God has called me to Love HIS abandoned children!

This week God has blessed me with the opportunity to really spend time here at the home. I have began to really appreciate all the work that is done here. Until this week I never knew how much the tutoras here really do. I have had the opportunity to really work with them and even be a "tutora" for the day. Let me tell ya I crashed at 9 o'clock that night. It was exhausting. With this opportunity I have gotten to know each child individually. They are precious jewels and each one with their own story.

The children here are left abandoned. They have either been abused, neglected, raped, or dropped of on the street to care for them selves. A lot of the kids here at the home have grown up here. They know nothing else. It breaks my heart to think that these kids may never know the love a parent. They know that the workers here care for them deeply,l they know that each group and intern that comes in and leaves will forever love them and pray for them, but unlike my self they may never have a love a parent.

While laying with a child this past week putting her to bed, she began crying. She was scared so i layed beside her and rubbed her back as she fell asleep. She is 2 and has been here at the home since she was four months old. My thought began to run wild. Has this little girl ever had this before, she is frightened and alone with no one but an intern to tell her that she will be okay and that God loves her. I started to cry. My heart aches for them. There are millions of children out in the world abandoned and alone. Some of them may never even know the love that Christ has for them. My heart longs to love those children and to help them. That is my passion and God has shown me that over this trip. To love children and help them. To help abandoned, neglected, abused, and children who have been violated. God blessed me with a heart to love these children. My prayer is that I will follow His plan and not go astray. That He may show me the path He wants me to travel.

"Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight." Psalms 119: 35

We fed the hungry, helped the poor

Oh how God has been moving!!! This week we have seen so many things. What has really hit me was the soup kitchen, passing ou blankets to the homeless, and going to the drug rehab center and holding tank.
 

At the soup kitchen we served over two hundred people and shared the gospel with all of them. God provided that day! After everyone had gone through the line we were completely out of food. Can you believe we had enough to serev every person that came out to eat. It was a miracle by God. Also while we were there many prayed to accept Christ. I get chills just thinking about it.

At midnight, we all loaded up into the van and drove out towards downtown Lima. We went out on the streets and passed out blankets to the homeless and the poeple on the streets. We shared the gospel to over forty people that night and gave them bibles. That night I heard a drug addict sing hymns, a drunkard share the gospel like I had never heard before and a 16 year old prostitute ask me to take her 11 month old daughter back to the states with me. That night my eyes were opened to a whole new world. God gave me a heart to love these people and a want to help them anyway I can. I wish I could speak to them and a hold a conversation with them without a translator but maybe next time. God blessed me that night, I have so much yet I take it for granted everyday. These people have nothing yet are so content. They may be the "least of these" but God loves them and He calls me to love them like he does and to "GO" and share the gospel and the love of Christ to them.

I was able to share my testimony to a group of boys in a holding tank, there were five of them. They were there because they had either been victims of rape or were the perpetrator. I shared with them how God has taken me out of my darkness and never gave up on me, even when I drew away from him for four years. I have been a victim of abuse, not to a physical extent but mentally. and my family drifted away, especially my mom and I. God never gave up though. I feel that God aloud that obstacle in my life to happen because Iwas able to share a testimony that related to those boys. That day all five boys accepted Christ. Our God uses our testimonies and obstacles to relate to people and that day I was able to relate to them. I may have suffered in the past but God used it in away that I never would have dreamed of.

I praise a God that rejoices when only one was saved, this past week my God was partying because over a hundred are now going to His kingdom to spend eternity with Him.

"Who forgives all sins and heals all diseases.."

This week we had a medical team come in of about 14 people. It was extremely rewarding to see that side of ministering to the people. The team saw over 1000 people and a little more then 100 came to know Christ! God is good!

The team went to four different cities and at each one they saw 200 people. They went to Cieneguilla, Manchay, Pachacutec, and Huaycan. They set up four different stations, trioj, doctors office, pharmacy, and counseling and ministry. There was also a children's station which had face painting and fingernail painting with bracelets.

The group was amazing and we all really connected with them. It was heart breaking to tell them goodbye but such a blessing to get to know them and have the opportunity to bond with them. Pastor Lenny and everyone else really went out of their way to include us all and really make us a part of their group. This week was well needed. It really helped me grow in tpppmy faith and see all the needs that are out there. God can use you in anyway possible even if it is tying bracelets on a child's wrist or painting their nails...love is all you need to give them!

"The Lord is my Rock..." Psalms 18:2

This week has been filled with God working everywhere we go. The first group came in last week and we went out into five different villages sharing the gospel.

