Busy Little Hands!

The older children with Michael and Sandi. 

I was just looking over the last blog that I wrote and realized that it has been a month since I last wrote. I'm sorry that I left you all without updates so long. We have been so busy here and it's been hard to keep up with the blog. We have been trying to sort out my residency here in El Salvador and find a good lawyer for legalizing our nonprofit in El Salvador. All of these processes move a lot slower in El Salvador than in the US and require a lot more back and forth from us. It has been quite a lesson in patience for me. :) Hoawever, God has always been good and faithful and each time it seemed like there was too much to pull together, somehow it worked out. God is reminding me that it is not in my control and to trust His might and care - it's much easier that way!

We have also been working on getting a visa for Matia to travel to the US for our wedding and to meet some of you all. We are very excited because it was granted and we will be traveling to the US next week!

Olman with Sandi

Michael with his new friends: Madelyn (left), Ezequiel, Olman (touching his head :), and Lorena. 

We also had a fun time with our gringo visitors, Sandi and Michael. The kids just loved having someone come and visit them and spend time with them! They practiced some of their English and played until Michael and Sandi could play no more. :) It was fun to watch the children put some of the English into practice and see how much they could apply from what they have learned. The children were very affectionate and fought over who got to sit with Michael or Sandi. I got a laugh out of Iseyda who was sitting in Michael's lap and stroking his head and she told him that his hair was like the corn when it is just starting to bud! That tells you about the importance of corn here in El Salvador. 

We have still been busy with the children as always. Today, the older children asked to learn their Bible verse in English so we are working on that this week. They are starting to interact more during our Bible story times and I am praying that the Lord will touch their hearts with His love. Olman is still our little busy bee and requires a lot of attention, but he is such a joy to my heart. Matia and I are both sad when he misses a day at the center. What I am excited about is that Ariel and Kember have been coming back! There is so much work to so with them, so much love and attention that they need, and it is hard to know how to work with them sometimes. But God knows why He has them here and He can heal all of their hurts. 

We went to visit Kember and Ariel at their house. Left is Ariel's little sister, in the pink Kember's little sister, Allison, Ariel in the red shirt, and Kember in the blue. 

There is so much to tell about these children and I will tell you a little more about some of them individually over the next couple of months. Please keep them in your prayers. Pray for them to know Jesus' love for them, pray that they grow into adults who serve the Lord with the talents. Pray for us here who are trying to minister to these children, that we would love them in the way they need to be loved, truly show them God's love, and for us to use our time wisely.

Abilio brushing my hair and Ezequiel  being goofy as usual! These moments make this well worth it!

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. You all carry me through more than you know and we couldn't do this without you!

Matia with our little handful, Olman.