The Flying Cockroaches

November 6, 2010

I believe that every place in the world probably has its hated critters. In the north there are deer ticks and black flies. My house in PA was often overrun by ladybugs which though cute by nature, are not so cute when found by the hundreds in one's house. Well, here in Central America one of my hated critters is the cockroach. Perhaps it stems from traumatic childhood experiences with cockroaches while living in Florida. A cockroach in your peanut butter and jelly sandwich in first grade is enough to create some later dislike of the insect. On Thursday evening I had some unpleasant encounters with cockroaches. Unfortunately the encounter came on the eve of just having helped two girls review for their science exam information about diseases and how cockroaches are carriers of many diseases. Thursday evening I was making a yogurt, fruit smoothie when all of a sudden I felt something land on my shoulder. I brushed it off and then discovered it was a cockroach that had just landed on me. I do not really scream, so no screams left my mouth but I think there were some gasps of horror! My problem with cockroaches is that though I hate them, I also hate killing them. The crunch and the gore are too much, especially when I do not have anything I want to dirty in my process of killing them. (I think I need to invest in a flyswatter!) This one was going to die though because it had landed on me. And so I pursued it with a vengeance and though it escaped once, it ended up dead and in the trash can. The thing was I had no idea where the cockroach had actually flew in from which made me a little worried since I had just been getting cereal out of its bag. Several hours later I returned to the kitchen and there was another cockroach on the counter! I was appalled because I had hoped that there was only one, but I guess that where there is one, there are many. Let’s just say this one died too but there were lots of squeals from me as I smashed it several times.

Friday morning I woke up early not feeling so well. Probably there was no actual connection to the cockroach incident but I had to wonder. I had gone for months without seeing cockroaches in the apartment but this week things went downhill. I need to find some natural deterrent of cockroaches. Supposedly ants do not like mint nor mosquitoes lavendar though my attempts at growing them in Honduras to prevent plagues of those two insects never really worked. The ants still made their way into the house and the mosquitoes too. Raid and daily cleaning will probably be the other option. So we will see but I hope to not have anymore bad encounters in this coming week.

A Dizzying Conversation

October 28, 2010

I concluded this evening that sitting and listening to seven girls ages 10 and under talking about their behavior for the last week and commenting on everyone's behavior is quite dizzying.You have to turn your head from one to the other as you try to follow their line of thinking, and then some through in some very random comments. Anyway, today was the day of groups for the girls home again and so I met with two of the groups along with several of the other staff. The one group we ended up having in my apartment to do something a little different for the team who was celebrating her birthday today. Both of the group sessions went pretty well in spite of distractions and such.

Earlier in the week I had another conversation that could have been dizzying but thankfully was not. One of the teen girls is reading the first of the Narnia books and I asked her what she thought of it. She proceeded to give me a not so summarized play by play of what has happened thus far but then she got to the good part which was sharing with me the analogies that she sees and what God is challenging her in. I have been excited to share the Narnia books with the children because I know that the Lord has used the analogies there to challenge me in different areas of my life. I am praying that the same happens with the children and that they will see them as more than just a fun book to read.

It looks like I will be taking one of the girls hiking up a volcano on Saturday if all goes well and the weather is good. Tonight I have been watching a lovely display of lightning across the dark sky but such storms are not conducive to climbing volcanos. If we are able to do the hike, I pray that it can be a time when I can encourage this young woman because she is beginning a new adventure on Monday when she starts her first job ever and begins to gain a little more independence and responsibility. She is also the first of any of the children at La Casa to start working so it is a milestone for everyone. We pray that she will stay strong in her faith in spite of the negative influences around her in the work world where she will be.

The Adventures of El Salvador Once Again

October 25, 2010

I have been back at La Casa de Mi Padre for a week now and am back in the middle of the busyness and adventures here. Last week little Karla (age 5) told me that she had forgotten when I looked like and that she thought I had been a lot taller (like 6 ft tall). I assured her that no, I was the same height as before. One of the teen girls thought I had grown taller while away, perhaps from playing basketball. So based on all of their comments, I am not sure if I grew taller or shrunk. But oh well.

Much of the week I spent reading with various of the children, helping with homework, or leading activities for the girls therapy groups. Because the girls home was just re-organized with the two youngest groups joining forces to be one large group of seven, we had decided to begin with some fun, light-hearted activities. With the youngest girls we played a game similar to "Duck, Duck, Goose" except that you have to run in the opposite direction of the person who tapped your head and then shake hands and say, "How do you do?" Because the housedad was also playing and shook their hands with great fervor, several of the girls could hardly say anything because of laughing so hard. With the middle age group of girls we played a game called "Password" that is a lot like the game "Telephone" except with drawings instead of whispering in someone's ear. It is great for then talking about communication. And with the oldest group we played "Imagine IFF" which is a game of getting to know each other. This coming week I will be doing more team-building type activities with them.

