It's the Little Things.......

The days here have been very busy and we hardly seem to have a break. There is much to do and lots to help oversee with the building not to mention having a new baby. However, we were excited to receive Christmas in May here. Hilltop Church in Fuquay sent us care packages with little things from home that we can not get here in Honduras. Some things we might be able to get but they are very expensive. It was such a special time for our family as we began to unpack and sort through the boxes. We discovered tons of "TO GO" drink packets for our water bottles, along with Lance Cracker's, muffin mix, Mrs. Dash, Taco seasoning and so much more. Each box contained a new surprise for us and we were all so excited especially with the chocolate and the "PEEPS". We will savor each bite.

Then Mark and I began to talk about the men that are working on the property to help build our new home/cottage for Hope of Honduras. We also thought about how hot it has been here lately. The temperature has been in the high 90's and the heat index at times feels like 118 degrees. These 15-20+ men work out in the heat everyday except for Sunday's. The work is so different than the work that men in the states would do. Meaning this.....they do not use all the modern equipment that we have in the states. Almost all things are done by hand; digging ditches, mixing concrete, even using a machete to cut the tin for the roof. It is a long hard, hot day for these men and most drink the water from the spicket, which we don't do here. We thought that it would be nice if we treated these men with lunch. So, today we went and bought pizza, watermelon and gallons of fresh cold water. They all came in and sat down on benches made of wood and cement blocks. It's the little things that we sometimes take for granted.....like cold, clean and fresh water. They were very excited and grateful for a hot lunch and nice fresh ice cold water. Most of all they were just excited and grateful to be able to be working on our home. They are making so much progress and it will not be long now. They were working on placing the tiles in the bathrooms along with placing the tiles in the kitchen. (You can check out more pictures on my Facebook page) God is so AWESOME and it will not be long now. Please help us to continue to be a godly influence on the men working on the home and that they will know that the little things are worth sharing with others.

From a Mother's Heart.........

I write this blog from my heart, the heart of a mother. One week ago today, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. God entrusted us with this wonderful human being that is so dependent on both Mark and I for his every need. He can not feed himself, change his little diaper, or even really communicate his needs other than with a soft cry. As, I sit here and admire my little bundle of joy, tears also begin to fill my eyes. I sit here and think about the mother's here in Honduras who may not be able to provide for their little ones. How they long to be able to give them a better life but can not. I think of the many mother's who are forced to give their babies and children to other family members or even friends to take care of and raise so that they can go out and find work. Then you have those that are lucky enough to stay with their parents but are forced to work to help provide for the family. They start the cycle all over again. This is a cycle that seems to never end. A young girl has a child, they grow up in poverty, they are walking the streets looking for work or picking up plastic bottles to take and sell to recyclers.

These children will never know a different way of life, for many they will never get to experience the days that we as parents long for...for our children. Those days include shopping for school supplies for the first day of school. It may also include something as simple as having a birthday party. My momma was always big on celebrating the holidays for myself and brother and sisters. Whenever, there was a holiday with the exception of Halloween we always had a gift of goodies. My momma made an impact on my life in that way that I try really hard to do the same for my children. I love to have parties for my kids and celebrate their birthday each year. However, I look at some birthday parties that my friends have given their children in recent days and even the party that we gave Josiah and think about how the kids here in Honduras might not even have such a grand celebration on their wedding day. I am saying all of this to say that the days are approaching for us to provide a loving home for some of the children of Honduras. Mark and I need you to pray that God will lead us to the right people to help us start the process of taking in children.

We also ask that you help us pray that the hearts of the government officials will be softened and we will have no problems starting the process. Another very important request is that God will make it very clear and give us wisdom in electing and placing the first 12 children in our care. There are so many children that need help but God knows that there are 12 who desperately need to be in the home. This is from my heart the heart of a mother. God has paved the way for us to get here and now the road is getting shorter and shorter. The days to come will be a challenge for us. We will begin the process of many meeting and trying to make our contacts. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. May God Bless you ALL.

