The ultimate remedy

There has been something going around in the home lately.  Several kids have had to stay home from school due to illness.  One of the little girls, Marsela (pictured above), stayed home a few days ago.  Usually always beaming, that morning she looked tired and miserable.  While everyone was getting ready for school, she was curled up in her bed.  I know when I’m sick, all I want is to be at home with my mom to take care of me.  But Marsela had no mother to read her stories, rub her back, or hold her — so I thought I would take on that position.  It so happened that it was the best type of medicine I could offer her.  I read her book after book that morning.  Soon she had them memorized and was reciting them with me.  Her frown literally had turned upside down.  Later that day she was jumping around with the other girls.  I don’t believe that I healed her from whatever she had by just reading her stories, but I do believe that her spirits were lifted by some TLC.

When we are feeling spiritually ill or tired, sometimes we just need to spend some quality time with God.  It can make all the difference in the world.  How many times have we felt in a pit, and rejected what the Lord has to offer us.  We don’t even have to wait for a prescription — we have all we need right now.  In a sense, we must get our daily dose of The Word so we can stay spiritually fit.  I know I often try to restore myself with other desires of this world, but Christ is the only cure for the heart, so why don’t we embrace this truth more often?

I will be leaving Tuesday morning!  Please pray that the next few days are fruitful and dependent on the Lord!

Psalm 107:17-22 —

Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!

Sunrises and Sunsets

I took some time to watch the sunrise this morning.  It was absolutely beautiful.  I tried to take a snapshot of it, but the photograph doesn’t do it justice by any means.  It made me think of Romans 1:20.  I like how The Message puts it, “But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse.”  To be honest, I have always struggled with the concept of people knowing who God is just by seeing what is around them.  I know what He made is wonderfully beautiful, but has that really sparked the notion of ‘There must be a God’ in an unbelievers mind?  Well, this morning I was able to understand this passage a little more clearly, as the sun started to peek above the mountains of Juarez.

Romans 1:20

While I was working with Inner City Impact this summer, I learned to look for teachable moments.  Every situation can be turned into an opportunity to share the Good News of Christ if you are looking for them.  Even though the language barrier can be quite difficult at times, I have tried to seek out those moments.  Two happened just yesterday, while I was outside with a group of girls.  Actually, one has to do with God’s creation once again.  The sun was starting to set, which made a gorgeous image in the sky.  In my broken Spanish, I said to the girls, “Isn’t the sky beautiful!? It reminds me of how good God is to us.  He didn’t have to make the sky look so pretty, but because of His love for us, He did!”  I am not sure if the girls were even listening, but who knows — it’s the little things that can have a huge outcome.  I was also able to talk to some of the older girls about relationships and loyalty.  The girls know I have a boyfriend, but still came up to me and asked if I had a husband or another boyfriend.  I was shocked by their questions, but I was happy to give my answer.  The girls looked puzzled as I explained that God doesn’t want us to have more than one spouse, but I could tell they were thinking about what I was saying.  I then encouraged them to look for a man who loves God first, and told them that this was the most important quality.  I was glad to have this conversation as the girls are absolutely boy crazy here!

Every night we have a dance party in my room! My legs and arms are barely holding up...

Coloring! The girls go crazy over crayons. At the beginning of the week I had a box of 24 -- now we only a few orange ones and a purple. I have never seen so many orange and purple flowers!

I'm not looking forward to saying "Goodbye" to these girls. I guess it will be more of a "See you later!"

Please pray for more teachable moments!  And Praise God for the ones that have already occurred!

Psalm 95:6 – Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker

I’m back!

This weekend has been sort of crazy, so I apologize for not updating in a while.  I would have posted something sooner, but my internet wasn’t working one night, and then the other nights I didn’t have access to my computer.

[I don't know what she is saying (hopefully it's nothing too bad...) but I thought it was cute]

I will just briefly share with you something that happened a few nights ago.  Something I will never forget.

