Journal entries part 1

Excerpts from my daily journal... raising 10 kids can be crazy sometimes...

10/9/13 I had about a million plates to wash and the house to clean. This morning we slept in a little bit (It's 6:50) which felt so good. Gonna give the kids deworming medication and I'm not looking forward to finding worms in July's basin. Here we go...

10/10/13 Heading to La Paz on Sunday for my visa and were going to stay at Hotel Presidente which totally blessed my socks off which also means... BACON! I could cry from being so happy.

10/17/13 Sometimes I get scared to pray the prayer of "Shatter my expectations." But I know God has greater things for me than I could ever expect let alone imagine. So I pray that God will shatter my expectations and explode my heart with himself and His glory. I am so in need of my Savior. I fail daily and I don't have strength. I am of little fiath. I praise God my salvation has nothing to do with me and everything to do with my Jesus. I am broken and needy. But God loves me and sees me as precious. How amazing this beautiful grace. I am undone by it because I continue to fall short and God continues to forgive and love me.

10/18/13 Andres, Javier, Juanes and Ismael came into my room and all fell asleep with me in my bed. So adorable. Oh I loved that feeling of little ones all piled up.

10/22/13 It rained super hard last night which I absolutely loooove sleeping to. So amazingly beuatiful. Only July wet the bed last night which is awesome.

10/23/13 Woke up this morning singing praise. Oh how beautiful is my Savior and how in need of Him I am. Oh praise His holy name. Now to get Febe to finish her oatmeal in time for school. Let the breakfast war begin.

10/24/13 4 kids who didn't want to obey. A screaming Eli, July who didn't want to eat breakfast, Javier who threw his full cup of oatmeal against the wall and Juanes who got soaked playing with water. It was a few minutes of chaos.

10/25/13 Good morning until Andres pooped all over the floor. Grody.  Still raining and I feel like Pooh bear keeping his honeypots dry but I'm keeping 10 kids dry and clothes from getting muddy.

10/30/13 Just woke up Febe and every morning the first thing she does is wrap her arms around my neck and gives me a kiss on the cheek. This morning she whispered "I love you". Awww my heart.

11/2/13 Didn't sleep last night because July's fever came back and she was up crying. So I finally just brought her to my bed at 4 am. But Eli saw and started crying and almost screaming until I finally calmed her down and got her back to sleep.

11/4/13 I had a little boy aske me, "Can I ask you a question? Why are you so white?"

11/6/13 I scrubbed the bathrooms and also used the matchete to cut grass. So it was a morning with lots of muscles.

Lots of love from Bolivia! I will be sharing some more pieces from my journals soon! 

~Lily and the kiddos

Smile because were alive

I am in La Paz for a few days to finish up the visa process. It is definitely a process and I am so excited to wrap up all the paperwork! 

Sometimes it hits me how crazy my life is. God has brought me so far since I was a little girl wishing for 100 children. His faithfulness and timing is perfect every time. 

There are days where my energy is completely used up. I lay all the kids down for bed, give kisses, sing a goodnight song or tell a story, tuck them in again after they go to the bathroom for the 3rd time and then the house is silent. That is when there is still the dinner dishes to wash, school uniforms and lots of little socks to wash by hand, a house to straighten up and clean and lots of older kids who drop by every night to talk. And finally after the last conversation ends, I crawl into bed and am asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. 

But I wouldn´t change it for anything. 

I want to use up my life loving and serving and LIVING because it is so short.

Was so encouraged skyping my papa the other night as we talked about living JESUS. In every moment we LIVE Christ. Be it brushing little teeth, or folding clothes or just sitting and talking we can glorify God with every moment we have here on this earth. 

We are travelers. This world isn´t our home. But we were given this time as a gift. So enjoy your life. Try new things, have adventures and praise God for every new day you are given. Live and use up your life for Jesus.

The kids here make fun of me and tell me that I smile too much. That makes me smile more. I can never smile too much. I want to be filled with joy at each and every thing. Because all I know and all I have and all I am is a gift and a blessing.

Much love from Bolivia,

Lily Fluharty

What's my life?

I have a day off today. A day to rest and be quiet and hear silence. A day to recharge. A day to rest. Been learning so much about resting. Which makes me smile even writing that because here in Bolivia I am so very busy.

9 of the kiddos in my home

6:00 my alarm rings and then it is nonstop. 

Kiddos to wake up and sometimes bathe, pijamas and dirty sheets to wash, a house to clean, hair to put into little pigtails,  breakfast to make, dirty faces to wash, getting them of to Kindergarten, playing and dealing with tiny fights, lunchtime, getting the 2 boys off to Kindergarten, more clothes to wash, fingernails to clip, lice to look for and kill, children to play with and sing with and talk with, a MOUNTAIN of clothes to fold each day (haha this never ends), more children to bathe, eating dinner, singing songs and reading Bible stories, tucking little ones into bed and kissing them goodnight... Then the house to straighten up, dishes to wash, talking and laughing with the other Tia and finally crashing into bed. 

My 5 boys

And in all of this I am learning to rest. To rest in God. Because in the midst of all the chaos and the activity I am His and He is mine. I am complete in Christ. I am going to mess up, get frustrated with any number of little things, or respond poorly or lose my patience but I know that I am forgiven. I am loved. And in that love I can rest. And because of that love I can love.

