February ’15 Highlights (Photo Blog)

 

  It’s been so much fun to watch the Abide home taking shape this month. We are finally past the foundation and the well and have begun to raise the walls (pictured above). I love stopping by and seeing the walls climb higher and higher. You can now really see the home taking shape. It is such a beautiful thing! This past week I prayed through each of the rooms as my contractor walked me through the home. It’s amazing to see how the Lord is providing for this lovely home and how my heart swells when I’m there. Please be praying for favor because I’m working diligently to be able to receive a big donation of plumbing supplies for the home. This would be a huge blessing, but it’s always a lot of red tape to navigate in order to get anything accomplished in Nicaragua. Please pray for favor with these government systems and that I will be able to receive this donation with minimal fees and taxes. 

 

     With all of our visiting teams in January, we were able to connect several people with children that they have chosen to sponsor. It was been beautiful to watch so many people fall in love with our children and families and to see so many new kids able to start the school year sponsored (like sweet Genesis pictured above). We are thankful for all of our faithful sponsors! 

 

    February is the month that all of our little sponsored kiddos head back to school (Rafa and Cynthia pictured above walking home from school). I love to see the kids dressed in their uniforms and excited to learn! Cadence and I have started making our rounds to visit the schools and check in on our students in their classes. 

 

    On that same note, now that school is back in session, Cadence and I have re-started our tutoring groups. Last year we initiated weekly tutoring in Santa Matilde. I ran a group for 1st/2nd graders while she ran a group for 3rd/4th graders. We saw the kids who attended these weekly tutoring sessions improve drastically in their class performance. This year we are continuing our Santa Matilde tutoring schedule and starting Sunday afternoon tutoring with our kids in Candelaria and Nuevo Amanecer. I absolutely LOVE working with my 1st and 2nd graders. I love seeing them grasp the basics and begin learning to read. I love to celebrate their growth and see them believe in their own capabilities. (Yubelkis and Nataly pictured above practice time). 

 

 

     With Emily back in the States, Cadence and I have been making our way to Nuevo Amanecer more consistently. We have been spending our Wednesdays visiting with all of our sweet little loves there. I love building deeper relationships with the beautiful families in this community.  

 

    I ended up working through many of my days off as we were trying to get the new school year and Abide construction started. However, Barbie, Cadence, and I did get away to the mountains of Matagalpa for a beautifully relaxing weekend. We soaked up the mountain views and cooler weather. We also finally got to meet precious Joshua Borter Torrez, our friend Ixil and Adrian’s baby. They are such an adorable family and it was wonderful to sit with them and feel their love for one another. I also finally was able to visit Besame, run by Ben and Sheena George, to eat the world’s BEST ice cream! We had dinner out with our wonderful New Song family. It was such a refreshing weekend!  

 

     One afternoon I was at the Candelaria church and I saw that Rosita was there giving several of the boys free back-to-school haircuts. She had just decided that it was something she could do to help love families in her community. This girl has such an incredible heart! I love her desire to serve in any way possible. After we had seen her giving haircuts to the boys in Candelaria, we asked her if she would be willing to do a haircut day in Santa Matilde. She then spent four hours one Saturday afternoon giving all the sweet boys in Santa Matilde back-to-school haircuts. 

 

 

    This has been a month full of hospital visits with sweet Lydia (pictured above hanging out in the hospital in Leon). This little lady is such a trooper! After a year of battling nephrotic syndrome, she is still a little firecracker and brings so much joy to our lives. She is in the hospital treating an infection and hopefully getting a kidney biopsy soon. We need that biopsy because her prednisone medication is not working. The biopsy will help determine next steps in treatment. Please keep the prayers coming for beautiful Lydia. Pray for the infections to clear, a quick date for the biopsy, clear next steps, and peace for her and her family as she continues yet another hospital stay. 

 

    It’s been difficult this month to see my dear friend Lilian’s health continue to deteriorate. I love being able to just sit with her, talk, pray, and read the Word together. However, this month my visits have included very little actual conversation or visits with Lilian. She is often in too much pain to talk. I usually just pray over her as she moans in pain or sleeps fitfully. Please continue to pray for Lilian and for her lovely daughter, Yubelkis. This battle has been really difficult for the entire family.