Made Whole Again

Saturday morning, as Phil & I walked to the orphanage sight to check on construction and spend some time with our workers, my heart was tugging at me to go visit one of our neighbors. (Read more about our neighbor here.)

We've mentioned her before. She is suffering from complications of HIV, and she has tried to get better. She has had malaria and other illnesses the last few months, and she was extremely ill in March. On Easter Sunday, she accepted Jesus and her health started to get better. For a few weeks, we would go visit her and we would find her getting better & better. She started eating more and more, and she began to gain strength.

Suddenly, about two weeks ago, she took a turn for the worst. When she was feeling better, she would sit outside and she had the strength to chat for a few minutes. But as she became very ill, she would stay in one place in the house, vomiting and using the bathroom wherever she was laying. Her mother did her best to clean up after her, bathe her and care for her, but it wasn't enough.

When we finished up our work Saturday afternoon, we were walking home. We decided NOT to stop and visit with her, as we needed to be at church to go visit another family who had just lost their father. For some reason, my mind kept going back to her yesterday, and even this morning.

Then yesterday morning, Phil went to drop off cement around 7am to our workers. I decided to stay back at home & get ready for church. Phil had forgotten his phone and he had been gone for some time. When he finally came into the house, I saw there was something wrong just by the look in his eyes. He told me that our neighbor passed away, around 8-9am on Sunday morning.

I couldn't believe what he was saying. She was getting better! However, I knew in the back of my mind the last few weeks she had been very ill, but I don't think I was willing to accept it. I couldn't help myself - I was so disappointed that she lost the fight. I cried for a few minutes, remembering her frail figure, wishing I had more time to get to know her. I have to be honest - I had big plans for that girl! I wanted her to come work with us when she was well, and educate others about HIV/AIDS. I was so heart broken.

BUT God reminded me of the truth - she is whole again. She isn't suffering, trying to keep down a few sips of water and trying to get up enough strength to talk or cry. She is whole - the way God made her. She is dancing in heaven, celebrating a beautiful, short life.

While my tears are full of a mix of sadness & joy, they are also full of relief for her family. I know how difficult the financial and emotional burden had been, let alone the physical stress of caring for her. She was only 21 years old, and on Mother's Day, we spent a lot of time standing in prayer for her mother.

I can't imagine burying a child. I pray that I never have to, but we are praying for comfort for those mother's who have lost their children. I am praying for the children who have never known a mother's love, and I'm pulling all our little loves a little closer today, telling them how much I love each of them.

This life is short, friends. Don't hold back - chase those dreams, forgive more, love fiercely, and never settle. Don't look back on yesterday like I am now, wishing I had sat with my friend once more. I'm holding my family close today, and praying for peace for our community here.

Peace to you and yours,

Phil, Laura and Jadon, too

30 to 10

Cement, bad roads, several thousand 20cm blocks, 6mm, 10mm & 12mm iron rods, truck loads of rocks and truck loads of sand later, we are running towards the finish line of completing the first children's home!

The frustrations, challenges, and emotional days have been many, with easy days mixed in between. We wouldn't have it any other way. The amount of encouragement and support and love from people near & far has rekindled a place in my faith that I had no idea needed to be rekindled. 

These 2 are always laughing & smiling!

 This project is meant to change the lives of the children & families we will be ministering to, but I think it will end up changing us more than we ever imagined. I have been challenged on a daily basis to trust God, lean on His understanding and not my own. I have been knocked off my feet a few times by some of the most unbelievable miracles, and this is only 8 months in! I can't even begin to think about what we will see God do in a year, two or ten!

We can't wait to open our doors. We are bursting at the seems everyday, just praying that we can take a deep breath and hang on a few more months while the house is completed. But obviously, we MUST finish the house first before we can get started, so clearly we are going to have to cool our jets and give this patience-thing a try. 

Speaking of finishing - this building is going to cost us about $10,000 more, of which we have yet to raise. So, we're launching our "30 in 10" campaign, starting on May 9th. We are going to raise $10,000 in just 30 days. That is only $333.33 a day. TOTALLY doable! Especially with your help. Dig up a little extra cash and jump in with us. I promise you will not regret partnering with us.

