Monday, November 8, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Azucena
As most of you know, we want Azucena to come home with us to study in the States. Over the years, we have watched her grown, not only in stature, but in knowledge & especially in her English skills.
This year, we started praying for God to open the doors for her to come to our home.
There are many steps to this process.
The first, the judge had to approve her leaving Emmanuel to come live with us.
This took many days & many Moon Pies to get the approval. Several of the staff members her at Emmanuel had a part in this step. Katja, completed all of the paperwork & even went before the judge herself to speak on part of Azucena. Azucena told the judge her wishes & her mother signed off on approval. But the funniest part was the part that Moon Pies played in this step. Emmanuel is located in Guaimaca, Honduras. The former mayor of Guaimaca, Don Hector, went before the judge. The judge was more happy when Don Hector gave him Moon Pies than any other thing that was spoken. It is funny what God will use for His good. Moon Pies of all things.
The second step, Passport. Once the judge's order was in hand, Azucena went to get her passport. Wonderful Don Hector took her to get her passport.That went off without a hitch.
The next big & major step, Student Visa. We completed all paperwork & paid all fees on-line. The visa appointment was set for Wednesday, July 21st at 7:30 AM at the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa. David & Lydia, the founders of Orphanage Emmanuel, picked up Brent, Azucena & me at 5:30 AM. From what we understood, we had to be in line at 7:30 AM in order to be allowed in the Embassy. Due to heavy traffic, we arrived at 7:40 AM. To say the least, I was a little worried. However God is good. I kept telling myself, that He has brought us so far, that how could He stops us at this point. The guards allowed us in line & about 15 minutes later, we entered the Embassy. The first stop was with a clerk that checked to see if we had all of the right paperwork: passport, SEVIS fee confirmation, Embassy appt ticket & I-20. We did & Azucena was fingerprinted.
We then went to a large waiting room. I was thankful we had chairs to sit in cause I knew it would be a while before we were seen. While we waited, I constantly prayed. Finally, it was our time. All of us, Azucena, David & Lydia, Brent & myself went to the window. The clerk first said, "Oh my, who are all you people?" David explained that he & Lydia were the Legal Guardians of Azucena & that Brent & I were her sponsors.
At that point, Lydia & I went to wait in another room. About 15 minutes, we heard the good news. Azucena visa was approved for 5 years! We thought that it would only be approved for 1 year due to the judge stated that she has to come back in one year for him to reapprove her status.
What a sigh of relief! I wanted to shout but felt that would not be appropriate in the Embassy. Everyone was happy. I could feel God's hand all over this process. Many people were praying. Many that we know but many that we didn't.
Once we left the Embassy, Azucena wanted to go to Pizza Hut for lunch. What a good celebration meal.
We will leave Emmanuel early Friday morning, to pick up the Visa at the Embassy at 8:00 AM. Then off to immigration at the airport. We have to go through immigration in Honduras as well as in the Atlanta airport. Two more steps, them home to Flintstone GA. I can't wait!
The real fun begins getting her ready for school. School starts in about 2 1/2 weeks.
Yikes - but this is what it is all about. Giving a child a better chance at life by helping her study in the States.
I will end by giving praise to God. I am grateful that He is allowing Brent & I to have a daughter & Josh to have a sister. God is truly good. Praise be to Him!
Until next time,
Bettye
This year, we started praying for God to open the doors for her to come to our home.
There are many steps to this process.
The first, the judge had to approve her leaving Emmanuel to come live with us.
This took many days & many Moon Pies to get the approval. Several of the staff members her at Emmanuel had a part in this step. Katja, completed all of the paperwork & even went before the judge herself to speak on part of Azucena. Azucena told the judge her wishes & her mother signed off on approval. But the funniest part was the part that Moon Pies played in this step. Emmanuel is located in Guaimaca, Honduras. The former mayor of Guaimaca, Don Hector, went before the judge. The judge was more happy when Don Hector gave him Moon Pies than any other thing that was spoken. It is funny what God will use for His good. Moon Pies of all things.
The second step, Passport. Once the judge's order was in hand, Azucena went to get her passport. Wonderful Don Hector took her to get her passport.That went off without a hitch.