Every Thursday night the older kids of the home will go to church — sort of like youth group.  It pretty much is a worship service with time of praise and thanksgiving.  The room was full of energy and you could see the Holy Spirit moving.  Like last Sunday, I only could pick out a few words, but it didn’t matter if I could understand that they were saying or not.  I was jumping up and down with the kids and lifting my hands up to the same God they were worshipping and praising.  During one of the songs, two girls next to me started to cry.  They buried their heads in my arms and whispered prayers out loud.  I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I started to pray as well. Seeing these two eleven year old girls in such a state reminded me why I was here in Juarez.  I am not here merely to do “good deeds” or to get away from the cold.  I am here to share the Good News of Christ with the kids here at Emmanuel.  I guess you could say a prayer was answered that night, as I was able to tell them that if they ever wanted to talk to me, I was here for them.  I had been praying for such an opportunity, and God definitely answered it that night.  I was also able to share scripture verses with them and tell them I was praying for them.  One of the girls said she was so thankful and that she appreciated the hope I brought her.  Now I wish to show her the hope Christ has to offer — a hope that no one else can give.

Psalm 130:7 — O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

Some of the girls wanted to try on my clothes. Here they are modeling!

I wasn't going to tell the girls I had a computer, but they found it anyway. They sure love photo booth!

Cheese!

Having fun with some of the older chicas!

I think we took a million of these pictures

Getting goofy!

I appreciate all your prayers!

How not to get a husband…

Well, yesterday in the kitchen, the Wightman females had quite the cooking experience.  If you know me well, then you know that I don’t know a thing about cooking, and actually can get quite stressed in the kitchen.  But I looked at this cuisine occurrence as a challenge.

For the snack we were told we had to make tortillas.  They had already rolled up the dough, so all we had to do was flatten out the dough into round tortillas — much easier said than done.  The Hermanas showed us how it was done, but we still had trouble getting the hang of it.  I think one of the Hermanas was able to roll out three to our one.  And theirs of course looked 100 x’s better as well.

I am pretty sure that watching Americans try to roll out tortillas is their idea of a Mexican joke.  They were watching us and laughing quite hysterically.  They then asked me in Spanish if I was married.  When they heard I wasn’t, they stared to laugh and told me it was because I couldn’t roll a round tortilla.  I guess there is no hope for me or my sister…and in regard to my mom…I guess she just got lucky.

I am hoping to redeem myself tomorrow, as one of the Hermanas came up to me this morning, and told me that tomorrow’s snack is the same thing.  I think she is hoping to get another good laugh out of it…

Here are some pictures of the tortilla making process.  In the end, they all tasted the same.

Watching to see how it's done.

Rolling out the dough

This is how they were turning out in the beginning...

...But we eventually got the hang of it. (Please note: the tortilla in this picture is one that I made. The one above is Khalia's...)

Showing off my masterpiece

The finished product!

Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Even tortilla making!)

I am blessed

Buenas Dias!  Today is another beautiful morning in Juarez! The sun is out and the sky is clear — just a reminder of how big God is.
Yesterday was probably one of the warmest days since being here. It got up to the 60′s out in the sun. I was feeling quite ambitious and decided to wear shorts. I think I just wanted to take pictures so I could rub it in my friends faces…

The family! Some were colder than others...

Yesterday we helped with snack again, but this time the kids came to us.  Because it was so nice outside, the kids were able to run around outside for a while.  It was fun to interact with the kids for a bit.  I also was able to talk to one of the dorm mothers (or they call them “hermana,” which is “sister” in Spanish) while passing out the snack.  Her name is Andrea, and she has been working at the home for almost two years.  I asked her if it was hard not to have favorites, but she said that every kids has their strengths and weaknesses.  I already have my “favorites” and ones that annoy me more.  It’s hard not to treat those kids differently.  But I have to keep reminding myself that God doesn’t have favorites and that He loves us all equally.  I am praying that the way I treat the kids will reflect the love and compassion Christ has for us.

Andrea (she works with the girls)

Passing out the snack for the day -- Jicama (with chile powder of course)

Alex hovering over the food

Aaron -- he helps oversee the maintenance of the school and home. Dad and Aaron have become best friends.

We have been given some games for the kids, and they have loved playing them.  Dominos, UNO, and pick-up-sticks have been their favorites.  This can sometimes result in quarrels, but more laughs than tears are a result from playing with them.  Whenever the girls have downtime, I can expect to be mobbed with girls asking to play a game.

Playing a quick game of dominos before school starts.

The next two weeks I’ll be here, will be mostly aimed toward building relationships with the kids.  I have been doing that already since being here, but there will be more of an emphasis on this component.  With talking to some of the other staff, they have said that it sometimes takes a while for the girls to open up to you.  I am praying that I will gain their trust, so they would feel comfortable to come to me with anything.

