What’s Happening Now …

Dateline: January 30, 2017

Please take a look at the latest newsletter from Promise Home. You can see the complete newsletter by CLICKING HERE.

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Graduation Ceremony at the
El Portillo School

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New bridge built by Mission Team
volunteers from Kentucky

Promise Home 2016 Mission News

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Promise Home Mission News 2016

God is truly blessing the ministries of Promise Home! Click the image to access a PDF of Promise Home’s Mission News for 2016. Please share this post with your friends, family and associates so they can see what is happening in Honduras through Promise Home.

If you would like to make a one time or monthly gift to help support the ministries of Promise Home please visit our “Make a Gift” page. Thank you for all you do to make the ministries of Promise Home possible!

MINISTRY MOMENT: The Foot

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The Foot

See that foot? Not the hoofer on the right…the little one on the left. That foot belongs to little Dari.

I had shared a prayer request about her earlier last week, so let me give you an update on the person who owns this foot (the cute one).

Dari does indeed have intestinal parasites. She is responding very well to the treatment. She is handling the pain extremely well. Praise the Lord!

Dari was extremely malnourished. Her little stomach was huge and was tight as a drum due to the malnutrition and the parasite. Her color was washed out and she was lethargic at best. Thanks to you guys and your support. We were able to get Dari to a wonderful doctor, get the proper medication to treat her parasitic condition, get the proper nutritional supplementation, and get her the hugs and love that she needed.

She is improving every day.

Dari has one of the sweetest dispositions I have ever encountered. When one of us walk into the casita where she lives now, she just beams a smile. She isn’t out of the woods yet.

Since Dari didn’t have a proper diet for so long, she is literally half the size that she is supposed to be for her age. We’re working with her…you can be assured of that. We will keep you updated as to her progress.

So, allow me to say a heartfelt “thank you” / “gracias” on her behalf!

Devotional side (you knew it was coming):

Take a look at the picture again, please. Use your Spirit-empowered imagination and think about that little foot as your foot. Think about that larger foot as God’s foot. The way that those two feet got into that position is because the smaller one was sitting in the lap of the larger one.

Aren’t you glad when God scoops you up in spite of parasites, malnutrition, etc and sits you in His lap? Remember the feeling of kind, loving words…without condemnation that came from Him? Remember the first time that you had the feeling, “God loves me. He really, really loves ME!”?

That’s what I see when I look at that picture.

We get to experience the Lord loving others through us as we cooperate with Him. We get to share the Lord with others in a manner that they understand…without condemnation…in spite of perceived deficiency, disease, or shortcomings.

We get to be the hands, feet, and hugs of Christ in lives that need them.

Today, make it a point to accomplish two things:

1) Take the time to sit down with our Lord and spend time with Him in prayer and in His Word. He’s waiting for some “God-and-I-Time”.

2) Take the time to sit down with another that needs to experience the love of the Lord in their lives. But, do it for His glory…not just for a spiritual spasm or an ecumenical exercise.

Oh, and do what mom said to do: wash your feet!

MINISTRY MOMENT: The Lego

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THE LEGO 

By Marcus Fowler, Promise Home Community Ministry Director

1 John 1:5 – “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

Psalm 139:12 – “Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever had the joy of playing with Lego’s. You know, they’re the little plastic blocks that allow your creative imagination to run wild (when I was a kid, we had Lincoln Logs…not Lego’s. That may explain a few things about my personal preferences).

Some folks are concluding that these little plastic blocks have a mind of their own. They disappear from beneath your nose and reappear in places like a vacuum cleaner, in the dog’s bowl, or under a bare foot in the middle of the night. This week, one of our tias was walking across the floor while carrying one of the babies (I’m watching this happen, so, this is a firsthand account). Nothing else was on the floor because they do a good job keeping it clear. As she walked by one piece slipped four-inches over for her to step on. She hit the floor, but saved the baby. I could almost hear the evil laugh emanating from the plastic.

Be aware – they just may want to take over the world.

Want to find a Lego? Turn out the lights and walk through barefooted. You’ll find it. Can I get an “Amen!” from anyone who has had the pleasure?

How many times in our lives have we found some little doodad to enjoy? Something like a Lego that is harmless in itself and can bring a great deal of pleasure when the conditions are right. Then, there’s a change when the lights go out. We find a piece of the doodad in other areas of our life where they don’t belong. We use fancy humanistic words like: addicting, socially challenging, time consuming, etc. Define it with your preferred term, but the truth remains: there’s a change.

The doodad has transformed into a “don’t-dad”.

Life has a lot of options. Lets make sure that we keep the light of the Lord on in our lives so that optional doodad doesn’t become the don’t-dad that causes pain and/or injury to ourselves or others. And, who knows, you just may be the one that can help someone escape the pain-of-the-plastic (the fancier word for it is ministry).

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

MINISTRY MOMENT: The Shoe

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The Shoe

Ever try to make headway with a 3-year old? Did I detect a grimace as the thought passed painfully through your head with a frustrating memory? Today, I had the pleasure/pain of such an event.

