Remember me

On the way to school Cheralyn and I had a good talk it was a great way to begin the work week. When I arrived at school the "Brain Gym" exercises started, but today we got to do them outside, I love being outdoors so this made the exercises even better. Then we moved inside for chapel, since it is a special week and I am happy to say the message was all about the gospel today! Rick was drawing pictures as Rebekah told the story of Jesus dying and rising again. I got a lot out of it and pray the kids did too! The whole history of of Jesus' life is incredible, but there were two parts that really struck a chord this morning. Mark 14:34-36, "And he (Jesus) said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.' And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'" This picture of Jesus is in Gethsemane is so powerful and paints a perfect picture of His faithfulness to God's will. There are times I try to figure things out on my own, but the truth is all I need to do is fall to my knees in prayer and surrender to His great plan. The other is at Christ's crucifixion in Luke 23:42&43, "And he (a criminal) said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he (Jesus) said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'" It doesn't matter what any of us have done in our lives, the criminal in the scripture is an example, the only thing that matters is trusting in who Jesus is. Jesus was, is, and forever will be the Savior of the world! When He died on the cross Christ washed every sin past and present clean, the only thing asked of me is to accept Him as my Lord and Savior. This is the best and most important decision I have ever made, it is my prayer for the whole world to understand the unending joy found in God's love for us through Jesus Christ. I will gladly serve God and am thankful He has lead me to Casa de Fe. Gym classes went well for all of the grade levels. On the way to the cancha it is always nice to see the kids holding hands and caring for each other. It is hard for me to comprehend what it would be like to be growing up without a family, but I can totally understand their desire to be loved. We all have a deep need to feel wanted, worthy, cared for, beautiful, and most importantly loved. There are tons of people here and around the world that love these kids to the moon and back which is beautiful, but many of them long for that close one on one love and attention given by parents. English went very well and I like how whenever we are talking about months and I

Having fun playing house!

mention April they say "Happy birthday Miss Erica", it is seriously great. Library went fast, then I went down to the house for after school enrichment. While I was at the house I had to help get some of the kids up from their nap to do homework and have a snack, when I woke Alejo up he was so cute and cuddly. He was just precious! After enrichment I took supplies back up to the school, said hello to the littlest kids, then sewed polos until it was time to take Diana out for her birthday supper with Rick and Rebekah. We took her out for pizza and it was the first time in her life she had eaten it. Pizza is one of my favorite foods, so it is crazy to think Diana is eleven years old and had never eaten it before tonight. As we walked her back to the orphanage we played soccer with a rock for quite a ways. It was very entertaining! I saw a few Tias on my way back to the house to get Cheralyn. We ran some errands, walked around, and ended up seeing a friend from church. The three of us went to the swinging bridge and went to Johnny's for guayusa tea. It was a fun to see so many Ecuadorian friends around town today, I really enjoy getting to know them more!