On Friday I went to the children's school for their "Feria de Paises" or "Fair of the Countries." Each grade had a country which they represented through decoration of their classroom, preparing traditional foods, wearing typical attire, and presenting a dance from their country. I felt a bit like I was walking in Europe since the majority of the countries represented were from there. the children were proud of their work and really they had done a good job.

Saturday was Family Visit day and I wandered among the families back in the pavilion. Several of the younger girls have a hard time talking with their grandmother when she comes to visit and rely on their older sister to always carry the conversation. When the older sister left, they were there with their grandmother without much to say. After showing the grandmother photos of her grandchildren, I gave the girls books to read to their grandmother to show her what they are learning. It was a humorous scene because they took turns reading her a page of their book, alternating all the way which meant that the grandmother was hearing both, "The Cat in the Hat" and "Curious George Cleans Up." I have discovered over the past few months that is a challenge to help the children and their families communicate and I am always looking for new ideas to help break some of the walls that they have up.

After the visit I stayed in the girls' home for a couple of extra hours to teach some of the older ones "Settler's of Catan." They had been wanting to play and it had never worked out. It was a good afternoon of play and I am sure we will do it again in the near future.

As we enter this new week, there are definitely challenges ahead. Several of the children are struggling in their behavior. Meanwhile various family members of the children are suffering the consequences of poor decisions which ultimately affects the children and their hopes and dreams. Please pray with us for the children and their families.

There and Back Again

October 19, 2010
Well, my journey has come full circle and I am back at La Casa de Mi Padre, settling back in with my work here. I return with another 90 days on my visa which is always a praise. When I walked into the girls’ home yesterday over lunch time, the youngest girl, Karla (age 5), told me that she had forgotten what I looked like and she thought that I was a lot taller. I had been gone less than two weeks but I guess that at that age, much can be forgotten. Today one of the teen girls told me that I looked taller now and that maybe I had grown from playing basketball again. I doubt it but I guess that it would not hurt for me to grow a little taller.

I arrived in Lancaster, PA Tuesday evening the 5th of October and left again very early on the 13th. In that week I spent time with family and friends and took care of some details with my computer, getting books and jeans for the children at La Casa, and other runnings here and there. A funny moment for me was when I discovered myself mixing cement Latin America style in the mountains of PA. (That means putting the cement on the ground, pouring on water, and mixing with shovels). The technique worked pretty well for the location and we were able to fill in behind the stone wall that we had built to help sustain a footbridge over a little stream.

I found myself often starting to talk to children in Spanish, especially younger children to whom I felt the need to say, “No, you should not… .” It makes me think that I must be saying “no” too much in Spanish since it came out so easily with the Spanish accent.

In my return to El Salvador I passed through Honduras to pay my car insurance and also to make sure that I got my 90 days. It was good to get out to camp again and to see the new baby on camp – Fernando – as well as visit with the staff and Evelin. Much to my delight Lisbeth warmed up to me very quickly and shortly after I arrived we were playing like old friends (well, maybe like an aunt with her niece). The time there was a little bittersweet because Evelin is facing another difficult time and I knew that I could not do anything but pray with her, encourage her, and leave her in God’s hands. And He is good and faithful so really that is the best place for her to be, if she would just make sure that she curls up there. One precious moment was seeing her read the book, "I'll Love You Forever" to Lisbeth in the car on our way to the city. I pray that the words sunk in for both of them.

My journey back to El Salvador took about nine hours instead of six to seven but I was able to catch up on journaling and use my computer for e-mails and such. This time they showed at least one decent movie which was a blessing. I enjoyed the sights and though I did not sleep, I took time to rest a bit. And so I give thanks for the chance to get away and yet return, ready for the next couple of months.

Autumn On The Mind

October 1, 2010

The last few days have felt a bit like rainy autumn days because the rains have brought in much cooler temperatures. Days like these make me long for the changes of autumn such as the beautiful colors,the shorter days (days here in Central America are always short), and the seasonal fruits and vegetables. Over the past 3months I have been reading "Charlotte's Web" with one of the girls here at the home to work on her reading comprehension. We finished the book this week and so today I took advantage of the fact that they had no school (because of the rains and flooding earlier in the week) to invite her over to my apartment to watch the movie. Even though the movie was in English with Spanish subtitles (and she cannot read quickly enough to keep up with the words) she enjoyed the movie and really the chance to get some special, individual attention. Since the movie and book speak about friendship and what is a loyal friend, we had some good moments discussing what it means to be a good friend. Anyway, within the book and movie, there are many references to autumn, the fall fairs, and such, so I am excited to be heading north next week to experience some of those things.

