:::Kids Club::: ...and more

Happy Monday! I come bearing GREAT NEWS....somebody sponsered the little boy from Nicaragua through Compassion International that I had posted a link to on my previous entry! PRAISE GOD!!!!! Thank you to whoever it was!

***
 Here are some pictures from Kids Club....(I had these sent to me...I don't take out my camera too often but am trying to get better at taking it out more.)

 This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to help with a "Kids Soup Kitchen." I met an older missionary in another town a few hours from where I live last month, who connected me with this wonderful ministry that is super close to where I live. I just hop on the bus and am there in 20 min! Every day the kids come for lunch and on Saturdays it is a VBS deal with lunch for the kiddos! This area is known to be more dangerous than other places, drugs, you know the whole bit...but this ministry run by Cecilia and her husband (locals who live in this town and had a vision for something more for the kids) are very respected because the people here know that they are trying to help the kids. They run a service every other Tuesday night so I have gone the past couple of Tuesdays although this is the first Saturday that I was able to go and help and be a part of the ministry; I even got to help Cecila cook lunch for all the kiddos...so much fun! :) I am not able to go during the week because I am in school during that time...but am thankful for the time that I do get to spend there!
Thank you Jesus for connecting your people to YOUR plan and thank you Jesus for letting me be a part!

Matt 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Proverbs 19:17 (New Living Translation)

 ¹⁷ If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
      and he will repay you!

I just returned from a short trip to Nicaragua this past weekend; I have been in Costa Rica for almost three months so had to leave the country in order to renew my visa and be able to stay here another three months! My school organized a trip so that was a huge blessing and made it easy for all of us to take care of our obligations.

Although the main purpose of the trip was to be outside of Costa Rica for 72 hours, as their law declares I believe the Lord had some important little ones on His agenda as well! :)

Thank you Lord for opportunities to share your love with people, especially little ones....they are so precious! It would break your heart to see the little ones begging and selling items in the streets...if they could walk they are old enough to be working.

On Saturday at lunch there was a 13 year old boy named Manuel and his little 8 year old brother named Marco who approached me to buy some sunglasses, a bracelet or some little trinket. They were just so precious (they were about the 5th or more set of people to approach me within a half hour.) Anyways, I pulled little Marco's sunglasses off and began to converse with the two boys. I asked Manuel if he knows God and he answered "yes."
 He looked at my white skin with such awe and told me that he liked my white skin as he compared his brown skin. I told him that it doesn’t matter our skin but that we are all God's children. AND then the little cutie answered "yes I know," as he began to sing "red and yellow black and white they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world." song! And then started with another...We ended up going for a walk and spent time playing and talking and ended up meeting up with some of their other siblings (Gabriela who is probably 2.5 or 3yrs) and then  another sister who is 12 (but don’t remember her name) They live with their mom in the capital of Nicaragua, Managua. It was such a blessing to spend my afternoon with these ones, please pray for them by name. You can pray that they would be protected and provided for but most of all that they would truly know the love of Christ. Pray for their mom that she would have wisdom and strength to raise her 6 (in total I think) children and also that she would be encouraged and have the ability to provide for her children in physical needs but most importantly  lead them spiritually in the right path!

On Sunday morning before I left I walked up the same street where I met the kids to see if  I could find them again...I was only able to find Marco and Gabriela the two youngest ones (they were out begging) I got a picture with them. Here they are:

So, in honour of these little ones...Would you consider sponsoring a child in Nicaragua through Compassion International? There is no time commitment ... and I can assure you that it is well worth the investment. Here is the link: http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/waystosponsor/ChildBio.htm?Child=NI1750408

**Remember that in Nicaragua they speak Spanish so that means that I was talking in Spanish to these little ones! Praise God, I'm learning! woo hoo. Thank you for your help!!

Peace!

Melissa W

For those of you that know me, you know that I have had a struggle with fear ...one of the phrases that I have repeated multiple times in a fearful moment is: "Do not fear for God is near!" It's the truth, God is always with me. When I choose to fear I am essentially fearing the enemy rather than fearing the God who has created the entire universe and all of the people in it!
       ***
God is in control. If you find yourself questioning the "why" of the crazy happenings in this world just remember that God is good. He is always good. That will never change. He is God and He is good.

                                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG-zoopwV_I

Weekend Update:
This past weekend I travelled once again to the town that has my heart. I had the opportunity to help with "kids club" Saturday morning...it is held in an impoverished neighbourhood filled with hard drugs and alcoholism. Saturday morning is a safe place for the kids to come and have fun and be loved on for a few hours while they hear about the love of Christ. Each week there is a small bible lesson, craft and snacks and juice. I tell you these kids are serious about getting their snack and juice! :) Afterwards they each are given a bag of rice and beans to take home.
I want to cry just thinking about it because oh how I would love to be there every day at this moment! It was so refreshing to play and hang out with these beautiful children!
THIS year is a foundation for future years of ministry...I can't skip the foundation because we all know what happens when a foundation is built on sand, right?

Gal 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit.


:)Melissa

Did You Know?

Slave trade makes more than thirty two billion dollars a year. That’s more than Wal-Mart, Coke, and McDonald's combined. A side of Costa Rica that you will not see in your local travel agents’ offices:

Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. (Source: US Embassy – Costa Rica)

On the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat sex slavery.

 And...

"The Protection Project" identified Costa Rica as becoming "a rival to Thailand and the Philippines as one of the world’s leading destinations for sex tourism."

"The Tico Times" reported that an estimated 15 to 25% of all visitors to Costa Rica have all or part of their vacation and travel plans within the sex trade or gambling that is available here.

However, this problem is not limited to 3rd world countries....it's also happening in the USA and Canada....here is a video that will give you a glimpse of this reality. PLEASE PRAY. We must not be slack ...God has given us the ability and tools to fight against the enemies schemes. Do not give up.

http://www.frcblog.com/2011/02/planned-parenthood-talks-child-prostitution-with-liveaction/

Calling all of those who have been set free from the things that once held you in bondage, calling all those who once walked in darkness but now live in the light. Brothers and sisters ....we must hit our knees. Fasting, prayer, daily repentance....Merciful Father, please instil within us urgent hearts. Help us to be active and not dormant....awaken my (our) heart(s), help us to be productive in the Kingdom and fight. No more games. Life is short...and in the end what will we have to show...only the things of Christ will last. All else fades.

2 Peter 3:9-18

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. In which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation- as also our brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

So what is God calling you to? Ask. He will answer you. What is your role?

We're in this together.