Friday Praise and Prayer.

Today's praise:

• I have 2 children ready to go for Tuesdays Bible study/play group. The families are excited to allow their kids to do something specifically for them. I have another couple of families to visit this weekend. 
• Water pipes are almost in the ground! I'm excited to have reliable, good pressure water for when the kids come. Who am I kidding, I'm also excited to have it for me!!! :) Though being without water for long periods of time has sure given me an appreciation for what the majority of families in my area goes through. Dishes, using the bathroom, showering and just keeping clean in general become very difficult without water. And I don't even live in a dirt floor house!
• My health. I don't ever want to take that for granted.

Prayer:

• The paperwork at CNA
• The group starting next week
• That I'll be able to find the right people to work with the girls when they live permanently in the Home. Please pray for Godly, loving, patient and fun women. 
• For Luke. He went home from the hospital earlier this week, and yesterday was admitted again with a bowel obstruction and a bacterial infection. Infections can be very serious for transplant patients. And I'll let you imagine how uncomfortable a bowel obstruction is.

Now I will leave you with this lovely picture:

Happy Friday!!!! :)

Meet Joshua.

Here is a fun update!!! 

CNA has everything in their hands, they have come to do the inspection, and I am just waiting for them to finish the paperwork bit and certify me! This takes a while, and I have no idea when to really be expecting the first child. Since everything has calmed down, I find my days less busy. But I have a plan! 

I wanted to do something to help out, and also get my kid fix in. After talking with others, and praying about it, I have decided to start a Bible club/play group for kids with special needs. A couple of days a week, I will have some kids over for 3 hours. We will have a little Bible lesson, do some exercises and therapies, have a snack, and play! I am excited for these kids to be able to get to know other children like themselves. In the future I would also like to get the parents together for a Bible study/support group. But one thing at a time!

Yesterday I met the first member of the group. Meet Joshua! He is 4 1/2 years old and has Down's Syndrome.

I spent some time with Joshua, his mother and brother at their house yesterday. His mom shared some of the struggles she has had, and I was able to see all the energy Joshua has!! And it is a lot. He can walk, but seems to prefer to crawl right now. He is fast on his hands and knees! He literally crawled circles around me the first few minutes. 

His mom is very excited about the idea of the group, and wanted to go speak in all the churches to let people know about it. I told her I wanted to start slow! Just a few to get me used to it. 

I am very excited, and look forward to getting to know the kids that will come. I want to have them evaluated by a physiotherapist so we can work on specific things for each child. And I would like to have Joshua seen by a speech therapist as his mom said he only has about 4 words, but while I was there he didn't try to speak at all.

So next Tuesday is the first day! I am really excited. Please pray for me, as I'm nervous. :) And pray for the other children that will attend. I am meeting with other families this week to look for more munchkins to come play!

Friday Praise and Prayer.

Happy Friday everyone!

Praise for this week:

• We have water!!!!! But as you see in the picture below, the pipes are all above ground, instead of below. After being without water for 11 days, I didn't care where the pipes were, as long as water arrived to my house! I had been concerned since I moved into the house about the water situation. It was low pressure, and I didn't like the low pressure showers for the girls. The first shower I had with the new pump, I accidentally turned the water on so high the shower head almost jumped out of the hook (it is a removable head). Eventually this will get put underground, I just have to be patient. This is much easier with running water. :) Just remember, flushing the toilet is a privilege!!!

• My friends who were recently licensed to take in kids with special needs received their first resident yesterday! His name is Rafael, he is 7 and has cerebral palsy. I am so excited for them as I know personally the work and time and effort that has gone into this moment. I look forward to visiting them again soon.

Prayers for this week:

• This one is a little personal. My friend Luke. He is 12 years old, and had a double lung transplant 3 years ago. He has fought many battles since that time, but overall his quality of life has improved. He is in the hospital again with a bowel obstruction, something he is all too familiar with. Please be praying for wisdom for the staff, and his healing. You can check out his mom's blog here.

Luke and I this summer.

• CNA paperwork. I am so excited to "soon" have my first girl come to live in the house. 

• Pray for the kids out there waiting. Right now in the local hospital there is a 9 month old little girl with hydrocephalus. She has been there at least for a few months now. When I have visited the hospital she is always laying in her crib gazing off to the left. When I touch her, she often cries. It is hot in there, and the only interaction she gets is when she is fed. And I suspect (though I don't know for sure) that with a high number of patients, and few nurses, she is just fed in the bed as that is quicker and easier. The last time I was there, there was a young man in his very early 20's who was just standing by her bed, talking to her and occasionally touching her arm. I talked to him a bit, and he said he has a family member in another part of the hospital. But since he found out about the little girl with no family, every time he is in the hospital he visits with her. I almost cried in front of him. Such compassion for a young man in this culture, and especially for a girl with such medical problems, is so wonderful to see. 

• My safety. I drive alone a lot, and I wouldn't mind a few extra prayers thrown my way! 

