My Crazy Life

Time For A Change

2011-10-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is not a blog post I had planned to write, I still owe you 3 that I've pulled from my camera in the last couple of days, but today as I was driving I decided it was time for a change. After running around all day running errands, which in Honduras ALWAYS takes all day, no matter how difficult it should be, we ran through McDonalds on the way home. And as I was driving towards my home, where there was healthy food waiting if I was patient enough to get here, I looked in the back seat and saw my precious girl loving her chicken nuggets and sprite. I am most definitely not opposed to the occasional trip to the fast food joint, but I do not want my child, or myself for that matter to be a fast food junkie.
And that's where we are folks, at this stage Rosie and I have become fast food junkies and it's time to put a stop to it. I don't want my child, who is already predisposed genetically to being larger, to struggle her whole life with weight loss. Been there, done that, still working out the kinks in my own body image.
So...why am I rambling on about this to all of you? Because I want your ideas. Meal times are work times for me usually which lends itself to fast food. I want to start making meals ahead of time that I can freeze and pull out when I'm in a hurry. I don't want to depend on processed food "Yuck". But I also don't want to freeze out all the nutrients in good food. I LOVE to cook, and I enjoy healthy food I just need to make it a priority in my life.
So what works for you?
I know you are busy, how do you incorporate healthy meals into quick time frames, without cooking all day or using a bunch of processed meals?
I would also love some juice/drink ideas for Rosie and myself to get us both away from soda. I drink a lot more than Rosie does, but the packaged juice boxes I give her aren't much better.
We've started exercising a lot more, which is great, but if we don't change what we're putting in our bodies than health is not going to follow.
I love to hear from you and I need your help.
So let me know what you think!
Love you guys!

A Few Pictures From A Day Spent At Breaking Chains

2011-10-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

Jonathan, our little plumber.

David was fixing a busted pipe and Jonathan was eager to be his assistant.

Oh my are these two a mess together.

But Rosie loves her sister more than anything else in the world.

Making lunch over the fire.

This fascinates me.

Baby Ashley gets more beautiful every day.

Have I mentioned I love this child.

Mario moved in and out in the matter of 24 hours.

I'm not sure if we will seee him again but I am thankful for a few moments to try to touch his hurting heart.

Jose de la Cruz and Yovany are easy favorites at the building.

They are always quick with a hug and eager to help out with any project we put before them.

8 yr old Kimberly and 12 yr old Pamela helping "moler" or make tortillas for the homeless dinner tonight.

Escarleth just being beautiful next to the fire.

I am overwhelmed by the fact that God allows me to work with these wonderful, beautiful people.

Duckweed!!

2011-10-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

For two weeks now we've been searching high and low for two things:

Fish, which is a hunt with many leads but few successes so far.

and Duckweed. Evidently Duckweed is a rapidly reproducing magic plant that will provide all the food we need for the fish.

This tiny plant has been alluding us until just a few days ago when we were following a lead on some fish. We were down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere when all of the sudden Nathan called out, DUCKWEED!!! and jumped out of the car to collect it.

The tiny green things floating in the water were the treasure we had been hunting.

And Nathan climbed through swamp land and over a fence to reach his prize.

Now it is safely back in one of our aquaponics beds and hopefully happily on it's way to reproducing.

Joel is so excited about our farming project he came home the other day with plants for us to plant.

He chose eucalyptus and a shade tree to bring from his grandma's garden to bless our little plot.

These things will probably have to be transplanted at some point but I am so pleased to see them eager to join in this project.

God is already touching hearts and opening up new avenues in the lives of these teens through the garden project. I can't wait to see what happens as we begin to see vegetables growing in our beds.

Shine Culture Day

2011-10-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

Last week the nation celebrated their culture and the Shine! kids celebrated with a day of food and games at school.

Darwin attended with them and took pictures. Let's just say he's probably never going to be hired as a photographer.

But these two are pretty cute.

Our Beautiful Girls

Jose's costume was a little less creative

This kid cracks me up!

We're in book report season again so I"m spending lots of time with the kiddos and remembering how much I love their crazy antics.

Jennifer Lilianna

2011-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to post baby pictures!

I have always thought Jennifer was beautiful and watching her slip into addiction and pain has been one of the harder things I've had to witness.

For many of our young girls having a baby is an opportunity to turn their lives around.

Jennifer is fighting hard and I pray that she is successful.

Furious but still adorable.

I LOVE baby feet!!

I held this precious baby for hours this day.

I think her mama is a little overwhelmed but she is doing her best.

I pray that God bless this precious angel's life with safety and dependence upon Him.

MORE New Faces

2011-09-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Jennifer finally had her baby.

Jennifer is 17 years old and a serious glue addict.

I have no idea what is going to happen with this precious baby but by God's hand only she was born a very healthy baby girl.

Meet 18 day old Jennifer Lilianna.

Rosie's mom is going to help Jennifer (the mom) take care of the baby as much as she can.

I'm hoping that we can all be a strong presence in this baby's life.

Here is baby Jennifer sporting one of the precious little hats donated to us this summer.

Please pray for this precious life and perilous road that lays before her.

Pray that we can be God's hand on her life and on the life of her mother.

This is Ivis (18), Cristian (17), and Carina (15)

They moved in a couple of days ago.

I don't know much of their stories but they are sweet kids eager to fit in and hopefully make a change in their lives.

I look forward to getting to know each of these precious souls and seeing where God leads us in their lives.

We never know when someone comes to the building how long they will stay, but our prayer is that whatever the amount of time is, we are able to make God more visible to each person before they go on their way.

Down On The Farm (or urban Tegucigalpa)

2011-09-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to let the chickens and rabbit out of their little pen and into the yard.

We weren't sure how the dogs would take this but it went well.

So now we've got our own little petting zoo in the yard....

Yippee...

The cute baby chicks turned into "interesting" looking adolescent chicken pretty quickly.

Darwin has named them Nacho and Chacho.

My little garden setup outside.

I spent a couple of hours outside today planting all the little seeds for our aquaponics garden and setting up this little garden space.

I feel very "green" today.

Hopefully soon all these planted baby seeds will grow into beautiful healthy plants for our garden.

This part of God's creation absolutely blows my mind.

I am so glad the God of these wonders chooses to be a part of our lives.

We Have Plants!!

2011-09-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

Put a few plants in the aquaponics beds today!

Everyone is SOOO excited to see what comes out of our garden.

We still have a long way to go but here are our first plants.

The rest will be started from seeds in cups and should be planted in the next week or so.

Basil

Strawberries

Worm casting "tea bag"

This will give nutrients to the plants and also eventually to the fish.

Moringa

This is an Indian plant packed with nutrients that we will feed the fish and also dry to put in the food we hand out.

Tomatoes!

This may be what I'm most excited about.

You can't beat a fresh tomato.

I can't wait to do some harvesting!

Sunday Morning Fun

2011-09-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Sunday mornings are family time at our house since we attend church in the afternoon.

This morning Rosie and I had lots of fun

I love this little nut.

The Farm is Ready!

2011-09-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

The aquaponics farm is ready to go at Breaking Chains.

This weeks project is preparing seeds and finding fish to fill our tanks

Nathan working on the Youtube video

The best picture I could get of the whole setup

The auto syphen

Running water!!!

We're all very excited to see where this project takes us and also to see how easy it would be to implement it in other places.

The Babies Are Getting Big

2011-09-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand...

Baby Pictures!

Baby Ashley is 3 months old

Baby Amber is almost 5 months old!

We don't get to see her much, but when we do it is such a blessing.

Her uncle is raising her in a town about an hour away

Baby Allison is just over 1 month.

There are so many precious babies associated with our ministry and it's a blessing to be a part of their growing up.

A Garden For Breaking Chains

2011-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Since we opened the doors of the Breaking Chains ministry building I've been looking for a way to introduce a manageable garden to our members.

Several different ideas and plans were tossed around but nothing ever came to pass.

Until now...

Now we are working with Nathan Hale to produce a small aquaponics farm on the open balcony of our building.

This little farm will produce hundreds of pounds of vegetables and at least 100 fish per year.

We've spent the last two days working hard on the tanks and supplies for this operation and today we are installing it in our building.

Transporting 3 of the 6 tanks we needed.

David cut all the filter covers

And Kristen drilled the filter holes.

I was responsible for gluing everything together.

We had to cut the tanks in two for the plant beds

Nate cut the cages

And I cut the tanks

Even Rosie wanted in on the fun

This is a "mock-up" of what it will look like on the balcony so we can figure out the plumbing connections.

It doesn't look like much now but I will post pictures soon of the final product and veggies within the month!

For more information on Nathan Hale, his farm project, or Aquaponics farming go to this website:

http://hondofarm.com

Hard Work!

2011-09-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

For about a year we've been trying to decide what to do with this crazy mud pit in the middle of our building.

We've tossed around a lot of ideas, planted things, built some things, but nothing has worked so far.

This is less than ideal and the mud continues to cause problems with the drainage out of the middle of the building.

So yesterday we decided to take advantage of the broken tiles that have come from our broken down roof.

Everyone at the building worked hard today, hauling tiles from upstairs, smashing them into smaller pieces, and spreading them around the mud pit.

