First Month Complete

We can hardly believe it has been a full month since we first arrived in Puerto Cabezas! This past week sailed by with many treasures and new adventures along the way. We have begun a new routine of having a bevy of girls over on Wednesday and Friday evenings for read-aloud time, prayer and singing. This last week we got to party with the “babies”…the youngest group of girls (mostly ages 5-6). It was a new experience for them to leave their usual surroundings, and to receive attention without having to compete with 50 other kids. We loved having them over. They are quickly memorizing various scripture songs we've sung together.

Saturday nights are turning into a treasured anticipation. These nights are set aside for pijamadas (evenings and sleepovers with groups of the girls). We want to balance spending fun light-hearted time, with also encouraging them in their faith and leaving them with something other than a fun memory. Last week God laid it on our hearts to look up the meanings to each of their names, and to find a Bible verse which displays that significance more fully. It was really precious to discover meanings like, “daughter,” “light,” “the Lord’s”.....for girls who have experienced such darkness and abandonment, we can already see God flooding in His redemptive purposes for His beloved chicas. We made a small production of celebrating their identities in Christ as we called them up one-by-one to receive the card with their name and Bible verse and “dubbed” them with their new meanings.  The little artists got right to work copying their name meaning and Bible verse on their section of a huge banner which will hang in their room. Sleeping was a fun adventure. The four mattresses from our little place were swished into the living room to form one giant bed for the 12 of us.  We feel so incredibly loved and blessed by these sweet girls. It is such an honor to be allowed into their hearts and lives.

The finished project!
"I will praise you, because I am fearfully made.Wonderful are you works; my soul knows it very well."
(Psalm 139:14)

A new opportunity popped up last Friday for us to visit the hospital with a medical team who worked pretty much non-stop all week, performing reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft lip and pallet. The medical world is so different here, that we were actually allowed to dress up in scrubs and observe the surgeries happening in the operating room. Liesl was a perfect observer, and got to stay for several surgeries. Emily started out well and good, but was promptly wheel-chaired out after she accidentally fainted...(something about the heat, mixed with lots of blood, and no oxygen). Anyway, we were grateful for the experience, and really blessed to witness God using this team who is truly impacting the lives here.

Morning worship at the hospital

The first surgery of the morning, Miguel Lincoln, who is 2-years old.
(Before surgery, he was unable to speak or eat. Food and drink would come out of his nose, due to his cleft.)

Medical team hard at work

Miguel, with his Mama after surgery, all fixed up!

Going under-cover....green, pink and blue. =)

Please pray:

•  That God would soften hearts here to HIS love, through the gospel. We are so aware that everything we do is in vain if not compelled by Him. Please continue your prayers for the caretakers. Pray that God would particularly use the presence of a godly, humble and gentle man, like Ibriel to manifest his heart of Father-love to the girls. Candi and Ibriel met with one of the older girls alone recently. God used that time powerfully in her life. Pray for more breakthroughs like that for them.
• For wisdom and strength. We are in full-swing here! The days seem to fly by now. We need wisdom to know when to pull-back and when to pour out.
• Please pray that, if God so wills, he would allow the kids to catch the delight of reading aloud this week as they come over in the evenings and that those times would be cozy and enjoyable for them.

Thank you so so much for praying! God is answering!