggest smiles, especially the older girls. We “guesstimated” that there were about 20 haircuts given today. When we leave the center in the evening, the older toddlers come out, wave and say good bye. It is priceless.

On our way home, a few of us thought we saw a young boy doing CPR on another. So Samuel,our driver, made a u~turn in a big bus on a narrow mountain road (very impressive) to go back. The kids were playing and were fine. We're not sure if they were trying to pull one over on us or not, but if so, it worked.

Tonight was our last time to shop and as all of us got to take a tuc tuc back to the hotel. What a treat. Everyone was at dinner tonight and feeling good. The other team has had 3 of their 4 down with a bug.
Dinner was wonderful. It was our last dinner at the hotel and the table was beautifully decorated with candles, chargers under the plates, and beautiful poinsettia plants as the center pieces (which are grown here in Guatemala). We had bananas foster for dessert.

As we shared our WOW moments tonight, we were all in agreement that we definitely want to return. What an amazing ministry to the people of Guatemala. The nannies, the cooks, nurses,laundry guy, the director of the center, bus driver, and Howie are truly devoted to the children. There were tears tonight as we talked about leaving the children that have wrapped their tiny fingers around our hearts.
We have a couple of specific prayer requests. One prayer is that the judge does not take Rosa and her twin (William) away from their parents and send them to an orphanage 6 hours away. Another set of twins, Veronica and Daniel, have a new brother that is 1 month and 3 weeks old. It is obvious to the untrained eye that he needs to be at the center as well. The dad will not allow the mom to leave him. But, she does get formula when she visits. Pray dad will allow the baby to become a resident of the center.

Well, please pray for us too as we love and nourish, then leave the babies until the Lord brings us back.

Thank you all for your prayers for us and the children.

Until next time!!!

Guatemala November 12-18, 2011

2011-11-15T23:18:00.000-05:00

Well I thought I would be smart and start my blogging early and continue throughout the day. It is now 2:30 and I pressed a button by accident that said "discard" and it was gone. I am not happy. So you are only going to get the meat of our mission trip.
When we arrived this morning the babies had already been bathed and fed. So we started washing down the beds, walls and putting clean linens on their beds. About mid morning we were asked who wanted to go on a field trip with some of the babies. The field trip was to the county health department for checkups and shots. There were about 8 of us with 10 babies. One of our translators, Olivia, was given the opportunity to invite a woman and her children to check out the center. There was/is a rumor that the Americans come and take the children back to the states and keep them as slaves or sell them as slaves. She was very happy for us to take pictures of her, her twins, and the other two children. We will print copies of the pictures we took of her family and give them to her when she comes to the center on Thursday.
Upon our return, it was time to give the babies lunch and put them down for naps. We cleaned all their toys, washed dishes, swept floors etc.
Then we had our lunch. We have a beautiful area on the property where we gather for lunch. This is when we talk about our morning’s events. We learned that one of the girls, Odilia, 2 1/2 years old, sweet as can be and smart, is considered an orphan. Once she goes to the orphanage, which we hope will be a very long time, she will probably live there until she is of age (18 years old). Please pray for her. Several of our babies are sick and have to be quarantined. They don’t understand why they can't come out and play like the others. After lunch we go back to our areas and some help out with inventory (the items we brought down have to be inventoried.) We may be here a while! The workers have their lunch and break at 3pm, at and at this time we share a devotional with them.
While the workers are in their meeting, wee go back in with the children and clean them up and give them their afternoon snack. We play with them, and then clean them up again. We have them back in their beds by 4:20 as we have to be on the bus by 4:30.

Some of us stopped at the tile shop to purchase some wonderful souvenirs and/or gifts while others went on to the market.
After dinner tonight some went to McDonalds for dessert or much missed fries. The McDonalds here is supposed to be beautiful. You'll have to find out from someone who went. I could not do any more walking today. Some of us are heading to the Jacuzzi in hopes of physical ailment relief!
Please pray for Jon, a team member from another church team as he is not feeling well. Until tomorrow…

Your mission team from Guatemala.

Guatemala November 12-18, 2011

2011-11-14T23:02:00.004-05:00

Monday

On our way to the center we were asked to look for forest, farms, flowers, and furniture. Of course,we were too busy talking to see any of that.

WOW! What an impression when we walked into the center. There were babies and toddlers everywhere. We were given a tour and were amazed even more. Don Gonzalez, the only male worker at the center does all the laundry. Though he has dryers, to conserve on electricity, he hangs the laundry out to dry. We are talking 80 children that each wear 3 layers of clothing as is the custom. Each child's clothes are changed at least twice a day. You do the math...and don't forget the sheets, bibs, blankets,and,etc.

