Leaning on the everlasting arms

Helloooo my dear friends and family,
We are starting the last parcial (or last quarter) this coming week - I don't know where the time has gone! The Lord is continuing to open my eyes, touch my heart, and grow me as I lean on Him during the last home stretch before school is out.

One major thing the Lord has been teaching me is leaning fully on His strength and not my own. It's easy to get burnt out in ministry, but the key is to be plugged into the vine, Jesus Christ, and to be filled up with His strength. We can't do anything on our own strength -"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) And I can feel the difference in my classroom when I am trying to juggle different situations and responsibilities in my own strength! It's when I'm relying on the Lord's strength that I can "run and not be weary." (Isaiah 40:31). Please pray that during the next two months I would be filled with Jesus' supernatural strength and finish strong.

Rest is also a necessary aspect of our walk with Jesus. Most of us would not put rest on the top of our list when we think of missions - but it is so crucial! The Lord has been showing me that rest and being in His presence, is vital to completing His call in our lives. I am reminded of the story of Martha and Mary, many times I find myself in the position of Martha. I love to serve and to help others - and there is a time and a place for that. However, the Lord has placed on my heart the beauty and the necessity of worshipping Him fully and being in His presence. When we are in the Lord's presence, He fills us up and renews us so that we can truly be His hands and His feet as we minister.

Lastly, trust has been on my heart the past few weeks and months as I pray about the future. I have no idea what I'm doing this summer or whether or not I'm coming back in the fall...I am waiting on the Lord right now and praying for Him to open and close doors. My faith is growing during this season of my life as I'm relying on Jesus like never before to provide direction and wisdom as I look to the future. I am thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and have been resting in His promises, knowing that "all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purposes," (Romans 8:23) and that "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me." (Psalm 138:8). Please pray for me to have wisdom as I rely on the Lord during this time of trusting and waiting. This song has been on my heart lately and reminds my heart to not be filled with stress or anxiety, but to keep my heart focused on the Lord:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaAMd5R8Jig
Praying the peace of Jesus fills you today and that He blesses you richly!

Sending all my love,
Beka

How He loves

Hi friends and family,
Happy March! I am excited to catch you up on what God is continuing to do - not only in Honduras, but in mi vida (my life) as well.
A few weeks a medical team came down from the west coast to serve in different areas throughout Honduras. The other teachers and I worked with the group one day while they were here and we were forever impacted by the experience.
A few weeks ago we ended up going with the medical team to Nueva Esperanza, a government-run orphanage in San Pedro Sula. Although the children had their basic necesities met, there was something vital missing: love. It says in Jeremiah 31:3 that God has loved each of us with an everlasting love! How beautiful and precious to rest in. It also says in Ephesians 1:4-6: "Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ." God knew and loved these children we met, even before the earth was created!! And that day, each of us had the opportunity to show this love to these beautiful children.

Here are some thoughts from our teachers:

David
As soon as I walked up the steps to meet the kids, one boy instantly yelled with great enthusiasm, “Sin pelo! Sin pelo!” His name was Josue I believe and he made it his goal for the day to inform everyone that I did not have any hair! His shorts were completely saturated with urine, which I realized after I picked him up and carried him around for several minutes. In Honduras, you sweat so much- I just figured that my arms were wet with perspiration. The smell was pretty intense, but I decided that I would not let that stop me from giving this boy my full love and attention and carrying him around with me. I was reminded of the times when I was caught up in filth and stunk from my sin. Jesus chose to love me anyway and hold out his arms for me. What an incredible privilege to be able to hold and love this child; pee and all!

Sarah
I came to Nueva Esperanza expecting a hell-hole. I had been told horror stories about the conditions there from people who had visited a few years ago. So, in anticipation of seeing some really bad things, I prayed for much of the bus ride there. What I and the other volunteers actually met with was a compound, in some ways, nicer than that of the Heart to Heart children’s village. The kids had a swing set and a wonderful playground. They had a library, several school rooms, and a very friendly teacher. They were fed a large, healthy lunch before we left. I saw nothing overtly bad, yet my impression of Nueva Esperanza was of a very sad place. I think nobody really loved those kids. They were literally the street-sweepings, the unwanted, and maybe, each in their own way, they knew it. The Honduran government had plucked them up from situations of abject poverty, fed them, and clothed them, but that is all it could do for them. And that’s great as far as it goes, better, apparently, than it had been a few years ago. Many of the kids where mentally handicapped and they so desperately wanted a hand to hold, a lap to sit on, or someone to just pay attention to them. They seemed broken and pushed into a corner out of sight.