Tomorrow is the day of change in the girls' home. They are moving the rooms around and mixing up the groups. I plan to take at least three of the younger girls to my apartment for the morning so give the adults more freedom to get things done. If I am feeling particularly adventurous and energetic, I may bring five of them, but I am not so sure about that. I have been pretty tired the last few days trying to recover from lack of sleep earlier in the week. The new tia is settling in to the routine at the home and the changing of rooms will help to finalize the adjustments to the groups. The youngest two groups of girls have been united into one large group of seven girls. That group will be quite a handful to say the least.

About a week and a half ago I watched the two two year old boys at my apartment one morning while their tias went to a school event of the other boy in their care. I had toddler-proofed the apartment by taking away all of the glass items and electronics that did not have to out in the open. I remember with fondness making tents out of sheets draped over the furniture from my childhood so I did that in between the living and dining room. Ricardo crawled under it for a little bit but then while I was giving Emanuel some water, Ricardo decided to crawl on the armchair instead and from there stretch out on the sheet. Only he quickly discovered that the sheet was not solid material and he slowly fell to the floor while I watched from a distance, unable to get there in time to prevent his fall. Apparently he has had quite a few bumps to the head in the past because this one did not phase him for long. I decided though that maybe it would be better to go play at the park and so off we went to spend the rest of the morning on the swings, merry-go-round, and watching a bunch of ladies do some exercise routine ont he basketball court. The worst thing that happened at the park was Ricardo getting rather dirty, but then that is what little boys love to do so it was not a big deal.

I will definitely miss the children while I am in PA and Honduras but I know that time will pass quickly and soon I will be back working with them in some way whether it be in homework, reading, play, or group therapy times.

There's Just Something So Beautiful About...

September 28, 2010

…Children worshiping God together. An old praise song held the words, “there’s just something so beautiful about that name… .” I would definitely agree but I also find there to be something very beautiful in children of all ages coming together to worship the Lord. Over the last 2 weeks during my times of being tía, I have had some opportunities to be with the children in worship. Every Friday evening the tíos bring the children together on the front porch for worship and then devotions, divided up by age groups. The worship team is usually comprised of various youth and then a tío. The other week I shared with the middle age group using the illustration of one of my favorite stories from Tales of the Kingdom, Princess Amanda and the Dragon. We talked about how little things can grow into big things and we quickly lose control of them and Jesus’ teaching on, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21.
I have run into some moments where the children are singing praise songs at inopportune times. The other day I was trying to correct one of the youngest girls and talk with her about how she had treated another one of the girls. She decided that she preferred running up the stairs singing about how God is worthy as opposed to listening. So I then tried to explain to her how God is not pleased when we sing praises to Him and disobey at the same time. Eventually she settled down and we were able to get to the impending discussion.
With covering as a tía repeatedly (and a few days consecutively) over the past week, I have a renewed appreciation for the tíos here. Not only do they have to give very early wake-up calls (usually the first children get up around 3:30AM), but bed-time comes late for them as they wrap up their many responsibilities. Discipline is a large part of the day and so creativity, wisdom, and patience are all important characteristics for the tíos. And as I have been reading about, discipline is not just about correcting behavior, it is about getting to the heart and seeing what is there and helping to mold the heart to follow after God. The work of a tío never really finishes, even when they have their days off because like parents, they are praying for their children and most likely wondering how they are doing back at La Casa. I have been reminded of how important it is to cover the lives of the tíos with prayer because they are often under attack and things like tiredness or sickness greatly increase the difficulty of their work. I can definitely say that I am thankful for and admire their frontline work with the children.

Another Early Morning Post

September 24, 2010

It has been another early morning as I am here at La Casa overnight. One of the tios volunteered to go along on the morning trips to school for me so I thankfully do not have to be ready to leave the house at the same time as the children. I hope to be able to catch some sleep a little later this morning, but we will see.

Yesterday went much better with the three youngest girls than Monday. One of the girls still tried to manipulate my words and did not want to obey but she at least admitted to the disobedience which is a small step. And they all quieted down much quicker last night -- maybe because they have been getting up at 4:00AM to get ready for school instead of 5:00AM as they normally do. Two of them were very much tearing around the play area with the other children burning lots of energy late into the evening so I am sure that this helped them too.

