Muchas Gracias + Teachable Moments

MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!

MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!  Thank you all for your donations to our Christmas Project!  It was a huge success!  We were able to purchase with your donations the following:

• 2 fridges
•  8 industrial cooking pots + kitchen utensils
• 12 iron benches + 2 iron tables + 8 iron chairs 
• 1 large steel shelf with 8 green plastic tubs for the kitchen
• 30 plastic cups + plates + bowls, 36 forks + spoons
• 2 white board for English class + bible studies
• 3 wall collages of family orphanage photos
•  mexican clay pots + plants + bamboo trees
• 10 file-portfolios for office
• 5 packages of 12 kilo laundry soap
• 12- 2.8 liter bottles of dish soap
• 10 boxes of 90 eggs 
• 4 boxes of 12 kilos of chicken
• 10 boxes of 24 toilet paper rolls
• 50m extension cord + 4 smoke detectors
• Mops + brooms
• 50 t-shirts w/ the orphanage logo
• 4 small trashcans + 2 large trashcans
•  2 boxes of 500 small trash bags + 3 boxes of 100 large black trash bags
• 1 outdoor barbeque

Also an amazing family from Missouri worked together with their church to buy new clothes, school supplies and toys for the orphanage! Such a blessing!  
Check out the pictures below... 

Showing the kids the new gifts!

The guys putting together the grill

Handing out gifts to the kids

TEACHABLE MOMENTS:

Everyday here we have numerous opportunities to share the gospel and teach the kids.  I'm not just referring to teaching them through Bible studies, classes, doing homework, etc., but rather through the everyday little things.

FOLDING CLOTHES:
For Christmas the kids received a bunch of new clothes!  One of the younger boys (Cesar) wanted to learn how to fold his clothes correctly.  So I got the opportunity to sit down with him for 20 minutes or so and teach him how to fold his clothes, but more importantly we got to talk about why it is important to take care of our things.  It was a great opportunity to see how much God has blessed us and how we should take care of all that He was given us, but not to "hold onto" and "worship" those physical materials.

Maicol painting 1 Peter 2

GETTING PICKED ON:
A couple of weeks ago I witnessed one of the older boys picking on Maicol (age 12).  It is always hard to deal with these kind of situations, because the boys get frustrated, angry and want to fight back.  I had the cool opportunity to share with Maicol the following verses from 1 Peter 2:21-25.  It paints such a beautiful picture of how Jesus reacted to suffering, insults, threats, etc.  Maicol was really able to start to understand what it looks like to trust God as the Judge who judges with justice and righteousness.




Also it was really cool to see Maicol start to look at the fact that "by Jesus' wounds we have been healed".  The majority of these kids have been abused (physically, sexually, emotionally, through neglect) and so it is such a huge deal for them to see that JESUS TRULY HEALS US!

"To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
       'He committed no sin,
       and no deceit was found in his mouth.'
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate;
when he suffered, he made no threats.
Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins
and live for righteousness;
by his wounds you have been healed.
For you were like sheep going astray,
but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

1 Peter 2:21-25

Maicol's artwork

Also, please check out our fundraiser going on to send down Jesus Storybook Bibles to orphans in Mexico:  www.adoptbible.com