Cookie-making time!

Last week Joshua didn't come. So I decided to make cookies with the two older ones.

 First comes the butter (but we used margarine!)

 Unfortunately you can't see Geovani well in this picture. But I was leaning against the counter while I watched them put the ingredients in the bowl, and he came up behind me to stand exactly like I was with his arm up on the coutner. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! :)

 Eggs! 

We have to give it a good mix to get all the chocolate in there!

 Omar takes his tasks very seriously. He loves to pay attention and do a good job.

 I was completely hands off for this stage, after I gave them the basic instructions. It was fun to watch them do it. I was actually impressed at how much Geovani understood. And both boys had a good lick of each finger after they had plopped each cookie down. I didn't have the heart to stop them. And the oven just bakes all the germs out anyway, right? ;)

 Ready for the oven! After a quick adjustment from me. :)

Geovani's cookies! They also received a quick adjustment.

 Eating!

The best part!

They each took home a goody bag of cookies to share with their families. I made sure to tell the families that the boys did a lot of the helping. I really want the families to understand how much their children are capable of and how they can include them in everyday life, without actually giving them a lecture.

The boys were so proud to take them home. 

Can you imagine?

Last week I heard of a boy that had been living in the Coban Hospital.

Living there.

A friend of a friend had been to see him a few times, so I asked her to take me to visit him and we went on Sunday afternoon.

Edin is a 20 year old who was shot almost 3 years ago. I don't know how or why, but he told me that he was shot once in the neck, twice in the back, and once in the foot. He now only has movement of his neck and his right shoulder. And it took a lot of therapy to get him to be able to move that one shoulder. Since he was living with his grandmother before the shooting, she was unable to care for him, and he has been in the hospital ever since.

The ward was busy, and most bedsides had an average of 8 visitors. Most people work during the week and Saturdays, so Sundays are high volume days. The only people without visitors were Edin, the old man across from him and an older man on the other side of the room that kept moaning loudly every once in a while.

The men's ward is laid out in one big room, as are all the wards in that hospital, and there are 24 beds, most of them full that day. There is no semi-private, that is for sure. It was so un-private in fact that the visitors in the next bed over from Edin openly stared at us (me) and listened in attently to our conversation. I guess their family members big stitched up gash on his leg wasn't interesting enough. I got a good look at that one too as he showed it off. In the lack of privacy situation it was hard to miss!

Edin is a sweet, polite guy. He lives in a small corner of a hospital. Looking around his bedside, the only concession to his being a long term resident was the small, very fuzzy, t.v. on a low wall. They had also arranged his bed so that the head was facing the t.v. as well as being able to look out the window.

He has physical therapy once a day, but doesn't go if he has too much pain. And he is always in pain. He said it hurts to stay in one place too long. But the staff get him up anywhere between 4:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. to bathe him. He said he doesn't like to be first to be bathed because the water burns him, but he doesn't like to be last as the water is then cold. Not that he gets much of a say in the matter. Then they sit him in his chair until 7 that night. Sometimes they turn  him through the night.

His brain was not hurt in the accident. But he can't turn the pages in a book to read, or change the channel on his t.v., or even watch a movie as there is no DVD player. He sits there all day, day after day, just watching life go by around him.

Here in Guatemala, as in all developing countries, if there is a need that you wish to address, you will find many people with that same need. I wish I could do something to help Edin get out of there into a real living situation, but at this point, I can't. There is literally nowhere in this country for him to go. The two homes for adults with special needs that I know of are as full as the children's homes, and with wait lists sometimes of years.

So I'll be visiting him, and bringing him his favourite food (fried chicken and chow mein with a coke and a big glass of ice!), and trying to encourage him. He was sweet to me, and has a beautiful smile but admitted he has had a "negative attitude" in the past. His words. I don't blame him! But he also doesn't know the Lord.

Please be praying that I can show him the love of our Father, and that Edin will one day look to Him for strength, joy and encouragement in a difficult situation.

Praise and Prayer.

I've been reminded recently by a few people that I have not been posting specific prayer requests like I used to. So here are a few!

Praise:

• I have hired all the staff I need. Once all 10 girls are here, I will have 3 nannies on at all times, plus myself. Of course this is all dependant on the needs of the girls. And how much time I have to be stuck doing other things instead of taking care of the girls. 
• I have a good friend who helps me with Excel. She spent time making magical Excel spreadsheets for me. All I had to do was put the numbers in the right line. "All I had to do..." Yesterday we texted 25-30 times, then had a 50 minute skype call about "all I had to do". And we are still friends!!!!
• My dog has been testing "escape areas" for me. In the front yard (where we will do our playing) there are some open areas in the fences where kids can fall/jump/escape and in some places it is at a 9-10 foot drop. A friend has been here making a fence and blocking off areas where the girls could get hurt. And Leia (my dog) has managed to find 2 more spots that we hadn't noticed. Of course she also took the opportunity to chase the goose, and the horses, and the chickens, and the other dogs, and the people who all reside down the hill from my house. Good times. 
• P.S. She doesn't like to hear the word 'come'. 
• P.P.S. That might be partly my fault. 
• P.P.P.S. Or all my fault. 
• P.P.P.P.S. Anyone do dog training ministry who wants to come help me train her?!? She is pretty! ;)

• My permanent residency paperwork is on it's way to me! It took 7 months, but I am so glad it is done! Guatemala is my home! 

