Tico Tuesday, December 19th

Happy Wednesday! Sorry for the delay, but the internet was down last night. (And as a heads up, with holidays falling on the next couple Tuesdays, Tico Tuesday will be coming out on Wednesday for the next 2 weeks.)

Friday was a roller coaster of a day. In the morning when I got to work, I ran into one of our house helpers. She was crying because her daughter had just miscarried at 7 months. My heart broke for her and her family and I was practically in tears as I prayed with her and hugged her.

The highlight of the day was attending the K and 6th grade graduation. I swelled with pride to see so many young people walk across the stage to receive their diplomas and delighted in watching my friend Fausía (the kindergarten teacher) congratulate her students with such love and enthusiasm.

Then, I came home to find my facebook full of comments about the atrocities committed that morning in Connecticut. Over 20 parents lost their babies on Friday. It could have been those kindergarteners who crossed the stage at the Bible Home. It could have been my friend Fau. This world is a dark, frightening place, but I thank Jesus, the Light of the World, for coming and giving us his light and life, that we may share his love and light with others. He brought us hope. This is the message I share with ever-growing conviction as I serve children and their families that come from very dark “hopeless” situations. Jesus is the Light, he is our only hope. He is the way, the truth and the life. He works in ways we don't understand, and he has the amazing capability of bringing good out of even the most dark, horrendous situations. Please join me in praying for all those who are suffering the loss of a loved one as a result of the Sandy Hook shooting, not just today or this week, but for months and years to come.

Thank you!

Love,

Carrie

This just in! I now only need 8 more supporters at $50/month and 3 more at $25/month in order to be at full support. Will you help make it possible for me to continue sharing Jesus' light and love with children and families in need?

Tico Tuesday, December 11th

Happy Tuesday to you! My goodness, enough has happened in the past week I could easily write a whole Chronicle, but I won't.

Yesterday we had our big annual Christmas and Thanksgiving service with ALL the children and staff from the Bible Home and school we have on-site. It was beautiful! All the different groups of children and personnel performed music or a skit and each house contributed a couple children to put together a Christmas pageant. I was with the children and house moms at their rehearsal on Friday, and to help set the mood and inspire them, we watched a brief cartoon movie of the Christmas story. Once Mary gave birth to Jesus, the donkey pushed the manger toward Mary as if to tell her to put Jesus there-- and it just hit me. A manger: where animals ate and possibly drooled. That was Jesus' bassinet. I've been hearing and talking about it my whole life so it's like I wouldn't expect Jesus to be born anywhere else. Duh! Of course Jesus was born in a manger! No! Not duh. People aren't usually born and placed in a pile of dirty, perhaps slobbery hay. It was like I'd heard it for the first time all over again. Talk about humility, talk about love. What an incredible miracle Jesus' birth is! I had a different attitude as I helped the children and house moms rehearse and work out the blocking and scene transitions (hooray for being able to apply things I learned in the drama club in high school!). They did a fantastic job in their performance yesterday. You never would know they'd only rehearsed twice... And some people think the kids we work with are hopeless and good for nothing!
Thank you so much for making it possible for me to be here and serve these children and everyone else at the Bible Home. God is doing amazing things in them and in me! I'm still looking for 10 more people to join my LAM support team at $50/month. Special gifts are a huge blessing and more than welcome, but it is still very important for more regular givers to join. If you can't commit to $50/month, you are welcome to commit to whatever amount the Lord places on your heart. He is more than faithful and will surely provide for you and me! And if you could please do me the favor of telling your friends and family about me, that would be great!
Thank you for your prayers for financial provision and for my health! (I haven't gotten sick!) Please also pray for the 20+ children who are getting ready to leave the Bible Home for good next Wednesday. A lot of them are anxious! Thank you!
With love and joy,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, December 4th

Was last Tuesday really only last week?
It's getting to be that time of the year when all of a sudden we are overwhelmed by special activities, concerts, parties, dinners, etc. Those of us who are students fight to finish the semester well and still keep our heart in our work though a thousand more things than usual are clamoring for our attention. I'll confess, I'm having a bit of a hard time with that and would really appreciate your prayers, not only for a good end to the semester, but also just for careful time management in general with everything that is going on and needs to be accomplished between now and December 22 when I fly to the States. I've been burning the candle at both ends and fear I am at high risk for getting the relentless flu/cold thing that a number of our children and house moms have caught.
But in the midst of the madness, we have to stop. The activities are fine and good, but let us not forget what this Advent season is all about - celebrating Jesus' coming. It's about him. And so, Sunday afternoon my friend Sarah came over and helped me decorate my apartment - putting up the tree, setting out the nativity Daddy made, and making a beautiful Advent wreath! We had a lot of fun, but I think the most special moment was lighting the first Advent candle, reading Scripture and the Advent devotional for Gordon-Conwell, and praying together. No matter how long I make these December days, I'll be lighting my Advent wreath and stopping to focus on the One whom I worship and celebrate, not only in Advent, but every day of the year. Care to join me? (If you aren't familiar with Advent, I highly recommend looking into it. It is celebrated in both Catholic and Protestant circles.)
Time to go light my wreath for a few minutes before heading to bed!
With love,
Carrie

PS I'm still praying for 10 more people at $50/month. Please join me in praying for these 10 people to commit by the end of the year! Thank you for your prayers and support!