Our Side of the Red Wall

This week was Camp Varones (Boy's camp).

The Varones are all of the boys, ages 11-17 who live on our side of the red wall.  The wall divides the children's home(Fundacion Salvacion) into two parts so that the boys can be locked away from the other kids at night.  Guatemalan law requires us to separate the older boys because of the potential threat of sexual deviance due to their past trauma and abuse.  Some of the boys in this age group have avoided the stigma of living behind the red wall because they were taken in by a couple of the house parents on the other side.  But sixteen young men remain on this side, waiting for the chance to have parents.

Fundacion Salvacion came under the directorship of Story International only a few years ago, and in that time they began implementing the "house parent" model, meaning taking smallish to medium-sized groups of kids and raising them under the care of a foster parent (or parents).  Currently at the Fundacion we only have three full-time house parents units, leaving four groupings of children without true family-style care.  One of those groups is the varones.

So, in response to this need, we had Camp Varones-- a dedicated week of eating meals, doing chores, playing sports, and hanging out, to help us gain an accurate assessment each of the boy's needs, and formulate a plan for the future.

And let me tell you:  It.  Was.  Awesome.

Mealtimes were a joy, laughing at all of their jokes and sharing devotions together each morning.  Afternoons were spent playing soccer, cleaning up the massive storage building, and winding down each evening for creative journalling and dinner.  The boys responded so well to us and were thrilled to be eating on their own, away from the noise of the main dining hall.  All week Dave and I prayed for God to reveal to us a plan for the future.

Finally, on Friday, we prayed again, and in an instant, God downloaded to us an idea for separating the varones into three groups.  We'd throw up a wall in the middle of the current varon bedroom to make two smaller apartments, and take the third group into our house.  One of the maintenance guys on staff had already approached us with a desire to house-parent the boys-- and it turned out that our director already had someone in mind for the third house parent.

And just like that, we went from an institution-setting, to making plans for three little homes.  The plan is that each room will have it's own bathroom, bedroom, and living area with a table for meals (which will be brought from the main kitchen).  Maybe in the future we could even get a couch or two for each house so that they will have a private area to hang out as a "family".  Each room will have five boys and a full-time house parent.  The boys will have loving, personal attention at last.    

For us, we will be welcoming six boys to live with us.  We will tell them tonight at dinner.

I am reminded of a dream that I had about a year ago.  I dreamed that I was standing on a stage, with a line up of handsome, well-dressed young men beside me.  I couldn't see their faces, or even see how many there were, but in my dream I wept, because I knew that they were my sons, and I was so proud and thankful to be their mother.  When I awoke from the dream, I knew it was from God, but I had no idea how he would possibly fulfill it.

God has answered my prayers and fulfilled His promise to me.  Every tear I cried and every prayer I prayed brought me here.

I have finally found my children.  

 "Then you will say in your heart,

    ‘Who bore me these?
I was bereaved and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.
    Who brought these up?
I was left all alone,
    but these—where have they come from?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.
23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
    those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

      ---- Isaiah 49:21-23  (My favorite chapter of the Bible)

The Long Way Around

I knew I would marry my husband before we met.  We exchanged emails for a couple weeks before meeting, and in those messages he told me of his love for children and missions.  Once we were dating, we spent hours walking and planning of all the children we'd have and the ones we'd adopt.  Our love was built on a mutual desire to raise children.

Once engaged, we planned a May wedding-- then moved it up to February when we found out about an opening for houseparents at a children's home in Mexico.  We knew what we wanted to do and we were in a rush to get there.  A few months after our wedding we headed to Guatemala for language school, enroute to Mexico.

Then, I had (what I thought was) a miscarriage.

And with that, everything changed.  The confidence I'd held in my calling to work at a children's home was wrenched from my grasp in the wake of the pain of infertility.  It hurt to see pregnant women, especially teenage moms.  It hurt to see other people's children, while we were waiting for one of our own.  The idea of being around a bunch of kids a children's home felt like salt in the wound.

Since then, we have almost become house parents three times, tried to adopt for years, and been through multiple other fertility treatments.  In all of it, the pain, the changes, the many moves that have taken us to new houses, cities, and countries-- God has been working in our hearts.  And in His unfailing love, He has been patient with us as we grieved the loss of fertility, and even the loss of adoption (as we've gone through years of waiting for Guatemalan paperwork to qualify us to apply for adoption).  It has been a painful process of relinquishing control over the deepest desire of our hearts.

On Saturday we are moving to a children's home in a city in northern-western Guatemala.  We will be helping to raise 93 children and teens (+ Z, of course).  Arriving at this point has taken almost ten years, but we recognize all that God has done during that time, and how much better prepared we are now than we would have been when we were first married.

We took the long way around, but we've finally found our way home.

He's in the Waiting

We are all waiting for something. 