They love to play with the camera & see the photos

There were so many times in my life that I mindlessly spent at least $50-$100 on eBay or Amazon, in just a few clicks! Instead of mindlessly browsing, send us your extra cash. This is a meaningful, life giving, world changing thing that we are getting to do. We can't do it alone. Help "30 in 10" get this building finished so we can be fully operational. 

We'll be posting some fun videos, interviews and personal stories about the people who have made this project possible, and the people who God has used to move mountains here in this community. We'll be sharing photos & videos about some of the families & children we are working with, and you'll hear first hand from the little ones themselves! Watch for daily emails and links starting on the day we kick off - May 9th! 

Let's get this thing done once and for all - it will only take 30 days to secure a future for children who have been severely mistreated or abandoned. YOU can change the future for that small, precious child. Together, we can do far more than we ever imagined! Like Nike says - JUST DO IT!

Here we go - 30 to 10!

Peace,

Phil and Laura, & Jadon, too

What Vacation?!

I had BIG plans for this week off from school. Like sleeping past 5am, reading a new book, and possibly taking a few hours to relax at the beach. Well, my week of vacation is over, and I can honestly say I only did one of those things! I did get to sleep past 5am every day, which was a blessing in itself. But between lesson planning for my next term at school, hauling cement, running to the EDM - electric office every day, and coordinating with the companies that deliver trucks of sand & rocks to our job site, I feel like I need a mini-vacation from this "vacation."

It was a great week with a lot of great obstacles but God saw us through each one. We've had 20 ton trucks stuck in the creek leading up to our land, which delayed sand & rocks for a few days. The truck also did a fabulous job of destroying our already delicate road. Ugh. We worked a little bit on the road today and it looks better. The trucks have been able to pass again and it doesn't seem to be giving us too much trouble. Praise the Lord!

Our road, if you can call it that...

We now have a concrete slab to work with and our bricklayer will be starting on the walls on Monday! Only a few weeks and we'll see something that looks like a house. Everyday it looks more and more real, more and more like the drawings we've been staring at for so long. Watching it come to life is beautiful. 

Celebratory sugar cane eating!

We've also been waiting for the final electrical install to take place. We've waited & waited & waited some more, in typical Moz style! Everything takes an act of God to get people to move to action. It is not easy but today we saw the fruit of our semi-patience. There is now LIGHT inside our storage area and guard's house. It was a beautiful sight to see those light bulbs come on! We clapped and shouted with joy, and then we prayed with all our little groupies to thank God for being so faithful, even when we weren't so patient. We should have a pump next week for water!

And then, there was light!

These are the groupies. I call them groupies because they follow Phil around (they call him Uncle Phil - Tio File) and won't leave his side whenever he is working at the construction site. He loves them each and we've finally learned everyone's name! That is a big deal for us. We don't learn names easily. I constantly forget so seeing them everyday has made a big difference, too. 

The groupies with Tio File

They are great kids with big personalities. They are smart and sweet and sassy and loud and fun. I love spending time with them. The groupies make the hard days easier, and the easy days feel like the best days of our ministry. They make all the stress worth it. I pray they will be our game changers in this country - that they will each have a sense of confidence like no generation before. Like a new generation that has not been oppressed and taken advantage of. I pray for these sweet faces daily & I know our mighty God hears. 

As we close out our 8th month here, yes - it has been almost 8 months - we are amazed at what God has done for us. Speechless, really. There are no words. We can't wait to see how He finishes this building. 

Foundation - solid & strong! Finished!

Speaking of finishing - we are lacking about $10,000 for the 2nd floor of the building. We have raised enough to complete the first floor, but we'll have to stop when we get to the second floor & roof. We need YOU. Yes, YOU!! It would only take 100 people to give $100 and boom - we'd be done! Or, 10 people to donate $1,000! Help us meet this goal so we don't have to stop. 

We serve a faithful God. If you don't know God, message me. Let's talk. He has been so faithful to me that I can't wait to tell you about Him. His love will transform your life. 

