A Season of Change!

Javier and the bubbles

Lizandro and a big puzzle

Diego and the soccer ball

It’s April already! Looking back, time has flown by. In the moment it seems like it may be standing still, but judging by the calendar it’s going fast! This past month I had two pilot groups, to check out the options of bringing teams down in the future.

A lot has been changing at the daycare and I’m excited to share some pictures and good news. With the two groups coming, as well as a bigger team, we have numerous supplies to last us for a while. Supporters and teams have helped bring down puzzles, sidewalk chalk, balloons, bubbles, stamps, soccer balls, coloring books, prizes, pencils, crayons, glue, clothes and a lot of other supplies! From December to March our office has exploded with materials. The kids are loving all the new things, its hard to tell what is the “favorite,” they love it all!

Another change that has occurred is the color of our building. As you can see in the pictures, the once dirty white building was painted bright green by a team, accompanied with hand prints, shapes and polkadots! It has only been a few weeks, but it brings a brighter, refreshed look to the daycare.

Some changes that we hope are coming in the next few weeks will be visiting houses of the families and meeting with them. It has been my desire to get to know the mothers more, and we have the opportunity to do that by visiting the houses. One mom stopped me on the street the other day to ask about different sunblocks she had purchased, because she knew I could read the labels for her and explain it. I am getting to know some of them more, so that is an exciting change!

Along the same lines of being involved in the families, I am going to ask one of the mothers if I can watch her kids on Saturdays. One of the boys can be very cuddly and very violent, and judging by his interaction by his brother on the street last Friday, I hope I can provide a safe place for the kids a few hours every Saturday. Pray that the two boys can behave. I’m planning to take two brothers and a sister, Gabriel, Javier and Racsel. It will be a help to the mother and the kids!

I have been thinking ahead and want to let everyone know I will be in the States the month of August. As you know, I had a 10- month commitment, so I raised funds for that time. In July the first 10 months will be finished and I will need to raise support for another year. At this moment, God has shown me that he wants me here longer than 10 months! That being said, please pray about this trip, that I will be able to raise the funds to be in Honduras another year. If you would like me to talk in your church, to your small group, or even a group of friends please let me know so I can plan what States to visit. I’m excited to share what God is doing here and how He is using me to do it.

Please pray for Zulema, one of the ladies I workwith. She had a motorcycle accident last week with a pack of dogs. From what I can understand she flew off the bike and the bike ran over her foot. They thought it was broken, but I’m still not sure. Also pray for Bessy’s ear. She has had an ear infection and began to lose hearing. She has been to a few specialists and been on a lot of medication, which is not cheap. She found out on Thursday that it is beginning to heal, but she has to continue to see the specialist. Also continue to pray for the kids and their families. I have been having some difficulties disciplining because most of the kids are used to harsh words and hitting. Of course I don’t use those methods, so it has been a challenging experience to see what each child responds to. I have been very busy and emotionally overwhelmed, so pray that things begin to settle down and get back to normal.

One more big change! Michelle is back. Her family moved back in November, then her mom was out of work, so they pulled her out of the program. This week she returned because her parents have found work. It’s exciting to have her back!!