Peace in the midst of change…

Several weeks ago I was feeling quite overwhelmed with everything we were dealing with and was talking to the Lord about it as I was working and very clearly He told me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” I have claimed it repeatedly through this time and truly God has been faithful. With so many details to be documented and passed on to Walter’s, visitors to host, adoption details to keep going, the normal work of running the children’s home, plus trying to meet the needs of my own family, there were plenty of times to fall back on that assurance, knowing that where I don’t reach around, God will provide and He does.

 

On Dec. 9 Regina and Nevin left with our car to go to Indiana. As they drove out the lane I wondered for a bit what in the world we were thinking, sending them off alone. But they did quite well and had a great time. They went to attend Gideon’s wedding and to take the car back to Indiana. They then flew back to Mexico on the 18th.

 

We had our main adoption hearing on Oct. 10th and it went very well. Now, this Thurs. we have our final hearing where we have to take some witnesses in to testify for us and then the adoption will be FINAL. We will need to wait a few days for the paperwork to process  from that hearing and get the final birth certificate. It’s so amazing to see how God’s timing is coming together in revealing His plan for our family. We thought the adoption would be finalized last spring and we were waiting for other house parents to come take our place but no one could be found. God in His time brought house parents and the adoption is now finalizing. Isn’t it wonderful to place our plans into His hands and let Him lead us, because His plan is perfect and He organizes things so much better than we ever could!

 

Walter and Sandra have been here for two weeks and have been working with us to learn to know the people and the program here. We are right in the middle of the transition time, as Nov. 1st we will transfer the responsibilities of being house parents to them and we will walk along with them yet for the next several weeks. It’s been a real blessing to work together and share the vision of furthering God’s kingdom through the work here.

 

Last weekend the board was here again, only this time the weekend was a bit different as the focus was more on working on a video presentation that is being made of the work here. Darvin Diller from PA is making the video and has been here since the 18th. So there’ve been lots more pictures being taken, testimonies being recorded and just a lot of history gone over. On Saturday then the board also had a big farewell party for our family. The whole home went to a lake park for a picnic and had an enjoyable day of fellowship.

 

Our SLCH family!

September…

The month of September was busy and flew by, it seemed. Sept. 1st the men were working on the electrical system here and we experienced an unexpected power surge that wreaked havoc on our electronics here. That evening was a sad time as we continued to discover more and more damage. Refrigerators, microwaves, stereos, computers, printers, fans, an oven, washers, and the list grew longer. What a disappointment! A lot of it has been fixed or replaced and we hope to recover it all with time. “In everything give thanks” sure became a challenge!

We enjoyed having Darin here for a weekend too. He didn’t have a lot of time to be here but it was special that he took the time to come anyway. Then on the 12th we had the highlight of the month when Nevin came home! He was gone to Canada for a week over 2 months and it seemed like a long time! We’ve had wonderful times being a whole family again!

The home had quite a bit of change in September as well. Marcela Weibe, from Chihuahua, MX, came as a childcare worker. That brought our staff to full house which is such a blessing! We also received 11 new children this month, bringing our number of children to 41. One of those is a former child that just plans to be here til in Dec. There is a group of 5 siblings, ages 1 – 10. Then there are 2 other sibling groups as well. We again have a full house of children and lots of action but that’s why we’re here! 

On Sunday, the 18th, we had a very special day for the church here! Arturo, our potter, responded to the invitation to accept Christ that was given after the message at church. Then, in the afternoon, his ‘wife’ Rosario said that she also wanted to find the freedom that could only come from Christ and they both became saved! They have 5 children and have lived together for all these years but had never been married. So on Monday they went to Tecate and made appointments necessary for a civil marriage, which took place on Wed., and then the following Sunday we had a wedding here at church and a reception afterwards. Some of both of their families came for the wedding and we had 100 people here for that day. They have been attending church here for several years and learning a lot about Christianity and what a joy it is to see them choose to serve God! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, the 30th, also marked 3 yr.s since we arrived in Mexico. As for every year since we came, we reflect and see how God has been so faithful again this year, and ponder on the future wondering what His plan is for us in the next year. What a blessing to be able to stand on the foundation of God’s ever-present goodness and faithfulness as we look into the uncertainty of our future and know that whatever we face it will be in God’s hands as we go forward. Our replacement house parents plan to arrive next Wed. and so we are looking at spending time with them these next several weeks as they learn to know the people and the program here. Along with that we face the reality of our responsibilities here coming to an end and we face that with bittersweet feelings. These people and this place have become a part of us and we a part of them and so how do we bring closure to our time here and pass the torch to those coming, in a way that will bring honor and glory to God as His work continues here? Again, we look to God to lead us.

A month ago it appeared that Tania’s adoption would possibly be completed in Oct. sometime but once again we are waiting and still do not know when to expect the final papers. Now that Walters are coming and our time here at the home is coming to an end we are really wondering what God has in mind for us these next several months as we wait to be able to return to IN. This family does still need food to eat and clothes to wear but God tells us not to fret about what we will eat or what we will wear so we are together focusing on worshipping Him more and trusting Him to provide for every need we will face.

Last Friday, Regina had 2 wisdom teeth cut out so the next several days were not very pleasant for her. The worst thing is she needs to go back and do the other 2 and now dreads it even more.

Yesterday was Brent’s 14th birthday so we went to Tecate for a taco supper and then home for a rare treat of ice cream with his cake. We took a break from school too as I had some extras to catch up and the boys were quite pleased to spend the day out with Lorne and Nevin.

Please, pray for us these next several weeks that we could keep our focus on God as we face the changes ahead and that the devil would in no way be able to pull us down as he fights the work of the Lord in our lives.