August 7 - 25

August 7, 2013

Not too much to write about today.  We all slept in a little later after the big day yesterday.  Then, after breakfast, Warren needed me to go back into town to run some errands and make some calls for him.  Juan and Emy had already left for town in the truck, so Agustin took me in on his motorcycle and I would just ride back with Juan and Emy.  It was about 11:30 when I got into Rurre.  I was done with everything by 4:15.  But we couldn’t leave town then.  All entrances and exits were cut off because a race was coming through town!  So we didn’t end of leaving town until almost 9pm!  When we got home, all of my boys were in the bed already. I took a shower, had my devotion and am now heading to bed.  Until tomorrow!

Maranatha!

August 8, 2013

This morning started early, since I had to get up and get all the boys ready for school.  We got ready, had our worship and headed to breakfast.  By this time, some of the boarding students started arriving for school.  They informed us that school in town was cancelled today and tomorrow still because there were still events going on dealing with independence day.  I verified it with one of the locals that teachers here and then went and talked to Warren.  We decided to cancel school today and tomorrow as well, since the local government had cancelled local schools.  So all the village students went back home, while the residents here at Familia Feliz had a work day.  :)  We cleaned a couple of the empty houses, worked in the garden and worked on getting the newly-assigned boy’s dorm ready for the new missionaries that will be arriving next week here.  By lunch, everyone was tired!  The sun was really beating down today.  After lunch, Warren took all the boarding students back to town to spend the rest of the week with their families.  Then, the kids that remained had the afternoon off.  The spent time playing, swimming in the creek, washing their clothes, etc.  They enjoyed it.  The staff had a laid-back afternoon as well.  

No comment...:)

Edgar

About 3:00, we had a visitor stop by.  His name was Luke and he was from Holland.  He is part of the Kids At Play Organization.  They travel the world and build playgrounds for the children at orphanages that meet their criteria.  Their next project will be here in Bolivia, so we is visiting four orphanages in the country to determine which they will help.  We had no idea about any of this.  He was very friendly.  Nickisha and I showed him around the property and answered his questions, since Warren was in town.  He asked me what our biggest need at the moment was.  I told him a well (having consistent running water).  He said that while they had never installed a well before, they are a group of engineers and that is something they could very well do for us if we are selected.  He also talked about installing a nice, updated playground for the kids.  We talked a bit more and then he said he would be in touch.  He will be looking at the other orphanages during the next several days and would then make a decision.  So that was a nice surprise.  It would be a double blessing to receive the well we’ve been praying for, as well as a new playground for the children to enjoy!  We’ll continue to pray about it and leave it in God’s Hands.  Please add this to your prayer lists as well.  Thank you.

After supper, the kids cleaned their rooms and then had some more free time before bed.  Some played, some read and some joined Nickisha, Vilissa, Agustin, Oriel and I watching a movie. 

Nickisha made these delicious fruit platters for us tonight!  It was a real treat!

Nickisha and her creations...:)

And a party isn't complete without fresh coconut water!  :)

Everyone is now in bed and I’m about to head that way too.  It’s been a good day.  God is Good.  I am grateful for all of His many rich blessings, of which you are a part of. God bless you!

Maranatha!

August 9 - 14

Okay...I’m going to apologize in advance for combining so many days in one post.  But things have been extremely busy these last few days and I simply haven’t had time to sit down and write in my blog.  Warren left to go to Santa Cruz on Sunday and I was left in charge of the orphanage in his absence.  So my days started early and finished late.  In addition to these responsibilities, I still had boys living with me (8 until Monday night, then 4 until Warren got back).  Vilissa took over my classes because I had to go to town every day for some reason or another, as well as meet with the local education director to give a report of the school’s progress during the first trimester.  I also had to go and meet with the colonel of the army twice.  On Sabbath evening, a group of us (including the local pastor of the church) went to speak with him to thank him for his help and generosity to us in the parade, etc.  We also requested permission to have an evangelistic series there, along with health courses.  The colonel excitedly agreed and said that this was an answer to his prayers, because he really wanted to minister to the spiritual needs of his soldiers, but wasn’t sure how to go about doing it.  He also said it would be very beneficial to him, as he has backslid from the Lord and wants to get closer again.  I’m telling you, God is SOOO Good!  So now, we will be studying the Bible with the entire unit during the last week of August!  Please keep that in your prayers.  I met with him on Wednesday morning to deliver a poster-card the kids made for him and his men, thanking them for their help and support.  We also gave him a copy of all of the pictures we took of the parade.  In addition to this, the girls made 230 oatmeal

