Fall Afresh. And prayer request.

I bought my plane ticket yesterday!!!!!! THIS. IS. FOR. REAL. Ahhh!!!! Although I was already in the mindset that it's only 2 months away, now that I actually have my flight booked it makes it even more real. And praise God my flight was $300 cheaper than it was when I went last summer--God is good and a great provider!

I'm finishing up my last three final exams for summer term in the next few days, and then I will be able to focus more on preparing for my trip and not feeling so scattered between juggling everything right now without classes and exams to worry about.

Also...new prayer request: I have a friend who sent in an application to volunteer at Hospital Loma de Luz (that's where I served last summer. Here's a link to their website: Loma de Luz ) and is waiting to hear back from them to see if/when he is going. Please pray that everything will work out in God's perfect timing and to give him peace while he waits to hear back from them. I am SO excited for what God has planned for the community of Balfate and the city of La Ceiba in this next year!

Click below to listen to one of my favorite songs lately:
"Fall Afresh" by Jeremy Riddle

Thank you again for your prayers and support!!

Where Orphans Play

"The same sun that
Rises over castles
And welcomes the day

Spills over buildings
Into the streets
Where orphans play

And only you can see the good
In broken things
You took my heart of stone
And you made it home
And set this prisoner free"

As one of my favorite songs in the past few years, the lyrics really speak to me--serving and taking care of people from all walks of life last summer, including orphans (or children being raised by a distant family member), God has really opened my eyes to the broken hearts in the world, all with a different story to tell. I'm excited to meet Lisa's foster boys only two months from now!! Please pray for both my heart and their hearts to be filled with God's guidance and wisdom and that he would prepare me and the boys for our time together learning and growing closer to Him this fall. 
Thank you again for your prayers and support! 
Que Dios les bendiga. :)

"Hallelujah" by Bethany Dillon
(Click the link above to listen to the song I quoted at the top)

The adventure to come. :-)

Hello everyone!! So you're probably wondering, what's this new blog all about?? The last post was just a song without any description of the blog...

Well, last summer I went to Honduras, and ever since I left I’ve wanted to go back. (You can read up on my experience from last summer if you want, at mariemillerblog.blogspot.com) 

Well, after months and months of praying, I heard from a friend in that area and I am going back in November!! So, this will be my blog for my upcoming trip this fall and I will continue to post on it for anything else blog-worthy in the future. :) 

So what about this new adventure?

My friend Lisa is a missionary in the Balfate area and she asked me to help her with running her ministries and with teaching her foster boys. In November, I will be working with five of Lisa’s eight foster boys (the ones between the ages of 11 and 13) for six weeks. I will tutor them in a few subjects (math, computer skills, etc) but my main focus will be teaching them English, since this opens so many doors for their future. Lisa’s home started with three and has now grown to a lively group of eight boys all between the ages of 11 and 17 years old, all of who grew up in the streets (or in the dump) of La Ceiba. 

Lisa has a heart for raising these boys to be young men with their feet grounded in the Lord, and to break the cycle of poverty and the poor choices many of their family members and friends are making. All of them are in 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd grade at the local elementary school. (This is very common in Honduras to not start school until your teen years because it is expensive!!) Once a week I will lead a Bible study for the boys and encourage them to ask questions and learn more about the Father who loves them so incredibly much.

But these boys also need to just be loved. And shown how you can have fun without the harmful influences of drugs and the gangs they grew up around. So, once a week I will take Lisa’s truck and we’ll all pile in and have an “Adventure Day”. There are lots of rivers and waterfalls nearby, and of course: the beach to be explored, too! They need to experience some of their childhood like every child should—full of laughs, smiles, and hugs…and just having good, clean fun! J

I will also be going with Lisa on her visits to the dump in La Ceiba (big city nearby) to help with serving food and providing basic medical care to the families who live among the mountain of garbage there.

But what about school? Aren’t you going to college?!?! Yes. I have been accepted to University of Portland’s Nursing program and will start this January 2014. Because I have a few months before school, I am going to serve in Honduras for 6 weeks this fall. Feel free to subscribe to this blog to keep updated on everything going on as I prepare for my trip and while I'm down there! :) 

I’m posting this to first and foremost ask for your PRAYER.

Please pray for safety during travel, and also while I am serving there. Pray for the boys’ hearts that God would fill them with His love and they would have a hunger for his Word. 

And please pray for funds. It will cost about $1,300 in total for me to go on this trip but I know the Lord will provide!! 

<<If you would like to support me financially, please make checks payable to New Hope Church with “Balfate Honduras trip” in the memo. Checks should be sent to 20080 Pinebrook Blvd. Bend, Oregon 97702. >>

Thanks for reading, and I am excited to share these experiences in Honduras with you! 

PS.
And if you haven't listened to it yet, listen to "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong United. This is the song that I feel captures where my heart is with this new chapter of my life.  

Que Dios les bendiga!  

Oceans

The song that is continually moving in my heart.  <3

Click on the link below to listen to it!

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail"

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