God Bless this Family

Riding along I saw this beautiful family in the village. They were just standing around looking like they needed something to do and they invited me to sit with them. All the kids were so kind introducing themselves. One by one they said their hello's and they were so happy to see a new face. As they kept coming, I was counting and counting and counting-there ended up being 9. It's common for Nicaraguan's to have more than 6 children in their family therefore this was not a surprise.

What was a sad surprise was there living conditions living in a small barn with some kind of rectangular cabin on the opposite(cabin is not the correct term, but I do not like continuously using the word shack due to labeling/ discrimination).  The house itself had a wooden fence up like a horse stable and there was a filthy bench outside.

 

Like an off duty social worker, I was just observing my surroundings. Not at any point did I comment on their lack of space or how they get by there, that was not the point of my visit. My visit was to get to know them and be a friendly kind face.

 

Of course, I did praise the mother for her difficult job raising the children without any support or assistance. I shared with her the many mothers I have worked with who had this same problem. Her resilience and strength of self shine through as she was sweeping and then feeding the hens. 

The neighbor from across and her older daughter to see what all the commotion was about. Her older daughter brought over her sumo size baby. I was looking at him trying to figure out if I ever saw a 6 month old baby that big.  As for the 14 year old neighbor, he was just fascinated with me and he asked me all about USA and what it's like. These people just break my heart because they are so wonderful, so curious, and most won't get the chance to travel outside of their country or even their village.  It's not truly being "stuck" when you are in such a beautiful area, city, and country, but they still deserve the right to explore. An American has that opportunity with just money and an American passport-not fair at all. 

I asked him why didn't you smile when you were so happy talking to me. 
 

"I want to look cool for America."
Mission accomplished my friend.... 

When I spoke with the little girls, they were interested in Dora and Disney characters.  The middle age boy talked about how his neighbor has an xbox that he gets to use sometimes. We played some tag for a bit and then I had to stop with the heat and carrying around no water-did I mention how smart I am?

When I'm out on the streets, I like to have something to give them and something that makes the most financial and kid sense is candy. It's something nice to give to kids who are working with their families-form of praise.  I was in luck because all I had were some candies to share with them.  It was something small and they were so thankful.  And when something small comes to American kids, they say "I don't like this flavor can I have a new one?" Not with these children-they are thankful for what they get and they are far from spoiled.
 

It was time for me to depart and continue my bike stops and see the rest of Granada, which was fantastic with the orange, green, and yellow houses. I wish an orange, green, or yellow house could be given to this family.  I know God will take care of them....he always does and always will because they are his people who have truly good hearts and the secret to a good life...  

 

The Godly Family

As mentioned previously, the church service was run by a fantastic couple from South Carolina. One day they came to Roatan for vacation and five years later they were called to come back and serve. They founded the Roatan church of West Bay where they began to live as missionaries in a foreign country. This husband and wife had their whole life in South Carolina, their four children's education and friends, their house, the cars, the church community, but they gave it all up for a calling and a sacrifice to our lord and savior. The mother of four children filled with such hope, determination, and desire to succeed. The pastor filled with strength, passion, and undying faith. It's amazing to see Pastors show they are human. They have bad days and good days just like everyone else and nothing is pure perfection.

When she shared our story in our woman's group, she shared with tears of joy, frustration, disappointment, and difficulty.  She does all her ministry work and outreach while homeschooling her four children on Roatan, which is amazing. Usually when kids go to school, the mother gets a break and time to run errands etc, but not this mother. She cooks, she cleans,  makes time for bible study, her ministry, and all her other things to do. She is so sweet and touches my heart and her husband is even more fantastic. The children are 13, 15, 11, and 7.  They all help set up, clean up, organize the slides for scripture. The two older girls are singing together and the boys are offering cookies at the door. It's truly beautiful to witness family so strongly tied with the church.


When it comes to being missionaries, it's one thing being an independent missionary, but being a family with four children. They are missionaries who are not with an organization rather they support themselves, which is the track that I am intrigued by and would like to pursue.  It was inspiring to hear that they "support themselves" and they make it.  They don't have a 9-5 job with income and she gave up being a teacher to teach her children unpaid.  It's truly the work of God making things happen for this family. 

Currently, they are in a situation where they are trying to sell their house.  They had horrible tenants who rented it and trashed it completely. They just want a loyal, faithful couple or individual to rent out the house.  It's a prayer they make each and every day and I also pray for this wonderful family. 

The Power of Calling and the Power of Sacrifice -PRIS-

Family in Trouble

Another case was presented to me with a troubled family living near the center. There were three boys who attended the library each day.  The older one, 17, and he was the caretaker of the family.  The middle aged one, 12, was a pretty good student and stayed out of trouble. The youngest one, 11, had been severely suffering from his family life. The father was an alcoholic and the mother was a question mark as the truth about her was not disclosed.

The younger boy was the one that Mrs. Kat wanted me to work with each day. It was clear that he needed some extensive therapy. He had severe ADHD, poor social skills, attachment issues, and difficulty addressing adults properly and making requests. Of course he was a smart boy, but he spent more time goofing off  inside and outside of school. He had ran away from home on a few occasions and teachers report says that he is always trouble in class. He is labeled as "the problem child," which leads people to avoid working with him and trying to help him. Instead they just focus on his label.  It's a sad, unfortunate reality with many kids.

Working together with him was difficult, but not impossible. He presented a bit shy and closed off, but warmed up to me in short time. He rarely attended the library and did not keep our appointments, but with some motivation he surprised me with his eagerness to learn.  He would come with a pencil and a notebook. Everyone was shocked, but not me. I just did my job and believed.  He had to request to take breaks and he was given allotted times to stay seated.  He did not always follow along, but he had someone who believed. He gave me hugs and asked about how long I would be staying. It was never a surprise rather I was always honest and upfront from the beginning about how long I would stay. He made some progress right in front of my eyes and he was passed down to the staff.  I told them to not give up on him and to spend time working with him with a list of therapeutic activities including: anger management, social skills, and listening.
   
**Nothing is impossible when it comes to people.** 

While the middle brother was performing well, the older brother made some changes right in front of my eyes.  His attendance decreased, he missed a couple days of school, and he was not showering. There was clear pain sitting in his eyes. Every teacher commented on it and I saw what was happening. While the younger one was the focus, the older one was crying out for help. 

 After my work, we took walks on the beach and talked about his life problems.  He did not want to share the details of what was happening, but I already had an idea from the behavior of the younger one.  Together we wrote down and built a support network for him, a journal, ways to stay active, and people he can turn to for help.  He reported feeling worried confiding in a staff in fear they may tell his family secret. It's just a matter of time before it comes out.    

In the family dynamic, the responsibility is generally assigned to an older child. He becomes the responsible one when his parents are not properly caring for their children. He can follow through on his tasks, but sooner or later the pressure settles in and he begins to break.  He can't be the one who watches over Javier and makes sure he completes his homework.  He can't be the one who does the dishes everyday. He just wants to be a kid and not have to bear such responsibility at such a young age.  He wants a father who cares for him and a mother who does her part.

May the Lord watch over this family on their darkest days.

 May the Lord be with these children at times of need.

May the Lord remind them of their place in the world

May the Lord lift them up in his arms on days of sadness

May the Lord give his spirit for support and love within them

                                      

 PRIS