The result is a much prettier, less muddy, workable space.

We still have some detail work to do around the outside and we're eager for a big rain to wash the broken roof tiles clean and then bake down in the sun, but we were all pleased with the results.

Soon we hope to take out the concrete "fireplaces" and build them an outdoor stove.

This week we are working on getting an aquaponics vegetable and fish farm started. Keep checking back for pictures and updates from that project and others that are happening every day at Breaking Chains!

Visiting Friends!

2011-09-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

I met this sweet girl 10 years ago on both of ours first trip to Honduras.

Since then Barrie Jo Mitchell has interned for me numerous times and taken residence in a very special place in my heart.

After 2 1/2 years of not seeing her smiling face she finally made it back down for a visit this week. I'm already having a blast showing her all the things that have changed since she left and I'm looking forward to what the rest of the week holds helping her reconnect with kids she has grown to love over the years.

Barrie Jo's friend Kristen also made the trip down with her and has quickly made her way into everyone's hearts. Rosie has decided Kristen is her new favorite person and several of the kids at Breaking Chains have fallen in love with her fun spirit.

Corey Bryant is here for a year staying with David and teaching at a bilingual school, but he's fallen in love with our ministry and we've pretty much fallen in love with him as well.

Corey has a heart for children and it shows in his interactions at Breaking Chains.

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.

God continues to shower his blessings of love and fellowship upon my head and I can't say thank you enough.

Everyday Life At Breaking Chains

2011-09-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Allison is getting bigger everyday and is the princess of the building.

Escarleth, Pamela, and Erickson just hanging out and having fun.

These little moments are some of my favorite to witness.

They have such few opportunities for normalcy this is a blessing to witness.

Outside our building tonight

Absolutely love him!

Some of the kiddos enjoying their dinner tonight.

Martin, quiet and sweet.

I think he has some mental handicaps and he refuses new clothing or shoes but he is a quiet blessing to our ministry with his shy smiles and polite mannerisms.

Two of our older ladies, Idalia and Kenya's mom, serving dinner tonight.

These ladies are feisty and a joy to watch serve others.

More New Faces

2011-09-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Our ministry building has become a safe place in the community for people to stay and that warms my heart. We still have a lot of people passing through but we average about 30 people a night making a home in our building.

Over the past couple of weeks we've lost a few back to their addictions and the freedom of the streets but we have also gained several new friends along the way.

This little guy doesn't have a name yet but he and his Mama, Kenya moved in just a few days after he was born. Kenya's mother and little sister also stay with us a lot of the time to help out with the baby.

The same night that the little family above moved in, Jose de la Cruz showed up after several months of not seeing him. This kid is already deep in my heart. I met him over a year ago at the boys' home 21 de Octubre. He is desperate for someone to love him and eager to help out in any way he can.

He has quickly become a favorite to all of us working at Breaking Chains.

Last night Hugo, Jennifer, and Joel showed up.

Hugo and Joel have been talking about moving in for a while but haven't been willing to make the life changes necessary to live in our building.

I met Jennifer for the first time last night.

All three kids are shy and very uncertain. I didn't see Hugo at all today and it's possible that he has already decided to make a break for it.

Many of these kids struggle with the simple act of being accountable to someone and are easily frightened off by that.

I'm not sure what will happen with these precious souls but I am so thankful we are given even a small amount of time to touch their hearts.

Running For Our Friends

2011-09-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

One of the groups that came down this summer is holding a 5K to help raise funds for our ministry and we've decided to run our own 5K alongside them, here in Honduras.

So we've enlisted the help of a Couch to 5K program on my phone and we are running 4 nights a week. It's a great opportunity for all of us to get into shape and it's been a great bonding time for all of us.

I must admit these first couple of pictures are staged,

I can't run and take pictures at the same time.

But their enthusiasm is most definitely not staged.

We don't always have a full crew running but they are cheerful and encouraging running partners.

The slower parts have also been a great opportunity to get to know some of the kids better and share a little bit about our own lives with them.

Sunday night is POURED on us but we kept going for most of the run anyway.

It was hilarious but so much fun. This is our dripping wet, smiling running crew for the day.

Kimberly and Corey are always happy to cheese it up for the camera

Escarleth is definitely one of our most enthusiastic runners.

She is 8 years old and LOVES to run with us.

She looked adorable with water dripping off of her nose and this sweet smile on her face.

Sweet, Sweet New Faces

2011-09-05T23:34:00.000-07:00

Seriously! I don't think they make kids much cuter than this.

This little guy turned up at the building this evening.

Andiel is the youngest brother of Kimberly and German.

We seem to be gaining this family one child at a time.

Their mom is a prostitute who works all night and brought her kids to our building to keep them safe.

I still haven't met her. But she brings the kids food everyday and the kids have obviously been loved.

They are all very helpful and sweet, but desperate for hugs and attention.

If we can keep babies like these safe for even one night we are doing something worthwhile.

If we can show them that there is a God that loves them unconditionally, despite their location then we are making an eternal difference.

Luis Alberto breaks my heart.

We rarely get to see this smile.

Luis was born in a children's home and has been shuffled from home to home his whole life.

He doesn't open up, when pressed he shares his past in a monotone voice, while showing no emotion whatsoever.

Luis worries me.

A young adult with no emotion is capable of anything.

But he yearns for the love and acceptance that Breaking Chains offers.

He's left many times, he's been kicked out a couple,

and every time we talk about his inability to open up.

And every time he comes back with a forced smile and his best "I'm open" face on.

God is the only one that is going to be able to break through the thick crust around Luis's heart,

but I know the young man inside is treasured by God and worth any effort we put forth.

Mirna (the lady in the blue) lives in our building, but these other two ladies, Leila and Angelica, are local prostitutes who have started to visit our building on a regular basis.

They are always very made up and overly dramatic about things but they are absolute dolls.

These women are hungry for love and acceptance and they are begining to find that at our ministry.

At Breaking Chains we see a lot of hurt and broken lives, but we have the absolute blessing of being a few of the hands God uses to start putting those pieces back together.

Goodbye Dear Friends

2011-09-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Over the past year I have had the honor and priviledge of getting to know two wonderful young women and the end of this summer was marked with their leaving.

Both girls chose to take the teens at the homeless ministry to play soccer as a parting activity.

Jenn Hines was my friend David's intern over the past year and grew to be like a little sister to me.

This crazy girl has a smile that lights up a room and a heart that draws people in.

I am so blessed to know her.

The little ones enjoyed watching the indoor soccer and really enjoyed playing sharks and minnows later on in the day.

The soccer playing crew for Jenn's departure

It's so good to see these two together again.

I love my boys.

And then there's Courtney Mathews

(who I am sure will appreciate me plastering this picture all over the internet).

I didn't know what our ministry could look like with so much help.

It was very hard to say goodbye to her but I am so happy to say that she will be working with us over the next two years as our PR and communications director.

It poured down rain most of the time we were playing with these kids but it didn't slow them down a bit, in fact I think it added to the experience.

Courtney wanted so desperately to play basketball that she decided to play the hoop.

Our ragtag soaking wet crew of very loving hearts saying goodbye to a dear friend.

Both girls will forever be a part of our lives and ministry.

I thank God for bringing them across our path.

Recently At BC Church

2011-09-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Church at Breaking Chains is really exciting. Each week we have new people visit and we're developing deeper relationships with several families that have come by.

Since the spring we've grown from around 30 to around 100 and counting!

These precious precious babies make my heart sing.

Baby Lindais is growing up!!!

She is so precious and I was thrilled to get to spend some time with her.

Geovany and Corey handing out food.

Corey fits right in to our crazy little community

Getting ready to run.

We're running a 5K in November, stay posted for more information on the run soon.

Chiminike

2011-09-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

As part of our "say goodbye to Courtney" week we took the families with older children to the science museum. Everyone had a blast.

Carina and her mom Belkis.

These two don't have very many moments like this, so I felt blessed to catch this very innocent sweet moment on film.

Taping a news program.

They loved doing this and then watching it in another room on the tv

The whole crew.

It is hilarious to me how difficult it was to take this picture

The little ones going fishing.

They all looked so cute in their plastic vests

The bed of nails was a HUGE hit.

Everyone took a turn giggling with nervousness and climbing on up.

Courtney was the guinea pig in a science experiment

All the kids enjoyed dressing up in traditional Honduran clothing and playing homemade instruments.

Ariel and Belkis were definitely the craziest two people on the trip.

Belkis is sometimes hard to deal with but she is so hilarious.

Another shot of the whole crew at the end of the day.

It was so much fun to watch these mamas play with their kids and not have to worry about food or danger or any of the constant stresser that they have in their lives.

Spending time with these kids in joyful moments brings my heart closer to God

Summer 2011 Interns

2011-09-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Every summer God has provided a great group of kids to help out with our mission teams, and this year was no exception.

My team of interns had their strengths and weaknesses but they all had a part in making this summer a wonderful experience full of new friendships and service to God.

Elizabeth left Honduras to head to India.

I've known this sweet girl for many years and she is absolutely a blessing to my life.

Evan was our youngest and newest intern.

It was his first trip to Honduras and he fell in love with it completely.

I miss his laughter and goofy antics.