Melissa, Sam and little Crystal arrived from La Paz on Monday afternoon.  They were very happy to be home!  Crystal is doing much, much better!  Thank you all for your prayers!  And God came through financially as well.  Originally, they told Melissa it would be about $1500 USD for the hospital stay.  However, when she went to pay, it came up to over $3200 USD!  They had failed to include the incubator and other intensive care services in the first estimate.  But God, as always, was Faithful and donors stepped up to help cover the cost of her treatment! Praise God!  The doctor said she has a small hole in her heart, but that will close itself up by the time she is 6 months old, so she will need no further treatment for that.  She doesn’t have to go back to La Paz until October.  Again, God is Good!

On Thursday, we went into town for the new student missionaries to get their mosquito nets and other items they needed.  We got back in the afternoon in time for all of the new SM’s, Vilissa, Sam and I to go for a run.  It was nice to have such a big group to run with!  After the run, we got our showers, had supper and then had a general staff meeting.  It was quite a productive one.

On Sabbath, we went into Rurre for church, as there was a special Pathfinder's program and an induction ceremony.  Everyone looked really good in their uniforms!  :)

During the induction ceremony.

Little Rebecca and her pretty smile.  :)

Warren and Vilissa

Now it’s off to bed...it’s been another long day.  I promise I’ll try to get things back to normal with this blog.  Thanks for your patience and understanding!  :) 

God bless you!

Maranatha!

August 15, 2013

Today was another good day.  While it was full of activities, I didn’t feel quite as “rushed” as most of the rest of the week.  We got up and had worship this morning in the “new” guys dorm (we moved this week so that all of the male staff, as well as a couple of the boys are in one house).  Hunter (one of the new SM’s) had our devotional thought this morning and did a great job!  We went to breakfast and then got the kids off the school.  Chris (the other guy SM) started teaching music today, so he hit the ground running and did a fabulous job with the students.  Hannah and Amber (the two new girl SM’s) helped in the kitchen with the meals and the extra hands really came in handy.  We’re extremely grateful to God for the great new additions to the Familia Feliz staff family!  I’m looking forward to spending our first Sabbath together.

This morning, I spent a good bit of time working on a slideshow video for the previous and current donors.  I’m no expert at video production/editing, but I pray it will be a blessing and convey our deep and sincere gratitude for all of monetary help we receive.  Without it, the orphanage wouldn’t exist and so many lives would be robbed of blessings.  So THANK YOU all!

I also wrote an update letter to my church family, as well as family and friends, letting everyone know what’s going on here at the orphanage, as well as mentioning some things we’d like for everyone to pray about.  I listed three things:

1.)  We are still looking for regular, monthly donors.  Right now, we don’t have any funds lined up for next month’s (September) expenses.  So please keep this in your prayers.  

2.) Also, BOTH of our trucks are broken down at the moment. Pray that we can get them fixed and that it will be an easy and quick fix.  

3.)  We also really need a well!  This water situation hasn’t improved any and we would really, really consider it a blessing to have steady running water.  

So please add these to your prayers.  Thanks again.

This afternoon after lunch, I found out that I had to go to town to get some documents we need to send in to Santa Cruz for the tax id number we need.  So I rushed to town, got the documents and was checking email while waiting for Juan to get a part for the truck.  That’s when I had one of those wonderful “manna moments” I spoke about in previous posts.  I checked the email account for Familia Feliz.  I had an email from Luke, the guy from Kids At Play that had visited us last week.  I emailed him while in town on Wednesday to thank him for his visit and to give him our new email address.  Well, he responded and told me their organization would like to build a well for us!!  I couldn’t believe it!  I had goosebumps.  I had just typed that letter to my family/friends/church family asking them to pray for a well and here in our inbox was the answer to our prayers!  I looked at the time of the email...10:02 am Friday morning.  Then it really hit home...that was the EXACT time I was writing the letter!  “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isa. 65:24.  I just sat there looking at the computer screen for several minutes, taking in what had just happened.  I mean, that’s about $5,000 USD that was just given to us.  To some, that may not be a lot.  But to us...it might as well been a million dollars.  And the timing...well, couldn’t have been more appropriate.  I immediately shared the news with Warren and the other volunteers.  We were all amazed and humbled by God’s grace towards us.  What a AWESOME God we serve!!  So please keep the prayers coming!  God is hearing and answering.  And I will keep you posted on the well.  

