Feliz Navidad

Christmas! Very weird to have Christmas with no snow but we all decorated the houses this week and so all the houses are all very festive! The Tias have been busy making cookies and delicious food for Monday night when they all celebrate. There will be a presentation where the kids can sing and dance. I've been practicing with the Guarderia to do 5 little monkeys sitting in a tree and then after they will sing Jesus loves me in English. Lots of practicing! :)

Moved into one of the houses last week to help out because the tia is expecting her baby any day now. Love living in the house and waking up every morning with the kiddos. Lots of fun nights with the girls!

The boys finally finished a bike trail they had been working on for the past 2 months. They carved a road up on top of the mountain that goes down and it is pretty cool. They got to use some newly donated bikes for the first time and they had a blast.

Christmas here is going to be completely different than what I'm used to. I will miss my family and friends and how we celebrate. But I love the simplicity of Christmas here. It's about Jesus. Not about tons of presents and food and decorations. Yes there are those things just not in abundance. It's about focusing on Jesus' birth. Praise God!

Have a wonderful merry christmas! Enjoy the time with family and friends and Christmas cookies and gifts and giving and candy canes and fancy trees with ornaments. Enjoy a wonderful Christmas dinner and a church service with candles. And enjoy the fact that Jesus is alive. That on one very special night,  He was born in a stable with sheep and other animals and because of this special night, we can now be with Him!

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!
~Lily

Bolivian food

Today I made lunch and dinner (BOLIVIAN food without recipes) for 70+ people. And it ended up being yummy! YAY!!! Hopefully will have a long update soon! Crazy that Christmas is in a week! God has been really faithful in the last week! Been so filled with joy even though there's lots of work to be done and all the craziness of getting ready for Christmas! Love seeing the simplicity of Christmas here. And it's really weird not having snow! God bless you all! Thanks for continuing to follow this blog! Love from Bolivia!
~Lily

A little fly...

Sitting next to little David today during the movie. "Tia Lily! Look at this little fly!" He tells me holding up his finger. "It was in my booger!"
These are moments when I can't stop laughing.
Loving Bolivia and moments like this!
~Lily

Snapshots

The beautiful Jazmin

Cielo swimming

Jhoseline

Jazmin

Guiselle

"TIA LILY!!!"

"TIA LILY!!!!" I had 10 little ones yelling my names. Puts a huge smile on my face and a lot of love in my heart. I love hearing all the little ones calling me Tia and being surrounded by them and getting hugs and kisses. Nothing like it!

A team from the USA came this week to hang out with the kids so been doing lots of translating. Now my brain is so confused between Spanish and English! :) Tomorrow 10 of the kids here are graduating from high school so there will be a lot of change for them. Keep them in your prayers as they start this new adventure in their lives!

Have a wonderful weekend! God bless!
~Lily

He heard my voice

“When the enemy was all that I could see. I cried out to the Lord. He heard my voice. And he rescued me. His grace has set me free. What a Savior what a God. Oh Lord you a shield about me. Your my glory the lifter of my head. And Lord you are the one who saves me. Your my glory the lifter of my head. Your the lifter of my head. I was dead within. Surrounded by my sin. I cried out to the Lord. He heard my voice. And at Calvary He beat death and set me free. What a Savior what a God. Arise oh Lord for Salvation is Yours. Only You can save us. By Your death You raised us.”  -Lord you are a Shield by David Potter

“Bless the Lord oh my soul. Sing praise to Him and Him alone. Sing praise with me you heavenly host. Cuz I can’t help myself. For there is no-one else like you God. I could sing a song a hundred miles long but it won’t come near. Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord. Hallelujah! My soul rejoice.”  -Hundred miles by Judah & the Lion

First off if you don’t own the music by these great bands go immediately to itunes and buy their music! So encouraging and I love worshiping every morning to these songs. Beautiful sunny day today... amazed by God's grace in my life!

~lily

Summer program

Febe

Summer Vacations for the kids. And I have a lot of work!                                                              -Every morning I have the Guarderia and continue to work with the 14 little ones working on getting ready for kindergarten. Really love working with these little guys. They are a joy and LOVE learning.                                                                                     -Then directly after the Guarderia is a devocional that just started. Needing lots of prayer as lots of the kids don’t want to participate and see it as boring and as a waste of time. I am the leader of 10 boys all ages 13 and 14. It is a hard group but I know God has a plan for placing me with them. There is a couple from Holland here helping me lead it but they don’t speak Spanish. Each day I’m learning more on the best way to get the boys to listen. Lots of questions and patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for the boys to settle down and listen. Please be praying that God would really be at work in this work. Been encouraging to see some honesty as we talk about questions like “Are you a Christian?” And I get 9 boys saying “No”, one saying “Yes” and another saying “sometimes”. Be praying that God would change the “No” to a “YES!” God knows these boys hearts and LOVES them. Pray that God would save them. We are all lost and rejecting Christ before God breaks through.                                                                         -I also just got handed the reigns to being completely in charge of the summer program as the lady who was in charge suddenly quit during the first week of summer vacations. Every afternoon I am in charge of planning a daily activity for all the kids. So in the process of changing and reworking the program to make it more fun for ALL the kids at the same time and easier to run. Some of the things on the schedule... Trip to waterfalls, bikes, scavenger hunts, game days with all the board games and legos, Wally ball, soccer tournaments, swimming, videos, team competitions, talent contest, a camp fire and lots more... It’s always an adventure getting 40 to all participate especially with all the different ages. This will be very interesting and I’m hoping that the kids have fun! Last night we had a campfire and earlier in the day several older kids and I made 300 pancakes! Really fun day with lots of dancing!

