Life Goes On...

Okay, so as I sit here today, totally exhausted, I have a new puppy by my side. Our puppy, Oreo, died about 2 weeks ago. We're pretty sure she got into some poison. It was sad to watch her die, but we are thankful for the 2 months we had with her. Zeke is our new pup. I found him in our yard after he and his 4 siblings and mother ran across our soccer field. He got caught in the thicket, so I rescued him. (I wanted to name him Abraham or Issac, but got out voted!) He's a cute little guy, we've had for about a week now. He's about 8 weeks old and the vet has given him a clean bill of health.

I'm thanking God today for all He is doing here at New Vision. Yesterday was a great day of prayer here at the home. We anointed each child with oil and prayed over them that God would bless each life. We walked around our property believing God to do great things here. The Assemblies of God Bible College came out and prayed with us for about 2 hours. We had a wonderful time just praying for the kids and believing God to save each of them and do great things in their lives. We're believing for answers to those prayers.

January has been a very busy month for us. There seems to always be something to do or somewhere to go! We've been repainting the interior of our team dorm, as well as the girl's bathrooms, and the kitchen in our apartment. I like to paint and have found one of the older boys does too, and does a great job! Since we had so much paint lying around, we've taken advantage of it, and are sprusing the place up a bit!

We also had another medical team come down. Jaycee had the opportunity to assist the team and pull files and count pills. She was so excited after the first day because she got to watch the Dr. lance a cyst on one woman's foot. GROSS! But she enjoyed being able to help out. Of course this meant she was out of school for 2 days and had to make it up. During this week, Hannah, got to go to Kingston to our sister home and spend a week up on the mountain with the Puffpaffs and a team of girls from Michigan. She had a great time, and wasn't quite so homesick after coming home. Thank you Miss Kim!

Of course, after being out of school for 3 weeks for Christmas break, getting back into the swing of things has been challenging. Dulcie has really been working hard to get the kids back on track! She is doing a GREAT job home schooling them!

We started having chidren's church with the little kids this month, as well. We have church with them a couple times a month. We start at 9:30 with the kids under 12. We have worship with everyone at 10:30 and then dismiss the under 12 kids to watch a video (usually Veggie Tales or McGee and Me). Then we have service with the older kids. God has been meeting us and the older kids are beginning to respond to the altar services. We are thankful and grateful that God is moving on their hearts. We are staying involved in the local church, as well, with Awana club, Youth Group, Youth Choir Practice and Monthly fellowships. Plus, we attend Sunday morning when we don't have kids church. We believe it's important to keep them active in the local church, as well.

We're also working hard to get our new kitchen up and running. Hopefully, some time in February we'll be able to cook in there and eat in the new dining hall. That is...if all goes well. You never know what challenges will arise!

For the most part, we are doing well and chugging along. They finally brought cable to our area, so we are grateful to be able to have a sense of America on the tube. The kids are glad to have Nickelodeon and Disney channel again. I'm just glad to watch something other than Everybody Loves Raymond or Home Improvement! (DVD)

As we watch the news and see all that is going on in America today, we refuse to let discouragment take over. God is still on the throne! He is still in control! I'm reminded of the Scripture that says, "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or God's seed begging for bread!" As long as we stay in His will and follow His ways, He will ALWAYS make provision for us! I believe that even tho 2009 may look grim to some, it can be an amazing year! Know that we are praying for God's blessing in your lives this year. Thank you for all you do for us. We love you all!