Saturday, April 23, 2005

More babies at the orphanage

Hello folks! Well, there are more and more babies at the orphanage! It's neat, yes, but not necessarily good, since some parents are not able to care for them, so they then end up at the orphanage. At least it's a better place for them than with their drunk dads and prostitute moms. At least there's a chance for them to have a better life here at the orphanage.

It was interesting for me (Ben) to find that out of the 17 teenage boys I've started a short Bible commentary/study for (in Proverbs), that only 4 or so called themselves "Christians". Wow. Here we are at a "Christian orphanage", and only 4 out of 17 teen boys are Christians. Makes you realize what an impact you can have on these kids. On the other hand, it makes you realize that you can't do this on your own. God's the one Who blesses the work, not men.

Becky's been helping more regularly now with the newborns and infants, as well as staying busy with Portuguese. The teen girls at the orphanage are really getting into crochĂȘting and it has been a great way for Becky to feel like she can make a difference even without knowing the language very well. One girl in particular, Jaqueline (she is 14 years old and has a 2 year old son by her step-father) crochĂȘts all the time now and when she finishes with her yarn (enough to make 2 small carpets) she takes her carpets apart and starts all over again just to have something to pass the time. Becky has found some crochĂȘt patterns in Portuguese and the girls are making some beautiful things.

I've been (Ben) weeding in the garden, spending time with the boys, hangin' out and playing with them, as well as doing a Wednesday night Bible Study with them. There is not a single person doing any kind of spiritual formation with these kids on a regular basis. The lady that used to be here (for 9 years or so) just left in January. There's a lot of help that's needed in "manpower", if you know what I mean. They need more people willing to teach Scripture to these kids, not necessarily $$$.

It's been neat to see how relationships are developing between us and the kids as time goes by. I have a feeling we're gonna miss all these kids when we leave here!
Well, we'll stop here for now. Keep in touch with us!
Ben & Becky.

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