Blessings,

Phil, Laura and Jadon, too

The End of a Messy, Beautiful Month

The month of March was a month full of steep, steep inclines that felt never ending. Some days I felt like we were sliding back more than we were gaining by trying to go forward. I have never seen these kinds of lows and lowers in a month. H.O.N.E.S.T.L.Y.

By the 3^rd week of the month, I was ready to get to April. I was ready to move on. I was ready to let go of March and start over with a new, shiny, better month that wasn’t going to try and kill us. But yesterday, the 31^st of March, changed how I see this entire year.

The 31^st of March is typically the day we enjoy a delicious meal and some kind of amazing chocolate dessert, as it’s my dad’s birthday. Along with getting to celebrate with him from the other side of the world, we celebrated major miracles that we now see God has been working on, just for us.

There were so many things that came together yesterday that I am still having a difficult time trying to wrap my head around everything. First off, we’ve been trying to send some money to China to purchase some much-needed construction supplies that we are unable to get here.  The process to send money out of the country has been a nightmare and we’ve been trying since Monday to do so. Finally, Thursday came, and we were able to send the money, no problem.

Despite the challenges, the building continues!

Then, the only vehicle we have, our van, suddenly healed itself! The van is used as not only our work truck (since our truck was stolen in January – more on that later) but as our only means of transportation. We noticed a few weeks ago the van was idling when in park, and we started to worry a little bit. We consulted with a mechanic friend, we did the suggested repair, and it still didn’t stop. We changed filters, and did a few other small things, but nothing. Suddenly, it stopped this weird idling yesterday, on the 31^st. I was so thrilled! We sent money that needed to go, and then the car fixed itself. But the day kept getting better and better.

We’ve been feeling overwhelmed by how much we have on our plate, and we’ve been trying to figure out a way to cut out the unnecessary. As of yesterday, a long, stressful drive each morning (on a terrible road) has been cut down to a short and sweet drive, just taking minutes for me to get to school each day. Then, a student I’ve been tutoring decided to stop lessons after yesterday, so I definitely took this as a sign that God is lightening our load for us – we didn’t even have to make any hard decisions!

Another miracle is that we’ve been waiting on a check from a previous employer, and we were starting to think it wasn’t ever coming. But miraculously, on the 31^st of March, we received news that the check arrived and was deposited for us. Seriously, after all the wonderful news and the miracles, I was starting to think that the last day of March is the best day EVER. And then God just blew us out of the water with more…

We purchased a small truck back in November, and when it arrived in Nampula, we decided it wasn’t something we really needed, so we decided to sell it. To make a long story short, it was stolen during the process of selling it. Ouch. It was heart breaking. This happened the middle of January, so by now, we had just accepted the truck was gone, and we gave it over to God.

We had kept in touch with the detective helping us with the case, and they had given us hopeful news last week that they knew where the guy was that stole the truck. So, yesterday, March 31^st, we received a phone call that the thief had been caught. We went today to the police station to confirm it was him, and sure enough, it was the guy.

I promise there is an electric post back there!

 And lastly, God topped March off with one more huge miracle. Many of you know we have been waiting and waiting and waiting for electricity to be installed for the orphanage. We have gone to the electric company and asked for help, begged for assistance, gone from the top to the bottom and back up again, and then had to ask for more help!

God amazingly helped us to raise the necessary $1,000 needed to do the installation in less than one week. Seriously?! How amazing is that!!! God is so good. And after we had been waiting to hear from the engineer for over a WEEK on when it would be installed, the workers suddenly showed up, YES – MARCH 31^st – and made it happen. We now have power!

After all of the amazing things that came together yesterday, I was thinking back on all the crazy, frustrating battles from the other 30 days. And the truth is this: God never left us. When everything felt like it was falling apart, and we were asking God to gives us strength to keep going & not give up, He was sustaining us. BUT – He was also working on our behalf, breathing life into the dark places, and setting fire to the things that He wanted to use to show us that He is God.

You blew us away, God, with your goodness and careful attention to each detail yesterday! The fact that God’s very character, LOVE, can be seen in each miracle, the big and the small, in the mundane and the miraculous, makes me appreciate the mess that was the month of March. We walked through some hard stuff, but God never took a break. If anything, our faith and trust has been refreshed, renewed, and built up, because God never fails.

