Happy 2012!!! At this time of the year we reflect over the past year and look forward to what is coming in the future. I, Gwen, got sick during Youth Camp last January and struggled for months with bronchitis and running to specialist and tests to found out what was going on. Dan and I visited a Doctor of Nature medicine and changed our eating habits for health purposes. Not only did I lose 23 pounds and Dan lost 32 pounds but our health has improved too. Since August when I started with this doctor I haven’t even had a head cold! As most of you know Dan has had back problems for years. Since Dan started in September he has had very little back pain. We praise the Lord for sending this Christian doctor into our lives.
We spent 2 days at Christmas with missionary friends at their home. It was so nice to have had a couple of days away. It was our only weekend without a group here at the camp. It was hard to get a phone signal there because of where they live so it was very peaceful for us with limited phones. The week of Christmas was over 100 everyday with humidity. I started praying for rain to cool things down. Christmas Eve morning at about 6:00am it started to rain. We actually put on long sleeves on Christmas Day enjoying our 75 degree weather. My Heavenly Father loves me and spoils me!!! The best Christmas present this year was finding out on Christmas Eve that our son Daniel had proposed to his wonderful girlfriend Natalie. I told Natalie that I will be the best mother-in-law ever because I live thousands of miles away.
This week I have been working on my retirement plan. The youngest from the Children’s Home, Liz, asked me if when she is grown up and has her own house if I willcome and visit her. I told her that by the time she is all grown up and has a house I will be old and I will come and live with her. She got all excited and went and told her sister Laura our plan. Then I was joking with some of the other kids that I didn’t want anyone of them to get sick of me so if I stayed with each one of the 18 kids for one month each they would only have to have me every year and a half.
Youth camp starts this Thursday January 12-15th. We have been planning and praying for months. The youth have been praying and fasting with me in a fasting chain for the last month. We are expecting great things from the Lord and I know that this is going to be a life changing camp. The Lord has already been using my camp guest speaker in the last few days with us here to speak into the lives of a couple of people. It has been amazing watching God orchestrate meetings with people. It has left me with even more excitement for what God is going to do in youth camp.
Hogar Puerto Seguro
Children’s retreat was a huge success this year once again with 52 children participating. It was a small group but a great blessing. One of the highlights involves Marco, the new boy that came to our home about a month ago. We shared about him in the last newsletter. Our overseer David Orozco was doing some of the preaching during Childrens Retreat. After one of his sermons, he gave an altar call and Marco was one of the kids that went forward to give his heart to the Lord.
Christmas and New Years were wonderful times around the home as well as January 6th, which is “The day of the Kings”. It celebrates the three kings which came to Jesus’ birth bearing gifts and is traditionally the day that gifts are given out to the children. Once again, thanks to all of you, our kids at the home were very blessed during the holidays.
Gwen and I spent several days in the home over New Year’s while Osvaldo and Maria took some time off to visit their families. What a joy and blessing it was for us. These kids are great. Three neighbor boys came over after we had eaten our New Year’s meal and asked if there was any food left because there wasn’t any supper at their house. Gwen quickly went and prepared 3 plates of food.
Day of the Kings was a special day . Maria and I (Gwen) put the kid’s gifts outside on the kids shoes, the traditional way here, at 5:30am. Ready for the kids at 6:00am to open them. Marco had washed his shoes the day before to put them out for the gifts. He was also worried that I wouldn’t know which ones where his, so he took me toshow me his shoes drying in the sun. I guess he was a little worried about now receiving anything on his first Day of the Kings with us. Dan got home from the airport with Linda and Hope at 3:00am but they still got up at 5:45am to share the fun with the kids. Thanks to our friends in Winston-Salem the kids received many gifts.
Friends came by on Day of the Kings to cook lunch for all of the kids. They also brought a few soccer balls for everyone to share.
Later that day a truck came down our road with 3 men dressed up as Wise Men and gave out presents to the kids in the neighborhood.
Our kids have received several blessings from neighbors also. This week they have received a wheel barrel full of watermelons from one neighbor, mangos from another neighbor and chocolates from a neighbor just home from Argentina.
Alejandra, Elena, Patricia, and Carolina all smiles showing off their new clothes
Laura and Liz (sisters) sharing some joy together opening their gifts
Lunch on the Day of the Kings, Don Jose brought lunch for the whole gang
Some of the Kids got soccer shoes for their gifts, shortly afterwards, we got them all dirty in the first game.
Carolina and Elena, like most girls, were very happy to get some new clothes for their gifts.
Hope Moore and Linda Jackson sharing with Osvaldo, Marcelo, and Kevin.
Dan's Final Thoughts
As I sit and write this, it is 94 degrees in our living room, the sun is shining bright and summer is definitely here. Our friend Linda Jackson is here for our youth camp and has brought a pastors wife from NC, Hope Moore with her. She too is now a friend. Linda will be doing the preaching for camp and Hope will be doing some preaching and teaching as well while they are here. As of this moment we have 239 people registered for youth camp. We have 162 beds, hahaha! Gwen has been doing a great job getting things together for camp. Next year we may have to divide into two camps.
Over the holidays we found ourselves thinking about many of you back home in North America. Once more the Lord has reminded us of how blessed we are to be involved in this ministry and how blessed we are to count you as our friends and partners. The work continues to grow, (never as fast as we would like), people get saved, lives are changed and God is lifted up. What more could we ask for.
Often in our church services during testimony time, one or more of the kids will give thanks for you and your families for all your support. God bless each of you.
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