I got back home in time for worship to welcome the sabbath.  It was the first vespers service for the new volunteers.  We had a nice service and fellowship some before calling it a night.  What better way to start the Sabbath than by meditating upon the blessings and goodness of our God!

Good night and God bless!

Maranatha!

August 16, 2013

Happy Sabbath!  Today was a full day.  We had worship, ate breakfast and got everyone to Sabbath school.  The program went well.  And Chris, Hunter, Agustin and Sam did a special music part that was phenomenal!  Two guitars, a ukulele and four men singing “He’s Able” in Spanish was a special treat indeed!  

We split up into the different Sabbath school classes.  I taught the 3rd and 4th graders.  For some reason, three of the boys (Juancito, Clever and Juan Carlos) really wanted to misbehave today.  I had to call each one out of class separately and lay the law down with them.  I explained the seriousness and solemnity of being in church and that bad behavior was not appropriate, nor would it be tolerated.  After our talk, I had to give them “the eye” a few times, but for the most part, they settled right down.  Davidcito (the boy that gave me some problems my first week here) got into trouble in his class as well and was sent outside.  So I called him over and talked with him, then had him join my class.  He did really good after that.  When Sabbath School was over, I told those four boys (Juancito, Clever, Juan Carlos and Davidcito) that they would be sitting with me during church.  A couple of them complained and made faces, but they knew I meant what I said and they walked quietly to where I was sitting.  They did very well in church.  Only a few times did I have to remind them not to talk or play in church.  I was proud of them because we had 8 visitors (all from Germany, but missionaries here in Bolivia) show up during the sermon and sat right behind us.  I was hoping/praying that the boys would behave them, as I didn’t want them to distract the visitors.  And they didn’t let me down!  Kudos to “my boys”!  :)

Special music by the guys...

Helping in the kitchen for Sabbath lunch.

Lunch is served!

After church, we had lunch with our guests and then some of the staff took them on a hike.  I stayed behind to do some reading and rest a little before our Pathfinder meeting at 4:00.  Well, that was the plan anyway...but you know how things go when you have a plan.  They don’t!  Edgar was at my house when I got there and wanted to talk, so we talked for most of the “free time”.  So no reading or nap today.  That’s ok though...Edgar needed to talk and I was glad to listen and offer some advice.  

The Pathfinder meeting lasting from 4:00-6:00.  We worked on Bible class work, memorizing scripture, etc.  After the meeting, we had vespers to close out the Sabbath.  

The Familia Feliz Pathfinder Club!

After Sabbath, I had a thousand and one things to do it seemed. I leave tomorrow morning to head to Santa Cruz to request my residence visa again.  We found a legalized copy of the tax id number document that I needed (God provided an extra one!) so hopefully I can finally get it this time.  So I had to pack and get ready for that.  I also had to translate a letter that we needed to water company to sign and that I needed to take to Santa Cruz.  Then I had to get it to Juan for him to take to the Water guy.  I had to meet with my guys staff and talk about their responsibilities while I’m gone.  I also had to meet with Warren about some things.  Then, three of the staff gave me a list of things to try to bring back from Santa Cruz while I’m there.  So it was a busy night and I’m tired now.  Gonna head to bed and enjoy what few hours I have on my bed before the LONG trip tomorrow.  I’m definitely not looking forward to the 23+ hour trip...but at least this time Nickisha will be going with me half of the way.  She has to go to Trinidad to process her id card.  So that will help make it more bearable. :)

Micaia and Graciana...two of our precious little girls.

Good night all.  God bless!

Maranatha!

August 18, 2013

LONG day!!!  These long road trips really take a toll on you.  The trip from Trinidad to Santa Cruz isn’t bad at all...but that trip from Rurre to Trinidad is enough to drive you mad!  SOOO many pot holes and dust!  And the heat didn’t help any.  We left Rurre about 7:15 and finally made it to Trinidad about 5:30.  Although the trip was long, hot and uncomfortable, I did see a lot of wildlife along the way (hawks, eagles, kingfishers, alligator, emus, storks, egrets, capybara, etc.), so that was a very nice blessing.  I always love seeing nature as it reminds me of God’s love.  So I’m thankful for all of those reminders today.  :)  Once in Trinidad, I bought my bus ticket to Santa Cruz and then we went and found Nickisha a hotel room.  Then it was off to find something to eat.  After supper, I headed back to the bus station to catch my bus to Santa Cruz.  I should be there in the morning.  Talk to ya then!

