An awesome week!

Signs and Wonders???? How did God show up? Have we kept you waiting long enough? Yesterday at the site some of the women on the team were led to pray over the center, over the children and workers and over the men working on the construction site. We prayed for God to show up mightily with signs and wonders for all to see. At around that same time, the guys took a break from their labor unto the Lord and looked up into the sky and saw a beautiful rainbow encircling the sun! It was awe inspiring and all jaws dropped! Not something you see every day, even the Guatemalans were amazed...but God was showing up and letting us all know He was there.

The guys completed the house construction today for the family with seven children, a mom, and a dad who has been disabled in an accident. More important than the house that was built, our men were “Dad” for two full days to children in a village who have no dad and needed the love and attention of a man who loves them and loves the Lord.

At the center our day began with our 19 teenagers & preteens (Moms not too far behind) sprinting and giggling through the double doors of the Center, more than eager to serve and love on all those precious children. They have been awesome! More than we could have hoped for or imagined as parents!

Two new boys came today, Guadalupe and Benabe. Sweet Sergio came in yesterday. These boys need our prayers! Besides their extreme need for physical nourishment, they are all heartbroken and crying for their mamas. Praise the Lord our team has provided for 30 additional mattresses. The Canary room is full to overflowing and there weren’t enough mattresses for all the new children admitted.

Another praise: Edwin has gained 2 lbs in the last three weeks! The treatment seems to be working. Yea!

Gerson is smiling and giggling, and his face is improving every day!

Today Marisol, while donning her beautiful dress, shocked the Mom’s when they asked her in Spanish where they could find something and she answered them in perfect English: “in the corner.” She is such a sweet and smart girl. She had been given a pedicure and a small bottle of nail polish for her very own the day before, and when we arrived, all the little girls had their nails painted in the same color! She had shared all her polish with all her little friends! We see evidence constantly of the children’s generosity toward one another and their selfless spirits.

Prima-donna Skarlet was royally loved and was “oh so pretty” this morning for Parents Day. It was a moving day to see all the parents dressed in their finest clothes waiting in line to enter and see their beloved children. A site we will never forget…

We had a sweet devotional time with the staff each day! Our time today ended in tears for all who were there. Olga shared her heart and asked for prayer for her brother Edgar who has been missing for 10 days in the United States, and for her husband who has a serious heart condition. Please pray for those men and for comfort for her. Catalina was encouraging to us the team, telling us how much they appreciated us for all we do for the children. Another worker penned a precious note expressing her gratitude to God for us, whom she called “angels from God on earth.” They don’t realize that they have been so much more of a blessing to us!

The end of the day came way too soon. Each of the kids was given either a blue or pink basket with their name on it that was filled with small toys gathered by the team. The boys received cool sunglasses and were lookin’ so Hollywood! The girls received purses with hairbrushes and mirrors. Wendy never let go of her purple mirror!

As we were walking out to leave, all of the children (rather than being occupied with the goodies they had just received) and all of the workers stood on the front porch waving goodbye while the 40 of us boarded the buses sobbing, wishing we could take them with us.

Continue to pray for the parents of the children. If our hearts are broken leaving, can you only imagine theirs?

It was a glorious day and a life changing week that none of us will ever forget. Pray for the children, as it will be only another week and a half, and more arms and feet of Jesus are coming to love them! Praise the Lord for He is good! His love endures forever!!!