For me, it’s the wait for a baby.  We have waited for years, and as much as we have healed from the original trauma of being diagnosed as infertile, it still hurts.  The longing doesn’t go away, and the grief stays with me.  Some, with only the best intentions to try to end my pain, have suggested that I stop waiting, stop wanting, stop praying for healing.

This week I waited for another woman’s baby.  As she battled through each of her difficult contractions and the hours began to pile up, the baby stayed hidden within.  Her husband and I supported her as she fought and breathed.  The midwife assured her that progress was happening, but it was not until the moment of birth that we had the proof.  It would have been easy to get discouraged, but instead my friend repeated, “I can do this.  I will see my baby today.” 

Watching her labour I rediscovered my own courage to fight for my children.  Though they are hidden from me, they are no less real.  I am battling for them in the spiritual realm.  My prayers are not unanswered.  Every one is heard and remembered.  My Heavenly Father holds my hands and looks lovingly into my face as I labour to bring them home.  He has not forgotten me.

Maybe you are like me, waiting for something that seems to be taking too long to come.  You’re weary from the battle.  You feel like you have prayed the same prayer over and over—without visible results.  The baby seems stuck and you are worried that you will be in labour forever. 

Take courage, my friend.  Your prayers are doing in the spiritual realm what we may only be able to see in the triumphant moment of birth. 

He’s in the waiting. 

My Mom, the International Traveller

My parents.  September 2016

My parents don't travel.

Ever.

Even if their daughter became a missionary and raised their grandson in a different country.  They don't travel.  They'll fork out the money to bring us home for a visit and rent us a great apartment to stay in during our visit.  They'll heavily support us each month.  They'll write us emails and buy us an Ipad so that we can use Facetime to talk to them.  All that and more, becuase they are amazing and generous parents.  My Mom and Dad are two of my very closest friends on the planet and we have a great relationship.

But they don't travel.  And since I live three countries away, this was becoming a problem.  I miss them.  Like, ALL the time.  And their grandson misses them.  They are the kind of parents who you want to have around all the time.  My dream life would involve living next door to them and having my mom help me homeschool Z.

I prayed for them to come visit.  I want to share my life with them and have them walk in my world for a while.  To take them to the market and see the sights and smells of a weekly grocery-shopping trip.  To chat beside the pila while I wash clothes by hand.  To take a walk around the Base and pray together in the prayer room.  For the whole three years that we've lived in Guatemala I have prayed for them to visit.

And then suddenly, unexpectedly, during a chat on Facebook, my mom announced that she'd started taking Spanish classes.  I thought this sounded like good news, and suggested again that she come down to visit to hone her skills.  To my shock and delight, she said she'd talk to my dad about it.

The next day, she wrote to say that since Dave will be in Canada for his sister's wedding in May, that she would travel back to Guatemala with him and spend a week with us!  My mom, travelling?  Apparently yes!  Z started making plans for all the toys he wants to show his Moma.

It feels like a miracle.  My beloved Mom is coming to visit me!  I miss her everyday, but during these few days in May we will be together.  We are so thankful and happy!  



 

The Prayer Room

The prayer room at the YWAM base is finally set up.  After 20+ months of pursuing this dream, we finally have a dedicated space for the purpose of prayer and intercession.  Thanks to the generous donations of a couple in the States we were able to purchase everything needed to create a comfortable place for people to join together to pray, or to talk with God on their own.  

Dave spends about half of his time in the prayer room, while I, meanwhile, am pursuing my writing and practicing hospitality by inviting dinner guests a few times a week.  I help out at the base, and at church, while also maintaining our home and home-schooling Z.  It’s a pleasantly-full life, bordering on too-busy.

There are always too many opportunities—good, ministry opportunities.  We are learning to jealously protect our prayer time, knowing that although there are dozens of other good things we could be doing, we would be ignoring God’s best.  All true fruitfulness flows out of intimacy with God, and my heart is consumed with desire to know His heart and to reach the lost from a place of fullness.  I want to be so filled up by His Spirit that His love spills out onto those around me. 

Too often I have tried to minister from a place of thirst.  I have not taken the time to be with my Lord, to hear His voice or experience His love for myself.  I am offering others a drink from an empty cup—and He offers us so much more than this. 

We cannot give what we do not have.  My heart’s cry is to be filled up with more of Jesus, that when I speak to others I would have a fresh word of encouragement and strength for them.  That when they meet me, they would encounter Jesus through me.  But without spending time in His presence, I can do nothing. 

It all starts with prayer. 

  

Prayer request board

Desk for creative intercession 

This is the only room in the base with a carpet-- so people can kneel or lay down when they're praying.  

House of Light

In the morning the light spills over the back wall of our house, filling the kitchen with a golden glow.  If I was to climb the stairs to hang the laundry I would see the sunrise crashing against the corner of the volcano and splaying into a million beautiful rays.  I prepare breakfast in my new kitchen and I feel a calm in my heart that has been missing for a long time.  

