gems and rubies

There’s this little gem of a girl at the care center whose name is Ruby. She just finished second grade and  is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. She walks around with a huge smile on her face, big hair, and colorful shoelaces on her tennis shoes.

When I see her across the way, I always shout to her…. “RUBES!” She just looks at me and giggles.

I was spending time with her this week as we had a team who came and did a VBS for our kids. I followed her and her group around as they did crafts, played games, and heard a Bible story.

I was holding her hand at the end and as I said goodbye, she pulled me close and said “Emily, Dios te cuide” (Emily, may God take care of you). I almost cried in that moment…I don’t know if it was her sincere heart and faith…or maybe the truth that God does take care of all of us…or maybe just being completely blown away that she would say that to me. I wish I would have said it to her first. It was so encouraging to me and such a beautiful reminder to me that the Lord is our gentle shepherd.

I often feel so overwhelmed and sometimes disheartened even at the incredible needs I see all around me everyday in the community. Its hard for me to know what to do when a child whispers in my ear, “I am so hungry…there is no food in my house”…Its almost unbearable to see bruises on a young child knowing that they came from an adult…I feel so limited in my human-ness of how to care for people.

But then Ruby says it…May God take care of you.

Amen, Ruby. The Lord loves and cares. He knows every need, every detail, every pain…He cares for us.

May I daily entrust MYSELF and THESE CHILDREN into his loving care.

good morning!

Typical Saturday morning...

Since I woke up and there was POWER and RUNNING WATER, I had to take advantage of this opportunity and do some laundry. As I was sitting at my kitchen table drinking my coffee and waiting for my clothes to finish spinning, I heard.....

Vecina! Vecina! Ha llegado la guagua de economia!
Vecina! Salami y Huevos para toda la familia!
Dale huevos! Muchos huevos por poco cuarto!

Loosely translated:
Neighbor! Neighbor! The vehicle of savings has arrived!
Neighbor! Salami and eggs for the whole family!
Give them eggs! Lots of eggs for a little money!

I looked out my balcony and sure enough, there was the rusty Toyota pick up truck, megaphone on top, man on back, selling all the eggs and salami you could possibly want.

So what do you think, should I have eggs and salami for Saturday morning breakfast?

welcome to summer

It was so fun to visit Caraballo a few days after I got back into the country. Even though I was only gone two weeks, when I saw the kids, I felt like it had been a long time since I had held their hands and looked into their big brown eyes. The kids seem happy to be on summer break but eager to enter the care center again for our summer program! Seeing the kids and the community gave me a lot of excitement about what this summer will hold. I’m praying that many kids will make decisions to follow Jesus this summer.

As you may have read in my previous updates, I am stepping into a team host role this summer. The first four weeks Kids Alive is partnering with LeaderTreks who will host youth groups here for mission trips. Even in the first 2 days with the leaders, I am encouraged by their presence here and their passion for developing leaders for the kingdom and for their interest in investing in the ministry in Caraballo. Their group of 22 highschool students will be here tomorrow and the fun will begin!

Many of you were praying for me and also gave financially toward my vehicle purchase. THANK YOU! The vehicle has been so helpful already and I can tell that it will get a lot of good use this summer! I took the LeaderTreks leaders to a grocery store yesterday as they did a week’s worth of shopping for meals for 25- it was a bit of a puzzle fitting everything into the trunk…and seats…and laps…and everywhere…but I am so thankful that I was able to help out in that way. I wouldn’t have been able to help with that without the vehicle.

Besides the teams that will soon be arriving to help with construction projects and VBS programs, I am anxious to meet our two college aged interns who are coming soon! I so appreciate their willingness to come for a whole summer to invest in the lives of kids in this community. I was a summer intern in the summer of 2008 so I have a special place in my heart for them!

Well, I am eager to see what adventures await me this summer and I will do my best to continue to write!