The Good Ol’ US of A

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Together again. I miss them already.

BFF Reunion

We sincerely apologize for the lack of blog postings. We have been busy since being back in America! But we will give you a quick update on what we’ve been up to lately. We arrived in Michigan on July 12 for one of Trina’s best friends wedding. She was super busy with wedding details and spending time with her two best friends from college that she hasn’t seen in over 3 years. Trina’s parents also went to the wedding so it was

Asher and Daddy catching some fireflies in MI.

exciting to see them for the first time in 7 months. So, while Trina was busy, Chad spent a lot of quality time with Asher. He also got to visit some family that lives in MI. All in all, it was a great week and we had a wonderful time!

Hello Lynden

We left MI on the 18th and arrived in our hometown of Lynden. It has been so great to see family again! Chad and I have mentioned that while it feels strange to be back, it also feels like we never left. We have enjoyed drinking Wood’s coffee, going on runs outside, putting our feet in the grass, and the “uncraziness” of the driving conditions here! However, we wish we would have packed warmer clothing. We cannot believe how cold it is here for being summer..we are freezing!

More Plans

As we have mentioned before, we have a busy month ahead of us. We leave this weekend for a week long camping trip with Trina’s family for her parents 40th anniversary. From there we head straight to Seattle for Chad’s 20th high school reunion. And then we have the fair in Lynden, where Chad is a huge help to his dad, who is the manager of the fair. And of course lots of visiting with family and friends. And then we leave August 22 to go back to our Honduras home. But we aren’t thinking of that yet :)

Please Join Us

Please remember our Fellowship and Taco Night where we will be sharing stories from our time in Honduras. This event will take place on Thursday, August 11 at 6:00pm in the NCCTK worship center. We hope to see you all there!

Our Weekend With Osny

By in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras, The Road 4 Comments

First Weekend 

Our new "Daughter."

We had our first weekend with Osny and it was amazing, yet heartbreaking at the same time. Both Chad and I have so many emotions were going through right now, that we are still trying to process. We first saw Osny at church on Friday night. I could tell that she had been through a lot upon our reuniting. She looked a little thinner, and somewhat pale in the face. She also was very emotional, in tears for most of the service. Alvin later told us this was because she felt so happy to be back in her home church. I was glad they were at least tears of happiness.

Comfort

Osny came home with us after the service. I could tell that she felt a little uncomfortable and also a little shy. So I tried to break the ice with what little Spanish I do know :) I also wanted her visit to be as comfortable as possible for her, and I wanted her to feel at home. The week before I had gone out and bought some toiletry items for her to use while she stays with us. I could tell she was thankful for this. She went to bed early that night after I am sure what was an emotionally exhausting day for her.

Chores

I was up early the next morning because of a little boy who decided to wake up at 4:30. Osny was up not too much later than me. She told me that at the shelter they have to wake up at 4:00 during the week, and 6:00 on the weekends. So waking up early is normal for her. After being used to a life of chores, she immediately set to work cleaning the house. I couldn’t believe it! She did the dishes, swept and mopped the floors, and emptied the trash. I just wanted her to sit and relax! And while I was making breakfast for us, I went upstairs to get her, and I noticed she had made our bed. I don’t remember doing that all before 8:00 when I was a teenager.

Breaking Hearts

I took Osny with me to Walmart on Saturday to get some groceries. I asked her if there was anything she needed and she just said yes, but wouldn’t tell me what. After probing her, she finally told me that she needed some jeans. We later learned that while Osny was at Casitas (the government orphanage) some of the girls had took a scissors to most of her clothes and ruined them. They were jealous that she had “nice” stuff so they trashed her clothes. I also learned that those same girls had taken her makeup and broken it all into tiny pieces. Our hearts were breaking for what she must have gone through while at Casitas. Later that day, we took Osny, along with some friends from church, to the waterslides and out for pizza that night. We also learned that Osny has been having severe stomach pain, especially when she eats. She can’t keep food down and sometimes throws up after eating. And no, it is not bulimia, which we thought at first too. But whenever she eats, she has pain. The shelter has taken her to the doctor, but not a good one, so the diagnosis is unclear. We are praying that it is not cancer, which is what her mother died from years ago.

LOVE

We have fallen even more in love with Osny after having her this weekend. And what brings joy to our hearts is that she felt loved too. After hearing about her makeup being trashed, I offered to buy her some new things, if she would just give me a list. She didn’t want to. So I sat next her, hugged her, and told her that she is part of our family. With tears in her eyes, she told me that she hasn’t felt this loved since before her mom died. WOW.

Cute Story

I am going to end by sharing a cute story about her. On Saturday night, Asher had woken up around 1:30. I didn’t hear him at first but when I got up to go get him, I noticed his bedroom light was on. Osny had gotten up with him and was reading him a story. My heart melted.

Keep Praying

We wish that Osny could be with us every day, so we could take better care of her and give her the continued love that she deserves. And maybe someday she will. Osny continues to struggle with some demons from her past and we are praying that she soon experiences the freedom that she already has in Jesus Christ. Please pray with us for Osny.

I love this girl.