It fills me with so much joy! And it also fills me with so much energy to continue loving and serving and living here with my 10 little crazies because I know that each day that I have here is a gift and is part of God's plan for me. So I rest in His plan. I don't have to worry about tomorrow because I know that God will be with me tomorrow!

Isn't that amazing!?

Lolina, the newest little one in Casa de Esperanza

The other night one of the older girls ended up crying to me and told me that she is so tired of feeling alone and lost. As we sat talking I shared with her that God has a plan for her. We don't know what plans God has for us. It could be something big and amazing or something small and simple. We don't have to know the details. But His plan is that we live with Him. We live with Him and FOR Him. 

The boys here looooove Lecrae and one of his songs goes "What's my life if it's not praising you?"

I want my life to SING praises to Jesus. Because without Him I am nothing.

Please continue praying for these children! Especially be praying for the older kids!

Much love and blessings from Bolivia!

~Lily

Moments

I have spent so many moments here in Bolivia.

Some moments, I am filled with joy and want to dance and sing
and I can't stop smiling. The kids here make fun of me because
I smile and when I start smiling I can't stop. There is now the
"Lily smile" here where the kids smile as BIG as they can. :)
There are so many moments where I get jumped on and a little
one gives me a bear hug. I can't tell you how many times I laugh
so hard I want to cry. These children are HILARIOUS. What they
say and think literally makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts.
A joyful heart is good medicine.

Some moments are hard. When I have 9 little ones running around,
one crying, two arguing, another asking for water please, and five
trying to tell me five different stories all at the same time. There are
times where the little ones have a hard time obeying and they have
melt downs and are stubborn. There are times where I run out of
energy and fall short. There are times where I feel discouraged.
But God is bigger than my shortcomings.

There are moments where I am filled with peace. When I kiss fuzzy
little heads goodnight and they whisper "Tia Lily, I love you" and
won't sleep until they give me a goodnight kiss my heart swells.
When one of the older kids comes to talk and confides in me and my
heart breaks for what they have been through. When Peniel wraps her
little hands around my neck and when July reaches up and tightens my
grip around her little hand. I love these children so much. They very
quickly wiggled their way into my heart.

It will be 2 years in February since I first came to Bolivia. Two years
with children whom God has placed on my heart ever since I was little.
It is amazing to see how He works and leads and prepares us to do His
will.

Please continue praying for these children and also for the staff. It is a lot
of work raising 67 children plus all the children of the staff. Lots of
people in our family. God is so good and I am so amazed as He works
here each new day.

Blessings and love from Bolivia,

~Lily

Precious in His sight

Picture post of 2 of my 9. 

Amazing how much these kids wiggle into my heart. Love them!

Juanes

Elisabet

Be praying for Elisabet. She comes from a very abusive background and is struggling as she learns how to obey and respect others and love. Beautiful girl with a beautiful little heart. May God touch and heal the scars. We are precious in His sight!

~Lily

Filled with joy

How has over a month passed since I returned to Bolivia???

It's been filled with...

Caring for 9 little ones and loving 67 more!

My Bolivian family :)

-early mornings and sleepy faces
-cutting 90 tiny finger and toe nails
-Lots of hugs and kisses each day
-learning how to be patient and laugh
-hearing "Tia Lily" thousands of times each day
-keeping a clean house :) Not easy with little ones
-washing many clothes by hand
-bathing little ones each day
-night time devotions and singing "Jesus loves me" in English
-playing soccer with the older kids
-piojos ;)
-spanish praise music and dancing at night with the kiddos
-the goodnight routine which involves kisses from all my little men
-laughter and me not being able to stop smiling

It has been an amazing month. God is at work here at Casa de Esperanza and I have been blown away at the multiple opportunities to share with the older kids.

God continues to teach me to REST in Him because He has accomplished all things. To rest in His love and joy and to trust His PERFECT plan. Amazed by His goodness to me!

Also welcome to another new little one. Lolina is 4 years old and was living with an elderly grandfather. She cannot walk or talk and we are praying that God would heal her little body. Beautiful smile and beautiful eyes. And the best giggle.

Thank you for your prayers and love! Blessings from Bolivia!

~Lily

Beautiful pain

Two weeks ago I met little July. The newest little one in my house. Two years old with big beautiful eyes. Two days ago, I met her elderly grandfather who stopped by to hug and kiss on July. He asked me over and over again to take good care of her because she is the only thing he has left.

Her story breaks my heart. Her mother was raped and gave birth to little July at the age of 12. Two years later, her mother killed herself. And the grandfather brought little July to Casa de Esperanza knowing that he could not care for her the way she needs to be cared for. His love for his granddaughter amazes me. 

Beautiful July is slowly starting to open up. She smiles and laughs more and comes over every few minutes for a hug or a kiss. I love it when she starts singing in her little voice. 

When I look at her my heart breaks. It breaks for the young mother that had no hope. It breaks for the grandfather who gave up who was most precious to him so that she could grow and be safe and cared for. My heart breaks for little July who has gone through so much at such a young age.

But I am reminded of God's love for us in all of the pain and hurt. There is much sin in this world but God is with us in it. We only need to cry out to Him. There is HOPE in Jesus. And life.

Just as July's grandfather gave her up, God also gave up His son. He did it for OUR good. So that we could have life and be safe and be cared for. And that no matter what we go through, we are never alone.

It's painful. It's beautiful.

This life isn't easy. There are things that we cannot understand. But we can trust God with them.

Many blessings from Bolivia. 

~Lily Fluharty