Oh Courtney, Rosie's other mother and my right hand girl.

I couldn't have done this summer without her.

Courtney is quite possibly the most impressive young person I've ever met.

Leslie has a generous and hilarious spirit.

She is quick to help and eager to be loved by everyone.

The kids at the homeless ministry really enjoyed using her as a jungle gym.

Despite their faces they really enjoyed the park.

Silly girls.

I've watched Abby grow up from a little girl into a wonderful young woman.

She's a monkey and climbed every tree in the park but she also took the time to show Rosie the wonders of God's world.

Callie started off the summer with her mission team and dad.

It was really neat to see her in her element.

Callie is a strong young woman who will accomplish anything she puts her mind too.

Lauren and Holly joined us towards the end of the summer.

They both built relationships that will last a lifetime with some of our homeless friends.

It was a joy to watch them find their niche and thrive there.

I miss my house full of crazy girls, and Evan, but I know that God will use these young people wherever they go. I look forward to seeing where their paths take them and to seeing who God causes to cross my path next.

New Faces at Breaking Chains

2011-09-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

In early May a team from Alabama built 22 sets of bunk beds. For those of you short on math skills thats FORTY FOUR BEDS! I thought they were crazy but I smiled and was grateful for the work and love they were pouring into our ministry. However, in the back of my mind I was thinking, there's no way we're ever going to have more than 15 people staying at our building.

Well it's 2 months later and we are well on our way to filling all of those beds. We fluctuate a little bit but at last count we had 32 people living in our building and every set of bunk beds was in use.

Here are just a few of our new faces.

Osman breaks my heart. He is not well liked at the building and often does things that cause others to distrust and dislike him. He's a sad 16 year old who obviously has a very difficult past. I suspect that Osman may have some level of Autism but he may just be unable to cope with the things he's been through.

It's hard to know, he speaks very little about his past and his younger brother, who only visits us occasionally, refuses to speak about his past at all. Edgar, the little brother, is sleeping on the streets rather than give the barest of information about his past.

Luis Fernando is a joy to be around.

He is very quick to help everyone around him and will go out of his way to avoid a problem.

I often find Luis reading to the little ones or helping clean the kitchen.

Araly, her husband Dennis and baby Alison are a precious addition to our community. Dennis is quick to help and is very responsible. Araly is shy and eager for a hug and I always love a new baby.

Eugenio and his wife Edy (pictured below) live with their 3 children on the front side of our building. They mostly stay to themselves but they are kind and a wonderful example of a family unit to the teens living in our building.

Mirna and Edy are sisters and a complete joy to be around.

They do the cooking for the nights that we hand out food and are a joy to have around.

Mirna is expecting a baby soon and we're eager to meet the little one.

Erickson is one of Belkis's older children and moved in with his pregnant girlfriend Pamela about a month ago. Erickson has quickly become our handiman and seeks out ways to improve the building.

German and his sister Kimberly are precious. They came by a couple of weeks ago to stay a night and ended up staying. They are very young and their mom is a prostitute. I've yet to meet her but supposedly she comes to check on them on a regular basis. I don't know what the long term plan is for them but I'm glad we can keep them safe, if only for a little while.

Rene is everyone's favorite.

He has a temper he hides well but mostly he's a sweet old man that everyone calls Grandpa. He shares the Bible with the teens often and is even helping a couple of them learn to read.

These are just a few of the new faces. I'll do my best to post more soon. I love their hearts. Each of them is unique and I see in each of them a hunger for love, acceptance, and a place in the hollow of God's hand.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to meet and love these precious souls.

Shine! Kids Are Back To School

2011-09-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

The kids went back to school a couple of weeks ago and I've enjoyed getting to spend some time with them again. They are precious kids and very eager to succeed.

I think Dayana is stunningly beautiful and seeing her grow up is a real joy.

She struggles the most with school but often it's her desire to move onto the next thing that gets in her way.

Claudy is my challenge, but behind her often sassy attitude is a very soft heart.

She is the quickest to try to help the others and always has her eye on Rosie to make sure she's safe.

Escarleth is my little teddy bear. She loves to snuggle and be sweet. This little one wears her heart on her sleeve and often gets her feelings hurt, but she is very sensitive to the feelings of others.

Oh Jose, so easy to love. Jose is our scholar, meticulously doing his work and making sure it's done right. He's quick with a smile and often pretends to be other characters just to spice up the day.

My Rosie Girl

2011-09-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Rosie mostly for Grandma and Grandpa but I'm sure someone else out there will get a kick out of them too.

"Fishing" at the science museum.

She was so proud of herself when she got the fish to stick to the pole

Dr. Rosie checking on her mama's heart.

This was a touching moment and I'm glad I got a picture of it.

My little Ham.

She loves this outfit and likes to show it off.

Running around at the national park.

This little monkey thought that jumping around in a pillow case was absolutely hilarious!

There aren't a lot of non posed pictures of the two of us.

I'm glad someone caught this moment between us.

You Will Be Missed

2011-09-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of working with at risk people is most definitely the frequency with which we lose them. Every loss is hard, but some are harder than others.

Ovilio will be remembered forever for his sweet smile and helpful hand.

When we fed on the streets he would often stand by as our protector and he always had a smile and laugh for anyone willing to give him a little bit of their time.

Once we moved into the building he was always bringing young kids he found on the street for a warm meal and a place to sleep.

We often wondered why Ovilio wasn't somewhere more permanent. He seemed very stable and was always kind and responsible.

No one seems to know what happened to Ovilio but everyone is sure he has passed away.

I'm not positive what that means but I know that we will miss him.

Faces from Jovenes

2011-09-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Jovenes En Camino has a special place in my heart. It is the boys' home where I spent a good part of my first year in Honduras working. The kids I met there will forever travel with me in my heart.

This summer most of our teams went out to play with the kids and do some work projects around the campus.

Here are a few precious faces I caught one day while we were there playing soccer.

Merlin came to Jovenes when I was there and was a very VERY angry little boy with very little control over himself or his emotions. I now see in him a loving spirit and a desire to serve those around him.

Soon after I took this picture Merlin ran off and came back with a bag of FIFTY mangoes for me to take home to my family.

Fredy Cruz is an absolutely adorable whirlwind of activity.

He's impossible not to love.

Selvin still struggles with what to do with our friendship.

We were very close when I was at Jovenes and he took my leaving pretty hard.

I love this kid and it's a joy to watch him grow up.

Merlin, I love you dear.

Continue to open your heart up to love others and God will do great things through you.

For more information about Jovenes En Camino visit this website. I know they would love your support. http://www.jovenesencamino.org/

My Little Brother Is All Grown Up

2011-09-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

This summer I made a quick trip home to attend my baby brother's wedding.

It's hard to believe he's all grown up and raising his own family.

My wonderful family.

We're missing a few here but time with any part of my family is a blessing

The beautiful family.

I don't know when my crazy little brother grew up but he's turned into a wonderful young man.

Welcome to the family Ashley.

The before picture one night when we took out on a run.

The after picture is not fit for human eyes.

I love these sweet girls.

By far the biggest sacrifice of being in Honduras is missing seeing them mature into beautiful young women.

My gorgeous nephew, Kyler.

Love him!

I have been blessed with a wonderful family and I'm so glad I was able to be a part of this special day.

Mi Esperanza Beauty Class

2011-09-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine, Lori Connell, runs an organization called Mi Esperanza. Mi Esperanza brings HOPE to women, young and old, by giving them educational and financial tools that enable them to change their lives and the future of their children.

One of the educational tools that Mi Esperanza offers is a beauty class. Each class is asked to put in a certain number of service hours and this summer they held one of their service days at Breaking Chains.

It was so much fun to watch these hardened women sit down to laugh and have their hair and nails done.

Suprisingly, even though they all made a special trip over, many of them had to be talked into being "made over" But at the end of the day I saw more shy smiles than I've seen in a long time.

It breaks my heart that they have so little opportunity to feel beautiful. I know how much I enjoy the chance to dress up and feel pretty, and I only have to take the time to do it.

These girls rarely if ever, get to know that joy.

Little Dayana with her hair straightened and her nails done. This kiddo usually looks like it's been a month since she's seen a brush so this was a very special day for her.

Thank you Mi Esperanza for bringing light and hope into their dark worlds.

(We hope to team up with Mi Esperanza in the near future to offer some classes to some of the members of Breaking Chains. Be on the lookout for opportunities to help us with this endeavor.)

For more information about the Mi Esperanza organization please visit this website. I know they would love your support. http://thewomenofmyhope.org/

Laurel Church of Christ

2011-09-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

This might be my favorite picture of the summer.

Laurel Church of Christ you crack me up.

And I love you!

A Visit from a Dear, Dear Friend

2011-09-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

8 years ago a met a skinny little blonde girl with a strong spirit and a huge heart, and quite frankly she scared me a little bit. This girl had started an inner city ministry in High School and had accomplished more than I thought possible at 21 years of age.

But God put us together for the adventure of a lifetime, living in Honduras with a poor family who spoke no English. We did things neither of us thought possible and we formed a friendship that will never die.

Holly Deboard Towers is now one of my very best friends. She understands places in my heart that sometimes even I don't understand and I love her dearly.

