On Wednesday, Chad and I both were helping at House 3 so that Matt and Julie Cooper, the house parents, could move in before the end of the week! I had a team of 6 ladies who split up to do a bunch of finishing touches and 2nd coats of paint on doors. We also painted some plywood that covered the top of a clothing unit in both of the downstairs bedrooms for the teen boys who will be staying there. Dad, you would be so proud! I got to work with Courtney – Todd and Beth’s (the B2B directors) nanny. She is an awesome girl and I’ve grown to love her in just a few short weeks! Mom, she can’t stop eating your cookies…no one can! You are famous here! (Check out the comments on the blog!) Chad was busy installing appliances and working through a 2-page list of final items that needed attending to. We worked for about 3 ½ hours and were so crazy busy that unfortunately don’t have pictures from that…sorry!
The 2nd part of the afternoon Chad stayed on campus to prep for the evening and I went with a team out to the Rio. As you probably know, the Rio is one of 2 squatter’s villages that B2B visits frequently. The first picture is right when we got there, shortly after unloading the supplies. 
The 2nd picture is of Junior, one of the teen guys from the Joshua house – the 1st ever teen home, and one of the teen girls from a team up for the week. She was sharing her story of how Jesus has been real to her even from a really young age. Junior was translating for her. A lot of the team members shared their story of how Jesus has impacted them and caused them to live, move, and have their being differently…
The little girl I am holding was sitting with her mom in front of me. She was more interested in playing peek-a-book and giggling than listening…she eventually came to me…I think it was because we had hot pink in common. 
We served dinner to all 85 people, and then we did a give-away. We gave all the kids in school some new school supplies. They were elated. Toward the end, the line was still incredibly long and we were worried that some sweet little ones would be disappointed when it was there turn to receive a bag and there was nothing left to give. Immediately we thought of the fishes and the loaves story and prayed that the Lord would just make it work! It’s true that the orphan is close to the heart of God…He does in fact maintain their cause and incline His ear toward them…because not only did we have enough, as in the fishes and the loaves…we had extra…enough for the 5 people who came toward the end of our time there. Isn’t it cool how God is in the details of our lives? And if He cares enough to provide pencils and erasers and notebooks for His kids, surely He cares about our families and friends and everything else. I love how He chooses to show up. 
Here’s a picture of some girls playing… The smiles here seem to be more beautiful because the circumstances are so bad… I guess the darker the room is the more you notice the smallest of lights!
I took a picture of the sweet little one in the stroller to ask you to pray. This little girl is 2 and ½ and has 2-3 seizures a day. She can’t crawl or walk. She spends most of her time lying in her mom’s arms and is in a constant state of discomfort and look of sheer pain. She hardly eats anything which only complicates the issue. Please pray for her…her family…and her siblings. Sometimes God allows in His wisdom what He could easily prevent in His power…I know He is utterly trustworthy and utterly good…I just pray that this sickness will be used to allow her to know and love the Lord one day. Pray for that day!
Three of Todd and Beth’s kids met up with us later for dinner at Pollo Loco (the Crazy Chicken). They have a nacho bar…then we order chicken on the bone and pull it off to make delicious soft tacos! Emma (right) is their own…and Lupita (middle) and Carolina (far left) are 2 of the girls they’ve adopted. They all got their hair done that day (typical Mexico tradition) and joined us after the Rio for dinner. They are incredible people with incredible hearts…which I am sure you have gathered being that they have 9 kids (only 3 of which are biological) and they still have a thriving marriage, ministry, and life! 
Later that evening, John & Corrie, Beth & Todd and some of the other summer staff, along with Chad and I went for a late night Tacos Fede run! YUM!More is coming soon!
1 comment:
Ah hey Jen and Chad! Your blog is great! I read it daily and I love hearing the scoop on how things are going! I definitly miss it there but I get so excited just knowing that you guys are serving the Lord! Have an awesome rest of the week and I am keeping you guys in prayer! Can't wait to see you guys when you get back! =]
Love you guys,
Chelsea
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