Photo of the Week-6/21-6/28

believe me, i had more adorable kid photos to use as the photo of the week this week but i don't want you to think that is all our ministry is about. absolutely, a good portion of my ministry is to children. they are my heart and soul. they are where most of my passion lies. but G.O. is about so much and children are just a portion of it.

in the picture above is one of G.O.'s medical staff, Dr. Vladimir Canela. he is an incredible guy. if you have more than five minutes to sit down with him you will quickly find his serious exterior melting away and a comedian will emerge. besides being intelligent, dedicated, and disciplined, he has an incredible heart for the hurting people of his culture.

similar to in the states, being a doctor is a prestigious profession. an elite few become doctors and the road is long to get there. many doctors in this country seek to work in private hospitals and practices where the money is good and the stature is even better. not Vladi. he's completed his schooling and become a doctor to serve in our free daily clinic in hoya del caimito. not only that, but he travels to remote areas of the island to serve people of other communities who do not have access to good medical care or even something as simple as cough syrup.

his passion to serve inside his own culture and love others is a testament to his love for jesus. he is an incredible example of a godly husband and father and continues to be an encouragement to those in need. he's as good as it gets. and we are blessed to have him be part of this ministry.

Photo of the Week-6/14-6/21

she's not like the other kids. she doesn't run up to us and jump on our backs and beg us to swing her around. she's quiet and rarely talks. i've never even heard any of the other kids call for her.

quiet and reserved, somehow poised and mature beyond her age. i've often wondered why she is how she is. i know that everyone has their own personalities but living in a place like the hole, i immediately assume something has happened, or she's experienced something that makes her this way.

despite the crazy kids jumping, and twirling, and screaming around her, she found a friend. one that was quiet and reserved just like her. her new friend scooped her up in her arms and i happened to catch their bond. i believe in kindred spirits. have found a couple along this journey. i know what an instant bond can do for the soul. and since i happened to see her crack a few shy smiles, i think she may have found hers.

Photo of the Week-6/7-6/14

do you see it? do you see it in his smile? the joy of feeling loved written all over his face?

being able to freeze a moment in time is one of the most incredible parts of my job. i have the opportunity to capture life in its purist form. without bias. without agenda. i get to see little ones be loved by people they sometimes only meet for fifteen minutes. and if you only knew how much these little ones crave it. how desperate they are for it. even today two brothers got in a huge fist fight right in front of me. a team member asked me why they were fighting so hard. i told them, "they are fighting over which one gets to hold your hand."

could you imagine? fighting for fifteen minutes of attention? fighting for fifteen minutes of feeling loved by a stranger? its reality for them. someone to love them and hold their hand and tell them they are loved in a language they don't even speak.

pray that god can let them hold onto that truth. that they are loved. even when their new friends leave. even when they feel alone. even when they can't make sense of the things surrounding them. that they find their identities in Christ, and only him. that they understand they are more than the sum of their circumstances. that they realize they are heirs to the throne of an almighty god, who in his sovereignty, intimately knows everything about them.

Photo of the Week-5/31-6/7

as we walked between the run down houses in a thicket of grass, i already knew what to expect. i knew i'd be a sobbing mess. i knew god wanted me to feel the suffering of another.

we stopped at a wooden shack with a blue rocking chair on the porch. no bigger than my living room, at least five people lived there. she stood there, in the center of the room, probably wondering what all these gringos were doing filling her house. although not scared by our presence, she still clung to her grandmother for comfort.

as the team members gently laid their hands on her little head and body, one began praying. praying that the lord would restore her body. that we know he is the great physician and his plan is the ultimate glory but today we want to pray for healing. that she would be whole again. that her immune system would gain control. that the chemo treatments would work. that she would be free from leukemia.

i imagined my little emi standing there. being prayed for as her tiny body fought off leukemia. i imagined the emotions of feeling so out of control, as her mother, and just wanting a miracle to take place and have my little girl be well. as i placed myself in her mother's shoes, my tears began to fall. not tears of hopelessness or despair. not tears of pain and agony. but tears of understanding and empathy and hope. knowing the big god we serve. a god who especially loves children.

her name is ruth esther. such a big name for such a little girl. i wonder if she even knows that her namesake is after two of the most incredible women in the bible? that she, too, possesses such amazing power, whether she is taken by her leukemia or not.

please join me in praying for her. for her healing. for her treatments. for her family. they sold the little land they owned to begin paying for her chemo treatments but it will not even come close to paying for all she will need. pray that god provides in a miraculous way, to bless this family and to bring him glory.