The next big & major step, Student Visa. We completed all paperwork & paid all fees on-line. The visa appointment was set for Wednesday, July 21st at 7:30 AM at the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa. David & Lydia, the founders of Orphanage Emmanuel, picked up Brent, Azucena & me at 5:30 AM. From what we understood, we had to be in line at 7:30 AM in order to be allowed in the Embassy. Due to heavy traffic, we arrived at 7:40 AM. To say the least, I was a little worried. However God is good. I kept telling myself, that He has brought us so far, that how could He stops us at this point. The guards allowed us in line & about 15 minutes later, we entered the Embassy. The first stop was with a clerk that checked to see if we had all of the right paperwork: passport, SEVIS fee confirmation, Embassy appt ticket & I-20. We did & Azucena was fingerprinted.
We then went to a large waiting room. I was thankful we had chairs to sit in cause I knew it would be a while before we were seen. While we waited, I constantly prayed. Finally, it was our time. All of us, Azucena, David & Lydia, Brent & myself went to the window. The clerk first said, "Oh my, who are all you people?" David explained that he & Lydia were the Legal Guardians of Azucena & that Brent & I were her sponsors.
At that point, Lydia & I went to wait in another room. About 15 minutes, we heard the good news. Azucena visa was approved for 5 years! We thought that it would only be approved for 1 year due to the judge stated that she has to come back in one year for him to reapprove her status.
What a sigh of relief! I wanted to shout but felt that would not be appropriate in the Embassy. Everyone was happy. I could feel God's hand all over this process. Many people were praying. Many that we know but many that we didn't.
Once we left the Embassy, Azucena wanted to go to Pizza Hut for lunch. What a good celebration meal.
We will leave Emmanuel early Friday morning, to pick up the Visa at the Embassy at 8:00 AM. Then off to immigration at the airport. We have to go through immigration in Honduras as well as in the Atlanta airport. Two more steps, them home to Flintstone GA. I can't wait!
The real fun begins getting her ready for school. School starts in about 2 1/2 weeks.
Yikes - but this is what it is all about. Giving a child a better chance at life by helping her study in the States.
I will end by giving praise to God. I am grateful that He is allowing Brent & I to have a daughter & Josh to have a sister. God is truly good. Praise be to Him!
Until next time,
Bettye
Projects
I typically blog everyday while on a mission trip. This time I will just give a synopsis of our trip.
The ladies started every day by heading to the clinic. Sara & Rebekah along with Hayley, a volunteer, were the nurses. Rhonda & Wanda checked the "patients" in by finding their picture in a large book filled with every child here at Emmanuel. Sometimes that was hard to do because some children would only know their first name and usually that was a middle name. Once the child's name & date of birth was placed on a check-up form, me or Elizabeth would get their current height & weight then we would ship them off to Sara & Rebekah.They did a full spectrum of test. The repetitive issues was ear wax build-up or fungus on the feet. Nothing major, just a little cleaning.
We had fun seeing the kids and they seemed to enjoy the personal one-on-one time.
The guys were on the fix-it crew. They checked every house. Their main project was plumbing. They fixed countless toilets & sinks. Josh said that they found all sorts of stuff in the sink drain. YUCK!
These are the main projects of the week. Our teams time here at Emmanuel seemed to rush by, as it always does each year. Our team had a great time of ministering here & bonding together to serve our Lord in the wonderful place.
Until next time,
Bettye
The ladies started every day by heading to the clinic. Sara & Rebekah along with Hayley, a volunteer, were the nurses. Rhonda & Wanda checked the "patients" in by finding their picture in a large book filled with every child here at Emmanuel. Sometimes that was hard to do because some children would only know their first name and usually that was a middle name. Once the child's name & date of birth was placed on a check-up form, me or Elizabeth would get their current height & weight then we would ship them off to Sara & Rebekah.They did a full spectrum of test. The repetitive issues was ear wax build-up or fungus on the feet. Nothing major, just a little cleaning.
We had fun seeing the kids and they seemed to enjoy the personal one-on-one time.
The guys were on the fix-it crew. They checked every house. Their main project was plumbing. They fixed countless toilets & sinks. Josh said that they found all sorts of stuff in the sink drain. YUCK!
These are the main projects of the week. Our teams time here at Emmanuel seemed to rush by, as it always does each year. Our team had a great time of ministering here & bonding together to serve our Lord in the wonderful place.
