Marco brought our old laptop home from the shops... so I’m going to write a letter using SPACES!  See...until you lose something you may never realize that something so small could matter so much! As usual I have stories in my heart...waiting to be told... 

Little Neiva is a few weeks older than our Marlee...  Why have I grown to love her so dearly?  Its not just her big, wide-eyed cuteness...  Maybe it happened the night I walked beside her mom when she was just three months old...

Marlee was only a month old when she got bronquitis...she’d cough and sometimes couldn’t catch her breath... Her doctor monitored her almost daily...  There were nights with little sleep... not so much because of her coughing... it was more me, wanting to watch her, listen for her... make sure she was okay...  In Keiden’s three years he’s had his bouts of sickness... underweight, fungus, Dengue fever, colds and chicken pox...but with Marlee it was different... she was so TINY... so little and defenseless...

Back to Neiva’s mom...

“I’m a devil... I’ll NEVER go to El Jordán... and I’m NEVER going to change...”  This is what  Ana Gabriela  said a few short weeks before walking through El Jordán’s doors... wanting to change!!!

Ana Gabriela had been coming to El Jordan for a couple weeks when she came to me with her little Neiva... the same size as my little one... but with TERRIBLE coughing fits... that left her vomiting – then limp and exhausted.  Before she could fully recover, she’d be coughing and vomiting again...  I could feel Ana’s pain and desperation at not being able to do anything to help her baby...

She had already tried to take her to a couple doctors who would send her to buy cough medicines or antibiotics but nothing was helping...

When Marlee was so sick, insurance covered the expenses of taking her to a good doctor, buying medicines, tests and treatments... We also have a roof over our heads, walls around us and blankets to snuggle under to keep out the damp and cold...   In Ana’s one little wooden room, they have to cover themselves in plastic when it rains because there are so many gaps/holes in the “walls” and “roof”...  Even with her little one so ill, she has no choice but to keep wandering the streets trying to sell something in order to help cover basic needs at home... What chance did little Neiva have?

I had exactly 80 Bs. to pay the check-up with Keiden and Marlee’s pediatrician... He didn’t charge...   Thank you God...  He was worried for Neiva...and wanted to get her into a hospital... but the state hospitals were filled to overflowing... and a private clinic would be far to expensive...

He wanted a chest x-ray or some blood tests right away...  We went to a place where it was cheaper...  They couldn’t find good enough veins... and they poked and prodded... and jabbed the needle here and there...  Poor little Neiva was screamed/coughed/vomited... the doctor, a nurse and Ana tried to hold her still... Ana was trying not to cry... I had a huge knot in my throat... 

I know the same thing could have happened in a more expensive place... but what ran through my head was,    Sigh... if I had money...  

As we waited for the results (they couldn’t promise that they had enough blood to run the tests...) we had plenty of time to chat... Ana and Judith (sisters) had gone to a church a couple times in their neighbourhood... but there were some ladies there who didn’t like small kids... who would wipe off the “cooties” after shaking their hands (!!!!!!!!!!!!)... and in general, made them feel unwelcome...

El Jordán is different,  they said.   People are kind to us and our kids....   When they got nervous that one of the kids (23 year old Ana has 3 kids... 18 year old Judith has 2) spilled something in my truck, I told them not to worry...  They thought I was terribly kind...  I told them that my truck was so “well-used” that a bit more wouldn’t hurt...

Not only do these people not understand the true meaning of Bible words like  “love”,  “Father”,  “mercy”, “forgiveness”, their personal definitions are deeply distorted...  How then will they understand the Truth?  ...by the Holy Spirit working in their hearts... and actually seeing the message they hear – lived out in front of them...  That’s why we like to “walk alongside” of our kids in their journey of faith...

God has been working in Ana and Judith’s lives...  giving them a desire to know Him... and to learn practical skills which will serve to help provide honestly for their families...  For the devotional in El Jordan’s crochet class, I taught some verses about the tongue...  I gave the class (12 girls) optional homework of reading through Proverbs in a month and writing down all the verses that talked about the tongue... 4 girls rose to the challenge... including Ana and Judith – who even had to borrow a Bible in order to do it...  

I can hardly imagine Ana being a  “devil”  or so against changing...  God has begun a work in her... and we are looking forward to seeing what His plans are for her are...

Back to little Neiva... I only had 20 bs. left over from the blood tests... I asked the price of the medicine we had to buy...  32 bs... I was wondering what we could do... and I remembered another pharmacy that helps us out a lot...  I gathered up my loose coins in the truck... and this time, we had enough... and  Neiva got started on her medication that night... she came 3 times a day to El Jordan for her Nebulizing  (??? Is that a word in English?)...and slowly but surely she got better...

I got home that night after sending Neiva and her mom home... I checked our e-mail... and found a letter saying that a church had given an offering towards the ministry here...  Wow...   (Thank you Sprucedale!)   Once again, I marvelled at God’s amazing faithfulness...  Time and time again, I am silenced and humbled by His faithfulness, mercy, kindness and love... and His perfect timing!!!

Oh, our Heavenly Father who sees if a little sparrow falls from the sky doesn’t overlook a precious little “sparrow” like Neiva...

What a wonderful God we serve!!!

Please pray for  Ana Gabriela and  Judith... that they will place their faith in Christ... and grow in Him...  Also pray for  Juan Pablo and   Miguel... (their partners) who have never  come to El Jordan... yet!  

Thank you for your prayers... support and encouragement...

Lots of love,

Corina for Marco, Keiden and Marlee...

 

...and little sparrows like Neiva...