They need your prayers

Hello everyone, and welcome back!

I mentioned in my last post that a new SM named Hope and Lauren’s mom were on their way to Familia Feliz. I am happy to report that they made it safely here on Wednesday without significant incident. I didn’t get the chance to meet Hope until Friday morning because she arrived on Wednesday evening and went straight to her room to start unpacking (understandably), and then on Thursday, she went to town with the other SMs who have Thursdays off. Now that I’ve met her, though, I can tell she will fit in nicely here. I’m not sure of her exact job description, but I know she will be helping out in the houses sometimes, which will be a huge help to the house parents. As they say, many hands make light work. 

Jayden and I wanted to play ultimate frisbee with the boys, and on Wednesday evening, we were able to teach a couple of the Guerreros boys the basic rules of the game, and we had a blast playing ultimate frisbee. There were plenty of wacky throws and unintentional rule-breaking, but we still had a great time.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened on Thursday, Friday, and Sabbath, but Sunday was a great day. During the first few weeks, I straight-up dreaded Sundays because they were so exhausting, but now, I think I am beginning to look forward to them. Having only two meals worked even better than we were hoping it would. Also, Carlie, one of the house parents for the older girls, offered to make supper for our house, so Justin and I only had to make one meal on Sunday. Kelsey, one of the younger girls’ house parents, also stopped by for a while and helped out. Honestly, any time one of the other SMs visits our house, it makes the day so much better. I’ve said this before, but having this amazing group to share these experiences with has been such a blessing. God continues to amaze me with the undeserved blessings He pours on me each and every day.

Monday was also a memorable day. Jayden called and asked to use my frisbee with some of his boys, so I brought it outside, and we started throwing it around. In minutes, it turned into a chaotic game of ultimate frisbee. Me, Jayden, Matthew, and five of the Guerreros ended up playing for over an hour and a half. That was some of the most fun I’ve had on campus so far; lots of running, laughing, and even some playful tackling. While trying to intercept the frisbee from Harol, I accidentally ran straight into him and knocked him flat on the ground. We had a good laugh over that. Over that hour and a half, the kids massively improved in their frisbee-throwing abilities. By the end, we were playing some hardcore ultimate frisbee. We will most definitely be playing that more in the future.

That evening, we had a meeting with all the volunteers and Max and Joy. I can’t go into detail about everything we discussed, but it was a very informative meeting. We discovered that Justin and I no longer need to go to school in the mornings. Part of me will definitely miss that because it was a good way to get to spend time with kids outside of my house, but at the same time, it took up a lot of our day. With the extra time, Justin and I will be able to focus more on media and maintenance projects both of which have been slightly neglected over the past few weeks.

In the meeting, Max and Joy told us a brief version of their and Melissa’s back story. It was sobering, to say the least, but it was good for us to hear because it gave us a better picture of their reason for leaving. They also gave us more details about the history of Familia Feliz and how this place will be changing in the future. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to share, so I’ll leave the details for another post, but I’ll just say it’s a sad, messed-up story.

To end this post, I have a favor to ask. I mentioned last week that we have a handful of kids here because of social services and that it is likely they will be leaving next school year. We were given some updates about the situation of these kids in the meeting on Monday. At this point, it is almost certain they will be leaving Familia Feliz, but we don't yet know when that will be. However, there is still a sliver of hope. If we can find a relative who is willing to sign for these kids, that relative will have custody of them and then they can send them to Familia Feliz without any connection to social services. The challenge has been finding a relative. To make matters worse, Joy informed us that if social services do take these kids away from Familia Feliz, they will most likely be split up from each other. She said that the chances of them getting abused are high and the chances of them seeing each other again is low. I’m getting goosebumps as I’m writing these words. I can’t begin to wrap my brain around that possibility. These kids are the sweetest, most precious kids you will ever meet. They don’t deserve a future of pain, fear, and loneliness. So everyone reading this post, please, please, please pray for these kids and the situation they are facing. And tell your friends and family to pray for them too. At this point, prayer is the only solution left.

Even as I see the devil working so hard to destroy the lives of these kids, I know God is working infinitely harder for their good. We serve a God who has already conquered Satan and sin. I know these kids are in the palm of His hand and that no matter the outcome, He will keep them safe, especially with so many people praying on their behalf. I will keep everyone updated about this situation in future posts. Thank you in advance for taking the time to lift up these kids in prayer. They need it more than anything else right now.

Pictures

Me and Valentine, Selim, and Andres (left to right) at worship.
(Photo courtesy: Justin Bobo)

Me and Emir napping on the cold tile floor. It was great!

A beautiful night sky

This was the first ripe mango I ate here. It
was a bit stringy, but wow did it taste amazing.
Mango season is just beginning, so there are
so many mangos more to come, and I
can't wait.

I love how the sun streams into the kitchen in the afternoon.

I love Selim's dimples!

Selim grabbing an orange

At the market in Rurre

There were an obnoxious number of beetles
In the house on Thursday night.

It got so bad that we turned off every light
In the house, and I showered with my
headlamp.

Emir, Diego-Alexis, and Jesús goofing around.

Welcome to Familia Feliz, Teacher Hope!

All of our boys wrote their names on and
colored a little house, which will be given to
whoever makes the decision to sponsor
one of the kids here.

Emir also grabbing an orange.

Leonardo and Selim “wrestling.” It was some
most gentle wrestling I have ever witnessed.

Emir looking awesome with my hat
on backwards.

All of the kids playing in the yard while we had our staff meeting.

We took a hike up to this cross that overlooks the town of Rurre.
It was a super steep hike, but the view was totally worth it.

I love this place!

A bird’s eye view of Rurrenabaque.

Have mercy on them, O God, have mercy. For in You their
soul takes refuge. They will take refuge in the shadow
of your wings until the danger has passed.
Psalms 51:7 NIV
(Pronouns altered for emphasis)