I would also like to be praying for you. If you have anything specific, please comment below, or if it is personal, e-mail me at naomi.heye@gmail.com

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

Painting.

When I moved into the house, the walls were full of mould and some of the walls hadn't even been painted. It was ugly to say the least.

Before:

I knew it would be too much painting for me (the house is really big!) so I had a lot of help. A local lawyer sent over a couple of people for the week. And my friend's son knew I needed help so he called in several of his friends. It definitely wasn't quiet while they were here, but it was fun and they got the job done!

During:

 This is such a good showing of the contrast. Looks so nice now!

 Apparently when you are a teenage boy, you show your muscles a lot.

 Then it was time for pizza. They worked hard for a long time and got a lot done so I rewarded them with pizza. Edgar may have gotten a little excited with his portions.

They even made their own "Call Me Maybe" music video, but I'll spare you. 

I spent way more hours than I wanted to painting trim. Hours and hours and days and days. By the end of the week I was tired and sick and pretty cranky. But the last room I painted in was the girls room. I started to imagine the girls that would be living there and was much happier thinking I was doing it for them. I was also able to pray for the girls as I was in there.

After:

 Dining room (the living room, hallways and my room are the same colour)

 Girls bedroom

Office

Therapy area/playroom

I am thrilled with how the house turned out. It feels so much more homey, and it is a pleasure to be in now. I sure didn't feel that way the first several months. One day I'll put up a video tour of the house. 

I am so thankful for the help I received. All of these boys are part of the Zona Extrema here in town that friends of mine run. It is a drop in centre for teenagers. It is open every afternoon/evening and they do Bible studies, discipleship, and fun. I attend their Tuesday night Bible study, and I love hanging out with them. Not something I can say about all teenagers! :) The ones that came were willing to work and not receive anything, they were just doing it to help me out. I think my friends and the staff at the Zona have done such a great job with these teens!

Friday Praise and Prayer.

Praise for this week:

• I have FINALLY cleaned and organized my office. This has been months in the process, and I have had help along the way, but it never was completely done. So now I am happy. :) Don't ask me next week if it is still organized! 
• I am getting a new water pump AND the landlady is paying for it. I have had water issues since I moved in, and it looked like I was going to have to pay for the pump (in a house I am renting), but praise God she is paying for it! It is not completely functioning, but close.
• My puppy is not dead. By my hand or from the chocolate she stole. The picture below shows what she did twice this week. She also ate horse poo right in front of me. Gag! She insists on pushing her ball under my desk where she can't reach it and barking until I get it for her. Of course this only happens when I am trying to work! And she stole my evening treat-a Snickers with Almonds. I didn't know she had done that until the next morning when her vomit showed the incriminating evidence. I am truly glad she is okay after that!

• David (who I mentioned last week) is back home with his family and after a follow up visit, it looks like his family is doing a good job caring for him. He still has some left to heal though, so please continue to pray for him.

Prayer for the week:

• The water pump. Although it is being installed, more problems are cropping up (leaks, bad piping, etc.) and it is taking much longer than we all thought. I haven't had water since returning last Friday from my trip, and it looks like Tuesday at the earliest I will have water again. Thank goodness for good friends who let me shower and wash clothes at their place!!
• The next project. I'm not ready to share details yet (hopefully next week), but it is going to be fun! Pray for wisdom for myself and the people involved.
• The paperwork in CNA. I'm pretty sure you're going to see this prayer request weekly!

Thanks for all your prayers! Have a great weekend.

David.

Over the last month or so I've been helping some friends care for David.

David is a 20 something (his family doesn't know his age) guy with special needs. He fell in the fire pit in house and received third degree burns to his arm, chest and back. Some friends of mine found him in his house, almost naked and squatting on the dirt floor. My friend took him to the national hospital nearby. Treatment (if you can call it that) is free and they cared for (or didn't care for) him for 3 months before discharging back to his home. When my friend went again to visit him in his home, he found the same thing as before. David was crouched on the ground, almost naked (no dressing on his burn, let alone clothes) except this time the ground was muddy from the rain washing through the house. So my friend took him to his house. :)

I met him the first day he arrived. He speaks only the Mayan language Pokomchi, so we were unable to communicate much with him. And he was in so much pain (and in an unfamiliar environment), he would hardly move, let alone try to communicate. But boy could he eat!

Over the next month I spent more time with him. I hadn't given an adult an injection since nursing school, so the first shot I gave him, I really hesitated! He was needing Demerol to help with the pain during the dressing changes. The changes got easier and I rejoiced every time I saw his skin healing!

 David came to church with me one Sunday, and then back to my house for a little Pollo Campero lunch!

Helping me run errands in Coban.

We also watched the first two seasons of BBC's Sherlock together. I may have enjoyed that more than he did. ;) But he loves to colour, dance, walk, sit out in the sun and give hugs. 