I received some heavy news from Honduras yesterday. Two young men from the church that I attended there were kidnapped on Wednesday evening and though most kidnappings are for ransom and the people are released, Guillermo -- a young man who was turning twenty toda -- was killed and the other young man, Armando was wounded. Guillermo was one of the youth that I knew from the church because of his involvement out at camp and on a work team there. He was a young man passionate for the Lord, a leader in the youth goup and in worship teams. He was a young man with potential. It is hard to understand why he went home to be with the Lord but perhaps God wanted him before His throne to praise Him there. It may be that in his death, more lives will be touched than he could reach while he was living. I am not sure of the reasons for it all, but I do know that God is in control and that which Satan intended for evil, God can transform to be used for his glory. Please pray though for Guillermo's family, the church there in San Pedro Sula and the two other boys involved in the kidnapping who are recovering from their wounds. The burial service will take place this afternoon.

Being a Tia Again

September 21, 2010,
5:00AM really seems like too early an hour to begin a blog entry, but here I am. I was a tía last night at the girls’ home and it is now the hour for the three youngest girls to be getting ready for school. I must say that yesterday was not an easy day with them. I found my patience tried in many areas as I worked with them to finish their homework and study for an English exam. There were times when just one was acting up, but at other moments it was all three. I have been reading the book (off and on) Shepherding a Child’s Heart and I realize that I need to get further along in it to be able to work more on the heart issues than just the behavior issues that come up on a nearly moment by moment basis. It breaks my heart to see how mal-intentioned they can be at one moment but so loving at another.
Yesterday was just one of the first of many nights of being tía in this coming week. I am praying that God’s grace will be sufficient for me in this role because on my own, I do not have the strength nor patience. I have to remember where these girls have come from and give them extra grace. I am sure that God probably wants to do as much work in my heart as He does in theirs.
And apparently I will need to get them up at 4:30AM instead of 5:00AM on Friday so that they are ready in time to leave for school. Today they barely made it. Besides the life as a tía, my life has been busy in other areas. I have started the last part of my Life Coaching Training course and with that comes lots of work, but it is good to continue learning. Yesterday I began coaching one of the older girls here at the home as she is trying to discern her next step and what God is calling her to. Since the majority of our communication is in Spanish, it makes the coaching even more challenging.
This past Sunday I had a good day of rest and in a sense preparing for the week. I met up with some friends from another children’s home for lunch and a table game (something I love but rarely get around to playing here unless it is with the children). During a Skype call with my family I got to play Peek-a-Boo with my little nephew which was fun. Another random highlight of the day was having a green parrot fly by my kitchen window, squawking, while I washed dishes – and this at a 4th story level. I continue to be thankful for glimpses of God’s creation from my apartment though it is in the middle of the capital city.
I need to download some pictures from last week and the Independence Day parades of the children to post in another blog. And other than that I am off to get things done this morning so that I can go to bed early tonight.

Return of the Calm

September 13, 2010

I apologize for taking a while to update on how things have been since the last mention of the unrest here in El Salvador. On Thursday night the president gave a speech in which he declared there would be no dialogue with the gangs and if they caused disturbances, they would be arrested. Friday seems to have been a fairly calm day and by the weekend buses were back to their normal runs. Hopefully the gangs have gotten the message that their manipulation via fear will not be tolerated. The presence of the police and military has been increased all around the city in response to the threats and there have been quite a few arrests of gang members. And so we pray for peace.

This past weekend was my busy one with teaching Sunday School and also a Saturday Family Visit day. Both went well. This morning we did a family visit to one of the girl's family who lives and works on a coffee farm. It is a beautiful place to go but difficult to see the situation in which many of the family members find themselves. Hopefully they were encouraged by our vist and we are praying that they can make good decisions about what to do in the future.

Birthdays

I wanted to post a few recent pictures from the birthday celebrations/outings of the two 2 year old boys -- Ricardo and Emmanuel. Ricardo has of late been scared over everything so nearing the pinata, the turtle in the mall, and maybe even his birthday cake was a stretch for him. Today I did not capture it on video but he was singing Happy Birthday (In Spanish of course) and dancing -- very adorable. Enjoy!

Yielding Control Through One's Fear

September 9, 2010

Fear... it is something I hate but also something that I have yet to overcome in many areas. Today I am seeing how fear reigns in El Salvador in so many ways. I have gleaned a few more facts of what has been going on with the gangs and the buses not running (for 72 hours). This week the government issued a new law making it illegal to be a part of a gang. A person can now be arrested just for being a part of a gang, even if they have never committed a known crime. In response to this ruling, the two dominant gangs in El Salvador (the MS and 18 -- who are stark enemies) have come together and announced that they would not permit buses to circulate for 72 hours. They also warned people to stay off of the roads after 6:30PM. Last night the traffic in the evening passing outside my apartment was much less than usual and I did not hear cars in the morning until almost 5:00AM. Tonight I notice that there are a few more cars still on the road, daring to defy the gangs decrees.