Maranatha!

August 19, 2013

I was hoping my first sentence in this entry would be, “Yay!!  I got my visa processed!!”  But alas, I cannot say that yet.  I got to Santa Cruz at about 5:30 this morning.  I headed to the mission’s lawyers office to pick up a paper I needed, then headed for the immigration office.  I got there about an hour and a half before it opened.  There was already a line formed...there were about 20 people ahead of me.  I waited for the place to open, got my number and waited for my turn with an agent.  When my number was called, I presented all of my documents, anxiously hoping all would be well.  The agent was very nice, but informed me that the NIT (the tax id that we found a copy of) wasn’t the updated one.  He said they could take that one if I bring in a copy of the power of attorney that our attorney has for this document.  So I left immigration in search of that document.  Jodi met me at immigration and, together, we tried to find the person that would have a copy.  We finally reached the right person and she said we could pick up the document after 3pm.  I was very glad we could get it today...but that meant that I would have to stay in Santa Cruz longer than I had anticipated.  :(  No worries though.  

Jodi, Wanetta, Janet and I had lunch at a vegetarian buffet (great food!) and then Jodi and I did some shopping.  I needed to get some shoes, as did Jodi.  Then we went to the Adventist Book store to pick up some things for Pathfinders and for the orphanage.  By the time we caught all the buses and finished our errands, it was time for supper, so we stopped and ate before heading back to the mission office.  One really great thing about today was I was able to have four different kinds of juice...fresh lemonade, passion fruit juice, fresh grape fruit juice and pineapple juice.  Delicious!!!  Plus it was a hot day, so these juices really hit the spot!  :)

Tonight I also had another special treat....a hot shower!  :)  It was my first hot shower in almost a month and boy did it feel nice!!!  I didn’t want to get out of the water!  But, all good things must come to an end.  Now, I’m in the bed, trying to keep my eyes open long enough to finish this entry.  Tomorrow is going to be another early morning so that we can get to the immigration office and get a good spot in line before it gets really busy.  Hopefully I will be able to start tomorrow’s entry with good news about the visa and hopefully we’ll all be heading back to Rurre tomorrow night.  Fingers crossed and prayers going up about that!  :)

God bless!

Maranatha!

August 20, 2013

“Yay!!  I got my visa processed!!”  :)  Fourth time’s a charm, I guess.  Thank the Lord, all of my paperwork was accepted and my residency visa is being processed now.  It should be back within a month.  So that means no more traveling to Santa Cruz for visa stuff for another year.  YAY!!!  :)  I will have to travel to Trinidad to get my ID card made when my visa comes back.  But I guess I can’t complain too much.  At least I’m not paying a fine anymore.  :)

I spent all morning at immigration.  I left about 12:30 and met Jodi for lunch.  Then we ran all over Santa Cruz running errands, picking up supplies for the orphanage and kids, etc.  We finished and got back at the mission office at about 7:20pm.  We left the office at 8:30 pm to head to the bus station.  Our bus leaves at 9:30.  We’ll travel all night and get to Trinidad in the early morning (around 6:00).  Wanetta will apply for her ID card there and then we will be on our way home to Rurre.  I can’t wait for all this traveling to be over.  :)

Good night and thank you all again for the prayers about the visa.  God bless!

Maranatha!

August 21, 2013

We made it to Trinidad.  The bus had a flat tire in the night, so that delayed us a bit in arriving here.  Fortunately, I slept through all of the delay.  :)  We arrived about 8:30 and went to process Wanetta’s ID card.  When we got to the office, they told us we had to come back at 2:00 pm.  :(  So we had to wait in town for 5 hours until it was time to be there again.  We made the best of the situation and had a nice lunch and sat and talked with each other for a while.  It was very hot and humid, so we stayed in the air conditioned restaurant as long as possible.  :)

At 2:00, Wanetta went and did her ID.  It took about an hour.  Then we headed back to the bus station to see about finding a car to take us home.  It’s 4:24 pm now and we’re still waiting.  Hopefully we’ll get home tonight sometime.  If not, then it’ll be tomorrow.  I’ll keep you posted.