Mikaela
He’s 18 years old and has spent most of his life at a government run orphanage in Honduras, ironically called Nueva Esperanza (New Hope). The people here have very little regard for the disabled population. I am sure his parents discovered him to be disabled and abandoned him. Not only has this young man spent his whole life at the same place, he has been in the same room and bed as well. I would guess he has severe cerebral palsy. My heart broke for him, but shortly he had me smiling ear to ear. One of the ladies from the dental team gave him a flashlight to play with. He loved moving the light. The same four sterile and boring walls he had looked at his whole life immediately came to life. I got the idea to make shadows on the wall with my hands. He laughed and laughed, and helped guide my hand to where the light was. I could not stop smiling, I was witnessing joy in its purest form.

Katie
I got to hang out with a little girl who had cerebral palsy. Her name was Daniella. She was so excited that we were there. When we first got there, she took me around to every room in their orphanage showing me each bed, toy, and book that they had. Her shoes were way too big and they kept falling down. She struggled to bend down and put them back on. She couldn’t say more than a few words, but she was really smart and understood anything I said to her. She really wanted to communicate, but her handicap made it difficult.

Mercedes
As a sophomore in high school I was dead certain that I wanted to be dental hygienist, and thank goodness I veered away from that! It’s definitely not my strong point. I had the awesome opportunity to work for the day with our dental team. In reality I was handing out toothbrushes and toys, but I’d rather describe my duties as a dental assistant. I spent most of the time just chatting with children, trying to distract them from the horrors of Novocain and giant needles all around them.
One girl in particular, Johanna, really touched my heart. As she sat in the chair waiting for her turn, she reminded me of a china doll. This adorable little thing, only 6 years old, sat with perfect posture and a polite look on her face that never faltered. When looking at her face, however, I could see the pain and fear behind the mask. I got the impression she was a girl who had been put through many horrific times in her short life, and had perfected the brave face. She was a champ through all of hy er dental work, and as she was about to leave I just couldn’t handle her perfect face anymore. I scooped her up in my arms and just held her. After a few seconds she relaxed a little bit and I told her that she is beautiful, and special, and loved. I told her she is a beautiful child of God, (which really pushed my Spanish abilities). As I was talking to her, I will never forget how she clung to me, and how perfect she looked. Even though we couldn’t take her with us, I pray that I was able to give her a little bit of comfort in these terrible times in her life. It was a hard thing to load up the bus and leave all of those kids behind, but I have never in my 6 months of being in Honduras felt more sure of where God wants me.

Me (Beka)
Children read to me everyday in my classroom, but one little reader in particular touched my heart over the weekend. This little girl, Melissa, who is eleven years old, caught my attention right away after I climbed the stairs at IHNFA. She had the most beautiful smile and her eyes glowed with hope when I approached her. I instantly felt love for this little girl as she shared stories about her family and showed me around the building.
When Melissa finished giving me a tour, she asked, “Would you want to read with me?” How could I resist? She found the book, Cinderella, and started reading. It was the sweetest thing to hear this girl read and watch her look up at me in between sentences. My heart melted as I had the dear opportunity to be mom to a little girl far from home.
Melissa and I exchanged bracelets before I left and she will remain in my heart. She touched me in a special way and I will pray daily for her precious life and the lives of all the dear children at IHNFA. It was an experience that I’ll never forget.

Abby
Maria is a 14 year old girl who is crippled and didn’t talk much. She had one arm that is nonfunctioning and both feet had a bit of a limp/scoot thing going on. When I first saw her, I thought it was a huge feat for her to walk, but I was soon proved wrong. We walked around the square shaped building about 10 times and then she wanted me to chase her. She started moving faster and I started chasing. She had such joy and laughter! She would scream with excitement each time she turned around to see how close I was…she just loved to run. As I was jogging after her, I was given a beautiful picture of The Kingdom. I imagined her running to Jesus with her whole being. Without hindrance and without pain she will one day run into her Father’s arms. I was blessed to catch a glimpse of the Kingdom that day.

Even though it may seem like the world has forgotten these children, God hasn't. It says in John 14:18, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." God hasn't left these children and He won't forget them, "For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever."(Psalms 9:18) I won't forget them either - please join with me in prayer each day for these children and for our children. God's love story in the lives of these children hasn't finished yet,  and it is my prayer that one day some of these children will come to the village and be part of our Heart to Heart family.

Love you all and thank you for your continued prayers for this ministry and for my life! You are all so wonderful and bless me more than you know!

Always His,
Beka

Lice, Love, and Humility.

