In Brokenness You Shine

In Brokenness You Shine

When life becomes a shattered dream

That's slipping through my trembling hands

I need to know that You are near

To know You see each falling tear

When there is no one else who understands

When I can't find the words to speak

You hear the pain in each heart beat

Before I even call to You

In my deepest hour of need

That's when You come and pour Your mercy on me

Your beauty shines

Your love surrounds

Where cries of brokenness

Are found bring hope alive

Help me believe

And trust You one more time

In brokenness You shine

In brokenness You shine

Let comfort be a living thing

A river flowing from my grief

Where thirsty souls can drink their fill

And find in You their heart's release

And through my sorrow show

Your freedom and hope

How could I know when others said

A word or two then walked away

That You, the Man of Sorrows

Would come near to stay

You'll always stay

I want to see

Your beauty one more time

In brokenness You shine

In brokenness You shine

It’s been far too long since I’ve written in my blog.  I can assure you it isn’t because of a lack of desire or a lack of experiences to share…but rather a lack of free time. Things have a been so busy lately that it’s difficult at times to find the time to do basic things like sleep and eat.  But I wanted to give a short update on things.  The new school year has started and Familia Feliz is buzzing with new voices.  The idea was to have fewer kids this year, as I will be helping to build the facilities for the new school and orphanage we are building in a small town called Ixiamas (about 3 hours from Rurre) and will not be on campus as much as in the past.  As such would be the case, I decided I wouldn’t live with boys this year either, which was another reason we would have to limit the number of kids on campus.  As usual, however, God had other plans.  :)  Instead of 45 kids, we now have 70, 9 of which I am legally responsible for (not the institution, but Miguel Tello).  And instead of living by myself, I have 9 teenage boys in my house.  And while things are busier and more hectic than ever, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  

My boys and I

(From left to right.  Standing:  Alan, Andres, Daynor, me, Kevin, Freddy

Kneeling: Lesmer, Honorato, Ademar, Douglas)

I do need your prayers though. We need your prayers.  There are new kids, new challenges, new obstacles and God is the only One that can enable us to handle them in such a way that will lead these young lives to Him.  

We have kids that are addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex.  We have kids that have made some poor choices and are having to live with those consequences.  We have young people that have had trouble with the law.  We have a young man that made a bad decision that resulted in the loss of someone else’s life.  We have kids with STD’s.  We have kids that have been physical abused more than you can imagine.  We have boys and girls that have been raped and are trying to make sense of things, find their worth and identity, learning to trust again.  We have kids that have tried to commit suicide.  One girl has cut her arm at least 15 times.  Some have lost their parents to death.  Some have been abandoned.  They have been told they were a mistake, an accident, that they are not wanted or loved.  They wish they had never been born because of experiences they have had and comments made to them by those that are supposed to love and protect them.  We have girls that believe in order to be loved, they have to look a certain way, therefore they deny themselves food.  Every child here, in some fashion or another, is struggling with guilt, with a feeling of unworthiness, with loss.  Every child here has voids that they are trying to fill, while wearing a mask to try to fool everyone else (and themselves) that everything is ok.  And I wish that I could that we, as adults and staff, don’t do the same thing. But we, too, have holes and voids and wear masks.  Each of us need to experience God is a new way, an individual way.  Please pray for this to happen.  Please pray for these kids.  My heart literally breaks every time I hear a new story.  They are all the same.  They all are broken.  So please pray for them as they venture out on exposing themselves, their needs.  Pray as they relive traumas and experiences so that healing can occur.  And pray for us as we strive to lead them to Christ.  May they see Him and not us in our own brokenness.  We don’t have the answers.  But we know Who does.  Pray that Christ will indeed shine brighter in brokenness and affliction.  

Also, one other request.  As many of you know, I am starting this new project.  The need is so great here that we have to have other facilities to help these children.  Every year, our two current schools turn away hundreds of kids because of a lack of facilities.  The vast majority of those kids are turned back into environments of abuse, abandonment or neglect.  We have to do something to change that.  We have to reach these kids.  Not only to provide for their physical wellbeing, but more-so, to introduce them to Christ and His love so that their lives can be truly changed.  We have to do that.  There is no other way.  That is the Great Commission left to us.  God has been so generous and merciful and has brought together a wonderful team of missionaries to help meet his need.  I truly would be lost without each of them!  And He is opening doors so quickly that it’s all we can do to keep up with Him.  We have the land, we have planted fruit trees and will be planting more once rainy season ends.  And we have some funding to start construction.  We plan to begin building in about two weeks.  We need to build and furnish an entire campus by the end of December of this year.  Our goal is to be up and running by February, 2019.  We’re already getting requests to take kids at this new school and orphanage and we haven’t even begun breaking ground yet!  The need truly is great!  Please pray.  This is God’s project.  These are His children.  We are trusting in Him to provide the funding, materials and staff that we need.  We truly believe He is opening the doors and will part the vast sea that is staring us in the face.  

Thank you all for forgiving me for not being as up to date with this blog as I should and for taking the time to read and pray.  May God pour His love and blessings on each of you.  

Maranatha!