December 22, 2010

pedro

pedro is a 12 year old boy who makes jewelry at
the Made in Roatan shop
he is from punta gorda
and is providing for his family since his father passed away
5 months ago.

i am so proud of him
because he is not only a hard worker,
but he is so funny, personable and committed to helping
meet the needs of his family.
his mom has 6 kids and the only way they get money
is through the jewelry that he, his brother and mother make.

they were so happy when i suggested they spent the night at our house
after the party the night before.
here he is in our hammock enjoying the view
his mom, wilma kept walking around the house saying
she felt like a tourista

but as soon as she ate and visited with me on the deck,
she started to clean
she washed all the dishes, clean the bathroom, swept and washed the floors!!
i kept saying, wilma no no no.. you don't need to do it
but hondurans are hard working and it comes natural to them.

what a wonderful family.
i was able to share my story with them (in spanish)
about how i came to know Christ.
we all had tears in our eyes over the goodness of God and His love

over and over she said
gloria a Dios
(glory to God)

glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!

December 21, 2010

a celebration

when we started the Made In Roatan shop last year we had no idea

the relationships that would be forged,

the friendships that would get stronger and

the love that would be shared.

these people are like family to us.

we see them often and love them dearly

we had so much fun celebrated together

i got a local lady to make enchiladas and fish pastelitos 

which were delicious.

i made all sorts of cookies which was a treat for them

we did a gift exchange with things that people had made

it was so fun!

pedro and his mom spent the night

and she kept saying how peaceful it was

i believe that peace is truly the presence of the Lord

i do

many people come into our home and comment 

about the peace that is there

it is His peace 

we are glad we are able to share together

it is a blessing to us to give and to share His love with those that we know

at this time of year i am missing my children

(needless to say)

so surrounding ourselves with people that has grown

dear to our hearts makes it easier

although to be honest this morning as i was talking to 

Vilma (Pedro's Mom) 

about coming here i expressed how hard it is to leave the kids

behind in canada

at first i had said No Lord I can't leave them

but eventually i said yes, and came to this island

as i was sharing i broke down and cried

i miss my kids sooo much!

i believe all good things that we do involve a measure of 

sacrifice

in order for us to live and serve on this island

we have given up seeing our kids on a regular basis

does it hurt?

yes

but is it worth it in the long run

yes.

tomorrow is our son david's birthday and we are looking forward to skyping together

i hope you enjoy your family times as you celebrate together

give them a big hug let the love flow in

December 20, 2010

island joy!

when you live amongst so many who are impoverished

it is a great joy to be able to give and to help

we were thankful for the many who sent donations,

and those who volunteered their time to make this 

christmas for many people a more JOYFUL time

we had about 20 helpers,

a group of 7 trucks in a convoy,

2 police officers 

(who helped direct traffic so we could travel together

and keep peace)

we stopped about 19 times to hand out food,

candy and toys!

we went to very remote areas and spread His love all around!

what a wonderful experience.

i have many photos.

you can link to my facebook if you want to see them all

facebook

December 19, 2010

marshmallows anyone?

we had such a busy day yesterday

with church in the morning, 

then the entire afternoon at the mercado

buying food for three food drives we are involved in

you can't think costco or superstore

you need to think

little wooden store

with people who don't speak english

and negoitating a good deal for them

we bought 45 lbs of beans and had the 

lady bag them into 3 lb. bags

oh and rice needed to be bagged up too!

oh and flour too!

it all takes time!

but they had festive spanish dance 

music playing so we had a good time 

dancing and talking to the people

once we got home

i went for a walk on the beach

the sun was warm on my shoulder

and the sound of the sea gently lapping the shore

was good for my soul
i was shocked to see such a huge fire!

why didn't i bring marshmallows for the bonfire??!

:-)

December 18, 2010

the holy family

holiness

isn't something people talk about alot these days

some people are bothered when people have a

'holier then thou' attitude

i have been thinking about holiness lately

when i sat musing about it one morning this verse came to mind:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

you may be thinking .. well i don't have time to do that

it's true

you don't

i believe since living here in this beautiful yet impoverished island

that God is reshaping my thinking

my values are changing

my heart is being melded into one who believes in preaching the gospel

WITH FOOD and LOVE

so holiness...

what's the secret?

God is holy

we are not

there is a gift we can open

the gift of His forgiveness and love 

signed by Jesus

once we accept His gift He imparts

HIS holiness

He motivates us to love others and do good to others

then it is up to us what we do

i know alot of people who are so busy

that they don't have time for the poor

well...

that is sad because i believe that we are missing out 

in one of the greatest ways of showing the world what His love looks like

and yet more and more people are seeing the need

one church i know in canada were moved to feed the poor,

and when i wrote about help here so many of you responded

thank you thank you thank you

we will be doing that food and clothing drive tomorrow

i encourage you to consider the poor and the less fortunate over this season

may He help us to take little steps out of your comfort zone and

go to the places and the people that most people ignore.

God will direct you

i know He will.

holy direction... 

xo