One of the mothers from Tesoros showed me this powerful video of an exemplary paternal love of the Hoyt team.

This weekend, Nicaragua celebrated Father's day. Unfortunately, it is not as celebrated as mother's day because of the lack of paterternal presence in the life of many people. In Tesoros, out of the 81 kids and families, only 5 actually come to Tesoros to be involved with their children's growth. In Latin American, children are products of an affair and therefore probably do not know father; other children are abandoned; other children have alcoholic fathers; other children have fathers in jail; and I can go on and on. 

I praise God for my father, and for using Him as an example of my Heavenly Father's perfect love. However, I know the percentage of those who have a father like mine is little. I pray that more man may take that responsibility in being that example.Wouldn't it be wonderful if every father had that sacrificial love as our Heavenly Father and as this father in the video?

Church in Action

Tesoros de Dios has partnered with World Orphan and the churches they work with. This ministry not only walks alongside with orphans, but it also prevents children from being orphans. They are currently providing opportunities for children with special needs to receive value, education, and support. Many of the children with special needs in Nicaragua experience the same challenges described in the following article: beggars, trafficked, ignored.

This article written by the head of World Orphan in Nicaragua, Amanda Sadie, shows the sad reality, but highlights how our Powerful, Merciful God is working. The Child Development Center that she mentions at the end of the article is similar to the one we work closely that is diligently reaching out to the special needs community in impoverish areas.

Child Development Center provides safe place for Nicaraguan kids 

By Amanda Sadie, Nicaragua Directors

My husband Jacques and I have spent the last six months living in Nicaragua, working for World Orphans. We have learned a lot, witnessed much, prayed hard, listened often and asked a lot of questions.

About half of Nicaragua’s population lives in poverty (earning less than $2 a day) and one in five live in extreme poverty (IMF, 2010). This number hasn’t shown marked improvement over the years. Public policy, traditionally favoring the small elite class, along with low levels of technological progress, poor education and health programs, inappropriate natural resource development, a number of natural disasters, and recent global recessions have all factored into what some say is an increase in poverty.

Nicaragua doesn’t have the highest orphan population in the traditional sense of the word. The country hasn’t been as affected by AIDS as many African countries. But economic, political, natural and culture factors leave many children in Nicaragua vulnerable to abandonment when the family doesn’t have enough money to provide for them. Sometimes, children are forced into child labor so that their earnings can help support their family. Many of these children will be kidnapped or lured into the sex trafficking industry. (Nicaragua is a principle ‘supplier’ of trafficked children.)

While a child’s parents are walking the streets trying to sell copied CDs or perfume, or digging through the area landfill to see what’s sellable, the child is left alone – vulnerable to accidents, house fires, or to the abuse of people from the neighborhood. Many children are forced to work or beg instead of going to school.

In our travels to different neighborhoods around Nicaragua we’ve seen many of these children. We’ve seen a tiny four-year-old carrying around her baby brother while her mother and older siblings worked in the landfill. We’ve seen a child who suffers from epilepsy have a seizure on the street while alone and not medicated. We’ve met seven-year-olds who spend the day selling candy, gum and cigarettes in street markets. We’ve heard of an eight-year-old boy being sexually violated by gang members who found him alone in the streets. We’ve seen the scars of a four-year-old who’s mosquito net caught fire and burned most of his body when he was left alone by his mother. We’ve watched as small children juggle at the traffic lights and then beg for money hoping to have some to take home to their families.

One church in a poor neighborhood, strongly affected by crime in the capital city of Managua, has a response to caring for the vulnerable children in their community. The pastor and his family at Verbo Sur wanted to open a Child Development Center – a place where children could come while their parents were at work, a place where they would be safe and cared for, where they would get an important head start on learning, and learn about Christ’s love for them. Through a partnership with World Orphans the Child Development Center at Verbo Sur opened at the beginning of September.

Yesterday we visited the center to see how it was going after being open for a few weeks. The teachers were full of smiles, and told us they already see the fruit of their labor. They see the children stop crying and become accustomed to being at the center; they see children begin to break out of their shells, to hear them talk and laugh; they dance together, paint together, read together, and pray together. As they told me about the kids being kids – running around the room or fighting over the crayons – the teachers’ smiles remained, their love for the children and for the Kingdom work they’re involved in very apparent.

