Thursday, March 31, 2011

Out There with the Beams -- March 2011


Dear Friends and family,

Hello! This is Vanessa writing to you now.  I cannot believe March has already come and gone.  We had a great Christmas and New Year time with my family and friends in Peru whom we hadn’t visited for seven years.  I love my beautiful family and country and miss them a lot.
Nathaniel came here and went to Peru with us, so that was a very special treat.  Also Luciana turned 16!!  Can you believe it?

At the Ruth and Noemi things are going great.  But I am really sad to announce that our director Loly is having to quit after March since she is expecting triplets and she is considered high risk.  I am really sad to see her go, please pray for her and her family, for provision and good health. She has been very efficient and loving and also has been key to starting the jewellery and T-shirt business at the house.  We need your help with prayer so that the Lord will provide someone else to work at the house who loves Him and loves the girls as well. This letter is full of prayer requests.  We need prayer as well for all our girls, we have four right now.  Two of them have babies, one little boy and a little girl who was born two weeks ago, she is precious!  Another girl who is new and pregnant is struggling and has said she wants to leave.  And then we have our only one student who does not have any babies and has finished culinary school and has started to work at  a restaurant.  All of them need sanity and miracles for their lives.  Such  as the miracle of forgiveness, provision and families for when they leave the Transition House.
Sometimes I get depressed and overwhelmed thinking about the girls and their lives but Jesus reminds me that they are his and not mine.  Please remember to pray for Marizabel and her health, she’s been struggling with several issues and allergies.
I would like to tell you and at the same time praise the Lord for all our volunteers, without them and their hard work it would be impossible to keep sanity.  Our newest volunteer is Liz, she came from Canada and has been a real asset to the house.  She is very caring and hardworking and super easy going.  She makes beautiful jewellery too!  I just wish I could keep her.  Oh ya, the best part is that she does not speak Spanish.  Oh the things God can do that we don’t even imagine!I don’t remember if  I have mentioned this or not but Loly, Marizabel, Angelica,  and I are training to become counsellors. Our class, called Biblical Counselling, has been hard but at the  same time I have received a lot of healing through the class.  I don’t particularly see myself as a counsellor but we definitely need the skills with the girls so I can be a means of healing for the Lord.

On a personal note, we really need prayer for paperwork in general.  I went to the US last month to renew my U.S. residency and to apply for U.S. citizenship.   So pray that the citizenship is granted quickly and without any problems.  Tonight we are all traveling by bus to Salta, Argentina for a couple of days so we can begin again to apply for residency visas in Bolivia.  It is an overnight 18 hour bus ride from Santa Cruz to Salta.  Fun!

This summer we will go to the US to share with some of you guys about our ministries.  If you would like us to come speak in your church or to your small group, please let us know and we will put you on our schedule. 

Blessings,
Vanessa