We divided into teams and went to where the Lord led us. Some went to the bed babies. Bed babies can include children as old as two and a half but they look more like 6 months. There are three sets of twins in the bed babies. Our youngest is 3 months old. Again tnis could be younger than some in the bed babies. Others went to the older toddlers and most but not all are potty trained. One of our team members in the younger toddlers described the babies as having their diapers so full it went all the way up their backside, and it does. Howie says that is a good sign for a child in a malnutrition center. AMEN!! One more area to serve in was the kitchen. Talk about laundry, what about the number of meals, bottles, special meals, and special formulas that need to be prepared. Then all the dishes that need to be washed, dried, and put away. The floors are cleaned constantly through out the day.
Here is what was said at our WOW time tonight.
When we first arrived with the younger toddlers some were weak in their legs. After playing with them and holding them and encouraging them they started to walk. Children are patient while others are being fed (not enough workers even when teams are here). The children return your love and you can see now much tney love their everyday care givers and how much the care givers love the children.
Kitchen staff works very hard. They never sat down and never take a break. When Howie visits the kitchen he says something to them in Spanish that makes them laugh hysterically. The workers love Howie as much as he loves them.
There are a couple of escape artists at the center. One is in the bed babies and the other is in the young toddlers.
Just like all other children, they think it is funny to try and get away with something and of course we love to chase after them and hug 'em and bring 'em back.
The children are little, young, active, and very loving. We are not supposed to have favorites however the author of tnis blog had one immediately. Precious 3 month old Myra. I'm sure I was not the only one breaking the rule. But as soon as you hold, change, feed, teach a lesson to them, they ALL become your favorite.
The older children were taught lessons which they happily and proudly recited when asked to.
Tomorrow is another early day so I will sign off until tomorrow.
We all agree, it is a blessing and privledge to be here to help nourish these children back fo good health.

What a wonderful day of literally being the hands and feet of Jesus and loving on the children. Thank you Lord Jesus for this opportunity! What an amazing ministry!

HAITI UPDATE 5

2011-11-14T21:38:00.001-05:00

Monday, November 14

This morning we had a lot of car trouble, but finally made it out to Bon Repos. We stopped first at the current orphanage so the Atlanta team could meet the children and see the conditions they are living in now. After a brief tour the kids all trouped out of their classroom and sang us some beautiful songs, including "Jesus Loves Me" in English, and Pastor Edmond and I gave short speeches of thanks and appreciation and prayers for each other, the care-givers and the children.

At the new site, we found Pastor Edmond's crew busy re-building the wall in front next to the ravine and putting in retaining walls on the site side of the bridge for the fill they will dump there so they can build the ramp on that side. They are waiting on the street side ramp, because right now they use that area for materials to be dumped and to mix concrete, as that's a lot easier for them to do there.

The Atlanta team "shot" the site for elevations, and dug some holes to test the soil. Other than the fact we will need a lot of fill soil, the site looks fine to them. We spent a lot of time going over the current drawings and discussing requirements and details, and they say they hope to have a full set of plans for us by January, including a detailed schedule showing the best sequence for doing the construction, with priority given to completely finishing the first third of the main building so we can move the children there as soon as possible. They are doing all of this for free, as part of their "Third Lens" ministry. Praise God for their timely help and dedication.

The next team coming is putting in a water purifier at the current orphanage, which will be moved to the new one as soon as the kids are moved. In December we will do the closing on the property, and in January the first volunteer work teams will start construction in earnest. We have three teams coming in January alone, praise the Lord.

Please pray for everyone working so hard to get this done, and for funds to keep the work going.

January is coming!

Guatemala November 12-18, 2011

2011-11-14T16:51:00.001-05:00

Saturday and Sunday

The group from FBC Pompano Beach & FBC Port Charlotte

Our flight was very smooth. Lunch was served, that is unusual.

Once we landed, we colllected our luggage and headed for customs. Howie said "this has never happened before" but the customs agents went through all our luggage pieces that had supplies in them. One of the team members had to offer his passport to be "black balled" for six months, meaning that he can not bring supplies into Guatemala for six months. Obviouly Howie's passport cannot be blackballed as he comes here just about every month.

