Oh me of little faith...........

I am guilty. I often start to think about problems from only a worldly point of view and I forget that our God is a God of miracles and blessings.

As many of you faithful blog readers know we have been helping the last couple of years to get children in school. We firmly believe that by getting an education that these children will have more opportunities than their parents. We are trying to help in a number of ways.

Public education. We know that in the states it is not a perfect system. We complain about overcrowding, lack of programs, violence in schools. There are many valid complaints.

Over here it is a little different. Each child must pay a small fee for school. They must buy their own text books, school supplies and even some class room supplies such as a roll of toilet tissue, markers for the teachers, small towels. And the uniforms. Shirt, pants/skirt black dress shoes. You have to have it. They also have to have a PE uniform (our children don't have them and therefore do not participate in PE) So no uniform and supplies=no school.

Overcrowding is a huge problem. They have 2 to 3 school periods a day lasting about 4 hours each. Morning, noon and afternoon. You would think that there would be plenty of room with 3 shifts. Nope. The schools are now full and will not take anymore children, so if you are not in yet you are just out of luck until next year.

Last year we started a scholarship program with the help of Joe. We would buy a uniform, pay the fee and buy supplies for a child. The child and their parents fill out a short form agreeing to keep a 75% average, attend class regularly and have a good attitude. We then take the sizes and school supply list and purchase all needed supplies. This ran about $50.00 per child. We received numerous donations last year and were ready to go this year as well, but the funds just did not come in. Well we worked with the little money we had and were able to put a few children in school. Many others ask and we had to tell them we do not the funds, but if we get them we would help.

I felt really bad seeing little ones that were hoping to go to school asking everyday if we had any money for school. I had pretty much given up for the year. I was determined to ask earlier in the year next January and I prayed that next year we could help some of these little guys.

Then one day I sat down at my computer and there was an e-mail from South Trail church of Christ. I have been working with Diane Adams but not really in contact with anyone else in the church so I was quite curiose. Can you guess what they wanted? Yep that's right to help with the scholarship program. Not next year but right now! They immediately put a check in the mail for $500.00. That is 10 kids, yes 10. I was so excited. Jen and I took this list we had and started shopping even before we had the money in hand. We began going to the schools and literally begging them to accept the students.

We shopped around, compared prices, told people what we were doing asked for the best prices, went through the lists and bought in bulk were we could. We were determined to use this money in the best possible way.

We filled out paperwork and took photos. After about 10 kids I ask Jen (quite fearfully, thinking I had overspent) what do the receipts add up to? She put it in the computer pushed the button and.................. just set there looking puzzled. "What?" "How much?" "Okay I know we bought a lot of stuff but it can't be that bad." I was already telling Randy about it in my head, "Well honey it was a really good price, she really needed shoes too, it's for a good cause, just think of the little ones in school, just look at these cute little pictures." (hint always break out the cute little pictures as a last resort, they are a very powerful weapon and should be used with caution)

"So tell me the news Jen. I am ready." Wellllll we have spent not quite half the money!
"What? How is that possible?" We have helped a lot of children. We were so excited we headed out to shop some more determined to spend it all on the children. We took more names, filled out more forms, took more pictures and then added it up again. Yep you guessed it only about $100.00 higher.

As many of you know I have a lot of experience in this area and waving a red sales sign at me is like waving a red flag at a bull. But this was crazy, it seemed the more we helped the more we could help. This is impossible.Then I remembered **For nothing is impossible with God(Luke 1:37)

Overall we were able to help around 21 children with supplies, uniforms, shoes, and or fees. Because South Trail heard of a need, prayerfully considered it and then took action there are now 21 more children in school today.

I don't know how to say thank you in any other way than to share some of the smiles on the faces of the children. I know that you do not expect an earthly thank you and that you did not do this to be seen by man for your own glory, and I first thank God for your congregation and their willing hearts but I do want to extend a special thank you from my heart as well. I had given up on support for the children for this year. I had no faith in collecting the needed funds. God not only showed me that he had not given up this year but that he could take 5oo dollars and spread it around to meet our needs (kind of reminds me of the loaves and fishes). It was a valuable lesson for me. My bible verse this week is: "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:19-21

As most of you probably know by now my heart is with the children. I love children. The wonder of watching a human being, a person created in the likeness of God, knit together by God, loved so much that Jesus knew what he would have to do to pay for our transgressions and still chose to come to this world as a servant, the wonder is seeing the world through their eyes. Everything is new, there is joy in simplicity, beauty in the imperfect. No wonder we must be as a child to enter into the gates of heaven.