My new friend!

Some of the girls teaching my mom Spanish

Please pray that my transition to being here by myself will go smoothly and that I would rely solely on Christ for my support and strength.  I can see myself becoming quite lonely, so pray that I find my comfort in the Lord.

Pray that the rest of my family gets home safely (they leave tomorrow at 3 p.m.) and have no complications.

We heard a pastor pray for his meal today, and he was asking that he would return His blessings back to the Lord.  I also want this to be a reality in my life  – and boy do I feel blessed beyond compare!

Ephesians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Here is a short clip of the worship service this morning! Enjoy!

“All in a day” plus one more

Where to start?!  Yesterday was a day full of fun, quarrels, laughter, and tears — which concluded all of us falling quickly asleep last night.

Because it was the weekend, most of the kids go home to spend time with their families.  This left thirty or more kids at the home.  We played a lot of UNO, colored, and did activities outside.  The kids have so much energy that it is sometimes hard to keep up with them!

In the afternoon, my family decided that we would treat the kids to a movie, soda, pizza and ice cream.  The kids had a blast!  And so did we!  We went to the movie theatres and saw Alvin and the Chipmunks (o en espanol Alvin y las ardillas) and then went back to the home to eat some supper.  A lot of the kids said that their favorite food was pizza, so they devoured it quite quickly and swiftly.

One observation I thought was interesting, is that all the kids ate their pizza crust.  One thing I am learning from these kids is that I should be happy for what I have and never take for granted what we are given.  These kids never waste anything.  When they get a new toy, they will keep it until it’s in pieces — and even then they will make a new toy out of the pieces.  In America, the majority of children never eat their crust.  This may not mean anything, but it reminded me that I need to be happy for what I have.

Playing outside!

Eating some dinn dinn!

Lots of energy in the kitchen!

Getting ready to go to the movie theatre!

Inside the bus -- there was hardly room to move

Having fun with Brenda!

Our brother and and son in Christ!

My mom became a pro at making pipe-cleaner glasses. The kids loved them!

Juan y Brenda -- I love these two!

Now my mom will post some thoughts about last night and this morning’s church service.

“Last night was many things.  Fun, yet tiring, frustrating and enlightening.  After we finished pizza the kids had three hours of non-scheduled time.  That is before the youngest would go to bed.  What to do for three hours with few toys, few rules, and little supervision.  Well…….we played balloon volleyball over a table.  We played dominoes.  I read to some little girls in Spanish with the help of my friend Lapita.  We broke up a fight, stopped a bloody nose, and kept a child from cutting all the Barbie’s hair off.  Oh my.  There is somewhat of a pack mentality, with Alpha “girls” that no one would ever go against, even if it is wrong.  I learned how to say, “Be nice” in Spanish.  I also left in tears because although these girls learn a lot about life, they can’t learn what “family” is.  Anyway.  It certainly gave us many more ways to pray for the kids, and specific needs of certain girls.

Ellen asked me to talk a bit about church.  It was so worshipful!  That is with me understanding only about every 50th word.  I did love hearing the worship leader telling them to “call on the name of Jesus.”  Also, they had testimony time.  They start their prayers with Senor Dios (Ellen told me it meant Lord God—I thought it meant Mr. God, which I thought was adorable).  I could hear them saying thank you for their families, and brothers, and sisters.  It was meaningful to me.  I loved the kids waving flags in worship, the clapping hands, and the jumping up and down.  It was great!”

Church! The kids absolutely love the violin!

Praising the Lord!

Today we also watched the kids play soccer for a few hours.  They have teams divided into age groups.  They asked Khalia and I to play, but we didn’t want to score a point for the opposing team or anything like that…so we thought it best to cheer on the side instead.

Watching the game!

Cheering for Cruz Azul!

CRUZ AZUL!

Please pray that our time spent here will be useful and glorying to the Lord.  Pray that we would continue to have energy and strength to minister to these children and anyone in our midst.  Also, please pray that the children continue to seek after the Lord and thirst for His Word.  There are many children who still need their eyes to be opened.

In church today, they asked the kids to stand if they were ready to proclaim the name of Jesus to those around them.  And it made me think of this verse.

1 Peter 3:15 – But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

Snapshots

Sister love!