Hi friends and family!
It's been a few months since I've sat down to write - so I will try and catch you up on what God has been doing in my life and in the lives of my precious children!
First of all, I can't believe that we're heading towards the end of February already. How is that possible? I just celebrated my six month anniversary in Honduras last week - unreal! I am so blessed to have spent six months investing and pouring into these beautiful children - - and I would jump on a plane and do this ALL over again in a heartbeat if I had to. God truly does give us the desires of our heart when we are seeking Him - because His desires become our desires! There is no place that I'd rather be than right here teaching these beautiful kids. And thank YOU for making all of this possible through your giving and your praying - I could not do this without ALL of you!
I'm going to do a quick recap of the past few months so that everyone feels on board. My time home in December was great (But really cold!) - - I loved seeing my family and visiting with friends. It was hard to leave but I knew what was waiting for me when I got off the plane! And it felt like I jumped right off the plane and into my classroom as I arrived on a Sunday and we started school on a Monday.The start of school in January was rocky at first as the kids were still in vacation mode, but after a few weeks they got back into the routine and have been doing just great. They continue to amaze me with their love, their energy, and their unbridled joy!
January was the month of transition - we said goodbye to our principal and her husband and gained some new staff. We will dearly miss Gary and Ashley at the school - I am so grateful for them and the impact they've had on the children as well as the wisdom and love they've poured into the staff. They will be missed, but I am excited to see what God has in store for them! We welcomed the president of Heart to Heart, Mary Frenter, during this transition and she is now a part of our school leadership. She is a beautiful person and the love of Jesus just oozes from her. I am looking forward to working more with her and watching what God will do through her at the school!

This February has been filled with challenging and amazing moments.One of the most challenging has been the past few weeks as I've struggled getting over a respiratory virus and then found lice in my hair on Saturday. Despite these minor difficulties that happen as I serve here in Honduras, God is still faithful and continues to show me how he cares about every single detail of our lives(Psalm 139) - even bugs!
 I was helping at the village this past weekend with lice treatment and picking, and as we were doing the last round of girls, I casually asked if someone could look through my hair. I didn't think anything of it as I hadn't had much itching at all. To my surprise, one of the ladies exclaimed, "Yep. You've got a nice nest in here, Beka! You must be really ITCHY!" I had been praying to be the Lord's hand and feet that Saturday as I gently combed through hair and picked out eggs, but I didn't picture others would be helping me with my hair. During the weekend several of our girls and some staff lovingly picked through my hair and showed me the love of Christ in a way I had never known before.

Jesus humbled me as He revealed important truths to stir in my heart. God sees past the "lice" in our lives -our insecurities, our sin, the areas we have yet to surrender - and sees US! He isn't scared of our scars or our weaknesses, in fact He loves us despite them! And He wants to clean us (1 John 1:9), restore us (Col.1:20) and put us back together again so that we can run the race (Hebrews 12:1). In the process of picking the lice out of our lives, Christ still wants to use us! How beautiful is that? I don't know about you, but I am SO thankful for God's grace and His desire to use us, bugs and all, because, "(his) power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9). How amazing is that? Christ power is revealed so strongly through our weaknesses - because it is Him working and not us! How humbling!

God continues to teach me as I teach His kids and continues to show me His passion for the nations, His deep love for us, and how He cares about every single detail in our lives. We serve a great God!

Thanks again for your support! Please continue to pray for our kids and for our staff as God places us on your heart!

I will write more soon! Blessings and love from Honduras!

Love,
Beka

November: Peace

Well, hello!
Tomorrow marks my three month anniversary in Honduras! As I reflect on the past three months, I am in awe of what the Lord has done in my life, in my classroom, and in the lives of these precious children. What a great God we serve! The Lord continues to amaze me and challenge me daily as I walk with Him during this journey He is guiding me through.
In this post, I would like to share with you what God has been teaching me. I am so grateful that our peace does not depend on circumstances, but on Jesus. Ephesians 2:14 says, "He (Jesus) himself is our peace." How different our peace levels would be if we focused our eyes more on Jesus and less on our surroundings! The Lord is teaching me moment by moment that my peace does not depend on anything else but Him. I am human and during stressful moments, such as children fighting, it is easy to focus more on the circumstances and how I can solve the problem and less on the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2).

How do we keep our eyes on Jesus and have a deep, abiding peace? It is only through a personal, vibrant walk with Jesus Christ. I love how Beth Moore, a Christian author and speaker, put it when she said, "As a river is continually renewed with the moving waters of springs and streams, so our peace comes from an active, ongoing, obedient relationship with the Prince of Peace." That is the truth and I know it to be true. A living relationship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is not stagnant, it is constantly moving! And the Lord is showing me through every situation that I encounter both in and out of the classroom that He is where my peace is found and He is my only, "refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,"(Psalm 46:1).