Prayer:

• First and most important, the certification paperwork. Please pray for favour with the government. I feel a bit like they are dragging this out, and it gets hard to wait sometimes. Especially the closer that I feel that we are getting. I mean, every day brings me closer, right? I have to believe this, as I've felt that we are close to being done for literally more than 4 months. 
• Please pray for the staff. I had to have a laugh while I was interviewing the ladies. I remember my days of interviewing when I was on the other end. We took classes on how to respond to the questions appropriately. So I kept thinking that they were just telling me what I wanted to hear. But there were definitely some that were all wrong for the job! So pray with me that these ladies will be God-fearing, compassionate and willing to love and learn.
• Pray for me as a leader. To be flat out honest, this is not a role I want. But it is where God has put me for right now. Pray for wisdom, discernment, patience, compassion, positivity, and most importantly that I will always look to my boss, God, for direction. 
• Please pray for the full finances to come in. 
  

Bye!

Paperwork!

 The first set of paperwork we handed in.

All the paperwork handed in since then.

I'm off to plant a tree.

The park.

We go to the local park every once in a while. The two younger kids don't play much on the equipment, but they enjoy it none the less. So here are some cute pictures!

 He's cute!

 Omar is very active. He likes to climb and swing and run around with the soccer ball.

Sometimes the goats come to visit us. Geovani likes to chase the babies around. :)

 We basically forced Joshua to go down the slide to see if he would like it. He did. More or less. ;)

 Fun or fear?!?

 I pretty much only work with the best looking kids.

 Loving his free time!

Safety.

It's funny how things change when kids are in the picture.

On Thursday afternoon I arrived at my house with the kids from the Bible Club. We had been playing in the front yard for about 15 minutes when I heard a vehicle slam on his brakes and skid. This was quickly followed by 3 gun shots very close outside my gate. I looked at Keena and said "inside" and she started to pull Joshua off the trampoline while I tried to herd the other two from their favourite activity: soccer. As we were rounding them up we heard at least 3 more shots, still very close.

I have become accustomed to hearing gunshots, they don't bother me as much when it is just me. When the boys were there, I was really scared! I had visions of stray bullets coming through the gate. I had already had one bullet hole in the gate patched up when I moved in.

I know I live in a dangerous country. Theft is expected. I have seen several dead bodies on the side of the roads. And there area areas in Guatemala City that I will likely never go to. I've been on buses that I wish I hadn't been, and I've sat next to people I wish I hadn't had to sit next to. I've done countless hours of driving by myself (which is no big deal in Canada, more so here). I've had friends tell me their kidnapping stories. Other friends told me their stories of being held at gunpoint while being robbed. You get the idea.

Through all of this, God has kept me safe. I know that living here and being a missionary does not mean that God will keep all bad from happening to me. I remember hearing a story about a couple who had just moved here. They were involved in a car accident and the wife died. The husband stayed. He knew they were called to Guatemala, and contrary to many peoples opinions, he wasn't going to leave. I don't have a free pass to safety, but if something happens to me, I'd be a lot more okay with that, than if something happened to my boys, and the girls who will soon be mine.

Story from Thursday (which I take with a grain of salt) is that a guy stole a bicycle, was riding away, someone caught up with him (still don't know if it was the police or the owner of the bike) and shot into the air to scare him. So the guy was fine. And apparently he was taken in BY the police, or TO the police. Then 10 minutes after it happened my doorbell rang. I didn't know the story yet, and had visions of some guy out there bleeding to death in front of my gate. My gate which I regularly leave unlocked during the day!!! I don't have a camera to see who is ringing the doorbell, just a phone system (which will likely change now. I originally bought the phone system instead of the camera because it was cheaper) so I didn't want to answer the door. I called a friend and of course she told me not to answer it! Later I found out it was the guy that comes by on his bike sometimes selling slices of pizza. What timing!

So everyone is fine. And I still don't feel unsafe here, as it was a random event. But know that when I am asking for the ever generic prayers for "safety", it is for a reason. :) And it made me re-think a few things for when the girls get here.

I'll leave you with some cute pictures of what we did later on in the day. :)

 Cute boy in a box.

 2 cute boys in boxes!

 Joshua is working on colouring. Still doesn't quite get the concept. :)

Saw this idea on facebook somewhere. I drew his hands and made a heart in the middle and he coloured the rest himself. It says "God loves me!"

So please know that I am not worried about living here. But as always, prayers for safety are appreciated!  Happy February 1st!