God bless!

Maranatha!

August 22, 2013

Okay...so we finally made it home!  We ended up leaving Trinidad at 5:45 pm.  We got a direct car to take us to Rurre, so that we would not have to change cars half way through the trip (which is normally how it works).  We should have arrived home between 1:00 - 2:00 am.  Well, our driver evidently wasn’t prepared to drive that late into the night.  He kept dozing off while driving!  So he would stop and sleep for 15-20 minutes and then driver for another 30-45 min.  That continued all through the night.  We finally pulled at the orphanage just before 7:00 am!!  We were beat!  We unloaded, updated everyone on our visa and id situations, then went to bed!  :)  I slept from about 8:30-11:30.  Then I got up and started doing the day’s activities.  I had to move (again).  Jorge and Davidcito (the boy that tried me my first week here) are going to be living with me as “my kids.”  Davidcito has been giving Juan and Emy a really hard time lately and arguing/fighting with the other kids.  This has been going on for several months now.  So Warren had a talk with him and told him that if his attitude didn’t change, he is going to have to transfer him to the other orphanage in Santa Cruz (which would not be in David’s best interest and no one here wants...but David needs to see the seriousness of his actions and realize that he has to control himself).  David doesn’t want to leave.  He told both of us that he wants to stay and will do better.  So Warren and I laid the expectations out to him and told him that he is on “probation” now.  (All of this happened last week before I left for Santa Cruz.  Warren and I had already talked about him coming to live with me when I got back, but we didn’t tell him then.).  Emy told me today that he has been doing much better this week.  I was glad to hear that.  So this afternoon, I went and talk to David alone.  I didn’t want him to see coming to live with me as a punishment or that he wasn’t wanted in the current living situation.  That wouldn’t help his self-esteem or his attitude in his new living situation.  So I simply told him that I wanted two boys to live with me and I chose Jorge and him.  I said it would only be us three in the house (right now, he lives with 11 other kids) and that we would have a really good time.  That seemed to work because he got a little excited and said he wanted to come and live with me.  So I had him get his things together and move them to the house we’ll be staying in.  I also told the same thing to Jorge and had him move as well.  

The afternoon was spent moving furniture and personal belongings, getting the house set up and, later, meeting with Warren and Jodi to determine the new student missionaries’ responsibilities here, as well as everyone’s day off and trips to town.  At supper, I had a staff meeting with all the volunteers to let them know what everyone’s duties are and when days off will be.  

After supper, I had to go and talk to Juan, Emi and Melissa.  Then, finally, it was time to head home and get the boys settled in.  We had worship together and went over the house rules.  It went really well.  I told them the plan for tomorrow (they’ll get up at 6:00 and from 6:00-6:35, they’ll brush their teeth, wash their face, get dressed and have their personal devotion time.  Then, from 6:35-6:55, we’ll have group worship and then head to breakfast by 7:00). I made sure they had everything they needed and sent them to get ready for bed and have their personal worship. I set out to do the same.  I got my shower, did my worship and got ready for bed.  

I’m really excited about having these two boys with me.  Jorge has already started calling me “Papa” (dad).  It feels good.  And I know they both are just looking for acceptance, love and attention.  I pray that God will give me the patience, love and wisdom I need to supply these needs for them and lead them to Christ’s feet daily.  I know there will be trials and hard times, but I remember the promise, “Greater is He...” and look forward to how the Lord will work.  I know I’ve been bombarding you with prayer requests, but if you could add me and these two boys to your long list, I’d appreciate it!

Good night!  God bless! 

Maranatha!

P.S.  Okay...just had an experience that I have to share with you.  I was just sitting on the edge of my bed (getting ready to call it a night) and got up to get something when I heard a “thud” sound where I was just sitting.  I turned and looked and you’ll never guess what had happened!  A tarantula dropped from the ceiling onto my bed, exactly where I was just sitting!  I had seen tarantulas before on campus, but not my house!  I look up and there was another tarantula crawling on the thatch roof (which is another reason we are praying for funds to replace all the thatch roofs with metal ones...to keep all the bugs and critters out.  So we’d appreciate your prayers for that too...especially me.  :) ).  We killed the tarantula that fell.  We couldn’t get the other one, so we just left it.  The boys went back to bed and I settled in for the night.  I figured that God directed all the animals from all over the world to Noah’s ark, He can certainly direct this one tarantula away from my bed and out of my house.  :) So that’s what I prayed for and am going to sleep now with Psalm 4:8 in my mind (“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”)  Never a dull moment here at the orphanage in the jungle!  :)  I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. 