The Lord is also continually showing me how much I need Him. We need Jesus, there's no way around that. There are so many situations and interactions that happen throughout the day that I need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to decipher as the Lord uses me to train and teach these beautiful children. And Praise the Lord that we have a God that, "gives to all generously and without reproach," and wants us to seek His wisdom in our lives (James 1:5). Just as I need the Lord's wisdom, so do you my friend. We all do! And when we seek the Lord and call on His name, He will "answer us and show us great and mighty things," (Jeremiah 33:3).

My walk with the Lord has deepened during the past three months that I have been in Honduras and the Lord has continue to mold my heart and break it for what breaks His. The cry of my heart is to be a woman so in love with the Lord that His love just pours right out of me and unto other people! And I want my precious students and all of the students at our school to truly find this peace and to find healing and love through the ultimate joy-giver, healer, and loving Father: Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your prayers, for your messages, for your financial support, and for your thoughts! I am blessed beyond words to have such a strong network of believers that are supporting me in numerous ways while I am here, and I am so thankful for that. If you would like me to speak at your church while I'm home on Christmas break, please send me a Facebook message or an email. I would love to do a short talk at area churches while I'm home and share what God is doing in a country I love!

Blessings!
Love,
Beka

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

I'm back!

 

Well, hello! These past few weeks have gone by SO fast! I can't believe today marked the start of the fourth week of school. It just doesn't seem real! So many things have happened within the past few weeks, I'll try and catch you up.

First of all, teaching has been going so much better! Thank you so much for ALL of your prayers! God is so faithful! I have been continuing to pray for more wisdom and strength throughout the day -  I need it! However, classroom management has been a lot easier than that first week (code word for that week: the dark ages). God surely does move mountains! I have continued to pray for more and more supernatural love for the sweet children that I'm working with and God has definitely been supplying that! I love these precious kids so much and couldn't imagine NOT being their teacher! My life has been blessed and enriched in every sense of the word by these dear children.

Children can teach us so much if we let them. I know these words to be true, because I have seen it happen within my own life these past several weeks. If you're ever having a rough day, talk to a child. You will come away more blessed than when you came! I love the sweet innocence of childhood: the big bear hugs, the enormous squeals of laughter, the genuine smiles, the list could go on. Children are the most sincere beings on the planet! My students continue to show me the importance of not holding back and loving life on a day to day basis, as we are not promised tomorrow. How different would our lives be if we took a few minutes to talk to an old friend, call a loved one, or stop to encourage someone, "just because"? Try it. I "dare" you. :)

I have felt so much more connected to my students the past two weeks. The first and second weeks were still a time of adjustment for both my students and for me. They were getting used to "Miss Beka" and so was I! Praise the Lord for His grace and His strength - - to Him be all the glory! A few moments that stuck out to me over the past several weeks were when a few little girls in my class picked me flowers over break and insisted that if I wanted more they would "definitely get more." :) So sweet! I also noticed the kids started paying more attention in class, started giving me more hugs at the end of the day, and made time to share with me about the simple things going on in their lives. One little girl stopped me while I was teaching one day and proudly displayed a new, missing tooth! Priceless! There is never a dull moment being a teacher, that's for sure! And I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

On a personal note, I celebrated my twenty-third birthday this past Saturday! I can't believe that I'm almost in my mid-twenties! When did this happen and how can I make it stop? ;) The day before my birthday all the students made me cards - - it really was the sweetest thing! I made everyone sit in a circle and then I opened up each card like a little gift. The kids l-o-v-e-d it and roared with joy when I opened each one. I started tearing up towards the end and the kids all exclaimed, "It's YOUR BIRTHDAY! You can't CRY!" That's right! What a bunch of cuties. I truly felt loved and I remember looking around the room and thanking Jesus for the opportunity to teach such precious children. Each one is a gift in my life!

 

 

I ended up celebrating my actual birthday at the village with the children. I must say, it was definitely a special birthday! A traditional Honduran custom is to crack eggs on the birthday person's head and the kids DID NOT want me to miss out on that one. ;) The boys at the boys house gently cracked the eggs and poured a little flour on me -  - but the girls - - - they mean business! After I was at the boys house I made my way to the girls house and couldn't believe the amount of eggs the girls had nor their stances. They were ready and man did they smash those eggs on my head! At least a few of the girls stuck around to help clean me up afterwards ;)

On this past Sunday my new roomie and "sister" came - - Mercedes! I am thrilled to be spending the year teaching alongside this awesome gal! She brings so much energy, joy, and laughter to the house. She really is a blessing and I know her 5th and 6th graders will love her as much as I do!

Please continue to pray for me and my students! Your support and resources are vital to this ministry  - we can't do it without YOU! I'm praying that Jesus will bless you in a special way and will encourage you to pursue Him with reckless abandon - just like a child! “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

 

May God bless you!

For the children,

Beka