Our drive to the hotel was very fun as the city was lighting their Christmas tree in the town center. Our rooms are great and even have fireplaces. Dinner was a pasta bar cooked to order while we watched. Orietation followed then off to our rooms.

Some were awakened at 3 am others at 5 am by our neighborhood rooster and the sound of birds singing. Remember there is no ac and some slept with open windows ar 52degrees. We had breakfast at 7:15 with a great breakfast buffet which included mashed black beans which were yummy. After breakfast had a worship service with a volcano backdrop. Sang songs and closed with the Lords supper.

Off to our ventures in a old Belgium army truck through the cobblestone streets to the coffee plantation and then up and up and up the mountain to zip line. 14 ziplined and it was breathtaking. The view below was beautiful. We have lots of pictures and videos to prove we did it. Some did not make it all the way across and one even started back. The zipline crew had to go out ad rescue her. Still nothing would stop us from going again. Back down the mountain for lunch at Pollo Campero and then after lunch a special festival was going on with unique arts and crafts in the central park of Antigua. We later went to the market place. Shopping at the market place was great! Transportation was provided by your local tuc tucs. Next we had our orientation and WOW time. (WOW's are testimonies of the day) Dinner and then off to bed!

HAITI UPDATE 4

2011-11-12T19:00:00.001-05:00

Saturday, November 12

"Saturday is coming!" (Samedi ap vini!) has been our rallying cry and challenge all this week. Pastor Edmond had given us Saturday as an estimate when we started the bridge. Every time a problem was resolved or a milestone reached, Ron would say, "Yes, but Saturday is coming!" and everyone would laugh and get back to work. Even the Haitian crew picked up on this and seemed to work even harder because of it. Pastor Edmond and his amazing crew started pouring concrete about 4:30 yesterday and worked until 8pm (by the lights of Pastor Edmond's tap tap!) and got the bridge half done. When we arrived at 9 this morning they had been working for hours and were down to the last bit, and were all done by 10:30. It's 25cm (10 inches) thick and VERY solid. They will start the road-to-bridge part on Monday morning, which is the earliest they can get the fill, sand and gravel for it..

We thanked Pastor Edmond profusely for his excellent work, and even teased him about "Monday is coming!" for the next section. All the Haitians were very tired but also very proud of their accomplishment. They will have an excellent rest and a thankful Sunday tomorrow.

The Atlanta team will be here tomorrow, architects, engineers and soil experts, and will start to analyze the site in preparation for the plans they will create for us by January. We are greatly looking forward to their feedback on the site and the work done so far. Please pray for safe travel and health for this team. God has been so very gracious to us in giving us such a wonderful start, and we are expecting Him to continue to bless us in a mighty way.

Monday is coming!

HAITI UPDATE 3

2011-11-11T23:24:00.000-05:00

Friday, November 11

After seeing Ron off at the airport early, we arrived on site at 8:30 and found that Pastor Edmond's crew had already removed the forms from the three middle columns they poured after we left yesterday, and were starting in on the forms for the bridge itself. It was interesting watching their process for doing this, with all used wood and small tree trunks, much as they do in Mexico. After they got the support beams up, they planked it with 3/4 inch plywood and odd pieces of planking, then started in on the rebar. In addition to the standard 1/2 inch rebar, Pastor Edmond insisted on 6 5/8 inch diameter pieces at the most critical places on the bridge, where the truck wheels would pass. We were very happy to see how the rebar from all 9 posts was bent over and tied in to the horizontal bars. At the same time as all of this, a separate crew was dry mixing the concrete in an area right next to the bridge, where the entrance "ramp" will be. They worked for hours bringing all of the gravel and sand over in wheel barrows and mixing it, then adding cement to it ready to pour water on and mix. About 4, before the main crew was even done with the rebar, they started mixing the concrete. Two and sometimes three guys were almost knee deep in this enormous pile of wet concrete mixing it for over 30 minutes until a bucket brigade was formed and they started pouring at about 4:30. From then until we left it was a constant process of mixing, carrying, pouring and leveling. Quite a sight!

They were constantly yelling at and joking with each other, and it took me a while to realize that they were actually having a theological discussion at the top of their voices! One poor guy, who was kind of slow in speech but strong as an ox and constantly working the hardest physical jobs, they had nicknamed the "zombie," and they were constantly calling out to him "zombie do this," or "zombie do that," but he did not seem to mind, and even liked the attention!

