"The values we live by are worth more when we pass them on...."

From time to time I have people ask me to let them know when I know of any needs around here. But the truth is, I can't make it through a day without seeing a need.

Sometimes the needs are so overwhelming I don't even know where to begin. Sometimes the needs are so heartbreaking that I just want to look the other way. But, I did that for too many years of my life and I wasted precious opportunities to make a difference because of it. I know not all of us can do everything, but I also know that if we don't know- then we cannot help at all. So that said, I'd like to share with you a story.

This is Javier.

Javier works here at Eagles Nest doing construction work and any odd jobs he is asked to do. He is a dedicated, hard worker, always here on time and ready to go. But what stands out most about Javier is his wonderful smile- that you rarely see him without. As a matter of fact, when we first came here and we were learning who everyone was, we all referred to Javier as the guy who is always smile.

Javier has 4 precious children who are just as sweet as he is. The 3 oldest kids come to the Manna Feeding Center every day. They too quickly made their way into our hearts.

Last June Javier's wife, Estela, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl they named Clarita. Shortly after, she was outside their home where their bathroom is located and slipped and fell. She started having horrible pain in her stomach and thought she hurt herself during the fall. She lived with the pain for about a week and then finally decided she needed to go the doctor. There, she was given the news that she had a golf ball sized tumor on her cervixs and needed to have it removed.

The health care system here in Guatemala is difficult to work with. You can go to the general hospital and get care for free- but the problem is getting in. The hospital right now is only taking emergency cases because there are very few workers. The doctors are on protest now for not getting paid enough. Even though Estela has a tumor, this is not seen as an emergency since they do not know for sure if it is cancerous until they remove it. She has been waiting in pain since July to get in for surgery and there is no hope in sight- while the pain continues to get worse.  The other option is to go to a private doctor and pay. The cost for this kind of surgery is approximately $1000 (American dollars) which is a huge amount for this family- basically impossible.

And so, they wait.

And they hope.

And they pray.

And they trust.

In Him.

Tonight we had the privilege of going to Javier and Estela's house to pray with them. As I sat in their one room home, the rain dripped through the tarp they had for a roof. I wondered to myself if I will ever quit being shocked at how little these people have- but how BIG their faith truly is. The love and care Javier had for his wife brought me to tears and I cannot even begin to understand how this man continues on showing up for work each day with a smile on his face, while carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Everyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about orphans. But even more than that- I am passionate about keeping families healthy and together. I see this family trying. I see this family believing in the impossible.  And I see God at work.

I don't claim to have all the answers or even begin to know what to do.  But I know what I cannot do- and that is to sit around and do nothing. So for those of you who have asked if there are any needs here, I couldn't let this one pass. Please join me in lifting this family up in prayer and if you'd like to help Estela get her surgery you can donate on the Eagles Nest website here. Just email me at blockamy@hotmail.com and let me know it's for Javiers family.Thank you so much for helping this precious family.

****Update. I just witnessed a miracle my friends. Within minutes of publishing this post THE GOAL WAS MET. Thank you sweet Jesus!!! You are amazing!!!! If any more funds come in they will be put in a medical needs account and used for other emergencies like this. Thank you all!!!

A risk worth taking...

As tropical storm Jova made its way through Guatemala these past few days, the destruction is evident everywhere. Lives were taken and others were forced to pick up the pieces and move on.

A couple of nights ago as I laid in my bed listening to the rain pour down outside my windown. My mind slowly slipped into panic mode and the fear began to rise inside of me. "Lord, please don’t let our home go crumbling down the side of the mountain… Lord please protect our family."

And I was taken back to a time not even a year ago when we huddled together in a closet in our Texas home. A time when tornadoes were brewing everywhere, a time when you couldn’t turn on the news without hearing about another life taken in an instant by the horrible storms. I remember sitting in that stuffy, small, closet with my babies around me praying "Lord, please don’t let our home get hit by a tornado… Lord please protect our family."

And then to a time years ago when I flying in a small airplane headed for Illinois to visit family. The airplane hit a huge patch of turbulence and that little plane bounced up and down around like a rubber ball does on a slab on concrete. I remember sitting in my seat on that little plane praying “Lord please don’t let this plane go down. Lord, please keep me safe."

As I look back on those memories one thing comes to mind.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

Yet, most of the time we fool ourselves into believing that somehow we are.

We often act as if we make all the right moves, make all the right choices, and stay within the little safety net we have ever so carefully built around us- we can live forever.

Those lives that were taken here in Guatemala the past few days, I am guessing none of them could have believed that day would be their last.

Those lives that were taken in the tornados several months ago in Texas, I am sure none of them would have guessed that day would be the day.

The lives that have been lost in airplane crashed after airplane crash, I doubt if they ever saw it coming as they loaded the plane that day.

But the plain, simple, honest truth is- we are going to die.

There I said it.

I am going to die.

No really, I am.

And so are you.

We have no choice and we have no say in the matter.

One day, we are going to die. And there is no way around it.

The only choice and the only say we get is- what are we going to do with today?

What are we going to do with the precious, fragile, beautiful thing called time we are given?

Are we going to live our lives to the fullest, taking big risks, loving deeply, giving freely, focusing on the good and forgiving the bad?

Or are we simply going to exist, clinging to the very things that we cannot keep anyway, and continuing to fool ourselves into believing we somehow can?

People have asked us time and time how ‘risky’ is it to live in Guatemala. And the truth is my friends- we took a risk.

A BIG risk…

We took the risk because plain and simple,these precious souls were worth it.

And one day, when the Lord calls me home, in a way I don't get to choose, in a time that will never be quite right, I will kneel before Him and know without a doubt...

I made the right choice.

FIVE!!!!!

Kaden,
     The Lord has blessed me with a life full of people who have impacted me in so many ways. People who have taught me about what really matters, shown me who God really is through their example and people who have helped me become who I am today.

And yet none of them could even come close to opening my eyes to Jesus the way you have.

Because of who you are, I am who I am.
Because of who you are, I see my life in a whole new way.
Because of who you are, I see Jesus in a way I came so close to missing out on.
Because of who you I am no longer afraid to take risks, love deeply and step into the unknowns.

I love you my precious, funny, silly, active, outgoing, beautiful son- and I am so thankful God blessed me with one of the greatest gifts in this world- YOU.

Happy 5th birthday!!! I love you more than you will most likely ever know.

A sweet friend of mine, Elizabeth, has one of the biggest hearts I know. God gave Elizabeth a wonderful talent of creating cards and so Elizabeth put her talent and her heart to work. This year ALL (every single penny) of the proceeds she makes off of her hand created Christmas cards goes to the work we are doing here at Eagles Nest orphanage. Isn't that incredible? What a blessing!!!


 If you are needing to purchase Christmas cards this year we would so appreciate it if you purchased them with Elizabeth here. :)

Thank you Elizabeth for seeing a need and using your time and talent to make make a difference in the lives of so many. You are such a blessing sweet friend!!!

Feed my sheep...

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

'Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. When Peter answered yes, Jesus told him to feed his sheep. It is one thing to say you love Jesus, but the real test is willingness to serve him. ' ~Study notes from the Holy Bible. John 21:15-17

Art class

One of the things I love about homeschooling in Guatemala is art class. :) We have the most beautiful sceneries to paint...

While we all agreed God is the Master artist- we had a fun time trying to duplicate His work.:)

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 1 Chronicles 29:11