This summer Holly, her husband Lance, and their baby girl Olivia came for a visit. Watching our children play together was definitely one of the greatest blessings of my summer.

Sadly this is the only picture we took together during the whole trip but I will treasure this time in my heart for years to come.

A Crazy House Build

2011-09-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

The first team we had in June contained several of my interns from years ago, whom I've watched grow up. It was a special time seeing them as adults helping to lead a mission team to Honduras.

Their first house site was one of the hardest build sites I have ever been a part of.

After climbing up a steep dry river bed we arrived at the bottom of a cliff. On top of the cliff we would be building a home for the mother of one of the boys from Jovenes En Camino.

I hadn't seen the site ahead of time and it took us about 30 minutes to find it.

Despite frustrations and hauling the wood a long way up the side of a mountain everyone worked together and had a great day.

Due to all the hard work going on, I didn't take any pictures but I went back after the rain storms began to make sure it hadn't washed away.

It was safely perched on top of the mountain and housing 7 people.

A beautiful little girl we met that lived near the site.

Jesus's mom and brothers and sisters were living on a tiny plot of land with plastic tarps up before Kingston Church of Christ gave them a home. A humble home, but a safe, dry place to lay their heads at night without fear of being blown away in the storms of life.

Thank you God for allowing me to be a part of life changing stories.

Delivering Gifts to Guajirre

2011-09-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Some friends in the states sent some gifts for this family over spring break. It took me a while to get up there but I finally made the trip to Guajirre to deliver them. It is always a blessing to visit this mountain community and this sweet family specifically.

This sweet woman is raising her 6 children in a home she allows the church to use for meetings.

Three of her children are grown and confined to wheelchairs. But the whole family is all smiles all the time.

This little one is one of the most beautiful little boys I've ever seen.

Excited to have someone new to chat with.

Giggled the whole time I talked to her

So proud of the new pillows and blankets.

The family was thrilled with everything, but the Mom cried tears of joy over a monetary gift that she said would allow them to buy food for the week.

She said she had been praying for help.

God uses even my procrastination to fulfill his timing.

El Cuco Visa Renewal

2011-09-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

At the end of May we had a rare few days off and took advantage of the time to renew my visa in El Salvador.

Rosie LOVES the beach and spent as much time as possible running around in the waves.

The little old lady at the little beach front restaurant where we took most of our meals became a quick friend. One morning she met us with this tiny shell for Rosie. I love this picture of her tiny hand.

Darwin convinced one of the local boys to give him surfing lessons. He had a blast but was a little bit suprised at how hard it was. My athletic kiddo doesn't find things he can't do very often. I think it was good for him.

This boy was a friend of the kid teaching Darwin to surf and offered to play with Rosie so I could take pictures. I was hesitant at first but he was an absolute sweetheart and they both ended up helping us out throughout the rest of the weekend.

Covered in sand and loving every minute of it.

I love these two more than words can express.

I am so blessed to have such a unique and wonderful family.

God fills my cup to overflowing.

Sunshine Church of Christ

2011-09-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sunshine Church of Christ has become one of my favorites. They spend their time here seeking relationship with those we work with and always leave with tears in their eyes.

Any "work" that we do pales in comparison to the value of relationship building for Christ.

Luke sharing his struggles with drugs and alcohol with everyone at church. It was so good for them to hear that from a Christian that was struggling with the same things they were.

An attentive audience.

Logan quickly became Rosie's best friend. He was a good sport about hauling her around all week.

Brianna and Dayana were equally as crazy as the other and developed a quick bond.

I didn't take many pictures this summer and many wonderful mission teams will not make the blog, but it was an incredibly blessed time filled with lots of laughter and friendship.

God uses the summer months to fill us all up and prepare us to be poured back out over the year. I thank God for this wonderful blessing.

Summer Newsletter

2011-09-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, It’s been so long since I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and write to you. I would love to hear how things are going in your part of the world. God is pouring out overwhelming blessings on our lives and ministry right now. It’s a very exciting time. Thank you for taking the time to check in with our ministry.

Summer Teams and Interns
This summer we were blessed with over 300 North American volunteers working with our ministry as part of 15 different mission teams. We also hosted 9 different interns from around the United States. These volunteers are the lifeblood of what we do here. They bring love and relationships as well as funds and supplies to keep the work going. This year our teams built almost 100 homes for needy families, they held clinics, VBS programs, food and clothing give-aways and served food to the homeless. But most importantly they built relationships and touched hearts for God’s glory. They changed lives as they themselves were changed, then returned home to make changes in their own communities.

Courtney Mathews
I am thrilled to announce that Breaking Chains will be hiring Courtney Mathews to work with us full time as our PR director, Head of Fundraising and North American Liason. Courtney has been a true blessing to us over the past year and is already missed terribly by all of us here in Honduras. Having Courtney on board will allow me to focus more on the ministry here and also allow us to communicate more effectively with all of you. Be looking for more information and streamlined communication efforts coming from her in the next few months. Please be praying for Courtney as she makes this transition and as we begin to fundraise the support necessary to keep her in this position.

Breaking Chains Homeless Ministry
Breaking Chains is taking off in really exciting ways. Our church service has grown from an average of about 30 people to 80-100 people every Sunday. Our children’s class, started by Courtney, accounts for about a third of that number and has become a highlight of the week for our kids.

We also have several new people living in our building and are up to just over 30 people. This number includes 5 families, 3 elderly people, about 8 single teens, and 1 blind man. Having so many people living in the building provides a unique opportunity for them to learn to live in community and for us to minister to them specifically. There are many challenges ahead and we continue to seek out ways to meet their needs while also empowering them to take control of their lives. We hope to start cooking and beauty classes within the next few months and are looking for sponsors if you are interested in helping us with those endeavors. Thanks to inspiration from Providence Road Church of Christ and their teens, Breaking Chains, yours truly included, has begun to run every night that we feed. We are preparing to run a 5K in early November in conjunction with Providence Road in order to raise funds for the purchase of our building. We would love to have you join us. If you are interested in joining the effort and planning a 5K in your area please let me know.
Shine! Honduras
The Shine! Kids are back at school for another year and very excited to meet their new teacher and get back into the swing of things. Their English continues to improve and I am eager to see where their lives take them. With school starting tutoring starts back up as well. I am thankful to Bart and Melissa Dodson who help out with tutoring two days a week.

My Children
Rosie is a thriving 2 year old quick to give a hug and a kiss, and also quick to drive her mama insane. We’re potty training and dealing with 2 year old rebellion but I couldn’t be happier to have her in my life.
Darwin’s level of responsibility and maturity continues to amaze me. He is now our full time preacher at Breaking Chains and reaches out to them with the understanding and love his past has taught him. He makes me very proud to be a part of his life.
Ariel came back into my life this summer after a two year absence. He stayed with us most of the summer and worked with mission teams. He was a great help and very responsible. I can see in him a yearning to make his paths right and I struggle to make the right decisions for him. He moved back to Mogote about a week ago and is going to be staying the weekends at our house in order to avoid the weekend party temptations. I pray that he continues to seek God and maintain his desire to change.
Future Plans
Next weekend is Children’s Day which rivals Christmas in the hearts of the Hondurans. Plans are underway to have a big Children’s day celebration and draw in other members of the surrounding community.

I’m in the process of putting together a database of everyone we work with. This will give us a better idea of how many people we actually serve as well as better ways to serve them. I also hope to put together an "adopt a Honduran" program from this information.

With summer over and some many young people at our building we are hoping to start our Bible study back up as well as many youth group activities and a study geared specifically towards them.
Prayer List
*During a strong storm part of our roof fell in, in an unused part of the building. Please pray that this doesn’t create problems in the rest of the building and that we can get a new roof soon.

*Pray that the paperwork on the Honduran side for our non-profit goes through quickly.

*Pray that we are able to raise the funds we need to purchase the Breaking Chains building.

*Pray for all the families and teens living in our building. They struggle daily with the decision to leave their pasts behind and follow Christ.

*Pray specifically for Josue. Satan is attacking him hard right now and he’s struggling with making positive decisions. *Pray for Belkis and her oldest son Erickson. Erickson is carrying a lot of hurt from his mother’s past decisions and is having a hard time with forgiveness. *Pray for Ariel as he battles his sinful desires and struggles to make serious changes in his life. *Always pray for God’s wisdom in the lives of Darwin and I as we make the hard decisions necessary to keep our little community running smoothly.

If you would like to donate to our ministry, please send checks to:
Jamie Sweeney
Park Plaza Church of Christ 4930 S. Sheridan
Tulsa, OK 74145 Please make checks out to Park Plaza Church of Christ with Amber Foster/Breaking Chains in the memo line.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. Nothing we do here would be possible without your prayers and financial support. I love to hear about your lives. Please keep in touch and let me know if you would like to know more about anything we are involved with. I’m hoping to get the blog updated and back on track as soon as I get this newsletter sent out. Thank you again.

All my love,

Amber Foster
Breaking Chains Homeless Ministry
www.amberinhonduras.blogspot.com
www.silvermm.org

Clothing Give Away

2011-04-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we did another clothing give away.

It's always fun to watch them pick out clothes and give each other clothing advice.

