My Casa Aleluya Journal...

...is up and running. Click Here to check it out. (I also put the link at the bottom of this page, so if you're looking for it in the future, you don't have to find this blog entry, but can just go straight there.)

I'll be updating the Casa Aleluya journal more often than this blog from now on, but I'll still send out emails to let you know to check for updates every so often (on both.) You can also sign up to have to any staff's journal entry delivered to your email. Once you sign up for a "Mi Casa" account, just log into your account and click on the "E-updates" link in the left-hand column, and from there you can select whichever updates you wish to receive by email. Just email me if you have any questions. Happy reading!

Getting Settled In, Volcanos, and More!

Hang in there...it's another long one...

Well, it has been quite an eventful past couple of weeks. It’s pretty amazing how the time flies by here—hard to believe that next Wednesday, I will have been here a whole month already! As I write, the electricity is out, although it’s not raining…actually the first electricity outage since I’ve been here.

I’ve been living the past few weeks in one of the vacant apartments on our campus, while waiting and working towards the completion and move-in-ability(?) of the Career dorm, and I’ve learned how to cook many things in the microwave, as there’s no stove in the apartment. I just finished my little dinner of my special mac’n’cheese (add some cheese and spice) and a salad and cherry tomatoes—yay for salad! (I just bought a bag of sanitized lettuce today after not having any for a couple of weeks. Lettuce is one of the only foods I just don’t even trust myself to clean thoroughly enough when bought from the market.)

But the dorm is coming along nicely. Tonight I have to give Tim, who oversees and does the majority of our campus maintenance, the list of what needs to be done just so I can move in. Mike and Dottie will be back from the States in a week, so the goal is to get me moved in this weekend. The girls won’t move in until Oct. 13th, so we have a couple more weeks to finish everything else needed for them to be able to move in. I think they’re ready though. I came into the dorm this afternoon to find 2 of them upstairs (bedroom—one big room) deciding which beds they wanted and trying to glue a piece of paper to the bed frame claiming it as theirs. I said something to them about waiting, but I wasn’t too assertive about it, and then I went back downstairs. A few minutes later, 2 other girls came in, said hi, and asked to go upstairs too. I said that was fine and told them the other girls were up there too. They all left and the 2 latter girls returned with paper and glue to mark their beds too. So I told them to wait until Mike and Dottie return, so we can see if Mike has some sleeping assignment in mind already, and after that, they can all choose together. I relayed the story to Bob Brownlee, who used to work at Casa Aleluya, but has been serving with Mercy Ships and is just here for about a month now helping with carpentry, and he said, “You’re catching on quickly.” I’m just starting to get to know the girls now, and still meeting some of them, so I guess I’m going to have to keep a little bit closer eye on them, at least for a while, until they feel like they’ve tested me out enough to know what to expect from me. Pray for me ☺

A few of the girls did come and help me clean the other day, though. I’ve been meeting a lot of them who come over, out of curiosity, to see the place, whenever I’m in there working on my room, so I asked a few to help out. The girls who came were so great! I basically told them we needed to clean the floor, the fridge, and the stairs, and they just went to town, cleaning the whole building, even going to grab other cleaning supplies we needed! When we finished, we got to chat for a while about what additions have yet to be made (furniture, appliances, etc.) They really wanted to know about a TV—they looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wasn’t planning on buying one. That night, I bought them pizza for helping (we get 2 for 1 with Dominos any time!), so we met back up at the dorm and ate on the kitchen floor, while we chatted some more and the girls thought of ideas for the dorm. The picture is from our little pizza party.

Speaking of additions to the dorm, I would like to share this happy news with you all, and thank you! Because of your generous financial gifts, particularly those given to cover the cost of my bathroom and extra luggage fees, there was a good bit left over, and we were able to buy a new stove for the dorm! The girls were really excited about it—a few of them are jumping at the chance to cook—one, Norma, even wants to be a cook! I was also able to buy some furniture for my bedroom, which is now so close to being ready to go. This was so sweet for me, as it’s the fist time I’ve ever bought my own (non-Salvation Army) furniture, or even been in a place where I’ll planning to stay long enough to make “getting settled in” worthwhile. Thank you all so much for your gifts that have made this possible!

