This month has been crazy!! Of course January always is. This month is always filled with a huge to-do list and so many things to do in order to get our kids ready for the new school year.
It’s good to be home in this beautiful nation! Despite all the beginning of the year craziness, my heart just feels at rest entering this lovely town and taking in these breathtaking views (San Cristobal volcano- pictured above). I am really thankful for this life I live!
Like I said, the beginning of the year is always crazy! There are thousands of dollars of school supplies to purchase and organize, uniforms to buy, backpacks to fill, and meetings to hold in each community. The tasks to complete seem never ending in January, but I do love getting to send our kids back to school.
Thankfully in all the back-to-school craziness this year we had these incredible youth to help us out. They spent HOURS at the mission with Cadence and I unloading and counting supplies and came back again to help fill backpacks. They told stories, laughed all day, and made frustrating work much more enjoyable. I love their hearts!
I love the day when we get to give our new backpacks to all of our sponsored kids!! Their excitement and smiles just fill my heart with joy! I can’t wait to see what all these incredible kids will accomplish this year!
At our parent meetings in each village, we take the opportunity to honor our top students (like Justin- pictured above) and the kids who have shown the most growth this year. I love this opportunity to highlight those kids and to honor them in front of their peers and parents. Seriously there were several times this year when I teared up talking about these amazing students! They make me so proud!!!
Now for a non-sponsorship highlight… this month we celebrated the one year anniversary of the Nuevo Amanecer church having their own building. It was such a sweet service. I loved to see the church family come together and to see the ways that the other pastors spoke life and prayed into Pastor Bismark’s continued vision for the church in Nuevo Amanecer.
I’m excited about this being a year of transition for me to step out of roles at New Song to prepare to move into the Abide Home (pictured above). Next week we are beginning to put the finishing touches on the home and to complete the remaining construction. Please be praying for Abide during this year of transition. I promise to write more about this later, but my heart is choosing joy as I step into a year of big changes and move closer to this dream being fully realized.
Lisa!! I really like how you have the youth participate in serving and in different things! That’s discipleship, right there 🙂 Praying for you!!