Many people have not been able to get to work because of the lack of transportation. Others have walked for miles and for hours. I saw on the internet today that one man decided to ride bike to work since there were no buses and the police stopped him and either fined or arrested him because he was not wearing a helmet. I never even knew that was a law here. It is not a law for motorcycles so I am not sure why bicycles would be any different. (Actually I am not sure about the motorcycles either but if it is a law to wear a helmet, it often is not enforced.) The police and army are supposedly out on the streets trying to maintain control and ensure the safety of the mini-buses that are still running. Army trucks were also used to transport people along bus routes that had been closed down.

At La Casa de Mi Padre all of the staff left early these past 2 days to ensure that we made it home in good time. In some ways I feel as if I am giving into fear and giving the gangs power by following their commands, but I am not going to risk driving around the city when it is not necessary. Last night I skipped going to Bible Study (if it was even happening). I did hear on the radio that some churches were holding their regular services tonight. I was rather glad to hear that because it means that people are living their life and not giving in to fear.

Hopefully tomorrow the halt on the buses and the curfew threats will be over and the government will have control over the gangs. I am not sure that the solution will be so easy though and so I continue to pray for peace. For many who lived through the war in El Salvador in the 80's, the curfew is bringing flashbacks of life back then. To be wise and prudent but to not be controlled by fear, that is the challenge on hand. I think of the Psalms and the reminder that the Lord alone is my rock and my salvation, of whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life... That is what we must remember.

The Reality of Gangs

September 7, 2010

Today the reality of the gang activity here in El Salvador is hitting home. I do not understand all of the details as to the why (perhaps because bus drivers are not paying their "rent" or extortion price), but apparently the gangs are upset. So they have stopped all buses, threatening to burn them or destroy them if they run their regular routes through the city or around the country. In a separate incident, the police just found 10.2 million dollars in barrels that comes from narcotrafficking.

I had no idea what was going on with the halt of transportation until I got to work since I have my own car. I soon discovered though that the tios who were to begin their shift today had not arrived, nor the driver.

I ended up spending most of the morning with Ricardo, playing, singing, and coloring. The housemom had taken Emmanuel with her so there was only one little boy to take care of. When I heard that the tia Loida might not make it in because there was no transportation, I began to consider what life could be like the rest of the day and night as I cared for the two 2 year-old boys and Salvi who is four and has autism. I will confess that I was relieved when Loida arrived at lunch-time.

From the sounds of it (though we are trying to confirm whether it is just a rumor or not), the gangs are also imposing a nationwide curfew. During the war in El Salvador there were curfews and no one could safely be out on the streets after 5:00PM. I pray that the curfews are not that extreme today. The events of today are reminding me that this is a country still torn by violence and corruption. Please be in prayer for El Salvador -- for the government and for the people.

What is the Most Contagious Thing in the World?

September 2, 2010,

According to a children's book that I read the other month with some of the children here,it is not the yawn, sneeze or common cold but the smile that is most contagious. This morning I experienced that during my run. I was on my second lap around a park and passed an older gentlemen who I thought said "morning" the first time I passed him even as I said "Buenos dias!". This time his "morning!!!" (perhaps preceded by "good" but I could not make it out) was very clear. He declared the greeting with one of the biggest smiles I have seen in a long time and with an enthusiasm that may have come from his pride in speaking English to me. I smiled back and returned the greeting. As I continued to run, I could not help smiling as I thought about the joy on his face. I found that I wanted to share this smile with others today and so I hope that as I spend the night in La Casa as a tia for th girls, I want to share a contagious smile that transforms the faces and lives of those around me. May we all be contagious with the smile and love of Christ today!

The Other Minor Disaster

August 30, 2010

Jumping back to Friday, I returned to my apartment in the morning and decided to try and get a little more sleep. As I was moving the bedspread, I discovered that it was all wet where it touched the floor and that there was water all along the bed. There was a watermark on the ceiling that I did not recognize from before but I could not remember for sure. It has rained all night and though my window had been closed, I wondered if the rain had been the culprit. I quickly cleaned it up and settled in for a morning nap. Perhaps twenty minutes later I heard the sound of dripping water. I looked up to find water pouring out from around a light set in the ceiling. It was clearly not rain because the skies had cleared up and the smell of the water told me it was not the cleanest water. I called the people I rent from and they placed a call to the owner. Meanwhile I decided to go upstairs and find out what kind of water was seeping into my bedroom. A maid answered my knock and when I told her how water was coming into my apartment, she said that she would talk to her employer but they had been running water in the kitchen. Many kitchens or laundry rooms have what is called a "pila" and is where water can be stored and then taken out to use for scrubbing laundry etc.... They are more common to have on a patio than in an enclosed apartment.