Thank you also so much for your faithful prayers—both manners of support are invaluable! Please continue to pray for us as we work on finishing the dorm. Pray especially for Tim, Adam, Bob, Pastor Dave, and the teams coming in, as they are the ones doing the work. Pray that everything would be finished in time for the girls to move in, and that it would be done with attention to detail and quality work.
Please also pray for me as I get to know the girls and still meet some of them, for the Lord to cultivate those relationships and lay the groundwork for us all to live together in the new dorm. Ask the Lord to give me wisdom, alertness, and discernment, as the girls test me to see where I stand. Pray that it would be the Lord who shines through, in spite of me, that I would be bowed to Him, that they would see Him, and that this would cultivate in them a hunger for Him.
Please also pray for the girls and all the kids at Casa Aleluya as they finish up the school year (October 12th is the last day, then they go back around the 1st week of January,) that they would finish strong.
Pray too, for Mike and Dottie, as they wrap up their last week in the States, return Wednesday, October 3rd. Pray for their kids (all grown): Tony, Chad, and Chrissy, who are planning to return with them. Chad and Tony have already been at Casa Aleluya working here over the past year, but Chrissy is planning to join us now as well. Pray for rest, safe travel, and peace for all of them upon returning to Casa.
And please also pray for our relationships with each other on staff, that we would put each other before ourselves, and the Lord before us all. For me, ask the Lord to give me the courage to confront/speak up when needed, and the very great discernment to know when that is. Thank you guys—I covet your prayers and rejoice to know that you are indeed praying! May the Lord bless you and keep you, in the most breathtaking ways, and may you praise Him with all you soul, mind, and strength!
Off into the oncoming rainstorm (literally, espero que not figuratively!)…

Oh, I almost forgot: a group of us went and hiked Volcan Pacaya last Saturday. Here’s our group shot. The lava is still flowing too, so I posted some pictures of that over on the photo bar on the side. Good times!

Tears of Joy!

The Lord has raised the whole amount of what I need to live on for 2 years! Praise His name. All I can do is cry tears of joy. Thank you all for everything you have so faithfully given and committed to give--I praise God for His provision and for your faithfulness. What a beautiful blessing! Praise the Lord, praise His mighty, faithful name! Ok, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go hug a little kid :) (And paint my kitchen, with the help of some volunteers.) Love and blessings to all!

Mixed Feelings

I'm feeling very full of emotion, a little depressed, but also really excited, thankful, and happy too. A couple of things:

1. Happy and so thankful: one of the girls I knew from the government home in Xela is here at Casa now--thank You Lord for bringing her to a much better place where she can really get the care she needs!

2. Bitter-sweet, Exciting, Thankful, Relieved, Concerned, Disappointed, Discouraged, but still Hopeful and Pressing On: 2 of the girls who came through the group home/rehab while I was working there found me on MySpace. I was so excited to hear from them, especially one I'd kept in touch with until she moved and changed her cell #--she was exhuberantly happy to have finally found me--wow--the way she so openly and strongly expressed that nearly brought me to tears. She is still clean, from what I can tell but she's pregnant. The other seems to be ok overall, but is definitely back into the party scene and all that entails, according to the pasttimes she boasts on her MySpace. After hearing from them, I went looking for another girl who actually graduated from that program and was a believer--really strong it seemed. Well, maybe I should've left well enough alone, because I did find her, only to find that her profile states that she's now decided to make some lifestyle changes, not so much for the better. Hopefully not too much has changed, as she was so determined, it seemed, to stay clean. It just makes me so mad sometimes to think that we poured so much into those girls and saw so much change, but so often they just go right back to what they were doing before.

But then I know also that this is not the end of the story, and that Satan could so easily use this to discourage me in the work here and now to think, "What's the point? It doesn't really make a difference anyway--we're just fooling ourselves." But I also know that is a lie. A big fat lie. And I reject it.

I know the Lord is working here and making all kinds of differences in kids lives, and that He was and is still working in that group home...I know the life-change that happened in those girls' lives, and even that is still evident. 17-year-old girls who've been through that kind of junk that no one should ever have to walk through, don't just say, "This is the first place I've ever really felt loved" haphazardly. Those words were spoken in truth, and she still knows how much we still love her. Praise God for the chance to love her and show Him to her. He is sovereign over all this 100%, amen.

I'm Here!

Praise the Lord! I did finally make it safely to Casa Monday night, after a weekend with much family, due to my great Aunt Mary's funeral (Saturday,) enough time in airports, threats of Hurricane Felix closing airports, and much praying! Thank you all who prayed--your prayers are felt!

