Sunday at Emmanuel

This has been a huge day, lots done, and so many blessings!

The morning starts with the worship service at church about 8:45.  There was no water and so there were no showers!  We did a quick once over with some baby wipes and dressed for church!  Of course, everyone else here, 500 plus kids and all the staff, were also in the same situation!  

The lack of water didn't seem to put a big dent in the kids attitudes.  The younger children went to the gymnasium for their service and the older kids to the church. They were orderly, in their best dress, and full of big smiles!

It was so beautiful to see the Christmas tree is up in the sanctuary.  The music with all the young people singing was fantastic!

A staff couple had there new 15 day old baby dedicated during the service.

We had special prayer for two staff families who are recently pregnant.

We welcomed and prayed for some new children who have arrived from another orphanage.

This orphanage was destroyed in a fire and so the children are being placed in other facilities around the country. Unfortunately, it was probably a good thing that the facility burnt as many of the children being moved are in bad shape showing signs of malnutrition and other problems. Most of them are very easy to pick out from the children at Emmanuel who look so healthy! So far, Emmanuel's has received about 55 new children and a bus left today for another 20 or whatever the Lord has for them.

After the service we socialized outside the church with staff and the kids.

Sheily, Ellen and Ruth

I brought my balloon bag along and so started a period of trying to make balloons faster than the kids piled into line... impossible. The kids love getting a balloon dog or flower or sword or whatever!

For some, watching an intense experience as the balloons are twisted near the point of popping!

Of course, once one special request is made, like this heart, then everybody waiting wants a heart!

I had to turne the balloon bag over to Ellen so that I could go help Wade, the director, hunt down the water problem! This really made me kind of chuckle as I really thought we would just be 'visiting' this weekend and not jumping into 'maintenance work' which I often help with during short term trips.  Of course, plumbing is one thing I can do well, have done a bunch of at Emmanuel, and he needed help.  While Wade and I traveled in one direction, there were other staff also searching through the grounds for possible problems.  We ran all over, fixed some leaks, found that the pumps had tripped off,  and now there's water!!  PTL!!

After the plumbing and lunch, we picked up our sponsor child, Ruth, and her brother, Ariel, and brought them back to sit out on the porch of the Dental Clinic for food and games.

We had to start with the ice cream bars as they were melting fast!

We moved on to playing multiple games of Mexican Train, and eating chips and churitos (fried pork skin), as well as drinking a three liter bottle of coke. I thought we had more than enough food, and I think it was sufficient, but they chowed and there were no leftovers! Did I say it was a 3 liter bottle of coke?!!  Very fun!

After the food was gone and the game over, we took an ice cream bar we had saved in the freezer to their older brother Jairo. These are sweet kids, they are very tender together, and their parents are both living, but they have to be at Emmanuel's because home is not a safe place.

Praise the Lord for His provision of a refuge for these children in Honduras to be clothed, fed, cared for, and daily guided in Biblical truth! Not all the kids here are saved but they certainly have opportunities to make that decision!

Ellen & Sheily

"As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him."

2Sam 22:31