There is a village here about two hours away from Cieneguilla called Antioquia. This village is feared and no Peruvian will go there. It is said to be the village where witches and witch doctors are. At night you will not see anyone out on the streets because that is when the demons come out. At this village we were able to go into a school that no one has ever been able to share the gospel in. God opened those doors for us and at least 20 kids accepted Christ that day. God was moving in those kids hearts. Also in this village the mayors wife, Ana, took us into a womens "shanti". This was deaf and could not speak, she had 4 kids and all of them lived in a one room house. We gave them clothes, shoes, toys, and a bag of rice and prayed over that family. That day God opened my eyes to a world I have never known before. This city needs a church! Please be in prayer for a pastor who will be willing to GO to that city and plant a church, that will open the doors and plant seeds!

We also went out to man chay, on of the two poorest cities here in Peru. When you go there all you see are these Shanti homes covering every mountain. Here we went into a school and shared the gospel and over thirty kids accepted God. Ten of those thirty showed up at church this Sunday!!! Also a brand new shanti home was built for a family of six here in Cieneguila. The family was extremely overwhelmed and so excited about their new home. The mother and two daughters also showed up in church the next day and so excited and overwhelemed with the love of God.

God is opening doors and planting seeds here! This week we will be working with a medical group. This group will be able to provide care and medicine to people who cannot afford it on their own. Keep this group in your prayers this week!

My heart breaks for these children.

This week God is working in my life more then I can ever imagine! This journey, in just one week, has shown me more about the Fathers heart and His extravagant compassion then I could ever imagine! At the beginning of this first week here it was an adjustment period. The language barrier was hard to overcome and being so far away from my family was an extreme adjustment but now I am loving every minute of what God is doing. Every where I look, God continues to open my eyes to something new and exciting.

In the town of Cieneguilla, there is poverty, dirty children and people, dirt mountains, no green, houses that are the size of my bedroom back home but yet it is beautiful. God has given me the eyes to see the way that He does, to break my heart in ways I thought it could not be broken. Every morning I look outside my window and just think to myself, why did God make this place to look this way? But yet it looks so beautiful, even if it is just dirt/dust everywhere.

The children at the home are so precious. They are always smiling and when they look up at me with those BIG brown eyes I begin to ache for them and to think they have no family but yet are so loved!! Today a little girl looked up at me and reached for me to hold her. I picked up her and she kissed my face and then smiled at me. After nuzzling me for what seemed like forever, she looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes and said, ¨te amo, mommy!¨ Oh my goodness, I lost it right there! If I could and finances would let me I would take her home with me in heart beat! These children have no mommy or daddy, these workers are all they know. God has blessed me with parents who support me in everything I do and I am so thankful for all God has given me. These poor children have nothing but yet are extremely loved. I know God has reason for me to be here and reveal to me His next step in my life...I am excited and ready to see and know what it is!

This next month and a half is going to be so amazing and I cannot wait for God to keep working and moving here in Cieneguilla, Peru. My prayer while I am here is that God will continue to break my heart for what breaks his and reveal to me what His next plan is for me in my life!

Finally here!

It's been an adventure already. The city of Cieneguilla is placed right in the middle of two huge dirt mountains with everything built on the side of it or right in the middle of it. Words do not even describe the poverty in this city and there is no preparing either. It really just goes from cement houses with glass windows and walls built around the houses to four pieces of plywood and a tin roof in a matter of seconds. There is really no in between state at all. The home is super nice and all the workers are very helpful and sweet. The kids are precious and I have already fallen in love with them. The tough part though is the communication barrier. I have a feeling that will be a big struggle for me, not knowing what the kids need or want. That will be a big prayer part to let God take control of that in my life and to help me through it. I am also praying that God will begin to break my heart for what breaks his, to give me the love to share with these kids and show them how much Jesus loves them. God has plans and I already see them beginning.

Only One Week Away!!

The time is flying by and the nerves are beginning to set in.  I feel that the nerves are coming on now because I am scared of the so called "unknown" but I know that God would not send me anywhere if I wasn't capable of accomplishing what He has planned out for me. I know one thing for sure though, I feel the prayers already.  God is really working in my life to prepare me mentally, spiritually, and physically for these next 8 weeks of my life. I am so blessed to be able to serve the Lord by working in the mission field doing what I love and what my true passion is, kids.  They are the love of my life and I am truly honored to be doing Gods work surrounded by the precious smiles of Gods children.


I ask that you keep everyone of us working at the New Life Children's Home in your thoughts and prayers, especially the children. I ask that you pray for their hearts to be touched by God! That he will give us the words and the God like love to spread to them and everyone around!
Thank you so much for the love and prayers! God Bless and Love to ALL!!


"But the that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Life is about waiting and so many times we rush through life and miss all of what God has for us. Take your time in life and enjoy the view! When we do this God blesses!!!