We just had a big weekend with the Quinceaneras Party (when girls turn 15) with over 180 people at Shadow of His Wings... and 8 girls to celebrate their special birthday. It is a huge deal here in Guatemala and for many of the girls they did not think they would ever have a celebration like they had, because of their circumstances before coming to the project.
They were so excited about their big day, getting to pick out their dresses, shoes, and they got to have their hair done, toes painted and make-up too. I was thrilled to be able to put together a video of the girls, full of pictures of them over the years and put it to music. It was fun to learn something new and be a part of it all.... it went well and the girls liked it. The night began with the house parents walking in their daugther, the mother then changed the girls shoes as a sign of not being a little girl anymore, and then they sat at a head table. Later on in the night the house father gave his daugther a ring as a symbol of purity and that she is precious. There was live music and worship by band from a nearby town. We got to enjoy dinner and dessert, which is when the video played. It was such a touching and special night!
Right now we are doing a lot of things as a family and the party was no excetion. Throughout the party Steve and I kept switching Noah from one lap to the other and chasing, watching or trying to distract him and that's when the quote came "life without a sitter". Yep, no sitter here yet, and no real time away from our kids, pretty much 24/7 between the two of us. The kids did great and liked the food and dessert too. One of the girls we sponsor turned 15 which was so special for us too... she looked beautiful and so grown-up.... a young woman now.
I feel honored to be a part of these girls lives and thankful to God to be able to be available, help, support in whatever way I can to help them become women who love God, love others and love who they are!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Adventures.....
It is crazy to think we have been here almost a month already! There have been some amazing experiences and some challenging ones too. So far we have been able to visit some rural villages, spend time with house parents and their kids, show my mom around town and get acquainted with a new town. The challenges we have faced have been small and large, but we have gotten through most of them..... others will be a process, but are part of the journey!
Some fun things about living here- hanging laundry out and it is dry in less than an hour; meeting new people all the time who are very friendly; driving on the other side of the road if necessary and no one bats an eye; garbage collection three times a week; starting to understand more and more spanish; seeing the kids learn another language; kids rollerblading in the house; cows and horses walking along the streets; discovering things in the market that I didn't think they had here; plants/trees in our backyard that I never imagined I would ever have (almond tree, mango, papaya, lime, lemon, cilantro, and palm trees)!
Some big hurdles/challenges we've faced- Elijah waking up with croup in the middle of the night- it was really bad and scary, but thankfully I remembered what to do; all-over body rash on Noah and not sure what from; feelings of being overwhelmed with leaning a new language; figuring out how to do things in a new country & culture; challenged by homeschooling for the first time and not feeling very confident; Steve discovering a hole in a tooth- needing a root canal; a couple of the kids freaking out about going to school here.... but through all these things, we know we are where we are supposed to be.
I have been reminded through all these things, hard and challenging, good and fun, that God is with us every step of the way. If we continue to look to Christ for wisdom, direction, and strength when we are weak, we can do anything through him! Steve and I (and the kids) know that God has something for us to do here. I am honored and privaledged to serve at Shadow of His Wings and be a part of a beautiful place full of beautiful people. What is life without helping others, living through hardships, and coming through it all to know we've done what the Creator of this world has asked us to do....nothing can compare. We have to remind ourselves daily that God will be our strength and to stay focussed on why we are here, not what is trying to get in the way and distract us from His plan.
Finally, I am so happy that we have experienced some breakthroughs. Our kids are feeling more and more at home here and making friends too. Today after picking them up from school, they all said they loved it and it wasn't too hard. I am so thankful for that! It is hard to see your kids struggle, but when you know they are safe, surrounded by great teachers and kids, and it is such a gift to learn another language, it is a relief when they begin to enjoy it and feel more comfortable! The kids are healthy again and Steve really likes the Dentist (which is a good thing with a few more appointments to come to fix his tooth... root canal this monday)! So, thanks for all the prayers many of you have sent our way- we can't do this without all of you too.... you are a part of our adventure and we are so thankful we are not alone!
Love you all, The Lindbergs
Some fun things about living here- hanging laundry out and it is dry in less than an hour; meeting new people all the time who are very friendly; driving on the other side of the road if necessary and no one bats an eye; garbage collection three times a week; starting to understand more and more spanish; seeing the kids learn another language; kids rollerblading in the house; cows and horses walking along the streets; discovering things in the market that I didn't think they had here; plants/trees in our backyard that I never imagined I would ever have (almond tree, mango, papaya, lime, lemon, cilantro, and palm trees)!
Some big hurdles/challenges we've faced- Elijah waking up with croup in the middle of the night- it was really bad and scary, but thankfully I remembered what to do; all-over body rash on Noah and not sure what from; feelings of being overwhelmed with leaning a new language; figuring out how to do things in a new country & culture; challenged by homeschooling for the first time and not feeling very confident; Steve discovering a hole in a tooth- needing a root canal; a couple of the kids freaking out about going to school here.... but through all these things, we know we are where we are supposed to be.
I have been reminded through all these things, hard and challenging, good and fun, that God is with us every step of the way. If we continue to look to Christ for wisdom, direction, and strength when we are weak, we can do anything through him! Steve and I (and the kids) know that God has something for us to do here. I am honored and privaledged to serve at Shadow of His Wings and be a part of a beautiful place full of beautiful people. What is life without helping others, living through hardships, and coming through it all to know we've done what the Creator of this world has asked us to do....nothing can compare. We have to remind ourselves daily that God will be our strength and to stay focussed on why we are here, not what is trying to get in the way and distract us from His plan.
Finally, I am so happy that we have experienced some breakthroughs. Our kids are feeling more and more at home here and making friends too. Today after picking them up from school, they all said they loved it and it wasn't too hard. I am so thankful for that! It is hard to see your kids struggle, but when you know they are safe, surrounded by great teachers and kids, and it is such a gift to learn another language, it is a relief when they begin to enjoy it and feel more comfortable! The kids are healthy again and Steve really likes the Dentist (which is a good thing with a few more appointments to come to fix his tooth... root canal this monday)! So, thanks for all the prayers many of you have sent our way- we can't do this without all of you too.... you are a part of our adventure and we are so thankful we are not alone!
Love you all, The Lindbergs
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