Until next time,
Bettye
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Day Three - Work Day
Today is the first of many work days here at Orphanage Emmanuel. The men headed out to the boys side to work on some pluming. Josh & Todd worked on showers while Tommy worked on plumbing under a sink. Brent was what you would call the assistant or gopher. The ladies worked in the clinic. In the morning, we worked with the toddlers. They are so precious any very good while being poked & prodded. Most didn't cry & sat very still especially when they saw the bon-bon (lollipop) they would get for being good. School is not in session on Monday afternoon so we worked with boys from the yard right below the clinic. They all wanted to be picked.
The ladies work crew consisted of 1 nurse, Sarah, 1 nursing student, Rebekah, transportation ladies, Hayley & Elizabeth, Rhonda & Wanda helped with figuring out the kids name & putting it on the assessment sheet and I helped with measuring height & weight. We had a nice little assembly line.
Before the afternoon work began, Brent & I went to see if Ana Yanci could go with us to the Teinda (store). She was busy making tortillas. I decided to try to my hand at making them. The first couple were not so good, but then a got the hang of it. I had to work quick to keep up Ana. It was fun. I think she really enjoyed having me in the kitchen with her.
We finished with the kids around 3:30 in the afternoon. Just in time to go to the children's Bible study. Some of us went down to the mid size girls Bible study. They were singing songs when we arrived. They sang all of the songs in Spanish of course but sang one song in English, "Open the Eyes of my Heart". It was glorious!
Can you hear this song by Michael W. Smith being sung by 30 small girls? It was like hearing 30 angels singing & praising God.
Once Bible study was done, we walked with the girls to their kitchen since it was their dinner time. After their dinner, they went to the gym to play. Josh & Rebekah went to the gym as well. The girls lined up for Josh to swing them in circles. When he took a break, a couple of the girls were wiping the sweat off of his forehead so he would cool down quicker & get back to swinging them.
At dinner, several of the team members had kids up to join us for dinner. I love watching the kids & team members interact. The kids soak up the attention & love every minute of it.
Once KP (kitchen duty) was done, a group of us started playing Phase 10. It was loads of fun & went on forever so we called it quit until another night.
The best part of the day was learning that Azucena had received her passport. She was very excited. The next step is to get her student visa. I am definitely praying without ceasing for Azucena.
It will be interesting to see how God will answer the prayer that is on my heart.
Until next time,
Bettye
The ladies work crew consisted of 1 nurse, Sarah, 1 nursing student, Rebekah, transportation ladies, Hayley & Elizabeth, Rhonda & Wanda helped with figuring out the kids name & putting it on the assessment sheet and I helped with measuring height & weight. We had a nice little assembly line.
Before the afternoon work began, Brent & I went to see if Ana Yanci could go with us to the Teinda (store). She was busy making tortillas. I decided to try to my hand at making them. The first couple were not so good, but then a got the hang of it. I had to work quick to keep up Ana. It was fun. I think she really enjoyed having me in the kitchen with her.
We finished with the kids around 3:30 in the afternoon. Just in time to go to the children's Bible study. Some of us went down to the mid size girls Bible study. They were singing songs when we arrived. They sang all of the songs in Spanish of course but sang one song in English, "Open the Eyes of my Heart". It was glorious!
Can you hear this song by Michael W. Smith being sung by 30 small girls? It was like hearing 30 angels singing & praising God.
Once Bible study was done, we walked with the girls to their kitchen since it was their dinner time. After their dinner, they went to the gym to play. Josh & Rebekah went to the gym as well. The girls lined up for Josh to swing them in circles. When he took a break, a couple of the girls were wiping the sweat off of his forehead so he would cool down quicker & get back to swinging them.
At dinner, several of the team members had kids up to join us for dinner. I love watching the kids & team members interact. The kids soak up the attention & love every minute of it.
Once KP (kitchen duty) was done, a group of us started playing Phase 10. It was loads of fun & went on forever so we called it quit until another night.
The best part of the day was learning that Azucena had received her passport. She was very excited. The next step is to get her student visa. I am definitely praying without ceasing for Azucena.
It will be interesting to see how God will answer the prayer that is on my heart.
Until next time,
Bettye
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Day Two - The Lord's Day
It was so refreshing to wake up at Emmanuel on the Lord's Day. There is such a sweet spirit here. We had breakfast then headed to the church for a great service. I love hearing the kids sing praises to God. It refreshes my soul.
