Year of Favor

Last night I gave the boys some of the things I brought from the States. They each got a Barcelona or Real shirt, a pair of shorts, and a pair of cleats. They were SHOCKED when I handed everyone a pair of cleats and they fit them perfectly!!! I cannot thank everyone enough that donated cleats to the boys!!! Because I had so many pairs (I think 15 total..?) the boys had options and were able to pick a pair that fit them well AND had to decide between a few pairs for which ones they liked the most. Usually, they just wear whatever pair they can borrow or have been wearing for a few years and are several sizes too small for them. When I brought out a line up of 15 pairs of Nike and Adidas cleats for them to all try on...they were speechless. You all made it possible for me to bring a dream mini-shoe store out of my suitcase for them to pick from. And they haven't even seen what else I have waiting for them!! Lisa is going to save some of the donations for Christmas presents, but most of the donations I will be handing out to the boys every couple of days while I'm here.

With giving the boys new clothes and shoes, I'm reminded how just a few years ago I was asking for donations for much smaller sizes. Boys sizes. Not teenager & mens clothing. I still call them "the boys" since that's what everyone knows them by, but they are growing up fast!! They have an interesting mix of maturity--being in a safe and loving home brings out their child-like hysterical laughs and silliness, which warms my heart like nothing else. But they also have been through so much trauma, grief, neglect, and abuse that they are strong and have been through more than anyone else I know. A few years ago, before being part of Bethesda Home for Boys, they were forced to 'grow up fast' by surviving on the streets alone and/or taking care of their younger siblings when they were only about 9 years old themselves. And since they've been here, they've had a chance to just breathe easy and be a kid again. But now that most of them are 15 or 16 years old, there's this new shift towards entering into adulthood again; but in a healthy way this time. And I am so proud of the young men they are becoming. When the boys were first here, every day there were at least a few out of control outbursts of anger and aggression; which is common with foster kids with a history of some sort of trauma. But now, even though each boy struggles with certain things and it's not always easy because life here is hard (no matter what home you live in), the boys are growing in maturity and respect for themselves and one another. They are growing in respecting authority and respecting women. They're more gentle & tender--I love watching them play with the neighbor's toddler or the new baby puppy running around. They're quirky and weird without thinking about it--without feeling they have to be tough or harsh. They've shed the abrasive skin and attitude they were forced to keep in order to survive in environments where they couldn't trust anyone. That's not to say the struggles have disappeared, since every day is a reminder/lesson of these key things, but it's not every other hour that someone has an emotionally explosive situation.

Jeremias with his guitar of recyclables for school project

Franklin with the 500 piece puzzle he & I did this weekend

Speaking of growth...we may have a new addition to the family! There's a boy in San Pedro Sula who's 14 years old whose father is not in the picture and his mother was recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer. His mother will soon be moving to a different city and be in intensive therapy and unable to watch after him. He's still in school (which is rare for someone in his situation) and doesn't want to be left out on the street. I know it seems like no one would choose to be out on the street, but a lot of kids do prefer it because there are no rules, they don't have to go to school, and they can do whatever they please. Unfortunately, this usually turns into them getting involved with drug dealers and/or gangs since they are a means of survival and a community to protect them. Please join us in prayer for this possibility!


Isaiah 61 has been a passage I've felt God has placed on my heart for my own life, and for the boys recently. And today, my mom just messaged me saying she's praying and speaking it over the boys' lives as well--I love it when God puts the same verses on people's hearts, confirming His will and his heart for something while bringing people together in prayer. The passage is labeled "The Year of the Lord's Favor". I would love it if you would meditate on this passage with us and include it in your prayers for the boys.

Isaiah 61
7)Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. 
8)'For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them'...
10)I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."