Some of the pancakes!

Easy to feel overwhelmed.  Then I am reminded again and again that my strength and rock is Christ. I can do NOTHING on my own. Every bit of strength I have is found in Jesus. And all I have to do is call upon His name. I am weak. I am helpless. I am impatient. But Christ in me makes me strong. He is my help. He is the one who shows me what it is to be patient and loving. And I have joy in the fact that it is not me who lives, but Christ who lives in me. 

With Jacob on our way to the waterfalls

Just read this quote this morning in Morning and Evening by CH. Spurgeon “Whatever you do for Christ, throw your whole soul into it.”                                                                                                              

Reminded each and every day that even if there are hard moments, it's the joyous moments I want to remember and focus on. God is so very good to me! So blessed.

Lots of love from Bolivia!!!

~Lily

Give Thanks

Give thanks...

I’m thankful for... A Savior who loves me unconditionally                                                                                                                   I’m thankful that... I can listen to hundreds of crickets 
each night 
                                                                                                   I’m thankful for...A wonderful family that loves and supports me                                                                                                         I’m thankful for...86 amazingly beautiful children                                                                                                                                   I’m thankful for...Yummy fresh fruit every day                                                                                                                                            I’m thankful that... I can watch two adorable twins do kung fu after watching karate kid                                                                    I’m thankful for...Fresh avocado                                                                                                                                                                  I’m thankful for...Incredible starry nights                                                                                                                                                    I’m thankful for...14 little smiling faces in the Guarderia each morning                                                                                                  I’m thankful that... I can make goals in the Concha every once in a while                                                                                                     I’m thankful for...The wonderful Tias who work here                                                                                                                               I’m thankful for...My group of 10 teenage boys for devotions every morning                                                                                 I’m thankful that...I can sing worship music in Spanish                                                                                                                              I’m thankful that...I can hear “Tia Lily” every day                                                                                                                                      I’m thankful that... I am surrounded by mountains                                                                                                                                     I’m thankful for...Skype dates with sissies and my parents                                                                                                                     I’m thankful for...emails from sisters                                                                                                                                                           I’m thankful for...Korean soap operas in Spanish :)                                                                                                                                  I’m thankful for...Kia rides down to town                                                                                                                                                     I’m thankful for...Tiny little hands in mine                                                                                                                                                   I’m thankful for...bug repellent                                                                                                                                                                     I’m thankful that... I’m Learning more and more Spanish every day                                                                                                  I’m thankful for...Delicious bolivian meals                                                                                                                                                   I’m thankful for...Little kisses from Peniel                                                                                                                                                   I’m thankful for...ice cold Pillfruit!                                                                                                                                                                 I’m thankful for...Great cousins and friends who keep encouraging me and checking in                                                               I’m thankful for...American Chocolate... you will never appreciate it fully until it is gone                                                                  I’m thankful for...A wonderful Church in the States and my brothers and sisters in Christ                                                                I’m thankful for...Thunderstorms during the night                                                                                                                                      I’m thankful for...Fresh baked break every week                                                                                                                                      I’m thankful for...Little notes my sissies wrote me for every morning                                                                                                     I’m thankful for...Teal nail polish                                                                                                                                                                  I’m thankful for...How blessed we are in America                                                                                                                                  I’m thankful that...My hope is found in Christ alone                                                                                                                                     I’m thankful for...movie nights with all the kids                                                                                                                                          I’m thankful for...Good health                                                                                                                                                                      I’m thankful for...Converse                                                                                                                                                                          I’m thankful for...joy each and every day s I serve to the glory of God                                                                                                   I’m thankful for...rellenos and leche con lemon                                                                                                                                         I’m thankful for... wonderful directors here at Casa de Esperanza                                                                                                       I’m thankful for... a completed 1 year visa process!!!                                                                                                                              I’m thankful for...a God who has compassion                                                                                                                                           I’m thankful for...real, honest conversations with the older kids                                                                                                           I’m thankful for...a fun trip to beautiful waterfalls with all the kids                                                                                                            I’m thankful for...a high pain tolerance when my toe nail gets ripped off completely                                                                          I’m thankful for...sunshine and an enormous blue sky                                                                                                                              I’m thankful for...hearing the little kids shout praise at church                                                                                                                 I’m thankful for...walking down to town with the older kids                                                                                                                   I’m thankful that...I am NEVER alone                                                                                                                                                          I’m thankful for...the blessing of spending a year in Bolivia                                                       

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all enjoyed the FOOD! Really missed American Thanksgiving food this year. My thanksgiving dinner... avocado, stale bread, some soup, an orange and half cooked potatoes since my gas ran out the same night. So enjoy your left overs and reheats for the next week or so... :)

~Lily