Ninos

For some reason they love sitting in this corner! From left: Rosme, Ezequiel,  Dayana, Mauricio, Olman, Abilio. 

It's been busy here at Little Hands of Hope, but we have been enjoying it! The children have settled in so much and this has become almost a second home to them. They know who to look for when they come, where to find everything, and what comes next. They have been a little thrown off these days because we have been spending the last portion of our time with them each day speaking only in English. It is comical the looks that they give us sometimes! They are learning pretty quickly though. They are not yet answering us in English, but they are starting to understand certain phrases pretty well now. 


We have a couple of new children - Douglas and Melvin. I spent 2 months working with Melvin in 2010 and he was very excited to join in and it is a pleasure to have him. He is a very studious little boy. He is in first grade and he comes to the center in the afternoon. Douglas is in kindergarten. He is quiet and shy, but he gets a big smile on his face about pretty much anything. Nathaly didn't come back after her first day. Her mother isn't a fan of the evangelical church. Abilio hasn't missed a day! He is Melvin's little brother and while Abilio started out very shy, he sometimes is the loudest one in the group now! Jonatan is also doing very well. He is very laid back and just enjoys whatever is going on. He is very easily distracted, but he's very smart and is always giggling about something!

Abilio and his friend Matia :)

Douglas

Douglas learning English.

Today we had a small group of children because school was out. It is always strangely quite when we have small group and we don't always know what to do with ourselves. However, it is fun every now and then to have a smaller group because we have even more quality time with the kids. I got lots of hugs today and no one had to fight over sitting in my lap today since there was time for each one. :)  These children are all so precious and some of them need so much love and attention. My hope is that they receive all that they need while they are here and will recognize the value they have as image-bearers of the Creator of the universe. 


Please pray for our health - we have had a lot of colds, but I think we are all on the mend. It's hard to keep everyone healthy with this many children together all at once. Praise God for all of the children that come to the center and the new ones too! Pray that He will touch the heart of each one with His love and that we, the staff, will be able to consistently show them Jesus' love. Thank you all for your love, prayers and support! We couldn't do this without you!

Today was our first day with the children since I've been back in Meanguera. I've missed them so much! A friend told me when I was visiting in the United States that missing the children might be a good thing because then I would appreciate them so much more when I got back - she was right! A group of the children had been showing up to the house all last week since they heard that I was back, practically begging for us to start already. I had 5 of them playing in the house last Thursday - it made me smile. Saturday we had a meeting with the children's relatives. Olman came right in and curled up next to me like he belonged there. I wanted to keep him! 

Our afternoon group plus Rosme listening to the Bible story.

We had a good bunch of children today - 21! We were missing a couple in the afternoon, but we had 3 new children - Jonatan, Nathaly, and Abilio. I've worked with Abilio and Nathaly before so it is fun to have them again. Jonatan is very smart and very attentive to everything. Abilio is painfully shy, but still was attentive and participated in the activities. Nathaly quietly takes everything in and follows her friends' lead. The kids were all very excited to be back. Even Mauricio, who usually has no interest in coming without his big brother, walked in talking excitedly and grinning from ear to ear. They all remembered their Bible verses better than I did and were almost giddy about practicing English - it was very funny to watch them! Everyone fell back into the routine really well which is an answer to prayer because I was a little bit worried about them adjusting back. We only had tears from Abilio! Olman has gone back to some of his old habits of not knowing what to do with his own excitement and not realizing where his body is in relation to everything else, but I think we can help him adjust back quickly. I was encouraged to see that he was still eager to say the Bible verses, give us hugs, and practice English so we haven't lost too much ground. 

Mauricio and Dayana very busy with their play-doh.

I'm so happy to be back with the children again and to see all the familiar faces in Meanguera! Please keep us in your prayers. Pray for wisdom in handling the children and that they will always see Christ's love shining us as we work with them. Thank you all for your encouragement and support when I visited the states and thank you always for your financial support, encouragement, and prayers while I'm here. God is doing so many things in these little hearts through your support!

Olman is not about to let those cars out of his sight. 

