For the week of: Monday, January 15th 2007

"Transforming Love"

It's about 80 degrees here in Tegucigala, Honduras and the sky is a gorgeous blue outside the windows of Casa de Esperanza.  If you've had a chance to visit the "Missions" tab, you'll see some pictures of this very special childrens' home outside the capital city of Honduras.  Our daughter-in-law's mother, Joyce, and I are here for a week to play with children, encourage Jen and Karen and determine ways our whole team can help when we return in April.

May I tell you about Mario.  Five year old Mario is one of five precious little brothers here at Casa.  When the boys arrived in June after living for several months in a horrific state-run orphange, Mario was extremely angry.  He had endured living in a home with a father who was imprisoned for murder and then in an orphange where he was abused
by the other children.

From day one he was belligerant, disobedient and very physical. Bedtimes were a battlefield with Jen and Karen spending hour upon hour restraining him as he tried to bite, claw, kick and pound them. Although he showed signs of a loving heart at times, it was so buried beneath layer after layer of pain and abuse, the girls often were at the point of pulling out their hair over him...and they still had his four brothers who each had their own set of baggage.

Any of you at the hair-pulling stage?  It's a hard, hard place to be. Every ounce of you wants to do what is good and right and best for your child but there are children who seem to defy all of your well-meaning efforts. Hope for a home of peace and order seems to be the impossible
dream.

Mario has been here for approximately six months now. He's had "time-out" a time or two in the last few days since we've been here but he is a transformed child.  His sweet face smiles more often than frowns, his eyes twinkle rather than cry and his spirit...ahhhhhhh, his spirit is at peace.  I am convinced he is a child transformed by love. The love of God that enriches the hearts of Jen and Karen has poured
out into the very soul of Mario and has transformed him from a frightened, bitter, insecure child into a little boy full of joy, confidence and, more often than not, an obedient heart.

The girls will tell you they have sent out multitudes of prayer requests for this little soul so there is not doubt that prayer has been at the foundation of his ongoing recovery. But much of the prayers have been answered by the flesh and blood of these two gals who have spent every day since his arrival doing one thing well...they have been
consistent.  They have disciplined consistently, loved consistently and not budged on either.  They set out to prove to him that there was nothing he could do that would thwart their love but that there was also nothing he could do to escape their consistent shaping of his character.

Mommas, don't give up.  Your consistent, loving, shaping of the character of your children is a priceless responsibility and privilege. God will honor your many, many efforts and the soul of your child will be blessed.

I'm off to the playground with Mario!
Kay