The Rainy Season Has Come :)

Well, I think the dry season has officially ended. :) We have had lots of rain and several nice, big thunderstorms. I love a good storm! The power usually goes here along with the phone, the internet, and everything else. I always enjoy watching the storm and the quiet that it brings when all the distractions and busy work has to stop because there is no electricity and internet. It's also much nicer for sleeping at night since it cools everything down and it has been incredibly hot until now. March is the hottest month of the year in El Salvador. The seasons are reversed from the US here, so I am looking forward to winter in El Salvador. No, there is no snow. :)

They're called Veranera. They have tiny little flowers in the middle of the big flowers!

A lot of the children have been sick this week and we have all been passing it around. We had a lot of quiet mornings with only a few children since the rest were at home sick. The children in the afternoon have been pretty healthy so far. I'm praying that we will all be healthy this coming week. Being sick hasn't kept us from enjoying ourselves though. :)

Anderson in the middle of a serious bridge building operation. 

Dayana and Rosme discussing the book they just read. 

Matia playing with the kids. He is with Rosme who likes to call him "Daddy."

The children have learned several Bible verses. They make me laugh when we come to the time to say our verses because they get so excited they all start saying, "en el principio, en el principio!" which means "in the beginning, in the beginning!" That is the first verse they learned and they are very good at saying it now. They are also very picking up on some of the English phrases we have been practicing. We play a game where each child pulls an object out of a bag and has to say what color it is. The ones who pull out the special designated color for the day have to put up with being tickled. :) We change the special color all the time so they never know which one it will be. This game causes lots of laughter - it's definitely a favorite!

Olman trying on my flip flops. He thinks he's very funny.

Last week as we were discussing the progress of each child and the ways that we can better help each one, I realized that at least 15 of the 28 children that we have had come to the center do not have an active father in their life. Right now about 24 of those children are still actively coming to the center, but that still leaves us with more than half of the children who are missing a father. For several of these children, their mothers are absent too because they are away working to support their children. It hurts that these children suffer in that way, but it is a joy to be able to try to help them and show them that our Lord is a Father to the fatherless. God's love is such a precious gift for all of us. Please keep us in your prayers! As always, thank you, thank you for remembering us and supporting us. Your support is a great encouragement to me and a huge help to these children!

Different Perspectives

I've been slow in giving you all news from Little Hands of Hope this week. I was a little sick earlier this week and did not have enough energy by the time I was freed up at the end of the day to tell everyone what's been going on. I'm feeling much better now though and as usual, there is a lot to tell!

Not Easter Lillies, but they are pretty! Matia's little garden at his house. 

This week was Holy Week and school was out and family was visiting all over El Salvador. When we went to the market on Friday, we had slim pickings and most of the market and stores were closed. Apparently Good Friday is the day they pick to take off. :) The Catholic church has been busy all week, but the church here in Meanguera that I've been working with does not pay any attention to Easter. I miss the Easter services back home and the celebration over Jesus rising from the dead! I've been so busy this year that Easter surprised me with how quickly it came, but next year I think I'm going to have to work with the church on celebrating the Resurrection. :)

Delmy with the block house that she built. 

We've had less children in the afternoon all week because of people traveling and family visiting and confusion over whether we would still be open for the children. The children still wanted to come, so we were still open. :)

The kids are really comfortable with us now and know the routine very well. Everyone understanding the routine keeps everything flowing smoothly on all sides. We have a difficult role now. Because a lot of these children do not have a father and sometimes a mother that is active in their lives, there are so many things that get overlooked while they are growing up. In a way, we have to fill in for the parents, but we don't want to step on the toes of the people who are caring for these children at home either. It is a fine line to walk, but they are young and now is the best time for them to learn how to behave. It is somewhat of a daunting task to look at it that way, but it is my prayer that they will learn how to behave properly as adults. We have to teach them to say "please" and "thank you," that bad words are not acceptable, how to share, and how to treat each other kindly. All little children have to learn these things, but when it is not reinforced at home, it is more difficult!

Rosme and Anderson learning to share their food. :) Anderson was not sure whether to fus or just let Rosme have it since Anderson was full anyway!


I was chatting yesterday with Nilson, who is long time friend and now my neighbor. We were talking about some coffee that my uncle Christian had given Nilson to try and we got on the topic of children drinking coffee. Here in El Salvador, it is very common for young children to drink coffee. I even had one child come drinking coffee out of a bottle! It makes me cringe to think of all the possible ill effects coffee could have on the children at such a young age. Nilson commented that it is customary here to give coffee to the kids in order to help fill their tummies since sometimes there is nothing else to fill it with. Something healthier is too expensive. It just hurts to know that people struggle so much just to eat. It's also painful to see some of the effects of poor nutrition on the children. I have very few children whose teeth are not literally rotting in their head. Sometimes we take our blessings for granted!

Erika and Matia with Rosme who was not feeling so well and decided Matia's lap was the best place for a nap.

We had a lady stop by last week selling raspberries. She had come all the way from Honduras - we are close to the border of Honduras here, but that is really quite a ways for her to come! We had the children outside and she stopped to ask if we wanted raspberries. When she saw me with the kids she put her bucket down and asked me if I had some clothing I could give her for her two children. I didn't have anything available when she was here, but maybe we will see her again. She probably is barely able to make ends meet coming all the way from Honduras selling her fruit, but that's all she can do for now. It is a different reality than what we are used to. 

Lorena with her lego tower. 



Well, I am a little sad to come home in May because I feel like we are really starting to figure things out and build a relationship with these children, but I will be back soon. I will be happy to see you all too! If you want to hear more from me when I'm back in the US, let me know: littlehandsofhope@gmail.com. In the meantime, you'll still be hearing from me! Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your encouragement and your support! You are the ones that make this possible. Don't forget to pray for us!