We had to say sayonara to our Japanese SDF friends today. We didn't get the fill dirt we jokingly asked for, but their two trips down to clear out the ravine answered a lot of prayers and really sparked the entire week's work. God surely planned this meeting of the Japanese, and the "blancs" from the US and Pastor Edmond and his people, even though we had no inkling of it, just fervent prayers for guidance doing His will. Glory be to Him!

"What does it mean to glorify God?...It means to acknowledge His glory, and to value it above all things, and to make it known." - John Piper

HAITI UPDATE 2

2011-11-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 10

We were very pleasantly surprised on arrival this morning to see how much the bridge had progressed. Both “bulkheads” had their foundations done, the vertical rebar for the posts in them, and the road-side one was all built up to full height, just needing the posts on the ends to be poured. This morning the crew of about 9 put in retaining walls on each side of this bulkhead and built up the other one to its full height. Then the fun began. Several guys began scooping out the mud left in the ravine, which still had water in it about 6 inches deep, and building little dams across on each end with the mud to hold back the water. When the dams were done, they used buckets to get the water out so they could start on the middle bulkhead, which like the other two has three main posts in it, making nine in all. After the three posts were set, wood arrived and everyone began building “caufrage” or forms on the remaining posts and the center bulkhead. When we get back tomorrow we expect to see all this poured and the crew starting to put in the forms for the bridge itself. The Lord has provided so abundantly for everything we are doing here, and the work is progressing extremely well.

All morning long we saw the Japanese bringing in large dump trucks filled with good fill dirt for their project down the road. The first Japanese we met, who speaks a little English, came over in the early afternoon to see what we had already done and was very impressed. We “jokingly” told him we needed him to make one of the dump trucks stop at our bridge and dump us a load of fill, which we will need before pouring the slab on that side that goes from the bridge to the road. He laughed, but we could see he got the idea and maybe the Lord will work on them again to help us out! When we are all done with this orphanage we are going to insist on a bronze plaque on the outside wall thanking the Japanese SDF (not the UN) for their gracious help on this project.

One of the next things we will need done is to finish the perimeter wall so everything will be secure during the rest of the construction. There is an existing 2 ½ foot wall, which is broken down in many places. We got Pastor Edmond to examine it with us and give us an estimate to finish this wall completely to that height before the first of the year. That way we can work on the upper part (about 5 feet of concrete block with vertical rebar-reinforced beams every 10 feet). He gave us an estimate and said that he will begin this right after the bridge, and have it ready before Christmas. What a Christmas present! With the bridge done, the perimeter wall base done, and architectural and structural plans in our hands, the first teams to come in January will have more than enough to do and know exactly how to do it!

Ron is going back tomorrow and Lou will stay through Monday to be here for the architects' and engineers' visit on Sunday afternoon and Monday. Please pray for safe travel for all and good weather for the rest of this visit. Next up: a team from Kentucky will install a water-purifier for the children at the old orphanage at the end of November. It will be moved to the new site when the kids move.

Praise the Lord for showing us His bountiful grace and mighty hand in this work for His children.

HAITI UPDATE

2011-11-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 7

We had a good flight from the US, except that Ron’s bag was lost at the airport in Port-au-Prince. He filed a claim with the airline, but not much hope that we would get it back by the time Ron leaves on Friday, if at all. After checking in at CMBH, we headed out to the big Lowe’s-like building supplies place, MSC, over by the US Embassy, where we bought a generator and a chop saw for cutting rebar and cement blocks. Then we headed back to CMBH. Later in the evening Ron got an e-mail from a group from Compassion International staying north of us that they had picked up his bag at the airport by mistake! We made arrangements to meet them half-way Tuesday morning in Bon Repos to get the bag before continuing on to the orphanage. Praise the Lord that the bag was found! In the future we have decided to put an even more visible identifying object on all our bags, including e-mail and Haitian cell phone numbers just in case something like this happens again, and we will alert the people meeting us to keep an eye out for anyone but us leaving the airport with any of our bags.

Tuesday, November 8

After meeting with the folks from Compassion and getting Ron’s bag, we went on to the new orphanage construction site and met with Pastor Edmond. As we were looking around and talking about the need to build a bridge from the main road across a ravine onto the property, Pastor Edmond mentioned that there were some UN soldiers just down the road with heavy equipment working next to the Clinton Foundation housing site. We went down and met them, first some Jordanians we couldn’t communicate with, then the Japanese construction crew who had the biggest tracked backhoe we had ever seen. One of them spoke a little English, so we explained our situation to them, that we needed a little cleanout of the ravine, without much hope that they would help us, when to our astonishment they fired up the backhoe and brought it right down to us! They worked about 30 minutes digging a large hole at one end of the ravine to drain the water away from where we needed to work, and cleared and firmed up the bank before they left. What an awesome God we serve! That they were there and we were there on the same day, and that they were moved by our building an orphanage and wanted to help, was no mere coincidence!