Brent preached a message about commitment, confidence & courage in the Lord. It is a different experience for him preaching here since he has to preach with a translator. He does a great job & God blesses in the service.
After church, we hung out with the kids before lunch. Josh & I went to the yard with Azucena. I so enjoyed watching the team members interact with the kids. It is such a blessing.
Let me take a minute to tell you about Azucena. We are attempting to get Azucena to the States to live with us & study. To date, the Honduran judge has approved her to apply for her passport. On Monday, July 12th, she will go to get her passport. Then once that is approved, she will go to the bank to pay for her visa appointment. Then Lord willing she can come home with us. I will update as each step is approved.
After lunch, we said good-bye to Dunia. She had to catch a bus back to Tegu since she has school Monday morning. Josh & Rebekah walked her to the front gate. It is very sweet to see the girls look up to Josh as their big brother.
Once we said good-bye, Wade took us on a tour of Emmanuel. Even though I have been her several times, I enjoyed hearing about the different parts of Emmanuel from someone who serves God here full-time. The staff really loves the Lord & wants to truly honor God in all areas of Emmanuel. During our tour, a nice little rain shower came just as we were pulling up at the Teinda. We enjoyed a delicious drink during the hard but fast rain shower. Once the rain let up, we loaded back up to finish our tour.
After the tour, we all seemed to scatter to different parts of Emmanuel. Brent went to see Ana Yansi. I met with Katja to discuss the plans for the ladies for this week. Josh went to the boys yard. After my meeting with Katja, I went to see Ana. She was working hard in the kitchen of the younger girls. Ana had told Brent earlier that she was not going to join us for dinner. I talked to her. Told her that I was sorry I had not been to see her until so late in the afternoon and gave her lots of hugs & encouragement. She seemed to perk up & agreed to join us for dinner.
At dinner, we had the volunteer staff & some kids join us for Loaded Nachos. There seemed to be a record number of volunteers. We were unsure if we would have enough food but trusted God that he would make a meal that was planned for 35 stretch to 50. It was like watching the Bible story of the Loaves & Fish play out in front of us. We had plenty of food and even some leftovers. God does provide.
After dinner, Josh, Rebekah, Elizabeth & Todd played Ninja with some of the volunteer staff. I might be getting old, but I had a good time watching them play this funny & interesting game. All of these 20 something kids had a great time fellowshipping in a beautiful godly atmosphere.
It is getting late and I'm tired after a long & fun day.
Tomorrow the real work begins.
Until next time,
Bettye
Brent preached a message about commitment, confidence & courage in the Lord. It is a different experience for him preaching here since he has to preach with a translator. He does a great job & God blesses in the service.
After church, we hung out with the kids before lunch. Josh & I went to the yard with Azucena. I so enjoyed watching the team members interact with the kids. It is such a blessing.
Let me take a minute to tell you about Azucena. We are attempting to get Azucena to the States to live with us & study. To date, the Honduran judge has approved her to apply for her passport. On Monday, July 12th, she will go to get her passport. Then once that is approved, she will go to the bank to pay for her visa appointment. Then Lord willing she can come home with us. I will update as each step is approved.
After lunch, we said good-bye to Dunia. She had to catch a bus back to Tegu since she has school Monday morning. Josh & Rebekah walked her to the front gate. It is very sweet to see the girls look up to Josh as their big brother.
Once we said good-bye, Wade took us on a tour of Emmanuel. Even though I have been her several times, I enjoyed hearing about the different parts of Emmanuel from someone who serves God here full-time. The staff really loves the Lord & wants to truly honor God in all areas of Emmanuel. During our tour, a nice little rain shower came just as we were pulling up at the Teinda. We enjoyed a delicious drink during the hard but fast rain shower. Once the rain let up, we loaded back up to finish our tour.
After the tour, we all seemed to scatter to different parts of Emmanuel. Brent went to see Ana Yansi. I met with Katja to discuss the plans for the ladies for this week. Josh went to the boys yard. After my meeting with Katja, I went to see Ana. She was working hard in the kitchen of the younger girls. Ana had told Brent earlier that she was not going to join us for dinner. I talked to her. Told her that I was sorry I had not been to see her until so late in the afternoon and gave her lots of hugs & encouragement. She seemed to perk up & agreed to join us for dinner.