My little furry friend that decided to "drop in" for a visit tonight.  :)

August 23, 2013

Good morning!  Okay...I know some of you are wondering/worried about the tarantula incident, so let me go ahead and let you know that there were no more spider incidents during the night or this morning.  :)  The tarantula that was on the ceiling was not there this morning, nor did we see it (or any other) in/on any other part of the house.  So God did indeed direct it’s path away from the house.  Amen!  :)

I got the boys up at 6:00 and a few minutes later, went back to check on them and make sure they were up.  To my surprise, I found both boys reading the Bible together and having their personal devotion.  That just made my day!  :)  Some of the male staff don’t get up and do their devotion the first time called, so I was impressed.  They did everything they were supposed to do and was with me, ready for our group worship, at 6:35 on the dot.  We sang some hymns, had prayer, had our worship, closed with prayer and them went to breakfast.  

It stormed during the night and was still raining when we got up.  Since most of the external students walk to school, classes are generally cancelled when it rains.  Today was no exception.  The soldiers were supposed to come this morning at 9:00 to spend the morning with us, but they also postponed their trip until next Friday due to the weather.  So, after breakfast, we spent the morning doing our house chores and getting ready for Sabbath.  At 10:30, I put on a Bible video for those that had finished their work.  Once those that hadn’t finished their work heard the video, that was a great incentive for them to quickly do what they were supposed to do. :)

After the video, we ate lunch.  As soon as lunch was over, I had to go into town with a couple of other volunteers to run some errands and to call the local pastor to plan the nightly meetings at the army base next week.  We have a meeting Sunday morning to finalize the details.

We got back from town, took a shower, had supper and then went for worship to welcome the Sabbath.  It was a special Sabbath welcome for me because this was the first one that I actually had a “family” here.  At the end of our group worships on Friday and Saturday evenings, every one forms a circle and, holding hands, each family says, “My family and I wish you a Happy Sabbath (or Happy Week, depending on if it’s Friday or Saturday evening).  The volunteers that do not have any kids under their care 24/7 usually join in and say, “All of the volunteers wish you a Happy Sabbath!”  Well, today, I got to say “My family and I...”  Actually, David told me we had to say it first, before any one else said it...so we led it out.  :)  It was a nice feeling.

After worship, Juan brought him over to us and showed us his abdomen.  He had this big knot/growth in the center-left of this stomach area.  It was hard as a rock and hot.  We checked his symptoms and decided to try to take him to the doctor.  Since it was Friday night though, we weren’t sure if there would be any doctor available.  Luckily, Melissa had the house number of one of the better doctors in town and called to explain the situation and to see if she could see Moises quickly.  The doctor said to bring him in immediately because it could be something very serious.  So Juan and Emy took him in.  We had special prayer for him.  They’ll probably admit him, but I’ll know more in the morning and will keep you posted.  

After getting Moises in town, the rest of the staff had our weekly Friday-evening staff worship.  It was a very good and educational one, as we are discussing the book Child Guidance and how to apply these principles to our situation here at the orphanage.  In the middle of our worship, one of the boys that live with Juan and Emy came to get me because there was a problem at their house.  I went over and found out that there was an argument between two of the boarding students (two brothers).  I got that settled and told the other boys to get ready for bed.  Then, I headed back to the worship, just as it was finishing.  Oh well.  :(  

Now, I’m off to bed.  I’ll talk to you more tomorrow.  Happy Sabbath and God bless!

Maranatha!

August 24, 2013

This morning, Juan came and got me about 6:30 to let me know that they had admitted Moises to the hospital and would be running more tests at 8:00 this morning.  He said the did an ultrasound and think it’s an infection, but need to do further testing to confirm.  He said they would have to operate, however, to remove it.  I went with him to let Warren know and then Juan and Emy headed back to the hospital to be with him.  They just came to pick up some things and let us know what was going on.  I’m going to call later on to see how things are going and one of us will probably go in town to relieve them.  So please keep little Moises in your prayers.  Satan is really attacking...we just got both of the other two sick girls well and home from the hospital and now a third child required admission and surgery.  But we know that God is in control!  