Now I know that it is not all joy and laughter with children. They can be little terrors. Have you ever noticed how God has blessed those children that most try your patience with the sweetest smiles? I think it is a means of self preservation. I know it has kept them safe from me on several occasions. But no matter, I can hold a child in my arms and feel the honor of having been called to help these little ones and know that I am unworthy of such a great honor. It is only by Gods grace can I with confidence open my heart to as many children as he sends and know that my arms are being used by God to hold these precious treasures for a short time.

Having worked in Mololoa full time for over a year now and having been going that community for the last five years I have fallen head over heals in love with the children. I have seen babies only days old yawn and stretch in my arms. I have watched as little ones try those first steps, some with confidence and others with fear. Birthdays have come and gone with celebrations and sometimes eggs. I have seen little ones crying in fear because they are left alone so mom can work, screams of joy at getting a new toy from a group of visitors, losing the first baby tooth was pretty hard on me and the little boy. A phone call telling me Randy is bad, he hurt my head, then finding out the little one fell in his truck and got three stitches. Kisses, so many literally thousands, some on soft baby cheeks, dirty little boy cheeks, snotty running nose I don't feel good cheeks, chocolate thank you for the cake kisses, little open mouth toddler kisses, polite young girl kisses, embarrassed young boy kisses, and my favorite, faces covered in spaghetti kisses. I love these children.

I worry about a lot of things with these little ones. Will they eat today? Will they be dry when the rain is pouring down, are they warm? The bugs are bad, the rats are worse. They have no shoes and run around on the rocky ground, do they have to carry the water today? It is so heavy. Their clothes are so big they fall off, they are ripped and dirty. Matted hair with lice, worms in their bellies. Need doctors, need medication, there is no money. Their education or lack of education, there is no money for books and uniforms. So much too worry about. I am so thankful that I do not have to carry this burden alone. God loves these little ones more than I ever could. While my heart is full of love for them I know it is only a drop in the bucket to what God feels for them.

Yes, the worry is great, but the joy of having these guys in my life well there is no way to describe it. I have been blessed beyond measure. Sometimes you have to open yourself up to some heartache to experience great joy. By worrying if you will always get hurt you limit yourself. Christ knew that he would be rejected but he still came. So you feel like you are being called to step out on faith in a way that may leave you open to hurt or rejection? Lean not on your strength but Christs. He is strong enough to bear any burden we place upon him. Seek his will and he will guide you. If you allow the spirit of Christ within you to increase then your fears and worries will decrease. He know the plans he has for you, plans to prosper, not to harm, plans to give you a hope and a future.

What is in your future? I don't know, but what I do know is that if you open yourself up to God's will for you that you will never regret it. He is just waiting to bless you beyond your wildest dreams....So let him.

Do you ever feel like asking God....Are you sure?

I do, I know that this comes from my own limited understanding of the nature of God and my own short sightedness. I often ask are you sure about this. I am often not sure at all, in fact sometimes I am sure that I shouldn't, but God is sure.

In the last couple of years I have ask, "Are you sure?" a few times.

When the opportunity to move to Honduras and to share the good news to the people of this country was made available I ask," Are you sure?"
I mean it is a long ways from home, I don't have any friends or family there, I have two teenage daughters, I like my house, my car, my swimming pool, we are still working, saving for the future, I don't speak the language. I had a million excuses.

When we begin to ask ourselves the really hard questions and have to sacrifice people and or things that we love or enjoy to put the kingdom of God first we are tempted to make excuses. There are many people who say they want to do the Lords work --but not yet.

God was sure he wanted me in Honduras. It is now home, I miss my family but I appreciate the time we have together so much more, I still have my friends and I have made new ones as well, my daughters are living a full life in which the focus is not their wants and desires, not the pressure of their peers, but of seeing the needs of others, knowing that they can make a difference that has eternal ramifications in a person's life, instead of trying to please their peers they look to please God. My car, house and swimming pool? I don't need them, how can a swimming pool compare to seeing a young man who has been in my Sunday morning class for a year move to the adult class and then accept Christ and be baptised for the remission of his sins, it can not compare, we are still working, but God is providing, we are saving for our future, a future in heaven. The language, sometimes the language of love is best communicated in silence, in holding a child and wiping tears, in sharing tears and hugging a friend, I can share my faith in a number of ways other than verbally, In the way I live my life I can do more to show people what it means to me to be a Christan than in a thousand words. Oh and I am doing okay with the Spanish thing, not as good as Katrina, but okay.

My excuses were just that, excuses. They came from worldly fears, I was not letting go of my life to take hold of Christ. When you accept Christ you have to let go of your life, it is no longer your own. We have to decrease and allow the spirit of God in us to increase, when we do this we will be free from the fears that hold us back from the life God has planned for us. When you are sure that God only wants the best for you and that he will meet all of you need you will stop asking "Are you sure?" and start saying "In you Christ I am sure".

Happy Birthday Suani!