JR (I changed the name to protect the guilty) decided that one shoe made a stronger fashion statement than wearing both shoes. I told him, “You can’t come outside and play with me until you put both your shoes on.” My suggestion was then underscored by one of the Tias who had been suggesting the same thing, several times. JR continued to live life according to his own agenda totally ignoring the instructions that he had been given by the two of us. I turned my back on JR to have some fun with another child who was ready for attention. The next thing I hear, the Tia screams out a warning to me and a shoe goes flying by my head. The room is in an absolute silent standstill except for a giggling JR. It’s time for me to up my game.

I pick up the shoe/weapon-of-bonking and walk over to JR. He is still grinning from ear to ear and ready to play (in his mind). Instead of playing his game, I jump into the air and place his shoe on top of one of the ceiling fan blades. I then spin around and walk away to play with the other kids. I turn just enough to catch the reaction of JR. He is staring up at his shoe perched on the blade of the ceiling fan. His face is priceless! The Tia is trying not to laugh out loud. She is hiding her face behind the baby that she is holding and smothering her laughter with the baby’s back.

After only a few seconds, JR says, “That’s my shoe”. I continue to play with the other kids. The Tia is rocking with laughter. Tears are running down her face…the baby in her arms thinks it’s a new game. “That’s MY shoe!”, JR repeats. This time I reply, “Oh, would you like to obey and put your shoe on now?” I walk over to the fan, jump up and grab the shoe, and tell JR to sit down and put it on. He takes off. Tia repeats my instructions. JR, in great 3-year old fashion, makes a face at her. Once again, it’s time to up my game.

I pick up JR, take him to one of the baby highchairs and strap him in. Suddenly, reality hits him…he’s in a baby seat. I have his total attention. He is now ready to  follow instructions. The shoe gets on the foot almost magically. The Tia gets a kind, heartfelt apology for disrespect. The world continues to revolve.

I then let him know that I would be back later to play with him AFTER he had a chance to think about his obedience.

Here’s the lesson:

How many times have we responded like a 3-year old to God? How many times (please, don’t count…really, don’t count) has He had to take our shoe and put it up out of our reach? How many times has He taken great pains to get our attention and we ignore Him?

We all have had “shoes” in our lives. We have all wanted those shoes, our shoes, in our own way in spite of what God has instructed. Because of our wants we miss out on some of the play time that we would otherwise enjoy.

Lets make sure we have our shoes on right and are ready to play with God.

If the shoe fits …

MINISTRY IMPACT ALERT

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MINISTRY IMPACT ALERT: New Baby Girl Comes to Promise Home!

A precious new little one came to Promise Home on Wednesday.  Her name is Dari and one of her favorite things to do is smile and snuggle up to Dakota (14 year old daughter of  Lisa & Marcus Fowler – our resident missionaries).

Lisa and Marcus took her to the doctor yesterday. The results are extremely concerning and we need prayer warriors to run to the Lord on Dari’s behalf. Here are the bullet points:

  • She is extremely malnourished. It’s going to take her quite a while to build up to her physical age (12 months).
  • She has a parasite. It has caused her stomach to distend due to the gas it is producing inside her … yes, just like the starving children on tv. This gas is painful!
  • Her stool is sandy. She has been dehydrated, but is improving. Because of her weakened state, she cannot process food normally. She requires a special diet.

Marcus worked with the doctor to measure and determine Dari’s physical status in percentiles (just like someone goes to the pediatrician in the US). Here’s what was found:

  • Dari is certainly 12 months old. When she first arrived Dari was thought to be, at most, only a few months old! She has the number of teeth consistent with a child of 12 months. There are cavities in every single tooth.
  • Her length is that you would expect to find in a 4.5 month old baby.
  • Her weight is that you would expect in a 4 month old baby.

The Fowler’s hearts were breaking for this little one with each new determination. All the while she was smiling at Lisa and Marcus and snuggling, hugging, and trying to enjoy life. She never, ever cried. What a brave little girl!

Lisa and Marcus stopped at the pharmacy on the way back from the doctor for the list:

  • Soy formula (it produces less gas and doesn’t feed the parasite as well).
  • Protein supplement
  • Parasite treatment
  • Amino acid compound
  • Vitamin supplements

You can imagine the cost involved!

Dari will improve. It will take time, love, prayer, and the Lord. Please, join us in praying for this precious little one!

We will keep you informed as Dari progresses.

Our Children’s Village

This is a Quick Tour of our Children’s Village

These building have all been constructed in the last few years by volunteers and the support provided by many individuals, churches and ministries. We thank God for his provision for the children of Honduras!

Click this link – http://update.promisehome.org – to watch our 2016 Ministry Update video.

2016 Ministry Update Video

Our 2016 Ministry Update video is now available for your to view! Please click on the image below to access our video:
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Watch Promise Home’s 2016 Ministry Update Video Today!

We invite you to watch our 2016 Ministry Update video to see some of what God has done through the ministries of Promise Home. 2016 was a benchmark your for Promise Home with several major milestone accomplishment. Please watch the video and share your feed back. We want to hear what you think about what God is doing for the children of Honduras through Promise Home!

Wishing You A Very Blessed Christmas!

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Our After School Children Wish You A Blessed Christmas!

Please pray for this group of Children and their parents as you celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Merry Christmas From Another Group of Our Children!

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More of Our After School Children Wish you a Merry Christmas!

Another group of our After School Children wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! We invite you to pray for each one of these precious children along with their families as we celebrate our Saviors birth.