You would not believe how many times they looked through the clothes and changed them for different ones.

Everyone is as interested in what everyone else picks as what they get themselves

Such a blessing to be able to share with them the things the spring break groups left behind.

More Babies!

2011-04-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Another new baby living in our homeless ministry building.

This is Yolani and Lindais. Yolani came by last week and said she didn't have anywhere to go with her 16 day old baby, and could she stay with us. She now has a room and a warm bed to keep them both safe.

Baby Lindais at 16 days

Lindais and Penelope having a nap together

Lindais at 19 days. Yolani keeps her bundled up despite the heat. "They feel cold, Amber, you don't know"

Penelope came to church for the first time on Sunday. She's precious.

Baby Amber is still the princess

Muriel and Talanga showing off their babies to each other for the first time.

Baby Amber

Always making the rounds.

So many precious new lives. Please continue to pray that God is the anchor to their lives.

My New Favorite Picture.

2011-04-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

This picture gets it's own post. I love them both so much.

And I can't believe how gorgeous this picture is.

I may be framing this one.

Translating with VCOM

2011-04-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the honor and blessing of working with another VCOM team. This time they had a heavy focus on women's health and I worked almost exclusively with Dr. Roberts doing pap smears, pelvic exams, and breast exams. It is always a blessing to be able to help people receive medical care, but this time was very special because I was able to comfort and reassure them through some very uncomfortable procedures.

Part of the clinic team. Dr. Roberts is there beside me. He is truly a wonderful man seeking God's will for his life. I am blessed to now be counted as a friend.

Lining up in San Juancito, the one day we went out onto the field.

A beautiful old mining town, with beautiful buildings.

Two sweet older ladies who made the trek down to the clinic

Some of the students and their patients.

Gorgeous little girl

Some of my favorite ladies working in the pharmacy

These sweet boys became my pals throughout the day and started calling me "dulce", candy, thinking they might get some out of me. Obviously they haven't spent enough time with me :)

And of course Rosie was the star of the show.

This is Sam, maybe her first crush.

I need some help!!!

2011-04-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,
Next week is Holy Week here in Honduras and pretty much everyone I know is headed to the beach. I will most definitely NOT be heading to anywhere that holds water. I'm not a big fan of mass amounts of people. But Courtney and I talked and we'd really like to do some team building and leadership training type activities with the people living in our ministry building. They all have such potential for success but have a hard time getting past harassing each other in order to show that to the world. So next week we're going to try our first group outing with the homeless ministry. We're going on a camping trip, maybe :). The details still haven't been worked out but I need your help to figure out the activities. If you know of any great, but fairly simple team building activities we can do please post them here. We want things that get them laughing and working together. Thank you all so much for sharing in our ministry.
Love ya!
Amber

Have I Mentioned I Love Them - Sunday Afternoon

2011-04-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Talanga showing off his new clothes from Drew and Louisa

Reina and baby Amber showing off their clothes

Sleeping Beauty rarely wakes up

Sweet moment with Belkis and two of her precious kiddos

Seriously, could this be more precious.

I LOVE Talanga's face in the background.

Everyone wants a turn with Amber, I think Belkis loves her more than her own kids some days.

Adorable

Talanga's two favorite girls

"Got you her, mama"

A full house on Sunday

I don't even know this little guy's name, he's very quiet but he is ALWAYS here on Sunday

and is sweet as can be.

I'm so proud of my boy

"Who is a sinner?"

My little Monkey after Bible class.

Friday Night With Our Friends

2011-04-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from Friday night

The wrap is making it's rounds

Dayana is so adorable

Plastic Goggles were the toy of choice tonight

David and Jonathan

Silly Girl

Pamela is so beautiful. I want to make her smile like that all of the time

Oh Jonathan, it doesn't matter how many times this kid washes his face it is ALWAYS dirty.

Our teens hanging out and being silly outside

Reina is sooo proud of that baby

Karla trying to look tough

These two crazy women crack me up. Belkis and Consuelo are quickly becoming some of my best friends at the homeless ministry. They are such a mess but they are very lovable.

Rosie and Her Crazy Faces

2011-04-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Face

Sad Face

Silly Face

Mad Face

She cracks me up

Sweet Boys at 21

2011-04-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

I love these kiddos. It's so easy to stop going but I"m always so glad to go back. I've missed their sweet faces.

New Kid Carlos. Absolutely hilarious.

Some of the younger kids trying to pick out a game

Playing Pictureka with Courtney

One of the special needs kids. They break my heart. Most of them have no hope of leaving until they're grown and then they will just be turned out to fend for themselves.

Building domino houses

The kid on the right couldn't stop laughing, it was so cute.

One of about 15 of the same picture of these four boys.

Jose de la Cruz with one of the counselors. This kid needs so much love.

Gifts

2011-04-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of my interns from last summer, Drew and Louisa, sent wedding and baby presents to Reina and Talanga and I finally remembered to put them in the car and take them.

A frame for one of their wedding pictures

So proud of his new clothes

Reina is really excited to wear her new dress on Sunday.

"I'll look sexy in this :) "

This outfit is a little big but Amber will be wearing it on Sunday :)

One of the VCOM students left a bag for Oscar and since he's back he finally got his bag.

He was really excited about the shoes.

Muriel and Penelope

2011-04-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

Another precious baby is part of our ministry. This is baby Penelope.

Her chubby little cheeks are made for squeezing.

Muriel is so proud. She's having some trouble healing from the c-section but otherwise they are both happy and healthy.

So precious

Papa Jorge is just overflowing with pride. I've never seen him like this and it warms my heart.

We were all very impressed at how nice their little room is.

I was more than a little apprehensive as we climbed the stairs through their "hotel" to get to their room, but their room is bright, cool, and very very clean.

I'm excited to see what God does with this precious family. They are so dedicated to making a better way for themselves right now and I pray that they are able to maintain that desire and find God's path for their lives.

A Goodbye Dinner

2011-04-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the honor of celebrating a new job with Jose Arnoldo. Arnoldo is a kid I met at the 21 boys home over a year ago. Since leaving the home he has managed to stay clean and just got a job building radio towers in Costa Rica. He's a little bit nervous and it's a pretty dangerous job but he is so proud to have found it. So we picked him up last night and took him to Palacio Real (chinese food) for his last meal in Honduras before he heads out.

Rosie loves chinese food

Darwin did a very good job of making Arnoldo feel comfortable (something he's often not very good at).

And then there's Courtney and I's awkward photos just to make sure everyone felt included :)

A great time was had by all.

Some New Friends

2011-04-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday night a good friend of mine in ministry here, Marc Tindall, brought his team down to visit our ministry. It was a small group but they quickly jumped in and started loving on people.

I am so blessed to be able to share the ministry I love with so many people and one of my favorite things in the world is to see Christ's love for these people reflected in the eyes of so many volunteers.

The group brought really nice hygiene packets to hand out.

And everyone was very excited to receive one. The kids even got new toothbrushes which is always a plus for my little black toothed renegades.

And a bonus picture of Reina's two sweet girls getting two know each other. Watching Escarleth, queen of the tough girls, snuggle with baby Amber Elizabeth is absolutely precious. Hopefully this relationship will break down some of the walls she has built around her heart.

Oscar!!

2011-04-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago we were having some issues with Oscar refusing to clean his room and he decided to leave rather than clean it. This isn't typical of Oscar's attitude and we've really missed him around the ministry. Last week as we were leaving we happened to pass him on the street and stopped to talk for a while.

He said that he was embarrassed about the way he left and we really encouraged him to come back by and get some things people had left for him.

And on Monday he came!!! We were so happy to see him

He's such a precious soul and I pray that he will connect back in with us.

2 o'clock in the afternoon

2011-04-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

And my poor kiddos are exhausted.

A day of running errands, grocery shopping, and paying bills has completely wiped them out and we haven't even starting working for the day.

Sometimes I wish I could pass out that quickly

A Special Gift

2011-04-04T00:57:00.000-07:00

When Jennifer comes in to church we know we're in for a struggle. She continues to fall deeper and deeper into her addictions and truly cannot sit still for very long. Today she walked in late, sat down and clapped a pair of shoes together then got back up and came to find me at the back, ready to try to calm her down and get her back in her place.

She took me by the hand and led me out of the room then the next thing I knew she was on floor

Trying to pry this shoes around my feet. "Mom, I brought you some shoes" she says, and continues to work on them. I helped her put them on and she finally stood up, gave me a big hug and went back in to church. The shoes are about 2 sizes too small but I wore those shoes proudly for the next 20 minutes until she left.

I am amazed on a daily basis at how sweet and giving they can be in the midst of their extremely difficult lives. I pray that I am able to touch their lives in some small measure of the way they are touching mine.

New Glasses

2011-04-04T00:43:00.000-07:00

During our Bible studies (which continue to be a huge blessing) we have discovered that Idelia won't read because she can't see. I suspected that maybe she was using that as an excuse for an inability to read but wanted to see if we could try to help her out.

Imagine my suprise when we pulled out the glasses and found her a pair. She picked up the study and starting reading like a pro, grinning from ear to ear. She is so proud of her new glasses and I'm excited to see how the next bible study goes with her as our star reader.

