Children are so precious; the ones we have been involved with live in some very bad conditions, where everything around them is unclean and where they are exposed to a lot of things that cause children to grow up way too fast.
We did a 3 day VBS in a place called Verbena, we would go there for the morning and we had 4 stations. 1 station told the kids a Bible story, the next station would sing songs with the kids in Spanish/English, some silly and some about Jesus, the next station played games with the kids and the last one would do a craft with them. We had four groups of kids rotating through to each station and each team was in charge of a different one. It went really well and quite smoothly; by the 3rd day we had about 70 children, which was really good.
6:8 ministries has a program that gets sponsors for the kids so that they can attend school and it was really awesome to see a lot of those kids get sponsored. Many of the mothers are very young like about 20yrs old and they would have up to 4 children which is sad to see but I’m so happy for those children that they have a chance to go to school. To have a sponsor takes the pressure off of the family to try and provide that and also it gives adolescent girls and boys another alternative besides getting into the drugs, sex and young pregnancies. One mother in particular who came with her daughters to get pick up the school items was 20yrs old. I at first mistook her for a teenager getting sponsored and I was holding her precious 1week old baby when I found out that she was the mother. Not only was she her mother but she also had a 5yr old that was sponsored and another 3yr old with her. It broke my heart to imagine what her life must have been like and how it must feel to already be a mother of 3. I prayed a prayer that day for that precious baby in my arms that she would know the love of Jesus all her life and that she would be a mighty princess warrior for our mighty great king who reigns on high and that she would be strong and that in her presence demons would flee from her. That God might use her to grow His kingdom, to do good and show Christ’s undying radical love. God is almighty and all knowing and I might only be here for a short time but if I do all things in love a difference will be made, God is using me and my team/squad in so many great ways and His kingdom is growing. (1 Corinthians 16:14- Do everything in love!)
Tomorrow we are heading to Nicaragua as a squad, it seems like this month came to an end very suddenly and as excited as I am to move forward I am sad to leave behind my friends who live here and the children who have found a place in my heart. Madeline a sweet little girl whom I grew to love so much in one day really wanted another visit and it hurts that I won’t be able to see her again before I leave. Her eyes were so big and beautiful, she was such a vibrant sweetheart with a feisty attitude; I pray that she and her family would come to know the love of Jesus.
Please pray for safety for my squad and I as we travel to Nicaragua and that we would be faithful in following God’s plan for us on this journey.
