Friday Praise and Prayer.

Happy Friday!

Today's praise:

• The first 2 days of Bible club went well. Not as expected, but still well. :)

Geovani loved playing with the new soccer ball! He is Guatemalan through and through. Whenever he would kick the ball past myself or Keena, he would laugh and laugh!

• I spent my first day helping out at the local school for kids with special needs, and I really enjoyed that too.
• My youth pastor from when I was a young teenager is featuring the Children's Home at her birthday party!

Today's prayer requests:

• Wisdom for dealing with the kids who come to club. They are not well disciplined, and I want to discipline with love and patience. 
• More workers with a desire to work with kids with special needs. Because the children are having discipline issues (not obeying, hitting, etc.), I need one staff with each child. I anticipate this will change, but I would like to accept more children. 
• CNA paperwork. We got another request for something not originally asked for. Wouldn't it be great if there was one big list of "things to hand in" that was the same for everyone? Why yes, yes it would be.

Bible club! Less Bible, more Crazy!

Well, yesterday was the first day of Bible Club. I haven't come up with a fun name yet, so this will have to do for now.

I had a plan! I bought fun things! I had a yummy snack! I had 4 kiddos coming!

Then real life kicked in.

One boy canceled. He has CP and spends most of his day in bed. I visited the family last week, and the mom was excited to let him go. Grandma seemed hesitant, but willing. Then the mom called my friend (who had introduced them to me) and said he couldn't go. Grandma didn't want him to go, and if mom sent him, grandma wouldn't care for him during the day anymore. Well grandma does all the care for him, and mom just pays for the diapers, etc. Doesn't take much interest in him. So she didn't want to lose her babysitter!

I think grandma is just scared. This is a new concept, and she has no idea what my intentions are. I am sad, as I think it would be so good for him. I'm praying they change their mind later on.

Keena, the lady working with me, and I went to pick up the other 3 kids from the next town over, Tactic. We picked up Geovani first. He is 14 and has Down's Syndrome. I had met him, his mother and 2 sisters the day before, but the mom only spoke Pokomchi, and the sisters didn't translate. They just told me that he could go. So as we were picking him up, Keena was able to talk with her in Pokomchi, and answer her questions. I think the mom felt better after that.

Next we picked up Joshua, who I wrote about previously. On Monday, his mom Alma, took me to meet another woman who has a son with Down's Syndrome. She knew what I was doing, and had spoken with her husband. She then proceeded to tell me that she and her husband had heard stories when they were younger about children who had been taken to programs run by North Americans, then the children were never seen again. This kind of mentality is pervasive in the more remote villages, and with the uneducated. There is a lot of fear in this culture, and stories like this run rampant.

Alma assured her that I had been attending her church for a while, and she knew that I wasn't going to steal her child. She agreed to have little Wilmer come and said she would bring him down to Alma's house for me to pick him up. To get to their house required a long drive up the mountain on a one lane road, then about a 10-15 minute hike farther up the hill. I couldn't do that with other kids waiting in the car, so she agreed to bring him down.

Not surprisingly, he wasn't there. I had arrived about 20 minutes late, so didn't wait for him any longer.

The  car ride was very subdued. They didn't know where we were going, but they were happy anyway. :)

Once we arrived at my house, it was instant chaos. I didn't feel in control of anything for at least the first hour! Hindsight being what it is, I should have just let them get to know the place, and play. I did let them play for a bit, but I was excited to get onto the program part!

This picture is so blissfully deceptive! It looks like both boys are so interested, and I think Geovani (on the left) really was. But I was just trying to keep Joshua still while I read a Bible story. I got to where "and God made the light" and then gave up.

 Geovani colouring in his booklet. I lovingly printed them out, cut them and stapled them thinking it would be such a fun activity! Not so much.

Another deceptive picture. Joshua spent most of the time throwing the crayons on the floor, and trying to run away. He hasn't been disciplined much at home, and so he struggled a little at my house. :)

Music was a big hit. For a bit anyway. Joshua was listening to a music player, and Geovani was playing the xylophone. 

Geovani loved to kick the big exercise ball around, and played a bit with the toys. 

Joshua climbed in this box, and played there for a very long time! He would close the flaps, then open them, then close them, then open them. He also did a LOT of running! He preferred to crawl when he got here, but I was persistent with him, and after a few times of picking him up to walk, he didn't try to crawl again. He was tired by the end of the day, and kept falling. But it didn't deter him from walking, so I was happy. :)

I wasn't able to take any more pictures, as they kept us busy! I think it was a good thing we only had 2 kids! There was a lot of one on one work. 

We had a snack that Joshua proceeded to throw on the floor. We played outside with the ball and the wagon. And Joshua had a lesson in not throwing toys everywhere. 

All in all, I enjoyed it. But I sure was tired after dropping them off! 

We made it! Celebratory Snickers. :)

Tomorrow the same 2 boys will come in the afternoon. I've changed my plan a little. I'm going to let them get used to the place first, and not try too many programs yet. The house is new, and overwhelming. They need to get to know the place first, and get to know us, and learn to listen, before I start anything else. At least I know a little more about what to expect tomorrow! 

Keena didn't even know what Down's Syndrome was. I explained it to her before we picked up the kids. She enjoyed the day, as her big expectation was that they would cry the whole time they were away from their family! And since they didn't, she was good to go! 

I look forward to eventually adding more kids, but I think I'll just stick with these 2 for now! :)

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.