This week Grace and I traveled to the city in order to get Grace a passport.

We faced yet another hurdle in the process.

  One thing did happen...

I got to enjoy spending a few days with just my girl!

A friend sent me this:

 "God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen."

What really happens in the day of my life in La Moskita...

People demand I give them things because I am white and white = a rich person. Some days I have to bite my tongue and just say "God loves a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9:7

People lie to get what want instead of telling their honest needs but as much as I want to be the judge  James 4:12 "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?"

My friends steal from me. And I have to say "Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." Luke 6:30

I trust VERY FEW people. ( I have less than 5 people) but know I can only truly trust in the Lord with all my heart. Proverbs 3:5

I give someone something they need and they sell it to feed some addiction.
This one is a hard pill for me to swallow... not my place to judge what they do with what I give, but it is my place if I have it to give it.
 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”- when you now have it with you. Proverbs 3:28

At times I am the only one fighting for something and everyone else is against me. In these times I claim "If God is for me who can be against me" Romans 8:31

People are at your door before you wake up until you go to bed... Exhausting... and the only thing that can keep me going is knowing the" Joy of the Lord is my strength" Nehemiah 8:10

Everything takes a LONG time a REALLY LONG TIME and a lot of waiting. For some idea the bank is a good 4 hours on any day, hospital you might as well block out 8 hours, add in that all clothes are washed by hand,and all meals are cooked from scratch.  This might be the biggest lesson I am learning in this season is "Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:14 
There are some of other situations we are facing now ... a little more serious than waiting at the bank. I am learning to just give them over to the Lord be patient and wait on His timing because whatever He has planned is way better than my timeline.

There are weeks without water. Use your imagination as to what all that includes. After a good bit of complaining the Lord always humbles me and brings me back to John 7:38 "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

 

 

 

There are situations that I don't understand WHY. and in those times I have to claim The Lord works all things for the good of those who love him" Romans 8:28

It is no secret life here is NOT easy. But I was not called to live the easy life.

In many ways I am still very much a Gringa

 but the truth is...

I would rather:

*have a child beg for food at my door than sit at my kitchen table and eat my favorite foods knowing the pantry and refrigerator are full of more.

*stand in line at the bank with my friends for hours than get in my car and spend 2 minutes at the bank.

*have a meaningful conversation in my broken Spanish than chitchat in my heart language.

*fight to make a difference in the lives of these children than be naive.

*spend an hour washing clothes with my girl playing in the pila ( water tub I wash in) than watch an hour of mindless TV.

*be a sleep deprived half crazy momma than the girl who had my every want.

* have my unorganized loud small apartment over my spacious quiet organized house.

*share my small bed with Grace than have my comfortable big bed in my own room.

* "wear" two babies one in a carrier and one on my back than have my closet full of cute clothes.

 

 

And I could go on and on point is I have been blessed to be able to serve with the Lord here in Puerto Lempira. I won't lie some days I get overwhelmed but then I think what JOY that He has entrusted me with these children and this job and I would gladly choose this over an easy comfortable life.

Here are a few pictures my babies who are growing up way too fast!

This week we have been spending some time with a very special Miskito family.

A family that I have longed to meet and dreaded to meet at the same time.

Any guesses...

Grace's birth mom, Miskito grandmother (who I have known briefly), Miskito Grandpa, and cousin

I'm exhausted but it has been GOOD.

I now have a little book of things I can tell Grace when she gets older. Little by little I learned about their family. I learned things about those first months before I knew Grace, I learned things from before she was born, I learned a few things about her birth mom, and most of all I just enjoyed spending time with them.

In other news I am supposed to be on my last leg of my residency process

 and now on to the beginning of Grace's VISA process!!




Love my two little lovies!

Happy Valentines Day! ( a day late)

From Grace's fingers to Daniel's toes...

                                 

and this much more...

WE LOVE YOU!

Here are some pictures of my little loves:



Grace's card. (three languages of course for my trilingual girl)

Grace loves her baby.



for breakfast Grace and I made pink heart pancakes.






For dinner we had a special dinner that only princess and princes could attend.
So we had to get dressed up.


The prince.

Grace getting dressed up.






but then I told her she was A REAL PRINCESS.

Grace's baby

Daniel is a precious 2 month old little boy that we have been blessed to be able to love on for a little while. 

Daniel's mom is having surgery and does not have family here to help take care of the baby so we have taken in baby Daniel for the next month.

 Grace has taken on the mama role calling him her baby. She loves to give him bottles,

 burp him, give him tons and tons of kisses, read to him, give him toys to play with,

and even share her food (that he can't eat yet).  

I am so thankful it has gone this route and not the jealous route.

We have both fallen in love with this teensy tiny chubby cheeked little boy.

My Plans or His Plans?

Before I moved to La Moskitia I met with some different people who advised me to make a 5 year plan of where I saw the ministry going.

My 5 year plan looked something like this:

 (actually I don't even know where that paper is anymore but I think it looked like this with a few more details)

Year 1 move, love on Grace, get adjusted.

Year 2 start looking for land and  build a house.

Year 3 move in the house

and then Years 4 and 5 I don't remember at all

Well whats new...

 The Lord kind of has His own plans. I just get to be along for the ride and really don't get that much say in how things go.

Here is what the Lord has planned for YEAR ONE.

move

love on Grace

adjust- kind of.

 (some things here are totally normal to me now but in many ways I am still very much a gringa)

buy land and start to build a house.

Catch that last one.. BUY LAND! IT IS OFFICIALLY A DONE DEAL.

 

the first time we saw the "possible" land in November 2011.

So there goes my 5 years in less than a year.

 I am ready for what the Lord has planned for year 2.

It is amazing how he has provided for things I did not plan for when I moved. I did not raise support ahead of time to start a feeding program. I did not find sponsors ahead of time to send kids to school.I did not raise support ahead of time to buy land. I did not raise support ahead of time to build a house. 
The Lord has provided what He has seen fit to provide for.

That little white post on the right is one corner.

I'm just a little excited to sit on my porch with that view!

Grace enjoying the room to run

and throw rocks

Isaiah 45:3

"I will give you... riches stored in secret places

so that you may know that I am the LORD the God of Israel, who summons you by name."

Grace and her buddy Aaron digging for treasure.