Matia playing cars with Olman and Josue. 

Missing My Children :)

Arbol de Fuego - these trees are all over Meanguera and so beautiful in bloom!

I'm sad to have left my children and they are a little sad that they were left behind. :) They are eagerly waiting to be able to come back to the center. I have been enjoying watching the progress of the children even in the smallest things. Dayana is learning to incorporate herself in the group more, Josue has adopted each child as his own even though he is not any older than the rest of them and will tolerate anything from them, Rosme comes to seek out our laps whenever he's tired of playing because he knows he's welcome there. The older children like to remind each other that they should share (usually with a little bit of selfish interest - "but I want to play with that doll; we are supposed to share" - haha). It makes me laugh to hear them singing English songs and practicing English phrases when they think no one else is paying attention. Little Erika was practing her Bible verse with her friends over lunch. There was a very funny conversation over the correct way to say the verse and which one they were practicing. All these things make my heart glad. Sometimes all we do is plant the seeds, but we never know what God is doing with the seeds. It is fun to see some fruit!

Becca with some of the older children -  from back left: Rosmeri and  Delmy. From front left:  Erika , Erika, Verenisse, Iseyda, Cesia. We are missing a lot in this picture! 

Matia with some of the younger children - from back left: Dayana, Ezequiel, Lorena, Josue. Olman on Matia's right and Keyla in his lap. 

The children, no matter how much they try our patience on any given day, always bring laughter and joy. We are here to help them, but they are such a precious gift from God! Last week,  Rosme had a cold and preferred to chase Matia around with his boogers rather than clean his nose; he and the other kids were hysterical with laughter. On Wednesday, Lorena came early and was watching me clean up the kitchen. She stuck her lips way out disapprovingly when I hung up the towel and said, "No Abeca (she can't say Rebecca yet), así no es!" which means, "No Abeca, it's not like that!" and she took it down and showed me the proper way to hang a towel. What would we do without four year olds to straighten us out after all?  One of my special joys are the hugs I get from the children. Olman usually pats my cheeks first and then gives me a hug. :) I'm here to love them, but I think sometimes they are better at loving me!

Trying to teach English with everyone on my lap. :) 

I miss these children tons and I can't wait to get back to them, but I'm excited to be here and share with you all what God is doing in Meanguera. I am so grateful for the children and for Gloria and Matia. I have had a very awesome staff to work with and it has been a blessing from the Lord! Thank you all for your support and your care!  This couldn't happen without you and I can't tell you all how much it means to me to know that you all are praying for me and to open up my email or my facebook and see a message from one of you that you are thinking of us. Keep praying for us! Some of the older children sent you all a "hello" by video, but for some reason the videos won't upload today - maybe later. God bless you all!

Lorena and Josue spending some time with Matia. 

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!

A Day at Little Hands of Hope

It has been a busy week, but it's been a good one. Sometimes it feels like there's not even time to think, but there's always time for lots of laughter and hugs from the kids. A wonderful friend of mine suggested that I write a little about how the day goes here in Meanguera at Little Hands of Hope. So here goes!

My day starts at 5 (a lot of the women in Meanguera are already up and on their way to the mill) and the first thing I do is wash the corn. It is cooked the day before in lime and it soaks in its liquid until the next day. The lime and liquid and the bugs need to be washed away. :) I am very excited because we now have a hand mill so I don't have to wait in line at the mill in town! Once I have the corn washed, I take it outside to the hand mill to grind it. It probably takes about 15 minutes to grind the corn in the mill. I set the dough aside for Gloria to knead and pass over the stone to make tortillas when she comes later in the morning. Then it's time for me to eat, wash the dishes, shower, sweep, and set up the tables for the kids. The day for the children is set to start at 8am, but they almost always come earlier. Sometimes they are here before 7am. :)

Stone used to pass over the corn masa to prepare for  making tortillas. 

The hand mill!

The masa (dough) coming out of the mill. 

The corn cooked and soaking before it is washed and milled for tortillas.