Death Has Lost its Sting

This Easter was a true day of celebrating all that Jesus has done for us on the cross. But all the circumstances were so wrong today for a day of celebrating our Savior. I don't think I slept more than 3 hours last night, J woke up with a cough & fever, and we were super late to church. Not a great start to any Sunday, let alone this special day that brings LIFE to our faith! However, the day turned out to be a beautiful reminder of what it means to follow Jesus.

How this day turned out to be so beautiful has a lot do with what we've been going through on a daily basis with the construction. We have been getting to know some of our neighbors near our soon-to-be-home and orphanage. At first, whenever we passed by, even when we would say hello, no one in the family would respond. They would look right passed us as though we didn't even exist. This went on for a few weeks. Later, our van got stuck in the sand right outside of their house. We asked for help and a shovel and the whole family refused and sat back to watch me and Phil struggle to push the van out until we finally were successful.

A few months later, we were walking past the house when we noticed the family's friend had a car. His car, like our own many times before, was buried in the sand. We didn't wait for them to ask - we shoved and pushed the car out, and reminded the family that it's always good to help each other, after all we are neighbors!

Since that day, the family would say hello and help push our van out anytime we are stuck in the sand. (We seriously need to invest in a 4x4 vehicle!!) We occasionally bring gifts for the family - like vegetables they don't grow or a bag of rice or juice - and they occasionally invite us to eat beans & rice with them at lunch time. Our relationship is developing and we are slowly planting seeds about Jesus.

About 6 weeks ago, we learned that one of the children of the house is extremely ill. She isn't really a child - she's 21 - but if you saw how emaciated and weak she is, you may think she's no more than 10 or 11.

The family explained that she first became sick about 4 months ago with malaria and she never got better. This is the story we believed until we saw her today and took her to church. The moment my eyes met her weak body this morning, I had to bite my cheek to hold back the tears. Her breathing was extremely labored and she had no energy. She couldn't walk at all. She looked much worse this morning than the very first time we met her.

I carried her into church after watching her mom struggle to get her out of the van, and I don't think she weighed as much as Jadon. We prayed and prayed for her, and concluded that she is now our daughter. We must help her. After all, Jesus said to love God first, and then love your NEIGHBOR as yourself.

At church, both mother and daughter decided to follow Jesus. Our pastoral staff talked with them and prayed with them, and both agreed to come to church whenever possible. It was so beautiful to watch a mother, desperate for hope, jump right into knowing more about Jesus and committing her life to follow him! Even though the daughter was so weak she had to lay on the floor of the church, she said yes, she wants to know Jesus more. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing hope in the eyes of the hopeless, life in the eyes of the lifeless.

After church, we begged both mother and daughter to let us go to the hospital, possibly to test her for TB, but the mother said no. It's not TB. The daughter said, "I'm positive." We asked if that meant she has HIV. With the last bit of strength in her body, she moaned and shook her head yes. The mother explained that she has to have medications everyday at the hospital for 2 1/2 months, but they haven't been able to do so consistently because of the transport money - 50 meticais per day, approximately $0.88 - less than a dollar. The cost is too great for the family to bear.

This girl literally can not walk from the car into the house. I carried her 3 times today and it was like carrying Jadon. I could feel every bone in her body. I can't help but cry and cry over this beautiful girl. She is ours to care for, and we'll do anything we can to help. We've already arranged reliable transport for her daily so she can get her medications, and we're committed to praying for a future for this new daughter of ours. We see her daily, and we will continue to do so until she begins to get her strength back.

Please pray with us that God will give her back her strength and that the medications will work on her weak body, to give it life again. With people, there are so many things that are impossible, but with God, ALL THINGS are possible! After all, is this not the very reason Jesus laid down his life? He died so we can live!

On this resurrection day, Jesus showed us to have no fear, because he is ALIVE. We have no fear for the future of this new daughter because Jesus has already overcome death and death has FOREVER lost its sting.

