I was able to spend my first afternoon back in Candelaria hanging out at the Corner House with
Jasmina, baby Katalin, Gema, and baby Junieth. It was such a good afternoon just sitting with those lovely ladies, enjoying being together after a month a part, and catching up on life. I have really come to love them (and their baby girls) so much in this past year. I absolutely love getting time to love these girls and their daughters and to speak the truth of their worth over them. It was also really cool because they invited me to be a part of their Christmas eve/family birthday celebrations. I loved being invited into their family in that way. I was able to spend several hours on Christmas eve just holding sweet Katalin Adaya (pictured right) and praying over her and her life.
It’s difficult to call this a highlight, but also in my first week back in Candelaria I was able to go and see precious Jayson in the hospital. It 
was so difficult to see him lying in that bed hooked to all of those tubes, but I thank the Lord that He made a way for me to enter in to Jayson’s room and have some time with him when honestly I never should have been allowed in. I loved having time to pray over him, to speak LIFE over him, and just to tell him how much I (and Jesus) love him. As hard as it was to see him hurting so much, I am forever grateful to have the opportunity to say to him all the things I wanted to make sure he knew and to stand beside him in prayer as he fights for life (to read more about this story, read Fighting for LIFE and My Journey: I Choose Love).
We were blessed to have a World Race team here with us this month (pictured right). I love when we have World Racers visiting with us! I 
loved seeing how they went out into the community and formed really deep relationships with several of the families. It was great to see how the Lord moved on their hearts to reveal the people that He wanted them to build relationships with and the exact ways to invest in their lives. We also had a great time talking and playing banangrams and pictionary shuffle together.
This month I was able to attend Ariel and Teresa’s high school graduation. I was so proud to see them accomplishing their goals. Teresa and Ariel are both very involved in our youth and are dreaming big dreams for their future. They are both currently looking for a way to study in the university in 2012.
I was so proud to stand beside them and cheer for them as they received their diplomas! I love seeing my kids achieve their dreams and give themselves a chance at a better future.
I celebrated my first Christmas in Candelaria this year. It was a great
day celebrating with our staff, youth, Sunday school kids, and the World Racers. Christmas Eve we had a staff celebration in the afternoon, I went to a celebration at the Corner House in the evening and then on the to park with the youth that night. Christmas morning we had a huge Christmas party for our Sunday school kids (Nativity drama during the party pictured above right). Spent the afternoon watching Christmas movies and then a great worship service Sunday night.
Alan David (pictured below left) is one of my sweet neighbors and one of the only kids in 
Candelaria that just didn’t like me. He would never let me hold him. I spend so much of my time with his family, but I never could get him to warm up to me. Finally this month, he has decided that he likes me. One evening I was playing with him at church and then after service he came up and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. POR FIN!! I’m so excited that he finally likes me.
The World Race girls hosted a Day of Beauty for the women here in 
Candelaria. They cut and styled hair, painted nails, and did make-up. The entire day was open to all the women in Candelaria and was a way just to show them love and make them feel beautiful. I loved seeing some of our youth girls help with the Day of Beauty. Gabriela just finished beauty school and was able to use these skills as a way to minister to women in her community… beautiful! She and Teresa even want to host another Day of Beauty for the women in our outreach village of Santa Matilde. I love seeing our girls reach out in ministry.
Nicaragua has a New Year’s tradition of building giant dolls that represent the old year to burn on New Year’s Eve. This year I really 
wanted a doll of my own. So I built one together with the entire Vega family (pictured left stuffing our doll). We tracked down some old clothes and pulled hay out of the already burned sugar cane fields to stuff our doll. Then Rosita and I hopped on bikes and took off for the very top part of Chichigalpa to buy small fireworks to stuff into our doll. I love being a part of Nica traditions!!
We rang in the new year with our New Song staff, my wonderful 
youth, and the World Race team. Our staff and World Racers went out to dinner, hung out, and played bananagrams. Then we went to the park to meet up with all of the youth. I loved getting to spend the night with all of my favorite teenagers (pictured with a few of my teenagers above right). We laughed and talked in the park and rode fair rides together. Sydney 
and I rode the tea cups and ended up being the ONLY people on the entire ride (pictured with Sydney left). Hilarious! We stayed at the park until almost midnight and then drove back to Candelaria to celebrate the beginning of 2012 with all of our neighbors. We burned my doll in the street and then set off fireworks. Welcome 2012!!
LOVE the Day of Beauty idea!! And speaking of beauty, I love your hair in the New Year’s Eve pictures! Super cute! =) Happy New Year, friend! Love you!!