The open door...

I realized when I received my Sunday school’s prayer list for this week that I missed posting one of my blogs and it’s an important one! Instead of posting all news and revising it all, I decided to just go ahead and start anew.
We have had so many changes take place in the last few weeks. They have been a good reminder for us not to become too attached to the things of this world. Of course, that encompasses so many things but in our case, I’m speaking not only about laptops and data but also, specific areas of ministry.
The first two you know about, but evidently, I’ve neglected to make our changes public knowledge. We have shared this with Mandy and to those in the church to whom we have asked to hold us accountable but in the midst of trying to make a smooth transition between our previous work and our newest opportunity, I somehow forgot to tell everyone else! I could claim computer problems which would be true in part, but as much as I would like for Dell to take the blame for everything from my forgetfulness to global warming, I just can’t nail them for all things problematic.
Before we go any further, I probably should clarify that the above comment about global warming is not meant to stir controversy…it’s just that right now, I believe it is real but in regards to our pequeña pieza of real estate right here on this side of Managua…the temp right now is 97 degrees and the heat index is supposed to be 107 degrees. I don’t know if it’s accurate or not…I know it’s HOT! So, our little part of the globe is definitely warming!
Two weeks ago, we thought we would be teaching at Los Cedros again this year. We had our first day of school and I was so excited to see the kids again…and they seemed to be just as excited to see us. The hugs and kisses just about knocked me off my feet more than once and I mean that literally! They are extremely demonstrative with me. And I had missed those mile wide smiles and hugs so much the last few months. So, as happy as I was to see the children, I was also saddened to find out that some of them had not returned.
Jim and I had been praying for some time about whether we were to return to Los Cedros or not. We both felt God was leading us in a different direction but since no one else had come forward to take our positions there, even after we made that opportunity very clear, we felt like it was something we needed to do.
Our time with the kids that day was so good. I was so encouraged to hear them speak in English. Many of the students were able to have a very basic conversation with me and most of them remembered their colors, numbers, anatomy and vocabulary in English. I couldn’t have been more pleased! What a gift God gave me in my time with them. None of us knew that would be my last day there serving as their English teacher.
I truly have come to love those kids so much…a year ago, I would never have imagined that I would be saying something like that! It was a rough start. This past year has been quite a journey to Los Cedros and back.
It would serve no purpose for me to go into detail regarding the whys behind our decision to leave the school but I do want you to know that I believe God was in control of every bit of it. By the end of the school day, Jim and I knew without a doubt, that God had a different plan for us and that if we were to stay at Los Cedros, we would be disobedient.
It was a hard decision to make only in regards to the children. They have firmly planted themselves in my heart but I have to realize and accept the fact that God can take better care of those children than I can. My selfish hope is that they will somehow know that I love them, believe in them and am going to miss them so much…and that our decision to leave had nothing to do with them. In retrospect, I can clearly see that God wanted us to be free from that obligation in order for us to be able to devote our time and energies in serving Him in a new venue.
One of our most frequent prayers is that God will always make His direction clear to us and that He will close the doors that need to be closed and open the ones that need to be opened. He has been so faithful to do that and the clarity of that seems to come when we take the step of faith to do what we believe He is calling us to do…regardless of how upsetting it might be at the time. When God compels us to make a move, I believe He also propels us and it’s in a “forward” motion in order to serve His purposes. It is a benefit to us that such changes also draw us closer to Him.
I remember hearing Charles Stanley say something some years back that I have thought about so many times since – this isn’t word for word but it was something like…Don’t settle for something that seems good and end up missing God’s best. God reminded me of the wisdom of that once again.
So, what’s the new door that God has opened up for us? We have begun to serve in various ways at CINAFE which stands for Centro Integral de los Ninos y Adolescencia Fortaleza de Esperanza or as best as I know how to translate it is as Fortress of Hope (a) Comprehensive Center for Children and Adolescents. It is also known as Fortress of Hope and is referred to by many here as an orphanage but it fulfills a larger role than that.
There are currently 15 children who live there - 13 girls, from ages 2 to15 (soon to be 16) and two boys, ages 7 and 11. It is not necessary that you know what these children have suffered but it is enough that you know that they have and it has been so much in their short lives. Their stories break my heart and their resilience astounds me. They have been placed at CINAFE by what would be the equivalent of the government’s Family Services department. The children are there for their own protection. And thanks to the people who began CINAFE and those who are integral in its operation, the children are also receiving healing – physical, emotional and most importantly, spiritual. They are now in a safe and healthy environment where they are given an opportunity to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It’s a wonderful place and it’s an exciting time for us to become involved there…we believe it’s the Lord’s timing.