Two sisters from the home

One of the youngest girls at the home

Judy — such a sweet little girl!

Making balloon animals…or trying. The kids didn’t even care if the balloon was inflated or not! They are wonderful at making fun with what they have!

Helping the kids get ready for the day!

Having fun with some of the girls!

Fatima -- such a precious, precious chica!

Jacquelin -- I have gotten to know her real well since being here. She is full of life!

Mom with Fatima. She was my mom's sewing helper!

Oranges with chile powder -- it tastes good!

Mi madre y yo

Some of the younger girls. They are adorable -- as you can tell!

Khalia with some of the girls. They just cling to her!

Mi amigas!

Khalia and I usually stick pretty close together. It has been awesome doing this as a family.

Getting crazy!

Hanging out before school starts.

…more to come later!

Matthew 19:14 — Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Simple pleasures

Even though it has only been the first full day here, I am feeling exhausted — a good exhausted.  Our day started at 5:45 a.m., with little girls screaming up and down the halls.  A little girl came knocking on our door to greet us with a big hug and “Buenos dias!”  We helped the girls get ready for school (it was their first day back from break) — doing hair, trimming nails, getting ready for breakfast, helping with uniforms and picking up random articles of clothing.  It can be a chore for just my family to get out the door, so you can imagine what it was like to have 37 energetic chicas.

I’m learning what my routine will be while I’m here for the rest of my stay.  One of the responsibilities that has been assigned to me is fixing their school day snack.  Today it was honeydew melon and oranges, sprinkled with chile powder.  Not a combination I’m used to, but the kids absolutely love it.  I went around to all the classrooms passing out their snack.  I am looking forward to seeing all the kids each day in their classrooms!

I had a real thrill today, as I went to visit the boys dormitory.  Ever since I first came to Emmanuel, I have been writing some of the children.  They love getting their pictures taken, so I often send them the photos I took while visiting.  They don’t always write back (and if so, it usually takes a while), so I never know if they really receive my letters/pictures.  But today the boys called me into their room to show me a collage of the photos I sent them.  Even some of the boys I hadn’t met previously recognized who I was from the photos hanging up in their room.  Another boy, Francisco, went to get a key, so he could unlock his cubby hole.  He showed me the three photos I had sent him, hanging on the inside of the door.  I didn’t realize something so simple could make them so happy.  I know what I will be doing right when I get back home…writing my pals in Juarez.

My family has been taking lots of pictures while here, but it’s a little more complicated to get them downloaded.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post them.

Please continue to pray for us as we interact with the children and staff!  My family and I have already felt blessed being here!

Ephesians 5:1-2 — “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Back at Emmanuel (written by Gale)

Ellen asked me to post to her blog as she is not feeling well at the moment.  We arrived today mid-day and the kids came out and greeted us with joyous hugs for Ellen and tentative hugs for the rest of us.  Wendy said when you come first, you are always the one remembered!  We had lunch at Soli’s which was enchiladas and rice.  We then went over to the home to find the kids.  They were getting ready for a movie or television time.  Today is the last day of their Christmas break.  We watched Sponge Bob Squarepants in Spanish which helped me remember what little Spanish I could recall.  The kids were great though and found laps and cuddled with us immediately.  After watching television for an hour or so, the outside was calling us “Americanos” and we encouraged some of the kids to join us.  Ellen went and got the pipe cleaners that we brought and they spent another hour creating flowers, mice, bears, and other creatures.  When it was dark they had the kids come inside for another hour of free play.  It was then dinner.  We are eating meals in the home for breakfast and dinner, so we ate tostadas with beans and cabbage.  They also had milk rice which sadly we passed.

After dinner the chaos began for the girls.  OH MY!  We showered about 10 girls under 6.  Washed their hair and got them ready for bed.  It was mass chaos.  The bathroom had water everywhere.  Then it was hugs and kisses.  I believe the former American intern taught them all to say, “Good night, I love you,” which was priceless.  They also had to show us how they could count to ten in English.

I am trying to think what perspective I want to give today’s post, and I can only think about one of the boys who spent some time making a pipe cleaner flower only to give it to me.  He wanted me to have it.  The kids do give very freely what little they have.  I want us to hold our “stuff” so loosely.

Well, that is all for now.  Hopefully, the regular poster, Ellen will be up and at it tomorrow.

The verses we studied today were:  Philippians 2:3-8, ”Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”