It was still pouring rain today, so we didn’t go to the other church as planned, as we don’t have covered transportation for the kids.  And since it was raining so hard and the church building on campus is the furthest building from the houses, we decided to have a more informal church service in the big house.  We didn’t want to have the kids wet and cold.  So that service went really well, as all the kids were able to have a more active part in the service.  I did the “sermon” and then, afterwards, we showed them a Bible story while lunch was being warmed.

Amber and Rodrigo

Hunter, Hannah and Amber (3 of the new SM's)

The kids acting out Bible stories.

More acting...

Hannah and Rebecca trying to stay warm.

Chris (the other new SM), Wanetta and Nickisha leading song service.

Our "informal" church service on this cold and rainy Sabbath day.

The kids reciting their memory verses.  They are learning one new one a week and every week have to recite the new one plus all the previous ones.  They're doing great!

After lunch, we all had some “quiet time” until A.Y. service from 4-6. I called Juan to check on Moises.  The tests came back that is some kind of infection and they are going to operate on him tomorrow morning to remove it.  I’m going to go into town with Warren early tomorrow morning to stay with him for the surgery and relieve Juan and Emy.  Hopefully, he will be out of the hospital sometime on Monday if all goes well.

After A.Y., we closed out the Sabbath.  David then came up and gave me a big hug!  That’s the first time since I’ve been here that he’s given me a hug.  Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!  :)   We all played group games until supper, and continued playing after supper.  :)

Clever trying to get a cookie from his eye into his mouth without using his hands...:)

Some of the other boys playing the same game as Clever above.  They had a lot of fun with this!

Amber feeding Janet, one of our two "miracle" girls.  She is doing SO much better! Thank you all for your prayers and support for her!

Now, everyone has gone their separate ways and I’m about to call it a night and get some rest before having to get up early in the morning.  I pray each of you had a wonderful day and thanked God for His many blessings that He has bestowed upon you.  I’m learning that we should never take any of them for granted!

God bless!

Maranatha!

August 25, 2013

Today was another busy and full day!  I went to town early with Warren to be with Moises.  He was excited to see us, especially since we took him breakfast.  (The boy eats more than any other kid I’ve ever met! :) ).  I stayed with him while Warren went to run some errands and get diesel in the truck (since there hasn’t been any diesel in town for the past few days...we needed to get some while there was a supply).  The doctor came to see him while I was there.  He said they would operate tomorrow because they wanted him to be on antibiotics for another day before the surgery.  They gave me a list of medicines I needed to go and get for him, which I did.  (**Note:  I’ve already made it aware to Warren and the other volunteers, but I’m putting it on here just in case...if I ever get really sick here and need to be admitted to a hospital, please have them fly me to La Paz or to Miami!  :)  The free/public hospitals here lack MUCH to be desired and are not the most sanitary by any standards.  Just throwing that out there...:) ).

I let Moises watch a couple of bible stories on my computer while I was there.  He spent Sabbath in the hospital, so he missed Sabbath School and church and we wanted him to have some spiritual bread.  And, as always, he really enjoyed it.  I stayed with him until around 10:00, when Warren and I had to go to a meeting with the pastor to finalize the week of evangelistic meetings we’re having at the army base this week.  This took up most of the rest of my day.  We organized all the parts of the service, made the program, and made sure we had all the necessary equipment in working order (projector, computer, speakers, mics, etc.).  Then, Warren and I met Jodi for lunch in town (Jodi brought the SM’s into town for their day off).  I had a delicious pesto pasta!  :)  While I was waiting for my food to be ready, Vilissa and I went and picked up food for Moises and took it to him at the hospital (the hospital doesn’t provide meals for the patients.).  I came back, ate lunch, and then headed to another meeting with the pastor and the Colonel about the meetings.  I finished there and had time to call some family before heading back to Familia Feliz at 5:30.  Ate supper, had worship and got David settled in for bed.  Then headed for a massage with Vilissa.  I think I may have pulled a muscle in my chest and it’s yelling at me, so I was hoping this would help.  It helped a little, but the pain is still there.  I think I’ll go to the doctor tomorrow, since there are a lot of TB cases here and I’d feel better just ruling that out.

Me and Moises at the hospital.  

Well, it’s night-night time for me.  It’s been pretty cold the last few days (in the upper 40’s...which is cold for the jungle!) and my nice, warm bed is calling my name...:)

God bless!

Maranatha!