***********Note: As you can see, I didn't post a picture of our neighbor here. I don't think she needs anyone to gawk at her, we just need to pray. God will do the rest. When she is in a better state, I'll ask her permission to use her photo so I can introduce you to her properly.

Standing on a firm Foundation!

Phil helping J with his itchy chicken pox! 

The last 3 weeks have been like a tornado, hurricane and a nice, calm breeze, all at once. Jadon came down with some form of chicken pox, and I (Laura) had a nice case of malaria. After a few days of antibiotics for me, I was fine. But Jadon's chicken pox were awful. The size and the amount he had were truly horrific. I felt for my boy, and leaving him each day to go teach in the mornings was rough.

After missing almost 2 weeks of school, he finally is better! He healed so well, didn't scratch at all and he never had a fever. I am grateful for how well he did. He listened to us when we begged him not to scratch, and explained that he could spread them or make them even worse. He was a real trooper and I'm so glad he is better.

I am now fighting some kind of chicken pox infection as well. It looks similar to chicken pox, but I had them as a child so I'm not too sure. They don't seem to be contagious but they are painful and very itchy. I'm taking some medicine to help and using some cream for the itching, but I'm over it. Seriously. Over. It. I have been sick off and on since the beginning of the year, and I am so done.

So I'm praying for this rash or chicken pox or shingles or whatever it is to leave me now and that God would heal me inside and out so I will no longer get sick this year! God can do it and I trust Him to be my doctor. Our family has certainly been attacked this year by all this sickness and we are praying that this is the END. (I have to say, though - my husband deserves a gold medal for all the nursing he has done - from the dirty jobs to just loving on us extra, he really deserves an honorary degree or something by now!)

Setting of the corner stone by our pastor - Pastor Ben!

Besides all the sickness, we are in high spirits! The calm breeze in all of this has certainly been the fact that the work on site has continued at a rapid pace. We have water on site for the orphanage, and we have a completed storage and guard house. The foundation digging started about 10 days ago, and in just 1 short week, the brick layer is preparing to pour the foundation, most likely the end of next week. The walls will then go up towards the end of the month, and the second floor decking will be prepped the beginning of April.

We had a small ceremony at the beginning of the week to set the first stones of the foundation. Phil and I each put a stone in place, along with those individuals that have been pillars here for us, and our Pastor, Benedict. It was a great time of celebration, and it was short and sweet. We committed the location and building to the Lord, and we prayed for continued blessings on the land that will change the future for so many little people for the good of this country, and this world!

Completed storage and guard's house!

We are anticipating having the 2nd floor of the building completed by the end of April or middle of May, and moving in shortly there after. We are so excited and I honestly CAN NOT WAIT! We will need to have an inspection completed, and then we will be approved for a certain number of children. We are looking at opening our doors as an orphanage in June.

The progress of the building has gone on despite the illnesses, despite any set backs - and we have had a LOT of set backs. There have been major problems with our brick layer and his team, and we recently had another car accident with a drunken bicyclist, but I will save that for another day. (Don't worry - it wasn't a big deal.)

As we continue into this project, we are spending and spending on cement and rocks. It is crazy how much it costs to make a giant slab of concrete to put an entire HOUSE on top! But we thank God because we have NEVER gone without. Any time we have needed ANY thing, we have been victorious.

2nd load of rocks - 20 tons!

As we continue up to the 2nd floor, we will be short on materials and by then, finances as well. If you have been on the fence about partnering with our organization, now is REALLY the time! We are in a very exciting
phase of construction, and if we have to stop due to funding, we would be setting the building and opening of the orphanage back by months.

We would love to partner with you so we can help this community blossom in the best way God sees fit! You can always give through our website: heartfortheneedy.org, using Paypal. You can always mail donations to: 35 E Animas Village Lane, Durango, CO 81301.

Every cent counts and nothing is too small! We are blessed to have partners who have made big sacrifices to continue pledging monthly support, and to each of you we are grateful. We know that God will bless you for your faithfulness!

The corner of the building - foundation started!

God has been so faithful - even in the most difficult and trying times. We know this is a journey that will change us, that will change this community, and that we pray God will use to change the world. I pray that today, as you go about your usual Sunday routine, you find something extra ordinary from God. If you have dreams and big hopes to do something in this world, He will fight for you. Never let the fear of money or any other provision stop you.

