Back at It!

Change has been an overarching theme since returning to Familia Feliz from the vacation. We had about a month to get campus ready for the upcoming school year before the kids came back at the beginning of February. We have a new interim director and an entirely new schedule for the school year. All of the houses except for the Leones changed. I moved into the house that the Guerreros (the older boys) used to live in. It was hard to leave behind the house in which I had experienced so much and in which I had made precious and lasting memories with my girls. But the house changes needed to happen so we could have a campus cafeteria. 

Dianara <3

Just returned from vacation!!

So much rain has caused the river to rise so much!

A trip to the store

Dianara collected and arranged all the teachers' water bottles...and a bottle of shampoo :)

T. Aiden paid a visit to Dianara's hair salon

so cute!!

Baby Jose ready for church

After culto smiles :)

One of the kittens decided to hang out in the oven.

Teacher Carlie is the director of the new cafeteria that is providing nutritious and balanced meals three times a day for campus. The cafeteria means that the houseparents do not need to cook for their houses anymore. To put that in perspective, the 5+ hours that I would spend each day doing meal prep, serving, and cleanup has been freed up to use for other activities. While I miss cooking for my kids sometimes, I am thankful that I am able to spend more relaxed time with them doing fun things. Instead of constantly trying to decide what to feed them and thinking ahead about what I need to prep, I am using the extra time I have to spend quality time with my girls and complete other projects on campus.

One of the projects that I have undertaken is a clothing storeroom. With the many growing and active kids on campus, clothing is a constant necessity. There was lots of clothing in storage on campus but it had been sitting in bags for a long time. With the help of some of the older girls, I went through it all. We washed lots of laundry, let it dry, and then organized it by gender and size on the shelves in the clothing room. The goal is to save Familia Feliz money that is spent on clothes by allowing the clothing we have to be more easily accessible.

Organizing the clothes

"I'll cut your hair, T. Aiden!"

-Dianara

These are my favorite moments <3

Plant artwork on my back

My new neighbors (Teacher Juan and Emi's kids in the Leones house)

Tici's flowers

Haircut night with Teacher Matthew

On a personal note, my house has changed drastically. Of the 10 girls that I had in my house last year, only 4 came back and 3 are staying long-term. My twins and their little sister lost their mom while they were home on vacation and have been relocated to live with other family members. Please pray for them as they deal with this heartbreaking loss. Another pair of sisters has not come back, but we have heard absolutely nothing about them. I am worried about them, but I know they are safe in God's hands. My oldest is not staying long-term, but I was thankful for the chance to see her again, give her a new Bible, and say a proper goodbye.

I also have a new girl in my house now. She is 16 years old and has been a great help in my house. She is a student at the school, but she is the oldest female student on campus. She wanted to live in the Flores house and help out with the girls. That has been a huge blessing, because I have been houseparenting 80% on my own. For various reasons, my two fellow houseparents are back in the States. I am so proud of them and excited for how God will continue to use them back in the States, but I miss them so much! It has not been an easy transition to houseparenting mostly alone but God has been faithful.

I have been learning most of all what it looks like to rest in God. I am a worrier, and I often find myself stressing about difficult situations and the heavy responsibility it is to take care of my girls. Dealing with behavior issues by myself when my girls are out of control or completely unreasonable has been a serious challenge. Thankfully, I have the help of the director and other student missionaries that I can call or text when I need someone to watch the other girls while I address a behavior problem. I am thankful to say that behavior has been better recently than when the girls first came back. I cannot take any credit, and I thank God for His help and strength in each situation. I am learning to not rest on my feelings of stress and anxiety in big and difficult circumstances and rather to rest fully on the promises of God. 

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

The cat and its kittens that were in my new house were relocated to the clinic to catch rats. Ellie had to relocate them a few times when they would keep coming back.

Hiked to this cross on my day off

Made it to the top

Nirza's back !!

My little tree climber

Harol getting a papaya for the cafeteria

First day of classes :)

Selim filtering water for me

Elizabet

On the way to church

Marianely just before she left

This porcupine thing managed to get into my house one evening and it was a frightening and hilarious adventure. The Guerreros boys were very happy to come over and get it out for me. It was quite entertaining!

I have been away from home for almost 6 months now. So much has happened, and I have learned and grown so much! I am so incredibly thankful for the good and challenging times that I have gone through here. Every experience has shaped who I am, and for that I am eternally grateful. I have about 2 months left at Familia Feliz, and it is so hard to believe! Where did the time go?! With God's help, I am determined to take advantage of the rest of the time I have here to invest in the lives of these kids in a way that will have eternal value. I want nothing more than to spend eternity with my girls in the presence of Jesus.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.