Once he was able to move pain free, he was all over the place! And he gave the best hugs. Although I often had to remind him to be more gentle. He is strong! 

Please be praying for him. Although he has done a lot of healing, he still has a ways to go.

Trip to North America!

I spent most of the month of June in Pennsylvania and then Canada. It was a short trip that seemed to fly by, but I enjoyed every minute of it! Here are a few highlights of things I did. Warning: this is a long one!

First I went to PA to visit some friends. I met them when they adopted a child from Haiti that I had become close with while I was volunteering there.

Heather has been a great supporter, idea giver, prayer warrior and all around encourager of this ministry. She is also a very great friend!

 Her son Luke had a lung transplant 3 years ago. What a miracle to watch him playing baseball for the Miracle League while I was there.

 Cuddles with Carline! I could insert a bunch of photos of cute kids in this family, but this is all you get for now. :)

While I was there I was also able to update the Ladies Missionary Circle at the         Baptsit Church. It was good to reconnect with them, and it happened to be potluck night, so I was happy! :)

 My sister treated me to Dark Table, a restaurant completely in the dark! All the servers are blind, so they have to guide you to your table, to the bathroom, etc. It was so much fun! Our server was her friend Dusty. I am happy to report I did not break any glasses, as another table did. Except I decided to lean forward when Dusty was putting the bread on the table and I got knocked in the head because of it! :)

 Off to see my friend Taraleigh and her cutest baby Ella! We have been friends since I was 9 years old.

 Once my brother heard I was coming he decided to not shave that moustache. He knew how much I would (not!) love it. I actually apologized to the lady giving us our food about his moustache. He's cute anyway. :)

 I was able to share with my home church, the Kamloops Vineyard Church, the first Sunday I was there. Since I also wanted to see my friends, the girls ended up "working" with me as I prepared what I would share. 

 I went back to the school where I spent grade 5-12 and attended their grad chapel. That was fun!

I was able to see a few of my old past teachers. :) 

 I was able to visit most of my supporters. This family is a new supporter, and I had such a good time with them! The youngest is very knowledgable about a lot of insects and bugs, etc. I told her that the people taking care of my place in Guatemala had found a dead tarantula in the pool. I told her how scared I was about going back. She very calmly and matter of  factly told me that tarantulas are actually fragile because of their exo-skeleton, and if I had one in my hand and dropped it, he would die. Not really sure why she thought a tarantula would actually be IN my hand in the first place! 

 Visitng my friend Lisa. We graduated together and she is a great prayer supporter for me!

 I was able to visit my godmother (not pictured) and her parents. I hadn't seen them in many years, so it was nice to reconnect!

 My friends Katie and Steve were having a pig roast, and were asking for donations for the Children's Home. One of their daughters (left) had her learners license and took me for a drive! One of their other daughters (right) would wake up in the morning, then get into bed with me to tell me all her news. I loved it! :)

 Cole has autism. We had the best time. I love that kid! He smiled for me, danced for me, and showed me his cat. All proof that he loves me! He doesn't do those things for just anyone. :)

Cute babies!

 Sharing at the pig roast. Thanks Katie and Steve! The event was a success and we raised a lot of money, as well as letting people know about the Home.

I was also able to share at their church on Sunday morning. It was a great time and I received a lot of positive feedback on my speaking style. Since I was nervous I made a lot of jokes and used phrases like "popped the babies out". Not typical missionary lingo, but at least it was well received! 

One of their leaders in the church stood up after I spoke and really made the point of encouraging people to give to the Home. I was appreciative, especially since I had never met him before then! I was even invited to come back again next time I am in Canada.

I shared with my mom's church missionary circle and it went very well. Those ladies are very supportive, and even had an article written about the Home in the nationwide newsletter. They have had fundraisers and gifted me with a beautiful quilt for the kids. 

I was interviewed for the morning CBC show in Kamloops. My first time on the radio! 

I was interviewed again by the local newspaper and also spoke with the TRU alumni and they want to write an article later in the year. 

To finish off the trip, we had our 2nd Annual Fundraiser! It was a lot of work, but I had a lot of help! 

 The banners looked fantastic, but sure had us stressed out getting them up! You can see some of the silent auction items on the tables on the side.

 David Ruis came to play! It was amazing having him there and I am so thankful he came. :)

Brent cut his hair and his beard to raise money. Thanks Brent! Your wife thanks you too. ;)

 Pinata time!

 One Silver Coin played again this year and did a fantastic job!

Beautiful Danielle. She prays for me faithfully, and is always a great encouragement to me.

It was a wonderful night and we raised a lot of money for the Home and I was also able to talk to a lot of people individually about the Home. 

In all, the trip was fantastic. I love seeing all my family and friends, as well as sharing with different groups of people about the ministry here. I also loved drinking as much Rootbeer as I could get my hands on! :)

I'm sure I've missed some, but this post is long enough as it is! Hope you enjoyed the barrage of photos!