October 14 - 19

October 14-19

Okay...I must apologize in advance for this entry.  It has been an extremely busy (and somewhat stressful) week and I haven’t had time to sit and write every day as normal, so I’m having to combine the entries into one.  I do apologize, but it really has been very hectic.

Melissa, the founder of Familia Feliz, left early Tuesday morning for Santa Cruz.  All of her adoptions have come through and now, she and her adopted children are moving back to Canada.  We had a special dinner with them on Monday night and said our goodbyes.  It’s hard to imagine Familia Feliz without them and are sad to see them go...but we know that God has opened this door for them and we wish them all nothing but the best!  

Jodi, Nickisha and I have been working very meticulously (and for very long hours) to get our school records in order.  Unfortunately, records have not been very well kept during the past here.  If there were records, they were not filed at all, but kept in several random places around campus and several years were mixed together.  There were grades with no names...or if they had names, they were missing the year and/or term.  We were missing legal documents for some of the orphans, parental consent for some of the students...just a mess.  And everything has to be in order and we must have complete documentation for all children (for all years from 2007-present) before the school year ends in a month.  Otherwise, we cannot issue legal report cards to the current students this year.  So, needless to say, we’ve had our work cut out for us.  And I must admit...there have been some truly frustrating moments!  I really wish I could convey all of the hassle, confusion, etc. that we’ve experienced this week...just so you could understand.  For example, we had a legalized report card for a student in 2009 who was in the 2nd grade.  That student didn’t return as a student here in 2010, but did in 2011...only in 2011, he returned as a 6th grade student!  And we have an official and legalized copy of his 2011 report card stating he finished the 6th grade.  Now, what we can’t figure out is how he completed 3 school years in one year?!  But evidently it happened.  Just crazy stuff.  But, THANK THE LORD, we were able to finish the records and are taking them to the Minister of Education on Monday.  Praise God!

But that was only part of the “fun” this week.  I truly believe that Satan is attacking, after the Lord has worked so graciously on our behalf in the last months...especially after all of the praise we have been given Him this past week for Pastor Jorge and Amalia’s visit.  And he is attacking our kids.  This week, we’ve had a series of discipline problems...in the forms of lying and, even worse, stealing.  Some of the instances have been quite serious.  And as a result, two of our students were expelled for the remainder of the school year.  One of those was my Jorge.  :(  Words cannot express the sadness and pain I feel.  I truly, truly hate it.  And what’s worse, I’ve felt like a failure.  I keep reviewing things in my mind to see what I could have done better, to perhaps have changed things.  And two other kids (one of whom is my David) is on the verge of being expelled because of their actions.  We are still investigating things and praying for wisdom to make the correct decisions.  I can assure you it isn’t an easy task!!  Jodi and I have met and discussed these boys and the situations more times than I can count this week, aside from the general staff meetings regarding it.  But I know that God can turn any situation into a blessing and I am praying for just that in these cases.  Ultimately, we want these children to be model citizens, to love and obey God with all of their heart and to choose to serve Him.  Unfortunately, some of them haven’t learned that there are consequences to their actions.  So please, please keep the staff and these children, in particular, in your prayers.  May the Lord grant us greater wisdom than Solomon as we seek to resolve these issues in the best interest of all of the people here at Familia Feliz.  Thank you!

The Bible study at the army base was a blessing, as usual.  Jodi went with me this time.  It was her first time there.  She loved it!  And was quite impressed at how much the guys liked to sing and how involved they were in the lesson. It truly is a blessing and one of the highlights of my week.  God is Good!

So again, my apologies for combining a week into one entry, but I will try to do better next week.  Hopefully things will slow down a little.  Thanks for your understanding.  :)  And thank you very much for your continued prayers and support!!  May God bless you all in a very special way!

Maranatha!