Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)
For those of you who read yesterday’s post and prayed for Billy, thank you. His rash is gone, and he was able to rejoin the other children today. It made me incredibly happy. Today was a much easier day. It is amazing how quickly the children have adjusted to their new surroundings. While yesterday was a day of upheaval and confusion, today was calm and smooth. We are not sure if it is because we know better what to do and so our tasks are accomplished faster or if everyone was cooperating with us more. The babies are doing well in their new room although it is crowded. The work has already begun in the nursery and it is expected to take 1 ½ months, but we wonder if that is Guatemala time and it will really take six months. The toddlers are good, but please pray for Carlos who fell over today and hit his head on the floor. He has a big knot on his forehead. Marta and Odilla ate lunch with the big girls today now that they have moved up and looked very happy to sit at the table with the older children. Wendy acts like she has been with the toddlers forever, eating her food by herself and then, digging into everyone else’s! Maryle, who at 2 ½ is no bigger than a 9 month old should be, was promoted yesterday and is having a hard time adjusting although being separated from the babies is forcing her to grow up some. With help, she walked all the way around the courtyard. The older children got to go outside and play today. With no television other than the one in the baby room, they will be getting more exercise now! The morning seemed very long as lunch was late and some children fell asleep before it was served, and that made the afternoon when we have time to really snuggle with the children short but sweet. I had some precious time with Bree today who did not go down for her nap easily. I know I was spoiling her, but I rocked her until she went to sleep and stayed there for almost an hour holding her. I almost fell asleep myself. One time won’t hurt her will it? And it did make me feel good! With only five of us (the eight men go to a different place each day to build houses, we have been working hard and stretched to give the workers the help that they need and at times, it has been frustrating because there are so few of us. The last team that was here in December had 41 people! This morning, our devotion was on the story of Gideon. He started out with 22,000 men, but God told him to whittle down the numbers until there were only 300 left. Those men wiped out an enemy army that the Bible say was so large that you could not even count the number of camels. And they did it with only a torch, a jar and a trumpet. Read Judges 7 for the whole story, but know that we have felt like Gideon’s army this week. There is so much work to do and so few of us with limited resources. Yet, we are trusting God that like Gideon and his small band of warriors, we are being used in a mighty way.
These stories are truly amazing and heart-wrenching. It sounds as if you have settled in and the kids are beginning to relax and accept you as the help you are. I wonder if they go through this every time a new wave of volunteers comes in?
Please hug Olivia and tell her that people are thinking of her here in the states and sorrow with her in her loss.
When I'm feeling better, I will need to catch up with all that you've been up to. It sounds wonderful 🙂