My Heart

I really don't know where to start on the this and the next bunch of pictures. The Lord brought us to the Philippines to live and be a part of the people. We are on an island that is 50% poverty, 80 % child and teen incest, sodomy and rape and 90% dedicated to idols at birth. We have been here 15 months now and I am just able to start posting about the children and teens and people here. We love them all and we are happy to be here. But our heart has hurt more than we ever imagined was possible. It is not the safest place to be because we are "white" and they tell me I am the only white woman they have seen. Would we trade living here for anything. No, we are right where we belong. I look at these pictures and I cry all over again. These children are so beautiful and so hurt. We hold them as they sob and cry because of what they have been through and we know we have to send them back to the same situation. We tell them about the Lord but it is hard because we speak a different language but we are learning their language. The Lord gave us a wonderful interpreter and a wonderful Maestra (language teacher). Both the interpreter and Maestra have stolen our hearts. They call us Mama and Daddy and we feel honored. Many have become so precious to us.

We have many people to thank, Patty & Loretta and others who send us clothes & soaps and necessities to take to the village people. The wonderful Intercessor's at LifeWay Church. The need here is so great that it gets overwhelming sometimes. We could not do this without the help So Thank you all.
This is an ongoing story so please follow with us as we walk through each day not knowing what the day will bring.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

This is a hard one for me . We were taken to this blind mother and her daughter who is almost blind. They were living on the side of the road and being abused badly because of being blind. We had a friend and he had a fallen coconut tree and some bamboo so we had him build a hut for them. I had them put a door on it and a window and asked Mark to get some screen for the window and 2 pieces of plywood for the floor because there were big  gaps between the bamboo and the Mama being blind, I didn't want her to trip all the time.  When they got food, usually rice, someone would come and steal it from them.  I felt something so I asked the Lord what it was and He told me they had been dedicated to idols at birth.  So I asked them through my interpreter if I could pray for them.  They said yes and we took care of that problem.  They accepted Jesus.  Here you see a bit of the hut. It is very small, room for 2 matts but it gets them out of the element and provides some protection. You see them in the clothes that we were able to give them and also the little girl had never had a soft toy.  I gave her the teddy bear and she just held it and cuddled it and stroked it and wouldn't put it down.  I gave her a little beany dog that was sent to us for the children like the Teddy was. She gave it to her blind mother and the mother felt it and she put it to her neck and cuddled it. She had never had anything like that.  I know this is long but these two have been through so much.  They walk down to a church we speak at and the daughter shares the rice and anything we give her, she makes sure her mother has it first.  In the sack when she got home she found 4 little candy bars I had put in.  I would have loved to have seen her face. Below is a picture of the first things we took her and she didn't know what to do, or how to color or anything and an awesome girl who was with us showed her how to color.  What is sad is that Mark tried to help her with the doll and she grabbed it and gave him a terrible look because he was a man. With working with them, the little girl now trusts Mark and tells him that they love us because we love them. 
Her first toys. You see a Barbie Doll  that Tammy brought from the U.S. she would not take it out of the box because it was too beautiful .  


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