We feel blessed to be in Nicaragua and to witnesses not only the poverty, but also the love of Christ being preached loudly through the Church’s love for the children in their communities.

 http://www.worldorphans.org/blog/2011/10/child-development-center-provides-safe-place-for-nicaraguan-kids/

What to do?!?

“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

 Martin Luther

One of the girls from India from Sarah's Covenant Home whom loved to pray.

Coming back to Nicaragua, I want to do so much. I love being able to work in ministry for children with special needs. This week, we went to different rural communities to visit homes and encourage parents and children with special needs. Many of these families believe that their child is not capable of learning, or is just afraid of facing failure.

However, I feel like I face more than changing the mindset of people about children and people with special needs, and highlighting the potential that these children actually have! There is much more I want to do! There is poverty; poor education system; overlooked children like orphans, children with special needs, or children living by the dump; women facing injustice; hunger for discipleship.

I am not super woman, but I desire to be like the Son of God who gave himself to touch and speak love to all these people during His ministry time. I want to be involved in visiting more community to enhance awareness that children with special needs really are God's children; I want to go to orphanages to support the kids with special needs; I want to teach English to women rescued from prostitution; I want to lead discipleship bible studies to new members of our faith family; I want to somehow be a voice for the children not receiving the education and support they deserve.

Yesterday, as I was telling my dad all I want to be involved with, he kindly reminded me of Luther's quote. Yes, there is a lot of need everywhere you look. It is a broken world, and God desires His Kingdom to come in this broken world. And He wants to use us as His ambassadors, as broken vessels to help with the transformation and restoration. However, "you need to make sure you leave room to be with the Sovereign One."

He shared of how when he graduated from seminary, he wanted to preach all the time. He compared that to how I am feeling. God convicted me through my dad's work in reminding me to remain in Him, to pray without ceasing, to seek His Kingdom first.

I don't know how Jesus did it. Ministering with love and patience all the time, and still getting away from the crowd to pray to His Father. I need to continue to let Him teach me. That way I may rely on Him, and when, in His timing, He leads me to be involved with those different ministries, it will be His strength. . .and not mine. I am willing, but in the process, I need room for Him teach me to be more like Him.

What must I do. . . seek to serve, but most importantly, seek Him first through prayer.

I found this quote from Corrie Tan Boom: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”

I need to ask myself that every day. I really want my relationship with God to be my steering wheel. I fail, but His mercies are new every morning.  

Exalt the Weak and Humble

One of my responsibilities in Tesoros is supporting the few teachers that are willing to have an inclusive classroom around Managua. Out of out 80 children with special needs in our ministry, 20 of them actually go to school.

This past week, I went to visit two schools. It was surprising the difference between both schools.

School 1 -
One of our seven-year old boys is in a pre-k classroom. He has been leaving the classroom without permission, and has been found in dangerous places. Three of us from Tesoros went to talk with the teacher to know how we can brainstorm ideas to decrease that behavior. Well, this young teacher has a small classroom with 37 3- 6 year-old children (with no help)! "He needs individual attention that I cannot give," the teacher said with a concern face. She is willing to help, but does not have the time, resources, or energy to do so. I am so grateful the school and the teacher is not denying the right of education of this student, but am troubled by the lack of support teachers like her receive from the government.

School 2-
One of our most motivated teenagers with cerebral palsy goes to a fifth grade classroom in a great Christian school. He has been very tired lately because of the amount of work and homework he is asked to do. We met with the teacher and principal. Unlike school 1, this teacher has less than 18 students, and loves this boy so much. During the meeting, immediately he took note of giving less homework, yet continue to challenge him academically.

He shared the story of a boy in the fifth grade classroom that had a lot of behavioral problems. He sat next to our Tesoros kid, and when he notices that Tesoros boy is tired, he started helping him. Now, they are good friends, and his negative behavior has decreased significantly! I am so thankful for God's provision of schools and teachers like these where there is room for our children with special needs to also contribute and learn.