In talking with those in charge of my apartment, I discovered that the owner would be coming by in the afternoon so I changed my plans around to make sure I was present. And in the meantime I had more cleaning and laundry to do than I had planned.

The issue was not resolved when the owner came since the cause seems to be the apartment upstairs. To fix the problem (and now the ceiling) will take some time as said the ownner today and so she will probably wait until I am out of town for a while. I spent the weekend in one of the other bedrooms since I was not sure the upstairs neighbors would refrain from using their pila or get the issue fixed. I think I will stay put for a few more days since I do not fancy waking up to dirty dripping water.

Thankfully the rest of my Friday went well even though I was in the kitchen. The bread and other food turned out well and I enjoyed visiting with a friend that evening over her birthday dinner. The best part of the day though was getting news from another missionary friend that a situation I had been praying about worked out well and a friend had taken the confrontation calling her into accountability well.

Looking back on Friday with a Monday perspective, I see that my "disasters" are still so minor compared to many others. Today one of my co-workers had important documents stolen out of car while it was parked in front of La Casa. The other week someone stole the registration card out of our micro-bus. Those are situations with even more headaches than my leak which I am ultimately not responsible for. As things continue to happen that slow down ministry and program or discourage the staff, it does seem that there is spiritual warfare going on. Actually spiritual warfare is always going on, sometimes it is just more intense than other times. These past seven months I feel like I have seen a lot more of the warfare than at other times in my life. And so I realize even more the importance of wearing the armor of God and being equipped, praying in all occasions. Of course that is all much easier said than lived out, but I pray that the Lord will give me the strength that I need to stand firm in trials and to be a support to those around me.

Who Knew Sisters Could Carry On a Conversation in Their Sleep

August 29, 2010,

This past week I spent two nights at La Casa de Mi Padre while one of the tias was on vacation. I ended up with the four girls, ages 7-10, who also happen to be four of the most rambunctios girls. On Tuesday Claudia turned 8 and so she was flying high all day. Unfortunately it did not cut down on her tattling and fighting with the other girls and so lots of bickering happened between the girls. That night after a crying spell by one of the girls, they all slept pretty well, as did I. Thursday night for me was another story.

Thursday afternoon we had a group session with the girls to talk about how they were feeling with regards to the upcoming changes with one tia leaving and their tia moving to work with an older group. Every group session with them is one of a kind because most of them are in another world and ask questions that make you wonder if they have any idea what is going on. That afternoon was no different but we finally wrapped up the group with them excited to do one last excursion with their tia in the next weekend or so. Their desire is a sleepover at the house parents home. I thought of inviting them to my apartment but their is so much glass and their energy level so high, it might be dangerous.

Anyway that evening I had offered to wake up the medium girls at 4:00AM to start their showers even though my did not have to get up until 5:00AM. I had the whole day off on Friday so I figured I could afford an hour less of sleep more easily than the other tia on duty. Well, I discovered that I was awake at nearly every hour that night for some reason or another. One of the thing I noticed was lots of noises coming from the girls. The sisters, Abby and Erika, were frequently talking in their sleep and at least once I am pretty sure that they talked to each other. At 3:00AM I was so hungry from having been awake too much that I went downstairs to eat some oatmeal I had there. 4:00AM finally came and then 5:00AM. By 6:30AM the children were off to school and I was on my way home to rest at the apartment -- or so I thought. I will explain the new disaster in the next blog entry.

A Birthday Dinner

August 29, 2010

Since I could not be a part of my nephew's one year birthday party that took place today in Millersville, I will take the moment to catch up on a birthday that I did participate in last week. Last Sunday I invited the six Hernandez children to my apartment for the afternoon and dinner. They are still suffering from the loss of their little sister just over a week before and so I wanted to give them the opportunity to get away from La Casa and experience something different. The children range in age from turning 8 to 21 years old. As soon as they arrived at my place, they wanted to watch TV. But for me, to let guests watch TV for their entire stay (really any of it to be exact) makes me feel like a horrible hostess. Instead I got them all involved in the game of "Imagine If" in which I tried to translate the cards to Spanish -- on the spot. It went pretty well considering the constant translation.