The best part of the day is when the children start to arrive and I get to play with them, laugh with them, hug them, and love them. As the children trickle in, Gloria and Matia are close behind them. There is a lot of making things out of play doh, building things with blocks and duplos, and toy cars. Matia and I are always laughing at the silly antics or funny things the kids say at this time and Gloria likes to come out and catch some of the fun when she can. Rosme will usually get mad at someone for "fighting with him" and Olman will usually manage to fall over without anyone touching him. Anderson will start clamoring that he's hungry and Dayana and Lorena will usually get jealous over our attention. Ezequiel will usually try to take someone's toys several times and pretend like he doesn't hear when we tell him he has to share. Josue will work very quietly on whatever he is doing and randomly insert a comment about whatever is going on at the time. There is always something with a bunch of 3 year olds, but we have an awesome time and we get lots of hugs, smart comments and questions, and overall just have fun being together. When I get frustrated with the kids acting up, I start to think how God must feel about us adults when we act up. :) He shows us so much mercy and grace and sometimes we are worse than the 3 year olds!

Usually a little before 9, we all wash our hands and have a yummy snack that Gloria has prepared for us. The children are usually pretty hungry by this time. Some of them have been up since 6am and walked several miles just to be there! After snack, we practice English. It is hard with little kids because there is hardly any such thing as sitting still with 3 year olds. Josue is the most focused, but he is the oldest. They love to sing "If You're Happy and You Know It." "Head and Shoulders" is also very popular. They make me laugh because I always start out by asking them if they are ready to practice English and they all repeat back, "Are you ready?  Are you ready?" They are certainly good at repeating the words right now. :)

Attempting to practice English. The flash cards are very exciting. From left Josue, Ezequiel, Anderson and Lorena (on my lap), and the back of Rosme. :)

After English, we play ball, give piggy back rides, have races, or whatever kind of game we feel like that day. A little after 10 it's time to go inside and try to rest for a bit. Some of the very little ones are starting to get tired and just want to sit in our laps at this point. Sometimes resting is just a thought and the kids come in giggling and wrapping Matia and each other up in blankets, playing chase, or whatever comes to their mind. At this point, we try to settle them down and share a Bible story with them and try to teach them about God's love. They love the felt figures, but it is hard to tell right now how much they are understanding and there are some days when it's hard to tell if they even paid any attention. :) Olman usually roams around during this whole process and we have to keep him busy to keep him from running into another child or getting into something he shouldn't. :) Ezequiel is easily distracted and Josue answers all the questions from stories from days back. It is a little comical. God knows what He is working in their hearts. After our story, we practice our Bible verses. They are all very good about their Bible verses (a little piece of candy goes a long way!). 

Olman, Ezequiel, Josue, and Lorena (back) playing a game they made up all on their own. :)

After the Bible verses, it is time to color. They love to color and make up all kinds of things. Matia and I have to draw a lot of cars, houses, and flowers. Matia is famous among the children for drawing roses and buses and they usually squeal with excitement when he's finished and take their picture around to show everyone else. Olman is usually the first one finished coloring and he likes to eat and is ready to get right to it. Sometimes, we will sing or play a little game, but a lot of times lunch is more urgent to the children. :) They all wash their hands, pray, and eat. As we are coloring, some of the older children start to show up and wait outside the gate, calling at us to let them in. Sometimes they are out really early from class. Once we are ready to eat, they join us.

Some of the children eating lunch. 

After lunch, the little children start to leave and a few more older children come in. The play doh, blocks, cars, puzzles, and toys all come out again. There are usually quite a few more children in the afternoon and they are much louder than the younger ones. Matia and I spend a lot of time mediating fights between the girls and trying to teach them how to share. The boys have less of a problem with this. :) Kember, Gerson, and Ariel will usually stare quietly for a couple of minutes and then join in the fun. I don't think they get a lot of interaction from others outside of the center and they don't really always know what to do with themselves. William and Guillermo will usually start a building project with the blocks or play doh. Cesia, Delmy, and Rosmeri like to form their own group and create works of art with play doh admist a lot of disagreements. Keyla will play quietly with Verenisse who proudly displays everything that she makes. Johanna will very loudly pipe up with whatever comment she has at the moment. Iseyda likes to make herself jewelry out of the play doh and Erika will go back and forth between playing with Kember and Gerson and the girls. Erika plays very well with everyone for a little while, but she has to fight over a toy or play doh at least once before she goes home. :)

Ariel (left) and Kember coloring. Erika is in the background.