At dinner, we had the volunteer staff & some kids join us for Loaded Nachos. There seemed to be a record number of volunteers. We were unsure if we would have enough food but trusted God that he would make a meal that was planned for 35 stretch to 50. It was like watching the Bible story of the Loaves & Fish play out in front of us. We had plenty of food and even some leftovers. God does provide.
After dinner, Josh, Rebekah, Elizabeth & Todd played Ninja with some of the volunteer staff. I might be getting old, but I had a good time watching them play this funny & interesting game. All of these 20 something kids had a great time fellowshipping in a beautiful godly atmosphere.
It is getting late and I'm tired after a long & fun day.
Tomorrow the real work begins.
Until next time,
Bettye
Day One - Travel Day
The Lord gave us a safe journey to Orphanage Emmanuel in Guaimaca, Honduras.
Travel day is always tiring but well worth the long trip. We slept for only a few hours before heading to Atlanta to catch a flight to Tegucigalpa. It was great to be greeted at the airport by familiar faces. Wade, Lourdes, Xiomara, Mario and Dunia were all waiting for us. Dunia traveled to Emmanuel to stay with us for the night.
The trip usually takes a couple of hours to drive the 60 mile trip from the airport to OE but it took a little longer due to the bad condition of the roads. To say it was a bumpy ride is an understatement.
As soon as we arrived at Emmanuel, we dropped our bags and headed to find our special kids. We saw Azucena first then we went to the kitchen where Ana was working. It is always great to wrap my arms around these wonderful girls.
After a great meal, we headed to bed early. We need some rest before we started a busy week serving God in this glorious place.
God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
Until next time,
Bettye
Travel day is always tiring but well worth the long trip. We slept for only a few hours before heading to Atlanta to catch a flight to Tegucigalpa. It was great to be greeted at the airport by familiar faces. Wade, Lourdes, Xiomara, Mario and Dunia were all waiting for us. Dunia traveled to Emmanuel to stay with us for the night.
The trip usually takes a couple of hours to drive the 60 mile trip from the airport to OE but it took a little longer due to the bad condition of the roads. To say it was a bumpy ride is an understatement.
As soon as we arrived at Emmanuel, we dropped our bags and headed to find our special kids. We saw Azucena first then we went to the kitchen where Ana was working. It is always great to wrap my arms around these wonderful girls.
After a great meal, we headed to bed early. We need some rest before we started a busy week serving God in this glorious place.
God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
Until next time,
Bettye
Friday, July 9, 2010
Getting it all togther. (T-minus One)
I can't believe it. It is time once again to head to the country of Honduras. God has blessed my family so we can serve God together once again at Orphanage Emmanuel.
The past couple of trips, our son, Josh, has not been able to travel with me & my husband, Brent.
I am excited that not only Josh is going with us but his wonderful girlfriend, Rebekah, is going as well. It will be fun to watch Josh share this special place with Rebekah.
Today, Satan is trying to hinder us from going. Our church van has broken down on the interstate as a group from our church is on their way back from a mission trip in Virginia. While that was happening, Josh's girlfriend, Rebekah, could not find her passport. So I called my aunt to start praying. She was with the group in the broken down van. They couldn't be traveling down the road but they sure could pray. God is in the details. He fixed the church van so our group could use it to go to the airport & Rebekah found her passport.
I can't wait to see what blessings God has in store for me & my family.
I'm praying that God will provide for all of needs as we travel to this foreign land to serve Him.
We leave tomorrow morning bright and early. YEAH!
Until next time,
Bettye
The past couple of trips, our son, Josh, has not been able to travel with me & my husband, Brent.
I am excited that not only Josh is going with us but his wonderful girlfriend, Rebekah, is going as well. It will be fun to watch Josh share this special place with Rebekah.
Today, Satan is trying to hinder us from going. Our church van has broken down on the interstate as a group from our church is on their way back from a mission trip in Virginia. While that was happening, Josh's girlfriend, Rebekah, could not find her passport. So I called my aunt to start praying. She was with the group in the broken down van. They couldn't be traveling down the road but they sure could pray. God is in the details. He fixed the church van so our group could use it to go to the airport & Rebekah found her passport.
I can't wait to see what blessings God has in store for me & my family.
I'm praying that God will provide for all of needs as we travel to this foreign land to serve Him.
We leave tomorrow morning bright and early. YEAH!
Until next time,
Bettye
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