The Guatemalan Board

Today we went to the lawyers office to sign the association (or board of directors) paperwork.

Meet 5/7ths of the Guatemalan Board of Directors for Treasures of God Children's Home!

It is a blessing for me to be able to work with these people and I also treasure their friendships. I look forward to hearing their ideas and advice, and having them come visit the house soon!

In other news, the moving truck is booked for 7:30 a.m. on Friday! I have some men coming over from the Rehab Center to help me load up. I am so thankful for their help! 

This week has been a difficult and emotional week. I have said goodbye to many friends who I have become very close to. I have said goodbye to the boys that I spent 2 1/2 years of my life with. I will see them all again but it won't be the same. 

I look forward to the new place, and I know that this is a big step towards having my "own" kids one day. But all the same, I think I will just be sad for a little while longer. 

The local church

When I came down to work in Guatemala I asked people from my church and my family and friends in Canada to support me financially.

Now that I am starting the Children's Home, I once again started asking people in Canada and the U.S. to support me financially. Because that is where all the money is, right?

There may be more money up there, but I am finding that people here should be given the opportunity to join in as well. Last week in church my pastor surprised me by saying that this week they would be taking up a special offering for the Home. This is a church full of abandoned and abused children, drug and alcohol addicts, some Guatemalan families and a couple of missionary families. I would have never dreamed of asking them for money. Don't they need every penny they have?

And then I think of the poor widow. "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44

The amount that is given doesn't matter. And the money isn't being given because I make a good speech or show some sad pictures. The money isn't even being given to me. It is being given to God. I am just helping Him spend it. :)

Today I found out that some new friends of mine (missionaries in San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz) received a donation and they are going to tithe to the ministry. I am so excited! Their vision is to get the local church involved. They want to go over the list of things I need in order to get the Home furnished and up and running, and present it to local churches. I am excited about getting the word out and getting people involved.

I am learning more and more to humble myself and accept help. This is not my children's home. This is not my ministry. It comes from God. And He wants others to get involved. I need to allow them and encourage them. A hard job for me, but one I am learning.

I don't think I was able to articulate all I am feeling and thinking about right now. But this is a little glance into what I am learning.

Utility poles. Who needs 'em?

I was going for a walk near the lake in a woodsy part outside of the town. A friend of mine directed me to look up and this is what I saw.

Who needs a utility pole when there are trees and green rope to hold up the power line?

Come on in!

Here are the long awaited pictures of the house. Keep in mind they will be taking all of their furniture out. It is a very nice house and I see it as such a blessing. When I was talking to a missionary friend about it she said "what a blessing for the children. They will feel so special living in such nice house like that." My sentiments exactly! What a great way to show the children how special they are, by giving them a beautiful place to live.

 They started building the second level but haven't finished it. They have no use for it right now.

 Front yard for the kids to play in. I want to thicken up the grass a little!

 The living room has a fireplace for which I am thankful. It gets very cold here at night.

 Sorry the picture is so dark. I didn't notice at the time. I love all the windows and room for a nice big table full of children!  

 I am so excited about the kitchen! It has cupboards and a sink. :) I can't wait to bake treats in there with the kids.

 The smallest bedroom. Room for the nanny. 

 The pool! I am so excited about this. It has been a dream of mine to have a pool to do therapy with the kids. On the days that it warms up enough, we will have kids doing stretches and exercises in here. Anyone want to come down and help us? ;)

 The bathroom has a bathtub, which is rare. 

 Another bedroom for the kids. There are 2 this size. 2 sets of bunk beds and a crib will fit in each one. 

This will be the playroom for the kids. Can't you just see the toys all over?! I want to buy some of those soft foamie mats to lay down because it could get uncomfortable for the children. I will also have therapies at one end of this area, since it is so big. 

And this is the contract that says the house in mine as of November 1st!

I hope you enjoyed the tour! I have to start renting the house now in order to get it ready for the government to come complete the inspection. I don't have enough money pledged to rent this house. I am stepping out in faith on this one. God brought me to this house, and I trust Him. By talking with others, and from what I saw from my own search, this house is a miracle. It doesn't need a bunch of renovations to get it to a point where it would be certified by the government. The house is all enclosed (important because of the cold. For the kids to travel from room to room via an outside corridor would be difficult. Children with disabilities have a harder time with temperature control). It is safe. There is a family that lives on a lower part of the property who serve as the guardians. And it came available just when I needed it.

If you feel led to help out, please click on the link on the left hand side to "donate from Canada" or "donate from the USA". All of your donations are tax deductible. You are able to sign up for monthly pledges which are so important and necessary. I need $560. a month for rent. If you feel led to give a special donation towards the start up costs of the home, you can also donate through these links and receive a tax receipt.

Thank you so much. God bless.

Sometimes you just need to ask for help!

I have never been one who likes to ask for help. If I couldn't do it myself, it probably didn't need to get done! I hate to feel like I am inconveniencing others.

Living in a foreign country as a missionary has definitely brought me down several notches on the pride ladder. And now starting a ministry from the ground up, I realize I need all the help I can get!

Administration is not a gift of mine. Recently I have been feeling completely overwhelmed with some of the tasks in front of me. This has caused me to put off tasks longer than I should have. Yesterday I had a visit from "super admin woman"! Well, I didn't know she wore this title until we were talking more. I had just invited them over for cookies. But we got talking and my confession came out. She immediately offered to show me more another day. During this same conversation I mentioned that since I had taken on more tasks that I was unfamiliar with I said that "it would be freaking convenient to have a husband right now!" I could pawn off all the unfun tasks on him. :) If you get lost, call the husband. Your car breaks down, call the husband. You don't like admin work, call the husband. You get my drift.