Carolina

2011-04-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

We had another senseless death at the homeless ministry today. We believe that 17 year old Carolina died from a drug overdose but it's still being investigated.

Carolina's smile in both of these pictures was a constant. Even on a rough night you could count on her for a tight hug and an easy smile. She will be missed by many.

I continue to pray and wrestle with how we can save more of these precious lives.

A precious precious baby

2011-04-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

Finally after so much waiting and expecting Reina and Talanga's precious girl has arrived

Welcome to the world Amber Elizabet. Reina wanted to name her after her mom, Maria Elizabet but then decided to name her after both of her moms. I feel incredibly overwhelmed and honored.

Look at all of that hair

Reina loving on her little angel

Talanga meeting her for the first time. It was so sweet teaching him how to hold her.

Sleeping beauty

Rosie loves her too. She kept touching her and saying "beautiful" and "kiss it"

I have a feeling she is going to be a very well photographed baby.

I pray that God bless this precious life and protect her from the many temptations and trials that are sure to come across her path. Each new life has such potential for so many things.

Three Sweet Couples

2011-04-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to start this blog.

I had the amazing blessing to be part of three beautiful couples dedicating their lives to each other before God. It was such a sweet sweet event that turned out beautifully and brought together love and support from people throughout our ministry.

Here are just a few pictures. There are three albums full on my facebook.

Getting ready with the excited brides

I love this picture

Thank you so much Dudley for performing the simple but beautiful ceremony

It was a little crowded up there but such a blessing to be part of

I love this picture of Talanga and I.

Getting a good picture of all of the kids was impossible. They are so precious but they definitely don't sit still for long.

Talanga and Reina

Nancy and Josue

Consuelo and Jorge

I pray that they all have blessed futures ahead of them and that God guide them through the rough spots that are sure to come.

Lots of Friends

2011-04-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Spring break, or as we have affectionately decided to call it, The Gringo Storm, has a roaring success this year. We had over 120 North American families and young people join us in our work here.

Spring break is always a special time to reconnect and meet new people

Memorial Road, from OKC, will always hold a very special place in my heart. They are my original team and I've watched a lot of their teens grow up and become my interns. When they visit I have my extended family all around me.

West Ark came for the first time this year and brought two teams. This is their OK side of the line team. It's always a joy to work with a new team.

Muskogee was also a first time trip and I loved getting to watch their teens experience Honduras for the first time.

Amy Neil brought a group down from Harding and they were sharing space with us at Baxter. It's really neat to see a kid who started coming on mission teams with us bring her own team down.

Del City came down and worked with Mogote again. It is such a blessing to continue to watch the relationship between these two congregations grow.

And finally West Ark's second wave. They came the week after everyone else and I got to spend quite a bit more time with them. A few of them who had some flight trouble even came over and had a game night at the house.

I am so blessed to be able to make friends all over the world who are looking for ways to serve God and the poor.

This year the teams built 9 houses, a soccer court at Mateo, tore down a wall for an expansion at the Mateo church building, held a couple of VBS programs, held a clinic for over 200 people, paved a road at Baxter, laid tile in Mogote, served meals to the poor, helped with a wedding for 3 couples, and did several jobs around our homeless ministry building.

Most importantly though they built and fostered relationships both within their groups and with the people they encountered, sharing God's love along the way.

Shine! Trip to the Circus

2011-04-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Bob Elliott, the founder of Shine!, came down a day early for spring break and we took all of the kids to the circus. It was a late night and we were all exhausted but I think everyone had a blast. Here are just a few pictures of the fun.

Eating cotton candy and waiting for the fun to start

Camels!!! A first for all of the kids.

Climb up on top of that elephant and I'll take your picture, No problem!

Stand next to this miniature zebra being held by a very strong young man, we're not so sure about that.

Despite the picture, Rosie LOVED the circus. I'm planning on taking her again soon .

It was pretty cool to see these elephants so close up

This elephant kicked around a soccer ball for a while, which the kids loved.

Dayana loved the circus even though she could barely stay awake.

Bob and Claudy watching the acrobats

It's nearly impossible to get a good picture of Jose right now but I love the wonder on both of their faces.

It was a night filled with wonder and fun.

Another Sweet, Sweet Moment

2011-04-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Spunky, hard headed Reina has made her way deep, deep into my heart and even on days when she is driving me insane I want to wrap her in my arms and love her forever. She has had a hard life packed into her 32 years and every time she calls me "Ma" it makes me smile. Reina and I have spent a lot of time talking about God's plan for her life and she struggled a lot with making the decision to give her life over to God. But she finally did and it was a sweet, sweet moment.

It was very dark out and pretty cold but she hopped in the fountain and very sternly listened to all that Darwin had to say about this amazing decision

And he very skillfully got that very pregnant body under the water and baptized into our Lord.

And the angels rejoiced.

I love her so so much and it makes my heart swell to think of how much more God loves her than I can even imagine.

Hanging out With Rosie

2011-04-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

After being with the mission teams for two weeks both of my kids needed some extra mommy attention and I've been doing my best to give it to them. Here are just a few pictures of the fun Rosie and I have had this week.

Hanging out and being cool

I love her beautiful eyelashes

My pretty girl, we were just hanging out in the living room and she asked me to take her picture. She is such a ham

Getting ready to go swimming with David and Jenn

Stopping to be revived with some juice

And today Rosie and I had a snack under the table.

She loved it and she brought her baby along for the picnic.

She kept wanting me to sit on that middle bar, let me just tell you there was no way that was happening.

I've been blessed with two amazing kids from very unexpected sources.

God continues to amaze me every day.

My Cup Overflows

2011-03-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

Osman "Talanga" Martinez is one of my favorite people. I believe 100% that there was no chance involved in being in each others lives. We needed and continue to need each other. Talanga needed someone to see past his past and show him God's love in spite of his sins and I needed someone who understands those we minister to on their level and is able to care for and protect both them and us.

God is faithful and answers prayers.

Talanga has been struggling for a while with God's will for his life and whether he was ready to completely turn himself over to God.

Yesterday he made that decision and we had the privilege and honor of being a part of his baptism

Darwin did a wonderful job of being the "baptizer" and despite nerves did a wonderful job

Tears roll down my cheeks every time I see this picture.

God truly fills me to overflowing.

On Friday Talanga said "Ma, I think I'm ready, I want God to take my hand and walk with me and show me the way"

Oh Talanga, I pray that you realize that that is God's complete will for you, that you hunger for his lead and that you willingly follow him.

Not the best picture technically but that smile says more than can be put into words

I love him so. I pray that God will lead him and make His presence known and felt every moment of every day. It's going to be a long road but Talanga is so willing to follow His lead.

Belpre Group 1

2011-03-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

We have been blessed this week with having one of Called and Compelled's (David and Jenn's) teams here working with our ministry. Yesterday I did a fairly poor job documenting them hard at work but I greatly appreciate what they are doing.

Dayana "swimming" in the fountain we cleaned out and filled with water

All of the kids LOVED their "swimming pool"

Dayana enjoying dinner after church

Jenn looking over all of their hard work

They planted flowers all around the building

It looks so nice. They did a great job picking out a selection then protecting them with mulch. Talanga is really excited about taking care of the plants.

Surveying their handywork

All of the flower beds down below.

They are also working on the lighting upstairs and putting in a sink in the kitchen. I'm going to do my best to get some better pictures of them and their work before the week is out.

Fun Visitors

2011-03-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

This past week we were blessed to have two young guys from Pepperdine share their spring break with us. They quickly became part of the family and we were all sad to see them go yesterday.

They brought along a carseat for Rosie, chocolates for all of us, and lots of newborn diapers and wipes for our ministry.

While they were here they helped out with our day-to-day stuff, visited the dump, worked on the wiring at the building, cleaned out our bodega, built us a shelf and built me a dinner table! It was a busy week.

Rosie and Brendan

He was a great babysitter :) and a lot of fun to be around.

Oh Simon! I feel like he's my little brother.

Such a mess but an absolute joy to spend time with.

This is he and Rosie's "construction attire"

Rosie really misses both the boys and keeps asking for them.

My new table!!!

I was very impressed with their work, now we just need to build some benches :)

Another Great Night at the Homeless Ministry

2011-03-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Friday night was another great night. I love how are friendships continue to grow and how I see God honoring our attempts to faithfully serve him.

Jessica brought her two girls to meet us. This is baby Ashley and Naeli. They are both very sweet, happy, healthy girls. Jessica rents a room and does her best to keep her sweet girls safe despite the lifestyle she is living and the dangers she faces each night.

Ashley is a few months older than Rosie and they became fast friends.

A bunch of the kids piling in for a picture

My little security guard

I told 5 year old Jonathan I would pay him 1 L (a nickle) if he would watch my backpack and tell Reyna if anyone tried to touch it while I ran to get something in the next room. He was SOO proud. He sat down in his chair and kept an eye on my bag all night. And when I gave him his lempira you would have thought I'd given him $100. He is such a precious kid. I love being able to find ways to help these kids succeed in the little things so that they learn they can succeed in the big things.

Reyna proudly showing off the shirt Heather gave her.

Jorge and I. He's finally healed up from a bad fight he was in that left him with a broken arm and several broken ribs.