Suani is one year old today. Her mom, Katie, works in the kitchen. She just had a birthday (turned 15). With her mom working in the kitchen we spend a lot of time with Suani and she has become the Darling of the kitchen. She was a premature baby so she is small, she isn't walking yet but is standing and it won't be long. She is starting to talk a bit. She mostly calls for Katrina....Tina. She can point to your nose, eyes and mouth. If you tell her yes she shakes her head no. She has also learned to give kisses. Oh boy. She is a very special girl who had a special place in our hearts.
So enjoy





























Take a minute today to
say a special prayer for
this dear little one.

Dear Mr. _________(I do not know if you want your name mentioned and so as not to offend you, but still let everyone see the generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ I wanted to put this letter on our blog)The spirit of the world says we should take credit or be acknowledged for every good thing we do to serve God and other people. But God says the motivation for our service shouldn't be honor; it should be love---love for God and love for others. (Shine)

We wanted to send you a special thank you for you generosity in providing the funds to provide a home for a truly needy family here in Honduras. Many people can not even imagine the plight of the people here and many people chose to ignore it. You however not only realized the need but took your time and resources to bless a family here with a beautiful new home.

Now when you think of a mansion I am sure that it does not resemble a wooden box. Over here we built a mansion. Yes it was made of wood on a small plot of rocky ground. Yes it is only one room. It has one door and one window. The roof is made of tin. And the wooden floor keeps them out of the bacteria filled dirt. I know that it kind of sounds like a shed. But one man's shed is truly another man's castle. This house it built not only with wood and nails, but with love, generosity, prayers and faith. It is secure and well built, it will not leak or flood in the rainy season. The cold winds are kept at bay by tightly fitted wood siding. It is a fine house, which is made into a fine home by the family that will be living there….

praised God. She is a very hard worker and has graduated from food preparation, cleaning and taking care of the kids to cooking. She was so proud to serve the rice that she cooked for the first time last week. Xiomara, she is 21, looking at her I would guess 30. Life has been pretty hard on her. I admire her and the way she keeps her faith as strong as she does. She has a young son, Alexander, and he is the cutest little guy. I love talking with him. He is so serious and yet has that little sparkle in his eye. He loves little cars and big tractors. Xiomara is the lady that had been kicked out of her house the day that we told them about being hired as full time workers. She is the one whoShe works in with us at The Manna Project. She feels that it is a great work and a great way to reach out to people. Her salary is $75.00 aXiomara.
month. She had borrowed ten dollars from someone a while back and out of her first paycheck of about $18.00 she immediately repaid the loan in full even though it left her with only with $8.00 for the next two weeks. (We pay every two weeks; she had only been hired one week of the two week pay period). I know many people who would have paid a little and promised more later because it would be easier on them, but not
We told her a couple of days before we were going to build the house that someone had donated the money for us to help her. She was shocked. She began to clear the land and make it ready. We showed up on Saturday and built her what she considers a mansion. Several people showed up to volunteer to do the labor. Randy, Katrina, our friend and fellow worker with the Manna Project, Jennifer, several teenage boys,Marc and Lori, a couple of friends from the states, made up the work crew. It was a hard site to get to and we had to carry the wood a long ways. I am always amazed at the strength the young boys have. I enjoy working on the walls and floor. I refuse to get on the roof. And digging the holes is the worst job. There is so much rock. And it never fails that there will be a giant rock right where you want to put a corner pole! The work is hard, but the rewards are great.

She loves her home. And that is what she has made it, a home for her and Alexander. Last week she invited all the women in the kitchen into her home to dedicate her house to be a godly home. Everyone arrived to pray with her. Afterward she had small plastic wineglasses that she filled with banana soda and had some store bought cookies, what a party. Everyone loves Xiomara and she is a wonderful example in thankfulness.

The other day someone said that they didn't believe in God. Xiomara ask how could they not, she told them how God has always been there for her and answered her prayers, maybe not today or tomorrow, it may even be a year from now but he always answers her needs. Would I have that same faith if I had been in in her shoes? Looking through trash for food, having no place to live, a young child to care for, and no real possibilities to change my life? I would like to think so but I just don't know.

Mr. ________ you allowed God to use you to answer Xiomara prayers. We thank you and Xiomara and her family thank you. It has been a wet, cold couple of days and thanks to you Xiomara and Alexander are safe, warm and dry in their new home.

God bless and keep you.

While this is a letter to thank a specific person could you not fill your name in the blank? Not just for a house, for buying food that the Manna Project desperately needs, school supplies, and coming soon a free daycare/preschool/afterschool program. Could you not come and help with the physical side of the work when someone who could not come donates the funds? Could you not come and help with the spiritual side of this ministry? Praying with people, home bible studies, devotionals for women, VBS, Sunday school, Prayer meetings the field is ripe the harvesters are few.

Open your heart to the call.