IT'S A WALL!

I've been waiting since last year for a foundation wall to be built around the campus which the hospital agency said they would provide. Alas, it wasn't built. Then, right before I left to the U.S. people came out to look at the land and I knew the wall would be built while I was in the U.S. Alas, it still wasn't done.
So what's this wall you see? My neighbors the Tibetans decided to build a new building AND put up a foundation wall! They started just a few days ago and have almost completed one side in just a short time!
That means we can link up a chain fence to the wall for the goat pasture!
I think it's kind of funny because I expected the wall to be done by our people, yet God used my neighbors to accomplish the work that needed done.
We can always depend on Him if we just wait.
(both of the land photos will be what we fence in for the goats pasture).

The TRUTH

So many things in our life are constantly changing. So many things that we don't have control of, they just happen. So many things seem like a boat sailing on the water you can be in perfect stillness or moving quickly amongst the waves and enjoying it. Then there are the storms, and you don't know how damaging they are going to be until they are over. Sometimes the damage from the storm is very light, and you learn what to do the next time that kind of storm hits. Other times the winds are so powerful and the waves so high that they just come crashing down upon you and you can only lay flat down on your face and ride it out and wait for the winds to subside, the rains to stop, and the sun to shine again.

One constant thing I am reminded of today, is the consistency of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Through the dark, through the storm, He is always there holding on. The following song God brought to my mind today and I was refreshed by it. May you also be.

In the midst of the storms we must hold on to the one TRUTH that never changes.
" How deep the Father;s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son,
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there.
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anyting
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom."
by Stuart Townsend






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The Many Changes

I've only been back, exactly a week today and many things have already happened. It was good to see the growth of the baby goats. Here Ruth is with big sister Esther. While I was in the U.S. people there gave funds to purchase 10 goats to give to villagers! Pray for wisdom as I search out the goat farms.



Boaz (below) will be as grand as his father.









Mariam (below) and my other children were happy to see me!

Two new children joined the intervention center (one pictured above) and I have assessments for another two new ones next week. Sadly, the four children that were related (Sabina, Manju, Wasim, and Nafix) have dropped out. I've gone to speak with the parents but can't get them to change their minds. Please keep those four in your prayers.

Back in South Asia

I had really hoped to update you while I was in the U.S. However, my time there was spent traveling, speaking at different churches, small groups, etc. It was a blessed time and brought much awareness to people who had no idea the plight of the children here. Due to a delay in my visa (a God-send I believe), I finally had a chance to relax and get away during my final days there.
But now I'm back home!
I've been home for 5 days now and trying to get reoriented in everything. The hardest has been the jet lag and diving into the high temperatures. The easiest has been being reunited with my children and staff here.
There are so many things that are 'first' on my list to do. Mainly, reassessing staff, reassessing children, and getting the intervention center to run a little more smoothly. Thanks to donations, I am able to hire another staff. Instead of hiring one of my old staff back though, I've decided it's best to try and hire an Indian teacher. Since the visa process has been so difficult, I have found it might be better to have another trained person to be able to carry on in case I am not able to return. The staff I've trained have come a long way but there is still so much to learn. Since I'm only getting 1 year visas at a time, I am only getting so much training accomplished.
Another objective to work on is the goat project. I just received another donation to purchase a goat for a poor villager. This makes the 8th donation for that specific reason.
Just a week before I returned here I visited a goat farm on the west coast. I was able to get some really valuable information from them. The agency I'm with here was supposed to put up a foundation wall around our campus while I was gone. That wasn't done. However, my tibetan neighbors are building a foundation wall around their area which means I will be able to put fencing up to that area for my goat's pasture! I believe God, in His grace, allowed my desire to be fullfilled in this way, since the people that I was depending on didn't follow through.
So, I've been busily taking new photos and look forward to posting the updates soon.

I'm Here!

I know if you have checked this blog or my twitter account or even if you are on my group email list you haven't heard from me for awhile. I've been in the U.S. for 3 weeks, and yes, have done quite a bit of traveling and speaking thus far. It's been great to share with people I have never met before and find that every where I travel that God has already been working in their hearts. I have a lighter schedule next week and hope to update on what God has been doing and post some photos.
In the meantime...a funny thing happened on the way to... Lacey, Washington. A friend and I went to hear Greg Mortenson speak at a University. It was an awesome event and Greg's speech encouraged us, motivated us, and challenged us. If you haven't read his first book, 3 Cups of Tea, it's a great read!
However, before the event a friend and I decided to walk to a latte stand a couple of blocks away. Once we got there, we both laughed as we saw the trivia question posted on the white board, " What is the National fruit of India?" Yeah, we kind of knew the answer to that question! I really do believe that God has a sense of humor!

Don't Let It Pass You By

If you have a heart for orphans like God does, you won't want to miss out on this conference!

There's a great line up of speakers! You get to net-work with others who have a passion for orphans! And you can choose what individual sessions you want to go to!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org/summit/conference.asp

UPDATES

* We were happy today that we had 27 children in Sunday School! We orginally had about 30 children but a few moved back to Nepal and then others just stopped coming. The last 3 months our numbers have been averaging around 10 children. We praise God that most of the original children have returned and there are also some new faces! Please pray for each of these children that they will comprehend the love of God (see today's video of them singing below).
* In 9 more days I leave for Delhi and in 11 days for the U.S. I still have a lot to do but feel at peace that I will get accomplished what I need to get done. Temperatures are high, water levels are low, and there's enough power outages to cause some frustration.
* For those of you monitoring our goat project... our little Esther miscarried this week. The baby boy was premature and in breech position. It took the vet quite a long time to remove the baby from her. The mother goat, by a miracle, is surviving and getting a little better each day. She still has a long way to go. We were a little disappointed about this set back but know that God's timing is perfect.