Rosie's best friend Leticia stopped by for just a minute or two and she was SOO excited to see her.

I LOVE their sweet bellies almost touching as they share about their days. They are both so precious and a joy to be around.

When is that baby coming out?!?

In the Dark

2011-03-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night was a little bit out of the ordinary. I had 2 week long interns, a couple of guys visiting from Indiana, 4 VCOM students, and David's crew of 4 show up to help hand out food and when we got there the entire city block had a power outage. So we went down to the corner of the street where there was still a street lamp and set up shop. It was a fun change of venue for the night but we didn't stick around too long. That many people in the dark made a me a little nervous. For the most part I trust the people we work with but I firmly believe that most of us would (and do) do things in the dark that we wouldn't do in the light of day. So in the name of prudence we hugged some necks, handed out some food, took some pictures, and took off :).

Nanci hanging out with the boys and Tarea

Marlon and Jose enjoying some rice and beans

Everyone kind of congregated down the street a little bit.

Arol sharing his dinner with Rosie. This was precious and I just didn't get a great picture of it.

Josue and David are fast friends

Courtney loving on one of our sweet ladies. She's trying hard to leave her alcoholism behind and I'm amazed at how sweet and lucid she is becoming each time we see her.

Wonderful 1st Bible Study

2011-02-28T22:29:00.000-08:00

Max Lucado - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus

This afternoon we started our first ever group Bible study with the homeless ministry. Everyone was invited but honestly we didn't expect a very good turn out. As He always seems to do, God took our doubt and showed us how big He really is.

We had 10 people, 13 if you count Courtney, David, and I, show up for our Bible study.

They struggled a bit with the reading aspect of it all but powered through. Those that had adequate reading skills proved to be patient and loving with those still struggling.

They were engaged and excited throughout the whole study. I was amazed at how involved they were. Typically I have experienced the opposite on the first meeting of any group Bible study.

Everyone shared stories, advice and kind words with everyone else

And wrote life examples into their worksheets

I LOVE this picture of Courtney and Talanga side by side bringing their hearts before God.

The closing prayer.

I am so honored to be able to share this time with some truly amazing people who have experienced more in their lives than I can even imagine. They are so eager to come to a deeper understanding of God's word and develop a relationship with Him. They even asked that the once a week study be a twice a week study. So tentatively we will now be meeting every Monday and Friday at 4. Please keep these studies in your prayers.

A New Home and Some New Volunteers

2011-02-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

A couple of week's ago Belkis (Rosie's mom) was kicked out of the room they were renting. They moved into another room that was evidently in a really bad part of town. I'm unclear of the story line but evidently Belkis came home the other night and there were several gang members in their room dancing to the radio and refusing to leave. She asked me if they could move into our building for a time and tonight we helped them all move in.

Who knew 1 adult and 5 kids with no income could generate so much stuff in one room.

It took 2 pickup truck loads to hold everything

Brendin Williamson and Simon Baker are here for the week helping us out. They are already expert sandwich makers and professional movers. The rest of the week is sure to hold lots of adventures.

Moving in

The kids were SOOO excited.

The whole family getting settled in

"Tarea" their really cute little puppy. We're hoping to teach him some manners soon.

I'm prayerful that we are able to make a difference in this precious, but trying, family's life.

A Great Bible Study and A Great Day at Church

2011-02-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

Reina and Talanga are very excited about their relationship with God and how to make it grow.

Today we had a long study about baptism

And praise God they both decided they wanted to pray and study about it this week and get baptized by next Sunday at the latest. I love them both so much and I'm so excited that they will soon be my brother and sister in Christ. Please pray for them as they continue to earnestly seek God's will for their lives.

Church today was a lot of fun. Our numbers are starting to grow again and Darwin is getting more and more comfortable with his role as a leader in our church

We did a lot of singing with hand motions today and everyone loved it!

I love to watch God work in this ministry and in the lives of these amazing people.

Children's Bible Class

2011-02-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Last week Courtney started a children's Bible class with our kids at the homeless ministry and this week David and Jenn were there to help her out. It is truly a blessing that these kids can learn about God's love for them on their level.

Dayana dreaming up some thing crazy to do.

Singing with the kids

David's not real sure of the motions

Trying to keep the little ones involved

Pamela working on her craft

Arol having a blast

Jenn explaining the craft to Dayana

Hard at work. They just started learning about the creation story.

God separated light bulbs and dark :)

Please keep these precious kids and their very patient teacher in your prayers.

A Triple Wedding!!!

2011-02-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

This week 3 beautiful couples decided they would like to make their relationships official in marriage. We're hoping to have a triple wedding during spring break while so many dear friends from the United States are here. This will allow us to share this experience with our friends as well as allow us to get some things from the states for the weddings for less than they can be purchased here.

We are all extremely excited to share in this blessed event.

Consuelo and Jorge, they have two kids together and have been together for over 16 years, it's time to make it official.

Sweet, sweet Josue and Nanci. They are very young but seem very much in love. Of the three they are probably the healthiest couple. They are expecting their first child in June.

And of course, Reina and Talanga. This has been a long time coming and an answer to a lot of prayer. They are hoping their first baby holds out for the wedding.

Measuring Reina for her dress. We're not real sure what measurements we're going to need to we took plenty to be sure :).

Everyone was giddy excited when we started taking measurements.

Josue was a little confused by all our measurement taking but he let us spin him around and get what we

needed.

Please, please be praying for these dear couples as they prepare to make their relationships official. We're currently in search of a good premarital bible study if you have an advice and if any of you would like to help provide supplies or money for the weddings we would greatly appreciate it. We want this to be a very special day for each of them.

Visiting My Boys

2011-02-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

We've recommitted to visiting the boys at 21 every Thursday. Unfortunately it's easy to get busy and stop going. These boys just light up when we walk in and it's truly a blessing to spend time with them.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

One of the counselors with two of the special needs boys. There are 7 special needs boys at the home who have very little chance of ever leaving and never have visitors. One of the counselors has made it her mission to make sure they get the same attention the other kids get and we're doing our best to help her out.

Jose de la Cruz is back and looking pretty rough. This kid wants so bad to be loved and begs me to adopt him but his past and present with gangs is not something I can submit my children to right now.

Jose Mungia LOVES Rosie and she's pretty fond of him too. They played together most of the time we were there.

Melvin and Courtney. One of the counselors said Melvin was having a rough week behaviorally. Please pray that he is able to work on his behavior and find a successful placement.

The little guy is Carlos and one of my favorite kids at the home right now. He is so young and just looks so vulnerable. Pray that his heart isn't hardened by his difficult life.

Angel is also back and asking about Alli. This kid speaks great English and is from a fairly affluent background but can't seem to leave his dangerous friends behind.

Each of the boys at 21 have a different but equally disturbing story. I pray that God's love finds a place in their hearts and is able to see them through the battles they wage every day against drugs, desperation, and fear.

RAVE Ministries

2011-02-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

www.raveministries.org

RAVE Ministries is a group I had the privilege of meeting while I was at Winterfest. It is a group of young girls who have made it their mission to reach out to their peers and show them that life with Christ is an amazing life worth raving about.

These sweet girls blessed our ministry with words of encouragement and a generous donation, as well as a few T-shirts.

Tonight I gave those T-shirts to some of our teen girls. You should have seen their faces light up as I told them about the girls in the states who were praying for them and who were eager for them to find Christ. It was a joy to watch.

I hope to start a girls group soon, specifically for our teen girls. They need a safe place to belong that is dedicated to them. Courtney and I are so excited right now to get so many things started. We pray for the strength, wisdom, and manpower to reach out to these precious souls and give them a place to belong, nestled in our Heavenly Father's hand.

Thank you RAVE for your blessings and encouragement, you are doing amazing things and the ripples are going around the world.

Wednesday Night with Our Friends

2011-02-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

A few beautiful faces from tonight. Everyone was in good spirits and we shared a lot of laughs and hugs.

Josue, quickly becoming one of my favorite kids. Tonight we were able to give him a little bit of money to start a "chiclera" basically a traveling snack stand. He wants to save up some money so he can take care of his baby that is soon to be born.

A cute pic of Jenn and Rosie, Jenn managed to be in several cute pictures tonight

Sweet Suyapa, she doesn't come by much anymore but we love her soo much.

Carolina, one of our teen prostitutes. She's living in our building and just started going back to school.

Jennifer is another teen prostitute and a little farther down the road of destruction but she is eager to be loved.

Rosie and "Pitufina", Carolina's cat who is now living in our building

Carolina, Darwin, and Carlos starting a dance party in the street.

Jasmine is new to our ministry and has made a connection with Courtney.

Leticia got a new dress and looked ADORABLE.

Jennifer wearing Jenn's glasses

Marvin playing with a grasshopper he found. Unfortunately he still couldn't put down the glue

Jenn and Sergio

Sergio showing off his dance moves. They had a blast dancing around on the sidewalk and behind the cars tonight. It's so much fun to watch them enjoy themselves.

Winterfest Gatlinburg 2011

2011-02-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the honor and privilege of speaking at Winterfest to two crowds of around 7000 young people. It was a little bit overwhelming but truly a blessing to see so many kids looking for ways to serve the Lord. I was also able to visit with 100's of kids that I have met in the past through mission trips to Honduras.