Afterwards I let them watch a little TV while I finished in the kitchen with dinner preparations. Two of the girls decorated the birthday cake that I had made for Claudia who was turning 8 on Tuesday. We enjoyed a Mexican lasagna and then the cake and ice cream. Claudia was all smiles as she got to blow out the candles and enjoy her very own cake. Right after dinner we had to head back to La Casa, but it was a fun afternoon. One of the older girls told me that she wants to play the game with the older girls someday so I will try to work on translating the cards for real or better yet see if I can find the game in Spanish and then somehow get it down to El Salvador.

Minor Disasters

August 21, 2010,

I find it interesting that after seeing victory on Thursday evening in that we at La Casa de Mi Padre saw that God is going to bring good out of the terrible death of the young sister of children here at the home, my last day and a half have been filled with one problem after another. What is up?

Thursday evening and Friday we, as a staff, discussed the hope and faith that we have -- that which was intended for evil, God will use for good and for His glory in the lives. I am excited to see what God does in the lives of the children in the months to come. Tomorrow they come to my apartment for some food and fun. Considering there are 6 of them from age 7 to 21, it should be fun.

But beginning last night,I have encountered one disaster after another.(I recognize that the word "disaster" is a bit strong, but oh well.) After work on Friday I stopped by the grocery store and had checked out all of my groceries and pulled out my credit card but suddenly realized that my ID was not where it usually is. And there is no use of a credit card without ID. I went out to my car to look for it but in vain. I scrounged up what little money I had on hand and paid for 3 of my 20 some groceries. I then rushed home (as well you can in Friday evening San Salvador traffic) because I was sure that I had a Skype call for my class at 6:30. when I finally arrived home, I pulled out the chicken I had bought to prepare it for throwing in the soup I was going to make. I noticed a foul smell in the one piece but thought that maybe it was okay. Once I started boiling the chicken, I realized that it must be bad and so I had to throw it all out.

It turned out that I was wrong about the date for the phone call so I waited around the apartment for nothing before heading out to the store to go pick out my groceries once again. I then prepared a few things for the cooking I was to do today, but really I just wanted to sleep.

Saturday morning dawned rainy, but that was okay with me since I was planning to stay inside most of the day I walked out to the kitchen and discovered glass all over the floor. One of the glasses had fallen from the dish drain and shattered everywhere. As I was cleaning that up, I neared the freezer and discovered that the freezer door was cracked open and realized with horror that it was like that all night. Only the fruit in the door had begun to thaw out, but I was apalled at having wasted so much energy.
I proceeded to make my yogurt, which mostly went well. Mid-morning I headed out to go to the market for some fruits and veggies. I grabbed my keys and walked down the 4 flights of stairs to the parking lot. As I neared my car I looked down at my keys and realized that I did not have my car key. And yet it had been with the others when I picked them up at the door. I climbed back up the stairs and began to look around the apartment and in all of the bags that I was carrying. Nothing. Thankfully I found one of my spare keys, but I realized that I was not too happy to not know if I had dropped the key where someone else could have picked it up (even though only about 3 minutes transpired between my descent and ascent on the stairs). As of now I still do not know where the key and the remote to the car are.

Shopping was uneventful (thankfully)except that I do have to return a pan at some point because I discovered that it is already rusting and it was never used. Here in El Salvador returns are not so easy nor guaranteed like in the USA. I then spent much of the day baking and preparing some food for tomorrow with the children. I discovered the the muffins pretty much flopped but at least the birthday cake for one of the girls seems to have turned out okay.

The day is almost at a close and I pray that nothing more happens. I did not think I was stressed or over tired even though it has been a rather intense week. Maybe I am a little more out of it than I had realized. I am glad that as Anne Shirley says in "Anne of Green Gables", "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." And even better is God's Word which talks of God's mercies being new every morning.

Tugging at the Heart

August 16, 2010,

This afternoon I went with Kathryn and a family visiting from the United States to the government run children's home here in San Salvador that is like the first string of defense. When children are taken from there home, they usually end up at this group home before being placed in another temporary or permanent home. It is somewhat the equivalent of Child Protective Services. The children come and go so quickly that the staff doe not generally learn their names and little is done to work with them on their feelings and fears with being uprooted from their home and sent to an unknown place. Today we took crayons and coloring books with us to the home and ended up hanging out with the pre-schoolers and older girls with babies. I was interacting with two young boys who were clearly brothers and I noticed an older girl who was carrying for them. She said that they were her brothers. She is the oldest of seven children and they had all arrived there at CIPI this past Friday, or about 3 days ago. As I heard this part of her story, my heart hurt for her and her siblings. I had a feeling it was a pretty abrupt evacuation from their home. The little three or four year old boy, kept mentioning to me that his mommy and daddy were not there. Both of the boys had rather blond hair which in Latin America often reveals malnutricion because it is not the normal hair color.