We are also in need of many items to help complete the home please take the time to check out the        Wal-Mart wish list and prayerfully consider helping the children of Honduras.

Not a Typical Day After All.......

Thursday morning we woke up like normal and got the kids started on their homeschooling.  At 10 we were headed with the Massey's to San Pedro for a day at a new store, Pricesmart and then out to lunch. We headed off and got to check out Honduras' version of a Wal-Mart. Afterward, we went to Pricesmart to prepare for the upcoming arrival of Micah who would be born by c-section on Tuesday or Wednesday. We knew that Mark's parents would be coming in and we wanted to get the fridge and freezer stocked. We headed one way and the Massey's headed the other way. We did our shopping and I started feeling bad...not sure if it was just tiredness or weakness because we had not eaten lunch yet. We headed to El Progresso to grab lunch and then go to the house since we had all of our groceries. After grabbing some burgers we headed home.

Then, something that we had heard all about but had not yet experienced happened. Guess what....we were pulled over by a policeman. After using some mangled Spanish we were able to drive away. However, the whole event was stressful. See, the Police here often pull people over ....especial Americans for money. Once you pay you become a TARGET. Luckily, between the 2 of us we were able to use enough Spanish to either frustrate him or make him realize that we were not gonna pay.

We left with our heads in a whirl and headed home to eat and put away our groceries. We were not home long before Mark needed to go and meet with Jose from church who is helping us with some of the materials for the building. Also, the plumbing in the kitchen started to act up so we were going to go see if we could find someone to fix it. Alex was not available so after talkign with Jose we headed for home. I told Mark that I was not feeling good and we headed back home. From that point on I started having contractions and constant pain.  Also, to our surprise our phone services had both went out. So, there was no phone in the house and the cell phone minutes were out.

We drove Josiah to the Massey's and left Hunter and Taylor at home and headed back to San Pedro to the hospital. Which is about 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic. Which by the way at this hour was cRaZy!!!! We had just made our turn to exit and go to the hospital when the truck started to act funny. What in the world was the devil doing to us today??

Luckly, Nathan was able to call my doctor and let him know that we were on our way to the hospital. Once we arrived we were greeted by doctor Abud. He is such a sweet man and what a wonderful encouragement to me as he also spoke English.  He began to examine me and advised that I had not dialted but Micah's heart rate was low and we were gonna go ahead with a c-section tonight. With tears in my eyes, the nurses started to get me ready for the operating room. Mark had gone to check in me into the hospital and I did not even get to pray with him before they started to wheel me down the hall. I was nervous.....okay that is a lie.....I was scared to death....I know enough Spanish to do the things that I need to do but I don't know any medical terms, nor have I ever had a c-section before. I started to think about the message that Brother Nathan had just preached the night before....PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!!!!!.....(thanks Brother Nathan for that message)(It is true that God gives you just what you need ...when you need it and he uses other people to deliver) I began to pray, I prayed in English and in Spanish. I prayed for my nerves, for Micah, I prayed that there would be someone to help me in the absence of my husband as I ventured on new territory. The doctors began to come in and one of my nurses who came in, who was also in charge of anesthesia spoke English. There was one answered prayer already. Second, Dr Jaar came in who I can understand but have some trouble was there and advised that Doctor Abud would be coming in to assist with the delivery. This was also another answered prayer...he speaks very good Englsih and just has a way of making you feel at ease. (but he had also recenlty retired form "OB"). When doctor Abud walked in he grabbed my hand and and advised me that Mark was on his way down and that he could stay with me. Yet, another prayer that had been prayed and answered. Mark entered and sat down at my head, I thought all about how this was going to be....no pictures to have as keepsakes to welcome little Micah into the world, but as Mark sat down I saw the camera in his hand. God is so GOOD, not just some of the time but all of the time.

