Tico Tuesday, January 28th

It's that time of year again when sunsets are phenomenal! It is so nice to have it be dry season! I've spotted a couple great sunrises too on my early morning runs. I loved the rays of light that were so well-defined in this sunset. It was gorgeous!

One thing I often pray for is that God's love would flow freely through me and that other people would be able to see his light in and through me. I'm not sure how often this actually happens, but I think there was definitely something going on this past Friday. 5 new children (4 of them being siblings) had just arrived the day before to the Jardin house (and I get to be like an aunt there again! Yaay!). One of the 4 siblings needs a lot of special attention and he is handing his transition process by being very aggressive. Our director asked me to stay by his side all morning while the kids all participated in an activity led by a youth group from a local church. Sometimes he participated in the activity, sometimes he was wreaking havoc, and sometimes he decided he just wanted to do something else. In the past, I would have tried to force him to join the activity since that's what all the kids were supposed to be doing. But, I've learned I can't force anyone to do anything. And if he wasn't making any trouble, why not just let him be and try to engage with him and get to know him better? It was hard. He tried my patience. He got mad at me. But, I know that God gave me grace and sooooo much patience! Those of you who know me relatively well know that I am NOT a patient person. That is usually one of the last words I would use to describe myself. I'm impulsive. I like to be right. I like to be in control. But, even after kicking me and trying to hit me with a stick, at the end of the day, this boy was hugging me, calling me "mami,"and wanting to go home with me. That didn't keep him from blowing a raspberry in my face on Sunday but...one day at a time. I thank God that I'm not who I was a year ago and that he has helped me learn to work with the children better. I know I still have a very long ways to go, but I think at least a little bit of God's light was able to make it through the other day, and for that I give him thanks and praise!
Please continue to pray for the children as they adjust, and especially for this boy and his siblings. And pray for the house moms and staff as well!
May God's light shine brightly in each of us this week!
Carrie