despedida

Earlier this spring I asked God to send me help. I imagined having a sidekick who could help me with the load of responsabilities that I was carrying in running the women's center. Even as I prayed, I imagined there would be no way God could line someone up until summer, but I was wishing she could come immediately.

I didn't know that God had already heard my prayer and my spring intern had already bought her ticket. Stephanie came at the beginning of February with a team of women from California. Her team came for just one week, but I didn't know Stephanie had come to stay for two months!

Stephanie immediately connected with the young women (and two boys) at my site. Her visible love for them ministered to them.

It has been a blessing to have a companion, an ear, another mind to remember, an organizer, a cleaning lady, and encourager, and a friend with me each day at the site. We said good-bye to Stephanie at the site a few days ago and she will fly out in less than 24 hours. I know that she needs to return to her family back home so she may love and encourage them in her ministry there, just as she has us. I thank her family for lending her to us for this time.

maquina de coser

Sarah has been wanting to get her own sewing machine for a long time. We'd been looking for a machine since December and got one last week. She is pictured above with the machine in her house.

Since her dad passed away, her family has made it clear that Sarah and her sister will need to find ways to financially support themselves. Sarah's plan is to make bags to sell and to charge for things like clothing repair.

In the background are some bags that will be sent to a supporter in the states. He is hoping to market the bags as a fund-raiser for the church in Los Higos. Sarah is also making a profit on the bags that will help her and her family.

Please pray that Sarah will increase in skill and confidence and that she will be a wise manager of the money she makes. Pray that the money that will be raised for the church will be wisely invested for the expansion of God's Kingdom in Los Higos.

nueva clase

The preschool in Los Higos has now completed a year of service to Los Higos and began a new class two weeks ago. Whereas last year the school had 12 students, this year they have 20. They are divided into two classes- in the more advanced class, eight of last year's students are learning to read. In the lower class several new students and a few from last year are being introduced to letters and colors and will eventually move on to sounds. Most of the new class are three-year-olds, although there are a few that haven't had their third birthday, yet.

Carmen Luz, who volunteered last year with Johana, is teaching the new class and Johana is teaching the more advanced class. Johandry (Johana's baby) comes to school and a neighbor girl comes over and watches him during class.

charla con Fernando

Sorry it has been eons since I've posted anything on the blog!

This spring the girls' club has transformed from an environmental club to a health club. That wasn't my original intention, but it came up from the girls and Guelo, who is helping me sometimes, that we should do different units about different topics. So, until April we'll be talking about our bodies, sanitation, etc and then in May we'll start talking about dating, marriage, etc. again.

In our first health lesson we studied where God has dwelled throughout history, starting with the tabernacle and then the temple. Then we read about how the temple curtain tore when Jesus died and read the verses that say believers are the temple of the Lord. So, that is our basis for talking about health- our bodies are God's temple if we allow Him to dwell there.

This week Dr. Fernando (showm above) came and talked to them about how babies are made. Super embarassing. He didn't go into any detail about what the man and woman have to do to start the process, but rather focused on the stages of formation of a baby in the whom and the miracle that it is. He did a great job of exmplaining that the ability to have a baby is a blessing and that is why they need to be responsible with that gift.

We had little booklets (given to me by a friend back in Ames) that show photographs of babies at different stages in the whomb. The girls all crowded around the books and seemed really interested (as showm in the photo below)! Fernando shared interesting facts, like that a baby knows if it is loved or rejected somewhere around 22 or 26 weeks and that at 26 weeks the baby recognizes the voice of its mom and dad.

Overall, I'm really happy at how the girls' 'health club' has started out. Next week we'll be excercising and the following week we'll talk more about the changes that are going on in their bodies during adolescence.

conejitos

Here are a few more recent pictures of the babies:

dramas

Last week Andre's church had an evangelistic campaign each evening Wednesday through Saturday. Each night they had some fun productions by local community members usually followed by a guest singer or preacher (or a movie on Wednesday night).

On Friday the girls from the teenage group at my site had the chance to perform some dramas before the main message. They did three skits to communicate caring for creation from a Biblical perspective.

In the above skit Yessica pulled several items out of a sack and asked Arisleidi if this should go in the trash can (played by Titi) or thrown outside on the ground. The ground burst into laughter when she pulled out a gallon-sized rum bottle. Arisleidi informed Yessica with each item that the things made by man (glass, tin, rubber, plastic, etc) are to be thrown in the trash and the items made by God (dirt, wood, leaves, peelings) are to be thrown outside.

In the next skit each girl walked across the 'stage' doing something harmful to the environment and then I would cross the stage after them and make a commentary about what I was seeing. Above Anglica is removing the bark from the trunk of a mango tree to make it die so she can then legally cut it down to use for firewood.

In the above picture Titi is washing her 'motorcycle' in a stream.

One of my goals in the communtiy has been to help inform people of how the Christian faith applies to every area of life. I really hope they received the message that the environment is God's creation and we are called to care for it, just as Adam was called to sow and tend the garden shortly after creation.

conejitos

My rabbit had seven babies on Wednesday morning. The picture isn't very good, but you can king of see them all huddled together.