July 2013
Our family has
undergone a lot of changes lately, which has brought a lot of discussion about
what it means to be a family. In our
home, our family is constantly changing, with people coming and going, people
joining in different ways, and we don’t all speak the same language. In our
recent discussions about how we have such an odd family, we discussed how our
current family is more like the family of God. Thankfully, God doesn’t stick to
the standard of accepting only those who were born in, and He takes anyone in,
regardless of language or what they have to offer in return. It is interesting
how even most Christians are so skeptical about letting new people join their
families, and that adoption of anyone other than infants is pretty rare.
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| Eneyda |
 |
| Fatima |
 |
| Kellyn |
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| Jeffer |
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| All of us, minus Jeffer |
The other thing
that we have observed during this time is how even when a child is joining a
new family, and that family is offering something so much better than what they
are leaving behind, it is still difficult. There are always things to give up
when doing something new, and even when parents aren’t able to parent well, it
can still be difficult to leave them. Some of our kids have left really
unpleasant circumstances to live with us, but there are some things that they
struggle with. We have new rules to follow, and the way we do a lot of things
is odd to them. There are a lot of similarities to becoming a Christian.
Although the life that we can have with Christ is immeasurably better than a
life without Him, there are some things that we have to leave behind, and there
are usually changes that God convicts us to make, and that’s not easy even
though it’s totally worth it.
This summer has been a summer of struggles and lots of changes. We had 3 mission teams come to help with some much needed construction projects in our neighborhood, and they also allowed us to make some much needed changes in our school, like upgrading our electrical system, painting, and making 3 functional showers. We have several students who do not have adequate facilities for bathing in their homes, and they have really appreciated being able to bathe at school so that they can be clean and smell fresh. The teams also provided toiletries and underwear for the students. We have seen an improvement academically as the students are able to feel better about themselves, and we are thankful for that. There are still projects that need to be done, and we are praying for more teams to be able to come. Please let us know if you are interested in coming for a week or more to help out.
We also dealt with a lot of health issues and struggles. Fatima, Aly, Gordon, and Lisa all contracted Dengue fever, and it is a miserable thing to have! Dengue brings fevers, rashes, nausea, body aches, headaches, and a loss of energy. Gordon and Aly both ended up in the hospital – Aly just for one evening to receive IV fluids, and Gordon for 3 days to treat dehydration and to monitor his low platelet count. He was extremely weak, and unable to walk for about 2 weeks. Chantalle had an ear infection and strep throat, and Jennifer had to deal with a lot of intestinal issues. We are all still working on getting healthy, and dealing with lower energy levels. Gordon is now able to walk again, and continues to get stronger every day, and the rashes are gradually clearing up, so Lordwillingly next month will be better!
In addition to the health issues, we have had a string of mishaps occur. One of the girls had a minor car accident that will require replacing our bumper and one of our headlights, and another one of the girls popped one of our tires. We also had a rock hit our windshield while we were driving, and it is badly shattered. Due to our healthcare expenses, we are waiting to take care of most of the repairs until we can save up enough money. We also had an incident with our toilet… Gordon fell while he was sick and the toilet shattered! It was a pretty shocking sight with water squirting out everywhere, and made for a lot of clean-up, but we were able to buy a replacement the next day, and the brother of one of our students put the new toilet in for us, so all is well in that department.
Our family has undergone some changes lately! Fatima, 14, has been living with us since April, and the adjustment was difficult at times, but she has adapted well, and she is usually a pleasure to have around. We also had two sisters, Eneyda and Kellyn, move in with us about a month ago due to a difficult family situation. They are 12 and 13, and have adjusted really well to living here. We are not sure how long they will be with us, but so far it has gone well having them here. Our most recent addition is Jeffer, who is 9, and he just moved in last week. He has never known his father, and his mother recently left him to find “a better life”. He was living alone in a small apartment and was very afraid. We are thankful that he is able to sleep and feels safe and loved here. For short term, we also have 3 siblings who are in our program staying with us: Darwin, Estefany, and Cindy. They are only staying with us until appropriate housing is found for some of their extended family who is staying in their home.
Prayer needs and Praises:
·
Finances! We have been hit with a lot of unexpected
expenses lately, with healthcare expenses, car repairs, and extra mouths to
feed. We are in dire need of more regular supporters to help with our normal
expenses, as well as additional help to replenish our savings that was
completely depleted. We are looking for
sponsors to pay $50 a month for each of our school children.
·
Our new family members – Although the children are enjoyable to
have, there are always adjustments with new people, so please pray for each of
our new family members. We also need to raise additional support to provide for
their food & clothing needs.
·
Residency! We are going to have to apply for
residency within the next 6 months, which will cost $2500 ($500 per person),
and will provide residency for 5 years. If we are not able to get our
residency, we will not be able to continue our ministry here. When we went for
a visa extension, we were denied the extension and told that we would need to
either apply for residency or return to the United States. We ended up having
to go to Guatemala, where we were denied again, but thankfully, another
attendant gave us 90 days.
·
Please Continue to pray for our school! We are hoping to add a couple of new students
next year, but only have a few spots, so we are praying about which students to
allow to attend.
·
More teachers – if you are inclined at all to teach, and
would like to spend some time in a beautiful environment, please contact us for
an application! Because of the unique nature of our school, we need to maintain
a very low teacher to student ratio so that each student can learn to the best
of their ability.
·
We STILL need an electrician!!!
·
Jennifer went back to Nebraska to attend
College. We are missing
her a lot already! Please pray for her as she starts this new chapter in her
life.
PRAISES:
·
A LOT
of work was accomplished by the mission teams who came. We are so thankful for
all of the work that was accomplished!
·
We are
starting to get stronger and healthier. Please pray for continued health.
Thank you to
everyone who supports us in our ministry! We could not do any of this without
your help!
Love, The
Eytzen family J
Blogsite:
www.eytzenfamily.blogspot.com
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