New faces

Hi everyone!

I have officially been in Honduras two months now and two months to ago until I am home for Christmas :) I'm excited to see loved ones and friends in about two months, as well as share about what God is doing here at Heart to Heart's school! He IS faithful and I am looking forward to connecting with you and sharing with you in person what the Lord is doing.

This month we have eight new children at the village! Five of the children are in one family and three are in another family. A few weeks ago we went to a party put on for area orphanages in San Pedro Sula and that's where I met two of the new girls that we have. Rosalie, who's nine-years old and the oldest of three, connected with me right away. We happened to be sitting by each other at the party and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to form a bond with her on her third day at Heart to Heart. We talked about a lot of different things and after a while she just rested her little head on my shoulder and smiled a sweet, content smile. One moment brought tears to my eyes that day while I was interacting with her. We were in the midst of watching another orphanage perform and Rosalie just darted under some seats. I remember thinking, "What did she possibly see?" I was really hoping she didn't find a big bug or something and was going to show me it. :) When she ran back to her seat I saw what she had been excited for: four oranges. My heart sank. "What are you doin' with those, chica?" I asked. "Saving them!" She replied as she started eating one and then smiled, "But not this one!" She was saved from an impoverished situation and it will take a while for her to recover, but praise the Lord she is safe and is now in a warm and nurturing environment where she will be cared for and told of a God that loves her.

Rosalie's younger sister, Heidy...is also just a dear and has such a sweet spirit. I was praying for her that day at the party and trying to connect with her...it was harder as she was more timid than her big sister. However, at the end of the day, on our bus ride home, Heidy transformed into a little chatty Cathy! She was such a little cutie and wrapped her little arms around me as she told me her favorite animal. As it turns out, she loves the whole animal kingdom! :) It was awesome to watch how God answered my prayer and helped me to connect with both of the sisters and welcome them into their new home.

Although we gained eight new children, we also are missing three of our boys. Please lift up our boys: Wilmer, Louis, and Brayan who ran away two weeks ago. Brayan was in my class and brought such warmth and energy in to my classroom. My heart aches when I walk past his desk and when one of the kids asks about him. We pray for the boys everyday as a class, and it is my prayer that you join us in praying for these three brothers. We have a Shepherd that never stops looking for His lost sheep, and I am believing in faith that these kids will return.

God is continuing to work in my classroom and light a flame in the heart's of the kids for Him. Everyday is filled with challenges and blessings as any normal classroom has! The beautiful blessing that I have as I teach in a Christian school, is that I can talk about our Savior...ALL the time! We pray when we lose notebooks, when we lose pens, when a child is sad, when there's a fight, when a student is sick, and so on! It is awesome to watch the faith in the kids grow from the moment they set foot into my classroom until this week. One of my kids lost one of her workbooks and another child raised his hand and said, "Let's just pray about it, Miss Beka!" Yes, that is exactly what I want these children to do in every situation! It is the prayer of my heart that these children develop a personal relationship with their Daddy in heaven and go to Him for every single need that they have in their little lives. And it is the cry of my heart that this generation of kids changes Honduras as they let their lights shine brightly for our Savior! How I love these sweet kids. This past Friday during worship ALL of my kids were participating and praising the Lord in some form or another! There is nothing like seeing a group of second graders closing their eyes and raising their hands...my heart was the happiest in that moment as I whispered, "Jesus, this is why I came."

Last week I gained another student in my classroom and so now we are back to sixteen students again. Please be in prayer for me as I work with this new student. She has been quite the handful since day one and always seems to do exactly what I tell her NOT to do. She loves playing with anything she can get her hands on and hates doing her work...BUT she can be sweet when she wants to be! Please pray for me to love on this girl and for the Holy Spirit to supply me with the necessary patience and wisdom as I teach this new firecracker. Thank you! I will update you on her progress.

 

Will write more soon - but I wanted to let you know what is happening on my end, what God is doing, and how YOU can pray! You are a part of this ministry and I am so thankful for that! This is a team effort - - blessings!

 

For His kids,

Beka

Is it really October?

Hi everyone,

I can't believe it's October already - I honestly don't know where the time has gone! Oct. 10th marks the fact that I've been in Honduras for two months already - it seems like I just came here yesterday...but on other days I feel like I've been here forever. :)

First off, I must share how glad I am that my new "sister" Mercedes is here - I really can't imagine how our routine was before she came. Mercedes is the type of person that exudes energy and just radiates the light of Christ! I love her enthusiasm and her humor as it has been a blast to not only be on staff with her, but to also room with her. She has been one of the biggest blessings to me the past few weeks and has enriched my life with her personality. God definitely knows who to send and at the right time. I was praying for Mercedes even before she came, and man, God blew my prayer request out of the water! She's a keeper and I'm so glad God chose her to come and teach with us.

 

Although teaching has its challenging moments, God continues to supply me with wisdom as I teach. It has been awesome to watch the children grow from the first moment they've entered the classroom until this week. One of my students in particular was really shy in the beginning and had some anger issues...however, through lots of prayer, meetings, and encouragement, this student has blossomed into a more confident young boy and leader...and he's usually one of the first that I rely on to help me.

 

 I had been praying over a period of many weeks for this young boy (I'll call him "J") and one afternoon stands out to me when I think of him. I had been outside watching some students on the playground during a parents meeting and this student, J, was kicking a soccer ball around by himself and instantly I thought of my younger brothers. My little brothers love it when any of us older siblings take time to hang out with them, and this was especially true when they were even smaller. I had been asking God to help me make a connection with J on a one-on-one basis as I wanted him to know that I care about him not only as a student, but more importantly as a person. When I saw J playing around with a soccer ball, I instantly felt like God tugged at my heart and revealed to me that this was one way I could make my first connection with him. I put aside my abilities at soccer and proceeded to ask J if he'd like to play soccer with me. He looked up at me with the widest eyes and asked, "Miss, you play?" We then formed teams with the other boys and girls on the playground, and had a great time. I took a few breaks in between playing and J would sit out with me and ask, "Miss, keep playing - you just need to practicing! Don't stop, Miss...don't stop." It felt like God had cracked down a huge wall and brought us closer together...and after that experience, I noticed J tried harder in class and was more positive with not only me, but also his peers.

This is just one example of the lives being touched at the school...there are many other children that are being transformed through the powerful love of Christ and through the willingness of volunteer teachers like me, who have been changed through that love and want to see it spread to every tribe, tongue, and nation!

This past week was one of the most challenging so far for me personally as I battled some health issues. I felt like I was falling a part at some points this past weekend as first my eyes were infected and then I had some type of stomach virus. At first I thought it was an infection, because my stomach is more on the sensitive side and I always get something when I travel, but then the other teachers started getting similar symptoms, and so we all were down for the count for a few days. Although it was hard for me to stay in bed for three days with so much to do at the school, it was also a blessing in disguise as I felt God just wanted me to rest and be with him. The Lord truly is teaching me to be "content in all circumstances." (Phip. 4:11-13) Praise the Lord for his healing power and for him working through your prayers and the medicine, because I am healed!

On a side note, I just received a sweet package that was brought down by a missions team this week. I can't explain how beautiful it was to receive notes, cards, books, and so on from my family. I love them so much and felt so encouraged by that sweet gesture...God's timing is perfect!

 

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! I am praying for you too and pray that God will help you to share His love with the people in your life that need to have walls broken down, just like J.

 

Be blessed!

For God's children,

Beka