Mexico Trip - part 3

Looking back I can see that God had His hand in each moment of our time in Dzan.

That last week of our time in Dzan we delivered another four hampers. This was by far one of our highlights. These families had clear needs and were in relationship with the Fletchers, so it was very special to be part of this love offering.

They all stood out in my mind...but one that I'd like to capture for you, is when we visitted an elderly lady. She had been close friends with Marta's mom for many years, prior to Marta's mom passing away. She was clearly a godly woman, yet had been unable to attend church for some time. We entered her home and she was so moved. She immediately started to say, with such emotion, that she had just been praying to God "Who (and when) are you going to send somebody to visit and encourage me in my faith?" She was clearly feeling "low" and needed some encouragement and had been persistently bringing it to the Lord in prayer. So when we walked in the door she joyfully recognized us as the answer to her prayers. We talked and prayed together. She shared how she had been experiencing many fears lately, that she knew were from the devil. She shared how she was praying through her ailments and fears as she knew God had always faithfully answered her prayers through the years. In fact she said that God was always the only One who could cure her... The doctor's efforts never worked. Prayer to her Father did. I was so touched and wept as I listened to this beautiful old lady share from her heart in the mayan tongue.

We also visitted a village on Sunday night, teaching sunday school to 23 children. It was a different experience with the language barrier clearly felt. A bit frustrating in many ways. The miraculous "God-thing" about this was that on our way back home, Steve told us what he had preached about in the service - Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." The VERY thing our sunday school lesson had been on! I was touched that God had yet again showed Himself so real. Praise God.

Another God-thing, was that Jon got sick on Friday, and God graciously lifted the fever that very night, within hours of him getting the fever. (Continued prayers for my eldest who has had stomach troubles since Sunday and also for Jon who has a fever again today, Thursday, would be greatly appreciated.)

As I look back I have these little snapshots of the the dear people we spent so much time with...

The 5 year old child of the oldest orphan girl (18 years old), following my youngest daughter around, quite enamoured with her. I also have this vision of him laughing and laughing and so joyful.

The youngest girl, 7 years old, giggling and laughing and being such a goof ball the whole time we were with them! God has certainly healed her wounds from the past. The psychologist says she is just like any other child, "normal" in every sense, not scarred by her experiences from birth to three years old. Praise God!

The 10 year old orphan boy saying, "Chrrristina, uno?" How could I resist?! He sure loved playing the UNO card game!!! It was touching to be asked:-)

12 year old girl, D., with such a sweet spirit, helping around the house every chance she got, with such a beautiful gentle presence. Praise God for sparing her a heart hardened by the pain.

14 year old girl, M., hugging and playing with my youngest daughter, relishing the moment. And then at the end of our visit she was the one who handed my youngest daughter a stuffed animal as a good bye gift, as she did last year.

The oldest 15 year old brother coming downstairs when we were leaving on Tuesday and offering me a hug and handing me a letter. As I got Steve to translate the letter for us on the drive to the bus station, he got midway through the letter and said, "This is from E.?!" He couldn't believe it. He said this was the first letter E. had ever written to another person! What a privilege and blessing and joy. I was very moved. I could see those moments spent side by side with him at the kitchen sink day after day, washing and drying the dishes in quiet companionship had taken root in his heart.

The eldest girl, 18 years old, so beautiful inside and out, grown up into a truly godly and beautiful and responsible and gifted young woman. It was a joy to watch her perform a song at a church service on Monday night, her first performance ever. God has certainly redeemed her from the pit!

Then there were the Fletcher's children who touched our hearts as well...

The eldest 12 year old daughter has such a servant heart. She has grown up so much over the past year, graciously accepting her ministry role in the family. It was a joy teaching her some baking skills as she was so eager to learn! One day I came home to see that she had taken on the job of making sugar cookies all by herself, no help from me! I was so impressed:-)

The middle 10 year old son, was such a help to us as well, translating for us so often and showing a maturity well beyond his years. He clearly has also graciously accepted his ministry role in this large family.

And then the youngest, a 7 year old, had such a sense of humour and was always laughing. I have this picture of him playing UNO with such a competitive spirit and playing with so much gusto!!

Then there are the snapshots of our time with Steve and Marta. Steve was always smiling and laughing and bringing joy to the family. And it was an incredible privilege to spend time with Marta - shopping together, cooking and cleaning together, baking together, talking and praying together. It was such a privilege watching and learning from her. She is a beautiful lady inside and out.

It was a high privilege to LIVE life with them. I feel WE benefitted far more than we benefitted them. The cross cultural experience we gained for ourselves and for the kids was priceless. And the experiences we were able to be part of - visitting villages, handing out hampers, praying with people, playing with the kids, being part of God moving in such tangible ways, were such a blessing to us in turn, memories that will be cherished forever.

It was a tearful goodbye. We formed very special bonds with each person in the family. Our prayers are with them as God unfolds the next phase of this vision for the orphanage and home for the elderly. They are so close to being ready to open. The main need right now is staffing for the orphanage. God prepares them one step at a time, though it may seem slow to us, God's timing is perfect. This was clear to us. The building is near completion, with just a few things left to do prior to welcoming children into the orphanage. We are excited for them as God begins to work out these details.

To see photos from our time in Dzan, click here.