It was not long before the doctor started to perform the c-section and we were able to see our new little man that we had been waiting for. The doctor pulled him out and we heard him cry. We were overwhelmed with tears of joy.  After, the doctor had asked if I had, had any prior surgery before. We explained that I had my tubes tied and reveresed. He was astonished. He could not believe his eyes. He basically said "this boy is a miracle" (which we already knew) But he kept wanting Mark to see that the tube was like a thin piece of silk. He called Mark to look 4-5 times ...just because he could not believe that he made it through. We knew it was all GOD. Thursday night at 7:15 we added baby Micah to our family, weighing in at 7lbs 7oz and 20.5 inches long. Thank You Lord we are now a family of 6.

A Mother's Day Special Event

Sunday was a special day here in Honduras as well as many other places all over the world where we celebrated the lives of all mothers. This was our first holiday here in Honduras but  definitely not our last. We were able to call and speak with our mom's and let them know how much we appreciate them and love them for their godly example.

We had a wonderful service on Sunday morning with a ton of mother's present in the service. Pastor Matt, presented the ladies and the men with a wonderful message from God's word about how important it is to be a godly example and how that you can accomplish that goal. First, off he made it clear that you need Christ in your life to be able to effectively be a godly example for your family and for others.

Jenny & Angie

After church on Sunday morning we began to decorate for the "Mother/Daughter Banquet" that we were having that night in honor of Mother's Day. We had a wonderful turn-out and many ladies came with their daughter's and other family members. However, there were a few that came with friends because their moms were either not present in their lives or they were not around. I began to think about how "Mother's Day" would be for next year.

Taylor and I sat at a table with 3 other ladies and their children. Next year, it might just be Taylor and I along with many little girls from the Hope of Honduras Children's Home. How exciting it will be to be able to share such a sweet and special time with them. It is so amazing to see and to think that we are getting closer and closer everyday to having children in the home. Please help us pray that after Micah is born we will begin the process of learning all that we need to know to be able to accept the first child in the home once the cottage is complete.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, and we hope that ALL of our friends, supporters and followers who are mother's had a WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY......You are all special and God has given you all a special role in raising up the children his has put in your care.

All the Mothers that attended the Banquet

2 weeks here and going strong.......

Well....it is so hard to sit and think that we have only been in El Progresso for 2 weeks and 1 day. We have been running since we arrived. We have been attending our new church which is a huge part of our ministry here as well as just learning the ropes of living in a new country.

Last week we were able to go and pick out lighting and tiles for the house. We were also able to meet with the man that will be making all of our wood doors and sign a contract with him as well as the man who will be working on putting in the windows. It is so AMAZING at how this cottage is coming together. God is AWESOME and worthy to be PRAISED.

Hunter working the machete

Mark, chopping away.....

This week we have met with Alexis...which Mark does on a daily basis to talk about other areas of the cottage. We also went and talked with a very kind business man named Jose from our church to talk about other things that we will need for the cottage. We needed some machetes to help cut the weeds/grass at the property. Mark and Hunter went out and began chopping it by hand.....hard work for sure. I have included a picture for you to see.

generator at Wal-Mart.com

Yesterday, we had a day pretty much full of rain. It was nice as it kept the day kind of cool. We were suppose to Skype with Hilltop's AWANA's group but 10 minutes before we were suppose to connect we lost power. We have learned that having a generator will be a must. Just like in Costa Rica, you are never sure when you will lose power or water so it is very important to always be prepared.

Today, we went with Jose and another gentleman from the church and job site to pick out all of the door knobs, locks, hinges as well as tubs, toilets, sinks, and other things for the house. We are so excited that things are continuing to run smoothly here and things are starting to really come together. The men are having to build the truss frames by hand and then prime them. So, this is a process but they are doing a great job. Hopefully, by the end of next week or so they can start to put up the roof. Please continue to pray for good working weather as well as funds and the furnishings that we will need to complete the home. We are so excited and can not wait to show you the building once it has been completed.. Much love to you all.

You can see the difference in the primed side and the other side