We certainly have no regrets in this journey, but I must admit I have one. I regret that I didn't have the courage and the faith to do this sooner. I regret that I let fear and worry take over my thoughts, when God could have filled that void and grown my faith. But, I am grateful that God never stopped quietly whispering to us, and sometimes shouting, that the time is now and that He has prepared the way for us. How amazing the God of the UNIVERSE loves us so much that he quietly and gently deals with us at times?! I'm in awe of what He has accomplished on our behalf. We can't wait to see what God will do next!

Blessings,

Phil, Laura and Jadon, too

Don't Stop Believin'

I think Journey got it right - Don't Stop Believin! We've never stopped believing in our project, but there are always doubts. When we start to get frustrated because things are moving too slow for our liking, we sometimes fall into that negative self talk: "was this the right time? Should we have waited? How are we going to do this?! We should've saved more money! Oh my goodness, where are we going to get the money to do ALL of this AND meet our personal financial needs?!"

We've discovered this is normal, and we wouldn't be human if we didn't have doubts at times. The meaning of faith is to trust God even when you have doubts; to continue walking the path even when it feels uncertain and scary. No person of faith is expected to feel 100% confident in everything God is doing all the time; the difference, though, is that we continue on, trusting that God's plan is working for the best possible outcome. And, I'm glad we've never let our personal doubts stop us from trusting God.

Yesterday was one of those days that we will always remember what we were doing on February 12, 2016. Yesterday was a fulfillment of God's promise to see us, to provide, and to guide us through something we have never done. IF we had given up a week ago when we were feeling down, we wouldn't have seen God's hands working on our behalf.

We now have water, plenty of water, flowing directly on our land. The borehole was drilled yesterday, and after just 40 meters, the crew told us the water was pumping itself out, without even attaching the pump! They told us the other borehole's they've drilled in our area were at least 60 meters deep, so we are certainly blessed with an abundance of water.

This is a HUGE deal for our community. Each family has received us so well, with extreme joy in their hearts, that finally, water won't be a problem. Many families walk for hours to get decent water, and some rely on the dirty water that flows from a mini-river just east of our land. Knowing that our neighbors & community will stop dying from water-born illnesses, and pregnant women and children won't have to plan their days around water collection, makes every single minute of planning worth it. 

Today we connected the dreams we have with our community, as we all watched together, in aw that we have so much water underneath us. Today was a day that will forever be in my mind because it was the start of something great. And, today our team started the construction of our storage area for construction supplies, and it is nearly 1/2 way finished after day one! Once completed, we'll start on the first large building that will house us and our new kiddos. We have a truck load of 350 bags of cement coming late next week so our team is working quickly to finish up the storage unit. 

Storage & guard's house

While it is surreal to watch our community transform over water, we know it is not because of us. We aren't anyone's savior - only Jesus is the true Savior. Only through Jesus can anything be truly changed and reconciled. We can't "save" anyone - we can only share the amazing joy we have in our hearts with those around us and pray for our community. This project has only been made possible through God, and through the generous donations & faithful monthly gifts from all of you.

Your money is not something we take for granted, which is why we don't use ANY of our funding to support our personal financial needs. God is taking care of our personal needs, and somehow, He always comes through when we need anything. We trust Him to meet each and every need we have. And, we trust that He will continue to work in the hearts of so many who are eager to help so that together, we can lift up our community, to show them the love of Jesus.

Please pray with us that God will continue to guide us, help us to overcome the challenges that are guaranteed to come, and help us to continue to raise the needed funds to complete our first building. We can't do any of this alone, and recognize that God has used so many of you wonderful people to help us. Thank you for your faithfulness!

If you haven't had the opportunity to partner with us yet, check out our website - heartfortheneedy.org - where you can find more information about our NGO/nonprofit. As always, you can donate online through our website or find our mailing address to send a donation through the mail.

Here's to never ceasing to Believe that all things are possible, with Him.

Peace & Love,

Phil, Laura and Jadon, too