So today I headed over to their house for my admin lessons. And got lost. So I called my friend Karren and she immediately sent out her husband to rescue me. How convenient! When he showed up, this was the sign he waved out the window at me.

Then Karren (aka super admin woman) helped me set up a system and showed me how she had done hers and for some reason it made sense. Let's just hope it makes sense later when I try by myself. I do have her phone number though. Hee hee.

This is me looking somewhat confused with the computer in general.

 This is me happy with how magical excel spreadsheets really can be. :)

So thanks Karren and Rocky!

P.S. I even got lasagna out of the deal. 2 pieces of it! All in all, a good day.

Welcome to San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz!

This is the main road leading out of San Cristobal. Not a great picture, but I have more time now to explore the town and take better ones.

I have made the move! Well, sort of. I am housesitting right now and I will go back to Parramos at the end of the month to pack up the rest of my things to bring, but this is the town where Treasures of God Children's Home will get it's beginning. I have found a house to rent, and once I sign the lease papers I will take pictures to post.

This town is about 3 1/2 hours from the Capital City and 5 hours from my former house. It is a small town in the mountains that sits on the side of a lake. There seems to be a lot of rain in the afternoons and I am told their rainy season lasts a lot longer than the rest of the country. I am going to have to buy rubber boots. It is a friendly town with little trouble. Tranquille is the word people who live here use to describe it. When I went to the grocery store yesterday the cashier asked about me and what I was doing since she had not seen me before.

I have already met several people who are more than willing to give me contacts and help me to get started. People here are so wiling to help someone they have only just met. This is so important and I am so grateful that God brought me to this particular community.

Please keep praying. Transition and new beginnings can (and will be) bumpy and I want to follow the path God has planned for me, the home, and the children regardless of what the journey looks like.

Car wash!

I had the pleasure of meeting the ladies from a Bible study at Berea Baptist Church while I was up in Canada over the summer. They listened attentively to my story, then promptly proceeded to bless me with their enthusiasm, encouragement and kind hearts for abandoned, disabled children in Guatemala. 

I heard from them later that they had organized a car wash to raise some funds to buy furnishings for the children's home. It happened one beautiful Saturday in September.

A great group of ladies!

They raised $640!!! I was amazed and so thankful! What a blessing. These ladies have only met me once, but have caught the vision and is allowing the Lord to work through them.

I can't wait to buy bedding, furniture and toys for the children to use. It will be fun to pick items out while thinking about the children that will be safe and warm and fed while enjoying these things. I look forward to tell the children about a group of ladies who have never met them, but loves them anyway because God first loved us. 

Thank you ladies! I so appreciate all your hard work!

House hunting.

There has been some serious house hunting going on the last couple of weeks. Here is how house hunting goes in Guatemala.

Step 1: Meet people and tell them you are looking to rent a house.

Check. And although this cutie wasn't helping me look for houses, her parents sure did. And she helped lift my spirits so that counts for something. :) 

Step 2: Take advantage of friendships by dragging friend and her children around town looking for signs that say "this house for rent". Then try to convince her you can't speak Spanish on the phone and ask her to call and ask for details.

Check. But then you try to make up for it by baking really yummy treats with them!

Step 3: Wait for people to tell you they know someone who is renting. Do some dishes while you wait.

Check. Although technically this is not me doing dishes. This is aforementioned taken advantage of friend. Who also let me stay in her house for almost 2 weeks. And we are still friends! I think. Right Ruth? Right????

Step 4: Wonder why the police are driving down the road at a normal speed but with hand on holster.

Check. Wait, that isn't on the list.

Step 5: Break down on the side of the road, stress out and cry.

Check. Wait, that also isn't on the list! I must be a good multi-tasker. :)

Step 6: Wait for God to amaze you with His timing, connections, gift giving and grace.

Check. 

New logo!

In March I was visiting friends (who work in villages with children with disabilities) and I was able to meet Matt, a visitor from the U.S. He works with adults with special needs in the U.S. but has made several trips to Guatemala and has a real heart for the people here. We chatted a bit and when he returned to the states he offered to work on a logo for me.

The original concept was his idea and I asked for just a couple of small modifications. I love how it turned out and I am proud to present the official logo for Treasures of God Children's Home!

Thanks Matt! I love it! :)

Taking a break.

    I've been on the hunt for houses. As you know, not an easy task here. So one day a friend took me to a malnutrition center. It is supposed to be a hospital, but because of a lack of resources and staff, it is more just a health center. Only the babies can stay overnight and are usually in the program for several months.

 This is Wendy.

 This is Heidy. She is 14 months old and has had some noticeable delays since her birth.

 It was visiting hour for the parents so I didn't get to visit with all of the babies.

 Heidy loved to have her belly tickled!

     There were many needs in this center. The nurse in charge has only been there 3 months and I really felt like she had such a heart for these children. She was joyful to talk to and positive about the things that they could and were doing. At the end we prayed for her and she began to cry quietly. It is hard to see such a need and not be able to help more. But she drew her strength from the Lord. 

    I hope to be able to visit again and help out. Often at night, there is only one staff member on to look after 12 babies.