The facility was once a small hotel and it has proved to be a perfect layout for this purpose. The children are divided by ages and share a little “casita”. This is basically where they live and they have two different housemothers who live there with them on alternating days. There is another casita that is used as a kitchen/dining room and another is where the children go for counseling and tutoring. Another is used as a clinic and it is shared with the CINAFE accountant. The acting director has her office in another casita and there’s also one that is used as a house for additional staff to stay if they’re there overnight. Dwane and Karen Schlabach, who live in Ohio and are the folks who make sure CINAFE is operating as it should, also have one of the casitas that they use when here. There is an on-site physician and psychologist and 24 hour security as well as the rest of the staff. They all seem to be doing an amazing job at taking care of these children.
Last week was our first week working with the children. We spent three afternoons there assisting those kids who wanted help with their English homework and just getting to know them a little bit. It’s not a quick process. These are children with trust issues and understandably so. We want to proceed slowly so that we not only gain the children’s trust but even more so, that we earn it.
Jim is thoroughly enjoying being one of the kids! They are quick to come get him to shoot baskets or play kickball. “Fun” is the same in any language. I only hope they don’t break him! I’ve seen him slip and slide a few times and his “outside” isn’t as young as his “inside”!
Friday afternoon, after we finished homework, I had the opportunity to sit and visit with one of the girls. She has a very hard edge to her and so it surprised me that when given the opportunity to go play with the other kids, she opted to sit with me. We looked at a Latino fashion magazine together, with the two of us often taking opposite views of what was pretty and what wasn’t.
Her favorite word is “Liar”…she uses it when teasing and she uses it, I’m sure, when she really does have doubts about someone’s sincerity. I began thinking that is probably something she has heard for much of her life…lies. And knowing a little about her background, I understand why that’s what she immediately verbalizes when she is uncertain about whatever it is she’s hearing.
In the course of our conversation, she called me “Liar” several times. I know it was just something she was saying but I gently told her that was a word I didn’t like and because I was a Christian, that it was important to me that I tell the truth. I also told her that sometimes the truth isn’t something we like to hear but I would rather here the truth than a lie. It surprised me that her face softened and she very solemnly nodded her head in agreement. It was a split second moment where I thought maybe I might have made a little progress with her and then it was over. But it was a start.
This week, we began becoming more intentional in our time there and actually came up with a schedule of activities we will be doing there. On Sunday afternoons, I have the six older girls for Bible study. Our first time together went well and I’m already looking forward to next Sunday. We are doing a brief 3 week overview of the Fruit of the Spirit. I quickly realized after our first lesson that the lessons need to be simple and easily understood. The girls are very smart but all are behind in their schooling due to their previous home situations. They did great with the lesson and they loved coloring a picture…much like younger kids would enjoy. That’s fine with me…I love that kind of stuff, too!
Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I’m teaching a beginning English class to those staff members who are interested. We had our first class this morning with 11 in attendance and we had a great time laughing and learning. When it was time for the class to end, they asked if we could go a little longer so we did. It’s nice to have that kind of flexibility. I also gave them a mini Bible study to do at their leisure and told them that I would give them one each week. At some point, maybe we’ll be able to meet to have a group study.
Friday afternoon is our project time. Jim will meet with the younger kids to build window boxes and I will have the six older girls again. We are going to make mosaic crosses from craft foam and use them as an object lesson of how Jesus can put the broken pieces of our lives together and make something beautiful out of them.
We plan on going over there in the afternoon tomorrow and maybe Thursday afternoon to help them with their English homework. That’s such a good, non-threatening way to get to know the kids a little bit better and we really enjoy our time with them. They’re good kids and we know that God has something special for each one of them.
We will continue with our classes in Tipitapa on Saturdays. This makes for a full week when you add in the time we spend on preparation for each one of the classes, whether they are Bible study or English, for children or adults…we feel each one of them needs our best efforts and that takes time.
It’s funny…somehow I worried about what we would “do” when we left Los Cedros. If I was listening more carefully, I think I would have heard the CINAFE door opening as He closed the door to Los Cedros. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to do.