After a while the one year old began crying and wanting his sister's attention. Because I doubted that she ever had much opportunity to be a child and color or do whatever, I offered to hold the little boy if it was okay with her. She nodded her head and so I picked him up. He immediately began wailing even more but I started walking with him and singing and just as quickly he quieted down. I probably walked for a good 30 minutes back and forth on the porch where we were, singing quietly to him. It reminded me of Honduras and singing to little Lisbeth. Though my arm ached by the time I returned him to his sister, I was thankful for that time with the little boy. It was a time to pray for he and his siblings. When I hear stories such as the ones of these children, there is a desire in my heart to take them all in to live with me. It would be impossible I know, but I also know that it is very unllikely that they will be placed together in the same children's home or in a foster home. I pray that their story will have a happy ending and that they will know Jesus love. Little Issac heard about it this afternoon though he is probably too young to understand.

A Very Long Week

August 15, 2010,

So, I am finally getting around to writing, but I am pretty much making myself do so. At the beginning of last week I had a bunch of things at my fingertips for writing about, but then tragedy struck and life became too busy to do anything but fulfill my responsibilities at work. When Saturday afternoon came and I was free to go home, I had no desire to do anything but curl up with a good book. Today I deterred from that a bit by taking time to journal and sort things out and to do some baking.

At the start of the week I was excited to see that my times of reading with two of the young girls was also turning out to be an opportunity to help them work through things in their life or better understand who Jesus was. Even though we had just finished a busy week with the mission team, I still had energy. Long evenings of class work and then unexpected bad news on Wednesday began to change my perspective and energy level.

I guess that I had never really considered how working at a children's home would not only mean walking with children through the pain of their past but also walking alongside of them in the new tragedies that came their way. The untimely death of the little sister (who was not living at La Casa de Mi Padre)of a sibling group shook us all up to some extent. In those moments, normal schedules and work hours go out the window. I stayed late several days and then Friday night stayed overnight to be an extra person on hand in case the children needed someone to talk to that night since one of the tias was out sick. Throughout the week I have been challenged to not keep looking at the problem, the pain, the injustice, or the trials but rather to fix my gaze on Jesus who is my refuge and strength. Of course it is much easier to say than to do. Yet if I do not look at Him I will be overwhelmed by the violence here in El Salvador and the pain all around me. He is the only solid rock in the midst of a world that often does not make sense.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will have opportunity to share more of Christ as the Solid Rock with one of the older girls. The current plan (which I know could change) is that I will be taking her to climb a volcano with me. A conversation several weeks ago unearthed her fear of climbing mountains and as we talked, it seemed like a climb would actually be a very good thing for her and a way for her to persevere through trial and fears. I am praying that tomorrow will work out (or another day sometime soon)and that it will be a good time of encouragement and challenge. This young lady is at a crossroads, not knowing where to head in life, and I am praying that God will show Himself and His plan to her.

August Vacation

August 8, 2010

Every August much of San Salvador shuts down as people head to the beach and enjoy what is known as "August vacation." Schools were closed all week so the mission team that was here from the USA had lots of opportunity to interact with the children of La Casa de Mi Padre. They put on a Vacation Bible School for the younger children while many of the older ones headed to camp with their church. Then on Friday we headed out to La Finca (the farm where the children's home will eventually move to) and played out there amidst the mud. Rainy season has continued to yield heavy rains this year and so although the mornings were dry enough to allow construction to happen on the new pavilion at La Finca, nearly every afternoon we encountered torrential downpours. The children enjoyed the soccer and volleyball at La Finca in spite of the muddy conditions.

I really enjoyed meeting this team from VA and the opportunities to share with them and be encouraged. One of the highlights was praying with a few of the girls before they left yesterday morning. We are planning to call each other in a year and see where God has taken us in that time. I also loved playing basketball last Sunday with the children and team at a park. One of the older guys keeps asking me when we will play again so I think that some Saturday when I am at La Casa for the family visit day, I will try to stick around a little longer and play some basketball with them.

Thinking about returning to a regular work week tomorrow seems a little strange, but I know that I will make the adjustment. I know that the week will hold it's own adventures, but they tend to be the less desirable kind because they often involve challenges. I guess you could say the week has already started off with an adventure in that I have no water in my apartment this morning and I have no idea why. Thankfully I discovered that before going out for a run and so I have postponed the run until a later time.

Though there is much more that I have wanted to write, I will have to do so at another time since I have some homework to work on for my Life Coaching course before church this morning. And maybe later my ideas will come back to me.