It is hard to see the unequal opportunities of education for our children with special needs. Few schools are great at providing opportunities, some try there very best, and many that reject that opportunity for them. I am blessed and praise God for the two schools that are desiring to give children with various capacities value by confirming that they can learn when allowing them to learn with the rest of the children.

I have faith that God stays true to His Word, and that He will exalt the weak, humble, and rejected just like He exalted Jesus. He will continue to open doors for people to see His glory through them in schools, churches, society.

I am on-board, Jesus, to follow you as you close and open doors for the best of your children. Thank you for letting me.

I'm driving!

Last Monday, I began driver's ed. In order to get your license, one must go through driver's ed not matter how old you are. Not many people here have vehicles, so not many go through the driver's ed. However, that does not make it any easier. Interesting, right?

Anyway, when I began driving lesson, I was immediately challenged to drive in the city. . .which is crazy! This is relatively how I felt:

After having the car turn off, almost running over several people, and coming close to hitting a couple cars, and oh, almost being hit by a bus. . . I think I finally have a hang of driving in the city. ^_^

On Friday, I did the most terrible mistake in a main road, and I just had to pull over let my frustration out. My instructor, Don Ramon, was sitting next to me telling me what I did wrong, how I can do it better, and encouraging me to do it again. In his voice, there was gentleness, and firmness.

I did it again. It went better. The car did not turn off, other cars were not honking loudly at me, and I did not come even close to hit any car. Yeah, I did better.

While learning how to drive, and specifically this incident, I was fascinated by the idea of how the instructor reminded me a little of what God does in my life. I would much rather not hear what I am doing incorrectly. I know I did something wrong, but for my own pride, I would like to not know what I did wrong. But, my driving instructor needs to tell me, and I need to hear it, for my sake and for the sake of others. I cannot give up.  I must try it again to do it better.

God does this oh so much. I know I make mistakes. . . hurt someone's feeling, pretend to ignore something, hide from a situation. But, God is faithful to point out where I am failing, what I did incorrectly. To know how to do it better next time to become more like Him, to bring me closer to Him. For the sake of myself and others.  I call this trimming my branches IN ORDER to grow.

I know I fail and make mistakes, and that is where God's grace will pick me up and keep me "driving" without killing myself or others. Thank you God for your grace that abounds so freely.

Philippians 1:6

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will 

carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 1:6

Tuesday morning, when it was time for the kids to go receive class or therapy, the mothers could not move. Their hearts were touched; their eyes had tears of hope; their eyes also showed amazement. 

On Tuesday, a group of four from Tennessee came to visit our center. Two were pastors, one was a pastor's wife, and another college med student. They all were willing to serve God through serving the children, mothers, and staff. One of the pastors, Daniel, came all the way from Tennessee to share his testimony of how God has brought him here. He shared it before the children had to go do school and therapy.

Here is a gist of his testimony:
Daniel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was six month old. The doctors told his parents that he was never going to walk or talk. But, his parents never lost hope in God. And they taught their son to have faith on God alone. Before he was a teenager, he was able to walk and talk. Not because of anything anyone did, but because of "the faith I had in my God." He lives on his own, is in charge of his own ministry for the homeless downtown, and communicates fairly well. "Mothers," he said, "do not give up on your son; do not give up on your daughter. I know it is difficult. Trust me, I know. But God is faithful. And what He has begun in your child, he will be faithful to complete it. He is walking with you through this journey." 

The Spirit used Daniel to encourage the mothers and bring comfort to their hearts. To remind the mothers that they are not alone.

One of the mothers stood up, spoke on behalf of the mothers in the room, and asked if her son could shake Daniel's hand.

"I see my son in you. My son has always said he has wanted to be a pastor, and he also has cerebral palsy. I believe my God will continue to touch Him like He has already. I believe he will someday walk."

That is the faith God has called us to live out. Looking dumb to the world for believing impossible things can happen. I do have faith my friend here (Geovanny; who already has blessed me in uncountable ways) will indeed walk, and God alone will be glorified. Not Tesoros, not the doctors. . .but God alone. Just like God is glorified through people like Daniel. And what is better is that God is not done with Daniel or Geovanny yet either. He has so much more for him also.He has so much prepared for each one us.

Our hope can only be in our God alone. If He is faithful to complete what He has begun. . .He is faithful to be there through the process.