Here are some pictures of my time down here for the past 3 months. ENJOY!
Dish Art
Tonio’s Mother’s Day Fiesta
Sk8er Girl
Bachiniva Sunset
Luis and his dogs
April to July 2016
Month: July 2016
The Necessity in Life
“School’s Out for Summer!”
As of Wednesday, every child here in the Casa started their summer vacation. Super exciting for all the kids and staff. For the kids, it’s the obvious…no homework, no early mornings, no exams, no studying. And for the adults…no homework, no early mornings, no school meetings and no studying. This past week went by pretty normally, there were just a few extra kids during the day. The guys still worked on construction, while some of the older boys got to help out. The girls helped with daily cleaning and laundry duties, vans were cleaned inside and out, walls were painted, movies watched, food was cooked and eaten, toys were thrown everywhere, mud was played in and memories were made.
Friday night started the chain reaction of kids leaving. Osvaldo, Tonio and Esmy left to go with their moms for summer vacation. It was sweet to see the kids happy and excited to go hang out with their mom and have free time, but a little sad to see the kids start to leave. Then this morning hit. Sandra, Jorge, Jesus, Angel, Gladys, Idaly, and Natalia all left within a matter of 2 hours. The kids were running around, trying to talk to their moms, getting their clothes packed, checking and rechecking they had everything they wanted to take with them.
This is the second time since I’ve lived down here that I’ve said goodbye to the kids for vacation. I do believe this time was harder than the last. It’s a mix of emotions. It’s bittersweet. I’m happy to see them be with their moms. It’s good for them to have that time with moms and other family members. Yet, it’s a little sad. Coming home from church with 5 out of 18 kids is quite shocking. It was quite relaxing (I was able to take a loooong nap with ZERO interruptions!) but a little lonely. Not hearing kids call your name 10x in a row. Or not needing to prepare a meal for 25 people, it’s a strange pot of emotions.
As the kids are on vacation and not living with us at the Casa, please be in MUCH prayer. Prayer for the kids as they’ll most definitely be watching things, seeing things and taking part of things that are not good for them. Prayer for the things they learn while they’re with us to come to the forefronts of their minds, and for them to remember the Lord and that they can call on Him in time of need. Prayer that they would be able to enjoy their time with moms, family members and friends. Pray for them that they’d be refreshed and their transition back into the Casa come August would go smoothly. Please be in prayer for the satff as well. Jason will be at The Chapel Church Golf Tournament this weekend and then he’ll head down with his wife and daughter to their family reunion. Prayer for them to have rest and a good vacation before they head back down in August. Prayer for the rest of the staff to take advantage of some more freedom with not having so many kids. That we’d be able to dig deeper in God’s word and find our rest in Him. To be able to enjoy hanging out and laughing together and making memories.
In the past month, in my daily reading, a phrase that has been put onto my heart is “Is it necessary, is it helpful?” I’ve been doing a lot of evaluation of my life and taking out things that aren’t necessary nor helpful to my walk with the Lord. A big thing has been social media. Now, before I go on, I know that social media isn’t wholly bad. I know that social media can be used for good and is a great platform to share scripture with a wide audience. However, it’s not necessary to have. As I was evaluating my life, I realized that I was spending a ton of my time on social media and not with the Lord or the kids. I was constantly scrolling through my newsfeeds and checking up on the lives of others. I began to pray about the little motto the Lord gave me and began to fill my life with things that ARE necessary and ARE helpful. Memorizing scripture, praying more, playing with the children, doing more than the minimum, and seeking God more than just once a day in the wee hours of the morning. While changing my daily habits, I realized how different life looks when you take out a few things that are actually weighing you down. My attitude for one has changed. I’ve grown closer to the kids by spending more time with them and I’ve grown closer to the Lord as I seek Him daily and fill my “free-time” with Him.
While taking time off of social media, I’ve been learning about what IS necessary. It IS necessary to spend time with the kids, to pray for them and with them, to read them bible stories, to teach them about the Lord, to laugh with them, hug them, discipline them, love them and make memories with them. It IS necessary to daily read my bible, to have a constant attitude of prayer, to be thankful in all things, to love my neighbor, to serve even when I just want to sit and eat cereal. It IS necessary to speak of the Lord daily. To share of His love and His precious gift of salvation to all.
Colossians 3:2 ||Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.||
accordingtoangelica 