Sometimes we have to
walk through the valley to know and to taste that God is good. We have spent a
lot of time this past year in the valley, and it has caused a lot of
introspection and brought each of us individually and corporately closer to
God. Sometimes things happen that we don’t understand, and it can be easy to
think that God doesn't care about us, or that, somehow, He has made a mistake.
This past year, our ministry has changed quite a bit. We started the school,
which was a big undertaking, and we also started a home for girls. Just a couple of weeks before Gordon’s death,
we agreed to take in Jefer, an 8 year old boy, which meant extending our time
in Honduras by at least 10 years. Sometimes we have questioned why God put it
on our hearts to do these things if He knew that Gordon wouldn't be with us for
long, but we know that this is all part of His plan. In the weeks after
Gordon’s death, we faced a lot of fear, and although we are still unsure of a
lot of things, we are starting to feel excited about what lies ahead for us and
our ministry, and we definitely know that God is good.
We are SO thankful that
we made it through an entire school year with no major catastrophes. All of our
students have passed on to the next grade, including Maria, who spent the past
6 years trying to get out of 1st grade, and has passed her exams
with 97%! I think that both teachers and students are ready for a break, and we
celebrated the end of the year last night with a dinner and graduation
ceremony. We are planning on starting school back up in mid-February, and it
looks like we will have about 30 students on our campus, with 30 more on two other campuses. We have had to turn away many
students due to lack of space; we limit class size so that students can have a
lot of one on one time to work on their problem areas. God has blessed us with
two new teachers for next year, and Lillian and Martin will Lordwillingly be working with us
next year.
The girls in our home
are doing well. We have seen many positive changes in all of them, but
especially in Fatima, who is turning into a much kinder, more thoughtful, young
lady. It can sometimes be difficult living with children, who for the most
part, have not been raised at all. Most of them don’t understand things that we
take for granted, such as not spitting in the house, not throwing trash on the
floor, not going to the bathroom in the yard….those kinds of things. We have
one new girl, Katy, who came out of an abusive home and has integrated quickly
into our home. All of the children are learning a lot of English, and it’s fun
hearing them singing songs in English and talking to us and each other in
English. There are still some things that we need to work on, and some days it
is a little exhausting caring for so many little ones, but overall we are doing
well.
We are planning on going
to the United States to spend some time with our family and take care of some
business, and Tiffany, the daughter of some of our good friends and fellow
missionaries, along with her husband, Lee, are going to be here taking care of our
home and our children. We are excited to go, but it will be very difficult to
leave our precious children behind. One of the hardest things about being
missionaries in another country is that our hearts are constantly torn between
those we love in the US and those we love in Honduras. These children have
truly become our children, and we are a family, so it’s not easy being away
from them.
Thank you all for your
continued love and support. We are starting healing and have many wonderful
memories of Gordon. We are so thankful that God allowed him to be in our lives,
and for the time we were given with him. He helped mold our daughters into
women who love the Lord and they have a high standard to hold any potential husband
for themselves to, and that is priceless. His mark on each of our lives can
never be erased. As always, you are welcome to visit us here in Honduras, and
see firsthand what we God is doing. We could not do what we do here without
your help, love, and support.
Love,
Lisa and the kids –
Alyssandra, Natalie, Chantalle, Jessica, Fatima, Kellyn, Eneyda, Katerin, Cindy,
Estefany, Jefer, & Franklin
If you would like to
support our ministry here, you can do so via paypal – jesushelovesme@hotmail.com or you can donate thorough our missionary
organization: www.shepstaff.org/eytzen.aspx
There are links to both
on our blogspot.
Ministry Needs:
PRAISES! (It's a praise that there are so many praises this month!!!)
*We found an
electrician! We had yet another electrical fire… pretty exciting, with flames
shooting out and everything, and when we had company over for dinner. After
that, a visiting missionary fixed the wiring to make it a little safer, and
another missionary is finishing the work this upcoming week. We are SO
thankful!
*We made it through an
entire school year! We are glad that it is over, and feel more equipped to
handle the next one (in February).
*We have been sleeping
better!
*Residency – Someone
paid (anonymously) for us to obtain our Honduran residency! We will be applying
for that in January after we return from the states, Lordwillingly.
*We have 2 new teachers
for next year! This will make things go SO much more smoothly!
*We found someone
wonderful to watch our kids while we visit the states! They are here now, and
everyone is getting along really well, which is a blessing.
Prayer Requests:
*For our new girl, Katy.
She was in an abusive situation, and has been with us for about a week now, and
is doing well. Please pray for her adjustment and her emotional healing as we
help her deal with her difficult past.
*For our home & kids
while we are gone, and for Tiffany and Lee, who are holding down the fort.
(Kids: Jessica, Fatima, Kellyn, Eneyda, Katerin, Jefer, Cindy, Estefany, &
Franklin)
*We have been asked to
take in a few more girls, and would like you to pray with us as we determine
what the best way is to help this family. If possible, and the family is not
abusive, we try to keep the kids in their original families.
*For monthly supporters
to support either a child in the school ($50/month), a child in our home
($150/month), or our ministry general needs – (any amount/month). We do our
best to get letters to each sponsor whenever we’re able to, and we will also
send photos. You are also welcome to visit us and them.
*For a bigger house! We
have 3 people sleeping in most of our beds, and it would be nice to have more
space and a yard for the kids to play in.
Gordon and I had just started looking at land and making plans for our
“dream” ministry house, and would like to make this a reality!