After that we met with Pastor Edmond and went over all the materials and expenses needed to build the bridge, and he agreed to start on it today, and have it finished by Saturday. This is a huge milestone for the construction, because now we will be able to get large trucks onto the site to dump and unload materials instead of them being up on the road and having to move it all by hand.

After lunch we met with Pastor Edmond again at the old orphanage to discuss the December closing on the property, the drawing up of a Memorandum of Understanding on how we would proceed with the construction, how his Foundation and the Children First foundation would interact to provide support for the orphanage, and a whole lot of questions we had for him following the Lexington meeting. During this conversation we learned that the children were again in great need of food, that the resources left by the previous group had run out. Until we get a regular support mechanism set up and running this will be a continuing problem.

Wednesday, November 9

On arrival at the construction site this morning, we noticed that there was a huge UN backhoe trailer waiting at the main road and saw that indeed the window we had had to get this work done by them had been very small. But God has plans we don’t even know of until He answers our prayers. We saw that Pastor Edmond already had his people out digging the trenches and cutting and forming rebar for the bulkheads needed on either side of the ravine. Not only that, the UN backhoe had come back after we were gone and dug another big hole at the other end of the ravine to help out with the water. We immediately went down and again expressed our appreciation to 2^nd Lt. Noda of the Japanese SDF, on assignment with the UN, and his backhoe crew. We have even more confidence now that the bridge will be done by Saturday!

We again met with Pastor Edmond in his office and provided him with the resources to finish the bridge. In addition, after consultations with the Kentucky folks, we gave him enough to provide for the kids until the next group comes in December. Praise the Lord again that we were on hand just in time to provide this help to them.

This afternoon we went back into Port-au-Prince and visited several stores to check on the availability of supplies and their price with respect to what we would pay in the States. Then back to CMBH to finish up our paperwork and get the document translated for Pastor Edmond. We can hardly wait to see how much progress has been made tomorrow morning, and what miracles God will have worked for us. Praise His Holy Name!

TORN!

2011-11-06T17:53:00.000-05:00

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 (NIV)

Home again...arrived safely back from Guatemala late last night and had to get up this morning and help with a Sunday School class dinner and auction. Thankfully, I wasn’t in charge, but since the funds raised at events like that helped to pay for a portion of my two trips to Guatemala this year, I needed to be there, even if I was exhausted, foggy-brained and aching.

No, I really didn’t want to be there. Nor did I want to be at home in bed.

--I wanted to be waking up to a view of a volcano and wild poinsettias.

--I wanted to go to breakfast where they serve scrambled eggs with salsa and fresh squeezed orange juice.

--I wanted to be in a country of contrasts where people live in mansions on hillsides overlooking shacks maDe of cardboard and corrugated metal.

--I wanted to be sitting on a bus with twenty-four other women, most of whom I met only a week ago, but who are like sisters to me. Are sisters in Christ to me.

--I wanted to be surrounded by toddlers--even the screaming ones.

--I wanted to be embracing a child with dark hair and eyes who looked at me with love even though she didn’t know my name.

--I wanted to see a three year old walk for the first time because he is finally healthy and strong enough to do so.

--I wanted to work alongside women who did not speak my language but who try to understand what I say in very limited Spanish and then chatter away an answer that I have no idea what it is.

--I wanted to have a line of children in front of me waiting to be fed and know that there was enough food for them to have seconds.

--I wanted to walk outside after everyone was finally down for their nap and feel the cool air on my face and know the satisfaction of a good morning’s work.

--I wanted to see a crowd of children waving goodbye as we left for the day.

--I wanted to spend an evening strolling through a market full of brightly colored textiles, pottery and beads.

--I wanted to be so challenged that I fell into bed exhausted, and

--I wanted to know that tomorrow I could do it all over again.

But, I can’t, because I had to come home. I thought it would be easier to leave this time because I know I will be back in March. I will return to the Center in less than six months, but it was still very hard.

The Center is operating so efficiently now that instead of taking eighteen months to bring the children to health, they are ready to go home in six months. It is likely that all the children except the ones with special needs will not be there when I return. There will be new faces in the cribs because there are children waiting for a bed. And that is why I will go back. I’m counting the days.