Heading North
Our Dave Barry page-a-day calendar is a constant source of entertainment and wisdom in our house. Just the other day, he offered us the following observation:
“We travel because, no matter how comfortable we are at home, there’s a part of us that wants – that needs – to see new vistas, take new tours, obtain new entrees, introduce new bacteria into our intestinal tracts, and learn new words for ‘transfusion.’” Over the course of the past two years, we’ve definitely seen some amazing things, eaten some equally interesting dishes, and given our immune systems a good run for their money. And while we do know the Spanish word for ‘transfusion,’ we are thankful that our only experience with it was last summer when Josh donated blood for a patient at the hospital.
As we wrap up our time here (we return to MT on may 29th) and reflect on the things God has done in the communities around us and in our own hearts, we are so thankful to have been a small part of His great work through the Loma de Luz ministry. In its ten year history, around 5,000 people have been saved, and tens of thousands more have received medical care. Pretty amazing God we serve! A speaker at a conference we attended last fall asked the question, “Do you know God better now than you did a year ago?” We do, and that’s exciting! In our time here, He has proven so faithful to meet every need, to guide us through the challenges of living abroad, and to give us the grace to grow through each one. “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6) What assurance to know that whatever we walk through with the Lord is for His glory and our good.
Construction and Teaching
After about two years of construction, the Children’s Centre is literally days away from being finished. The last bits of tile are going down, and just a few finishing touches are left. The facility will have the capacity to house 18 kids. Right now, the directors, Iain and Liz Mckenzie, have 5 Honduran kids in their home, with plans to take on more once the building is done. Please pray that their transition into a larger scale operation will go smoothly and that God will be glorified through its services. The following picture shows the upstairs of the nearly completed Children’s Centre.
And the beautiful (and labor-intensive) ceiling...
And the back porch.
Aside from one more math tutoring session, my school year is all wrapped up. I will miss my wonderful students! It has been fun to watch God shape and mature each of them during the past two years.
Guildy Update
It has been a little over two weeks since Guildy’s dive off a bench and subsequent head injury. She is completely back to her normal self, and we praise God for His healing work and the people he used to come to her aid physically and in prayer. He deserves every bit of the glory! Below are Baby Juan, one of the kids living next door in the temporary Children's Centre, Guildy, and Hadley.
Prayer RequestsA few specific things to be praying for:
1. Bob Lillard, the 81-year-old missionary here at Loma de Luz who suffered a heart attack back in January, is still basically in a coma. Please pray for him and his family (his wife, daughter, and son-in-law are missionaries here as well).
2. The details of our return to Bozeman. Safe travel, clarity in where and how we are to serve during our next season of life, and a job for Josh.
3. God’s provision of staff and missionaries for the hospital.
In Closing
Thanks so much for supporting us! Your prayers, support checks, and emails have been so appreciated! May you know God better a year from now than you do today!
In Him,
Josh, Linzy, Guildy, and Hadley
Guildy working away at the beach.
Hadley working on her crawling skills at the beach. She also got her first two teeth on this trip!
We ran into Clementino, a friend from Balfate, who was working at the beach where we were.
Grandma Linda, Zech, and the kiddos enjoying a story.
Zech and Hadley had been reading a book, but they got sucked in by the TV.
It's tough to get a good shot of two wee ones, but they sure are cute even if they aren't both looking at the camera.
Everyone except Linda headed back yesterday. Her purse was stolen at the mall in La Ceiba right before they were all getting ready to get on the bus to leave. So she is currently sorting out passport and credit card stuff, but handling it like a champ! Always and adventure!
It was too hot to bunch up for the classic group picture, so this is what we came up with.
We did manage to pull it together and pose for a picture right before we left.