Four New Kids

I want to introduce you to the four new kids who are now in our program. One of them you have heard a lot about, so he’s not really new, but he has been with us the past few weeks. Javier was not with us for a few months due to huge behavior issues. We have seen improvements in the past few weeks, he is not as violent and does not react to punishment by biting, kicking, and screaming. There are still many problems we are dealing with and he needs continued prayer. From what I understand, there was a problem at the house they live at over the break, and the mom had to run away with the 2 boys and left the little girl with the aunt. According to the boys, their father is still in prison, butthey still go to visit him. We get bits and pieces of the story from the mother, but she is not the most reliable source of information we have come to realize. But it is clear that the children are left to roam the streets at night. Continue to pray for stability in this family.

Another new boy in the program is Alejandro. He is the younger brother of David Edgardo, and the cousin of Alicia. Having family with him has made the transition easy for him. He rarely cries and loves to play with the boys. He is 2 ½ yeard old. He is really sweet and his mother, Marcela, is a huge help to the daycare.

One new girl, who just started last week, is Mariela. She is 2 years old. Our understanding is that her mother lives on the street (we have not met her) and she lives with her grandmother, who has health problems, from how they describe it she may have dementia. It is clear this little girl has never accepted the word no before, but she has a sweet personality and loves to sit in my lap. Just in the past week, she has started to learn the routine and adjust to structure.

Our last new girl is Valeria. She is 15 months old with very cute curly hair. I don’t have a picture yet, because she has not been coming every day and she does not stand still for me to take the picture. She is still wobbly when walking, so we have to keep her occupied away from the bigger kids who want to ‘play’ with the baby, which often results in her losing her balance and falling down. Her mom is still looking for work and they live very far away. Her mom said she was at the bus at 7 one morning and they did not arrive until 10:30. We are praying she will find work and an apartment on this side of town, so that we can watch the baby.

The Honduran public school year starts this Monday, so we will have 5 or 6 kids going to kindergarten in the mornings and then coming to Casa de Luz for lunch and the afternoon. The Honduran school year is from February to November. It will be a different dynamic with only the little ones in the morning, but we will still have all the kids for lunch and the afternoon. (Zulema pulled David's tooth with dental floss)

The last update is that my truck is sold! Over the past month it has been in the mechanic more than with me. But it was finally fixed, we put it in the newspaper, and within a week we got a call, he looked at it Monday and bought it on Tuesday. I was not imagining it would sell that quickly, but it is a blessing that it is gone! Now I am in the process of looking for a new, reliable car. Please pray for the process and the funding for something more reliable. Also for protection on days that I will be walking to take a taxi to and from the daycare.