David leaves early to work at the YWAM base, and Z and I spend an hour or two at the kitchen table working on his schoolwork.  The neighborhood outside the front door is abuzz with the sounds of the carpenter shop next-door, the metal shop kitty-corner, and the children heading up the block to attend the school.  It's not quiet, but it's pleasant.  I feel surrounded by people.  

Z has begun to attend an afternoon program called Light House, which takes place twice a week in a building just down the road from our house.  He is loving having a special place to call "his own", and I am glad to see him growing in confidence.    

Dave has been given a room at the new YWAM base to use as the "House of Prayer".  He is thankful to be able to continue in his calling as an intercessor, as well as serving as kitchen manager.  His giftings are being utilized to the fullest, and he seems happy every day as he leaves for work.  

I am enjoying the routine of home-schooling every day, and having opportunity to spend time with friends almost every day.  Hosting dinners and chatting with friends over steamy cups of tea in the living room have taken the place of watching movies every night to avoid feeling lonely.  We've found a new church and been accepted immediately.  Dave and I were even able to go on a date, thanks to the amazing friends willing to take care of Z!  

It feels like real life.  It feels happy.  

Our house is filled with friends, and laughter, and plans for adopting in the next year or two, and, of course, non-stop episodes of Adventures in Odyssey (some things don't change).  I'm so thankful to be back in Antigua, I really am.  

As the house fills with morning light each day, the warmth reaches my heart, and I feel the love of my Heavenly Father for bringing us back to the place where we can be part of a community again.    

The Return

Sometimes things don't work out the way we plan.  Actually, that happens a lot of the time, and in those moments we have to trust that God will still take care of us and show us what to do.   

This is one of those times.

We have decided to leave Lake Atitlan and move back to Antigua.  

This decision didn't come easily for us-- we had a lot of dreams for what we hoped to accomplish with God at the lake.  We went back to Canada and told everyone we saw about our work and ministry of prayer.  We made display boards that were covered in pictures of blue water and colorful Mayan handicrafts.  It was epic.  We looked like really cool rural missionaries.  We were the kind of people I would have wanted to be when I was young.  

Now let me, Shawn, speak for only myself.  Dave is that epic missionary.  He deserves to have a book written about his ministry and devotion to prayer.  He's amazing. I am different than he is though, and my giftings and personality didn't mesh as well with the situation.  

The isolation was getting to me.  I was scared of the street dogs and didn't have many friends.  It was to the point that I was hardly willing to leave the house and I felt strangled by any unsolicited visitors that came to the house.  I was drowning in loneliness to the point of not wanting to be around people at all (as if that makes sense). 

 I wanted to be more like Dave.  Able to cope.  Thriving in the face of challenge.  But I couldn't.  

I prayed.  I cried.  I journaled, and wrote a novel, invited people over, and even forced myself to walk to the market when I was scared.  I wrote messages to myself on the white-board that said, "If you didn't leave today, you were a success".  I was burnt out.  I was unhappy and unaffective. 

While we were in Canada, I was a different person.  I was brave and vibrant and excited about life.  I stood in the middle of our apartment (that my parents had kindly rented for us) and told myself, "You should enjoy this month here because you aren't going to be happy again for a long time."  And yet, for Dave's sake, I agreed to go back to Lake Atitlan.  

So how did we get to finally making a decision?  I don't know exactly, but somewhere along the way to re-adjusting to life in Guatemala after our time in Canada, I looked at Dave and said, "I can't adopt children here.  I can hardly take care of myself here.  If having a big family is truly our greatest goal in life, we have to leave the lake."  To which my godly husband said, "Let's pray."  

And after a couple weeks of praying... we agreed, it was time to leave Lake Atitlan and build a more sustainable life in Antigua.  Dave could continue the prayer ministry as usual, just in a new location, and I could raise Z (and our future kids) in a situation that would afford me a community and support.

Four days after making that decision we found out we had only six days to complete our permanent residency application (or be stuck waiting four years more!)... we rushed to Guatemala City and miraculously were able to apply in-time!  We could feel God guiding us and advocating our cause.  In the same week we also found a house that will be perfect for our soon-to-be-growing family, and found a new church that welcomed us with open arms and powerful prayer support.  

... and that's my story.  Sometimes it doesn't work out the way we think it will, or the way we say it will or even how we print 700 brochures to explain how it will.  Life is messier than that, and sometimes it takes a bit too long for true feelings and needs to be addressed and discussed.  But in the end, God is still good, still in sovereign, still loving.  And I know that He goes with me.    

I am so thankful.

The front of our house (Zane with the Realtor)

The courtyard

Ashley showing off the kitchen-- a real sink????

The bathroom-- with a tub!  

Upstairs (two unfinished rooms and a patio up there)

Front door 

Front patio

View up the street