Arriving:
I took my printer as my carry-on, box and all, and of course I packed it full of other things as well, as to not waste precious space. I also had my backpack, which weighed about 50lbs, so by the time our plane landed in Guatemala City, I was about ready to never have to carry those two things again. Then came the longest walk I have EVER seen between the gate and the baggage claim...it just went on and on! Anyways, after loading all my bags precariously onto a rolly cart--thank God for rolly carts!--and watching/praying as someone took one of my bags from the carousel and about 3 minutes later returned it, I proceeded towards the outside. There's one more stop to turn in paperwork before exiting, which is usually a breeze--just hand them the paper as you walk by--but this time the lady pulled me over: "Is it just you travelling?" as she eyed my mountain of luggage..."over here please, to the bag-check station." I groaned as I looked at the few people in front of me, whose every bag were being opened and searched, then looked back at my stack, thinking "I really don't want to unstack, let alone open all of those." Just about that time, I looked up to see my welcoming committee! :) Familiar faces from Casa, waving their arms from outside the doors (they don't let anyone come into the baggage claim)--yay! Praise God! After searching only a few of my bags, explaining I was moving (hence the load of stuff,) and explaining that, "no, I don't have a receipt for the printer--it's not new and besides there are a bunch of other things in the box with it"--fwew!--, I finally was free to go on to meet my welcomers. Allison (Doncellas house mom), Ashley (Jack and Carolyn's daughter,) Melvin (one of the older guys,) and 2 of Allison's girls Ana Ruth and Keirsy all came and made it a sweet welcome home. Praise God that on the drive back to Casa from the airport, we were able to stop and buy phone cards, since both Ashley and I were out of minutes (pre-paid cell), and that we didn't hit the HUGE boulder that was just hanging out in the middle of the highway! It had fallen off the cliff-side that lines most the highway around here. I mean, I've heard of rock-slides, but this thing was enormous! I wish I had a picture for you.

Getting Settled In:
I've been staying in one of the vacant apartments while my room/dorm is being finished. I spent the last 3 days getting it painted--have you ever painted concrete? It's not so easy as it looks! Tim (maintenance man and house parent of Vencedores, along with his wife Patty) helped me by sharing that the trick is to mix it with water--works wonders! I'll post pictures once I'm moved in there. And yes, I do have a bathroom! Praise God! It's pretty much finished...just have to decide what to do with the closet space. The room is done, except the time to be added on the inside of the door frame, so hopefully I'll be able to move in early next week, once the hot water is hooked up. Thanks to all of you who prayed and/or paid for my living space!
It looks like I'll be buying a stove for the kitchen, as it turns out there was no plan to put one in--let me explain. The plans have changed so that now the university girls will be living in the house Scott, Tiffany, Bry, and I were helping the build the floor for (behind the Doncellas dorm), and it is just going to be Career (High School) girls in my dorm, hence, not so much of the transitional facility, but hopefully we'll be able to do some of those things--just a bit modified. A huge praise in all these changes is that we are only planning to move about 17 girls into my dorm! Thank God! I was expecting 40!! The move will take place around mid-October, after Mike and Dottie return from the States. They go every year in September, but this time they are also there because one of their sons, Chad, is having surgery on the 25th, so please pray for him and for their time away as well. Things have been pretty stressful for them lately. (Read some of Mike's journals on the Casa website from this last month for more details.)

Well, it appears I'm writing a paper...a few last details/prayer requests/praises...

I'm supposed to meet with Pastor Dave tomorrow afternoon to go over rules/expectations for both me (staff) and the girls, so pray that the meeting would actually happen (stuff comes up) and that all things would be communicated clearly, and that I'd be prepared and ask necessary questions. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be going to look for a stove, an armoire (sp?), and some other household things needed for settling in. Pray that I use good judgment and budgeting on what's best/really needed, and what can wait. Oh, I almost forgot: Thursday, Angie (kitchen/supplies overseer) lent me her car and I drove for the first time in Guatemala! I was really nervous at first, but I just kept telling myself "It's just driving, you're fine, you know what to do," and praying! I didn't go very far--just to the store down the road--but it was really nice to have that freedom and feel capable in that :) Praise God.
Well, overall things are getting along well. Thank God I'm able to use the internet now, although it may be spotty as I move to my new room and get connected there, so be patient if I don't respond to emails quickly...hmm...quickly...that's a word that really doesn't exist down here :)

If you're still reading, then thanks for hanging in there. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often and be a little more concise. Also, Paula (internet expert) is will be working on getting a journal up and running for me to use on the Casa website. Once that's up, I'll try to update that close to daily and update this blog more like once a month or something...I'll let you know. Thank you all for you love and prayers! I miss you guys! Blessings!