Once we have had a chance to play, we talk about a Bible story. The children are all pretty good at listening and asking questions and get very excited about a story that they can remember from before. After the story, we practice our Bible verses. They are a very smart group when it comes to their Bible verses. Then it's time to color. Matia is again in high demand for his artwork. They all have a wonderful imaginations and love to show off what they draw. It is hard to pull the kids away from drawing, but once we do, they are practicing English with all they have. They like to repeat everything like a bunch of little parrots - it's very comical sometimes! Some of the kids are shy, but most of them will say anything without any shame. We always laugh a lot when we practice English. After English, we sometimes have a few minutes to sing, but then it is time for the children to go home. 

Cesia (left), Delmy (Center), and Rosmer very seriously working on their play doh operations.

Gloria leaves after the children with her son, William. After all the constant activity, it suddenly feels very quiet. Matia and I clean up the mess and start working on the administrative side of Little Hands of Hope. Sometimes, I head to church for one of the services that they have during the week and sometimes there is too much to do. Sometimes, the neighbors pop in and out just to say hi or to visit for a little bit. Once we have things wrapped up, it's time for dinner. Then I start cooking the corn for the next day and start preparing the lessons for the next day. I like to think back on the day when it's quiet and think about the best ways to help each child. It is hard to keep up with all of them sometimes, but I pray that God will work in the hearts of each one of these children and their families. I'm usually more than ready for bed by the time I get in it! It is a joy to work with these children and I love every one of them. 

Keep us in your prayers! Thank you for always supporting us with your prayers, words, and finances. This would not be possible without you and these children need to be loved and fed and to hear about the hope they have in Jesus. "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to Me." Matt. 25:35-36

I hope that you have enjoyed hearing about a typical day at Little Hands of Hope and I have not bored you with too long of a post! You all are a huge encouragement and blessing to me!

Settling Into a Routine

Some of the children eating lunch.

We are starting to settle into more of a routine here now. Gloria, Matia, and I are working well together and enjoying getting to know the children more. The children know what is going to happen and who we are and we know how to get ready for them now. :) The number of children that show up is what varies all the time. We had such a fun day today partly because the children are more comfortable with us now. It was just so much fun to be with them. Each one of them has something that just makes me laugh.

Hanging out with Rosme. He is the funniest little guy! He was  being grumpy, but he wanted to be held. 

Matia hanging out with Ezequiel. 

Gerson, Kember, and Ariel came back yesterday and it struck me again how eager they were to eat. Gerson's biggest concern was lunch and then he saw his brother outside and cried to go home. He did stay today though and enjoyed himself. Gerson, Kember, and Ariel have only recently started coming to the center and are still very shy, but they are starting to come out of their shells. Kember is a little more adjusted since he already knows me from before. Apparently he fights a lot at school, but he's been really good here so far. Kember is another one of the children that doesn't have a father in his life and his mother lived far away for the first 4 years or so of his life. He and his cousins really tug at my heart. I hope that we can help them.

I just like this picture of Olman. He's very serious about eating. :)

Gissel - she was very upset about something that I can't remember right now.

Gissel hasn't come the last couple of days. She went home crying very early the last two days that she was here. I think it's becuase her sister likes to hang around in sight after she drops her off. I am hoping that we will be able to try again and make sure her sister drops her off quickly and heads home. We will see. Please pray that Gissel will be able to come back happily if this is where God wants her to be. 

Matia and I both managed to pick up a cold from the children at the same time, so we were a little worn out today, but we always have fun with the children. It is fun to see their different personalities and how they interact with each other and with us. We miss our difficult children when they don't come. It's funny how we get attached to them. 

Keep us in your prayers and thank you so much for your support and encouragement!