Jeff Vines, author of Dinner with Skeptics, was one of the speakers. His story of sharing the gospel with agnostics in Australia was very inspiring.

My booth. Fairly simple but it got the job done.

With the help of a lot of friends I was able to sell all 650 bracelets that I took to Gatlinburg and raise over $1500 for the ministry. I also made several contacts with kids interested in working with us in the future.

A Hard Post to Write

2011-02-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

Last week I started hearing rumors that someone was killing homeless people. To be honest I didn't give it much thought. There's not much I can do and rumors like that fly a lot. Well today proved that it's not just a rumor. Two precious young girls are confirmed dead, one is in the hospital and two more are rumored dead.

These precious kids are dying such senseless deaths and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

This week we've seen an influx of people at our ministry.

I pray this means they are sticking together and trying to protect each other.

I pray that they are seeing us as a beacon of safety and light in their dark lives.

I pray that God protects these sweet, searching souls.

If you've followed my blog for long you've read about Jenny. I've told Jenny's story to 1000's of people. Jenny was a 17 year old girl that never had a chance and never experienced unconditional love.

Jenny is 3 yr old Dulce's mom and was pregnant with twins.

On Sunday night someone kidnapped Jenny, Katarina, and Adelia.

Unfortunately I can't find a picture of Katarina, although she frequented our ministry, and was one of Darwin's good friends.

Katarina was 16 years old.

Adelia is 17 years old and has just started coming to our building on a regular basis.

On Tuesday afternoon all three girls were found outside of town thrown in a ditch.

Adelia survived her attack and is currently in a coma in the hospital.

Both of the other girls remained "unclaimed" in the morgue until Reina went down and identified them.

Paola is from El Mogote and I've known her for years.

Unfortunately she ended up on the streets. Paola is 22 years old.

I blog about Jairo a lot. He's 20 years old and regularly tells me he wants to change his life and go back to school. Unfortunately the pull of his addictions has made that impossible so far.

Both Paola and Jairo have been missing for almost 2 weeks and are believed to have been murdered.

I don't have space in my brain for all of this loss.

My heart cries out for their pain and I know that my sorrow is nothing compared to God's sorrow for these lost souls.

God is in control and knows each of them intimately.

I place my trust in Him and pray for His guidance.

I ask each of you to prayer for safety for these dear dear people.

Valentine's Day at Breaking Chains

2011-02-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day at the homeless ministry was wonderful. I made cupcakes, that's what I do :) and we let them make cards or crafts. Before we left Courtney and I discussed whether they would think making cards was dumb and babyish. We couldn't have been more wrong. They LOVED it. And we loved seeing their eager faces as they went to work. Please check out my album on facebook. I had a really hard time picking out pictures for the blog.

Hard at work on their cards. Most of them didn't even wait to eat before they started

100 Valentine's Day cupcakes

Jennifer's picture. Very childlike but absolutely beautiful

Carolina made beautiful cards for each of us. She is actually very creative.

This guy has just recently started coming and is very shy. It was a blessing to see him working so hard on a card then shyly hand it to me.

Oscar hard a work drawing carrots. He cracks me up.

Another Oscar showing Courtney how to make "christmas trees" from newspaper.

This Oscar can make just about anything from a piece of paper.

Escarleth and Natalia, they've already stolen my heart.

Josue, Escarleth, and Natalia working hard on their cards.

Their other friend Nancy asked me not to take her picture

Josman

"Madre", she's usually so drunk she can't function but last night she was very with it and spent a long time afterwards helping us clean up. It is a huge blessing to see them give back.

Kenya, Osman's boyfriend, working through her grief by making a card for him.

Manuel and Sergio digging through the foam box for the perfect addition to their card

Nancy's beautiful card

Loving on Escarleth and Natalia.

These girls were extremely standoffish at first but by the end of the night were quick with hugs and love.

Nancy finally let me take her picture. These four young kids are already deep in my heart.

They are drug free kids just trying to survive in a world that has been very unkind to them.

I pray that we can make a difference in their lives.

Valentine's Day Family Photo Shoot

2011-02-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of my sweet family

I love my kids so much

And I LOVE that they love each other even more.

"Tia" Courtney

I love this picture

Silly kids

In a tree at the clinic

Sunday at Church

2011-02-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

We had a great day at church on Sunday. We had lots of regulars and several new people come by.

Carolina cuddling with little Marbella.

She's taking in a lot more liquids now and starting to feel better.

Carolina is living in our building for a while and is an absolute sweetheart.

She has no substance abuse problems that we know of and seems to have a lot of potential for turning her life around.

Rosie watching for people to come to church in her new dress from Lola.

A sketchy attempt at a group picture.

A family that has started coming to church.

Jorge is the dad and a really sweet friendly guy. Diostefana and the daughter and both very quiet and little Manuel is absolutely precious.

Karla and Rosie waiting for lunch

The Bologna sandwich team.

Lindsey and Rachel came down to visit us for the day

David had the enviable job of cutting up tomatoes with the equivalent of a butter knife.

And we found out Reina has a daughter!!! This is Escarleth.

She is sweet and precious and just as tough as Reina.

She and 3 of her friends are going to be staying in our building for a while.

More about all of them soon.

Hanging out in Valle de Angeles

2011-02-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we make the trip down to Valle de Angeles to pick up some things for a trip I'm making this weekend and also to visit one of my new friends from the WOP conference Beth Mohagen. Beth had some clothes and things for our expectant mothers and it was great to spend some time with her and her family.

Silly girl

Playing in the trees

Jenn and Courtney, equally silly girls

Darwin is a great babysitter

Taking rest

I really like this bag

We took Marbella with us and discovered she was quite a bit more sick than we had realized.

3 of the 6 of us ended up covered in baby puke but everyone was great to help out

Cute little stand that was set up outside our restaurant. They had a little bitty puppy running around so Rosie kept coming back to play.

A Really Rough Night

2011-02-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Nights like tonight remind of how alive and well Satan is in this world and how desperately we need Christ's saving grace. Tonight, I sat in a park with each of my arms around a young prostitute who was sobbing and begging me to tell them that the dead body lying behind us wasn't their friend. Yolani lost one of her best friends, Kenya lost her boyfriend and the father of her unborn child. Kenya has lost 3 of her closest loved ones in the past year. What do you say? How do you comfort someone who has experienced such great loss and sees no hope for the future? Loss is never easy and I've been blessed to experience very little of it in my life; I am extremely poorly equipped to counsel grief, but I pray that God was able to use my hands to impart a little bit of his love tonight.
While I was sitting on the curb doing my best to comfort Kenya, Angela walked up. Angela was supposed to be at the hospital with her 18 month old baby who had been admitted to the hospital with a stomach virus and dehydration. Angela couldn't make it 5 hours without alcohol, even to protect her precious baby girl. So now Marbella is back at our building with Reina and we are pouring our hearts out in prayer to know what to do in this situation. We can't enable Angela to live the life she's living and neglect her baby, but we can't knowingly allow that baby to be in danger either. There are no right answers here.
God is bigger than all of this mess and he can conquer the darkness that is reigning in the lives of my dear friends. I pray that we are able to reach their precious souls with God's love before we lose any more.

Please pray for the friends and family of 20 year old Osman. He will be missed by many.

Sweet boys at 21

2011-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

21 is a government run boys home here. We try to visit it once a week but it often gets lost in the shuffle of our busy schedules. I pray that we can fit it in every week because they are such a blessing and they need so much love. Here are a few of their precious faces.

Making bracelets

Playing Pictureka, this is my favorite game to play with them. They can all play and it's bilingual.

A few of the older boys, definite punks but so sweet.

The second kid from the right is Samario, one of our favorite kids from last year. He's so sweet and I'm sad to see him back. Every time they return it's another failure for them. I asked him why he was back and he said, "it's better that I'm here, I can't stay away from the drugs outside." I wish you could meet this precious soul.

Dilmer and his mountain of bracelets

I wish this kids eyes were open. I love his bracelet and he was SOO proud it was in English

Melvin. So many people love this kid. I originally met him at Jovenes En Camino and he has a special place in my heart.

Courtney loving on some of the boys

I didn't catch this kid's name but he was hilarious. The kids who maintain their sense of humor warm my heart.

Jose Mungia, another kid from Jovenes who just kept loving on me. I could bring so many of them home

Then there's this sweet baby. He completely broke my heart. He came into the office to sell me his bracelets and after saying hi I asked how old he was. He's 12, his name is Carlos. I said Carlos why are you here, you're so young. He said "I don't have any parents". How did you get here? "My uncle, or my friend, brought me here." We talked for a little while and I asked him where he was before he came here. His whole demeanor changed he ducked his head and said "Well, I have parents, but they don't want me." Then he quickly left. No child should ever feel unwanted.

I'm not sure what was going on here but I think it's a precious picture.

Sunday Afternoon Nap

2011-02-11T14:51:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post this picture for a while. Most Sundays when we get to church there are at least one or two ladies sleeping on our benches. They don't want to go inside to the beds because they don't want to miss anything but they are exhausted and hungry for a safe place to rest.