Bryan

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16).                                                       This move has not been easy for Ava. There have been many tears shed at school and bedtime often brings around the questions of “why?” “‘Why did God call us here?” “Why do I have to go to school?” “Why do I have to learn spanish? I don’t understand it”. “Why don’t I fit in down here?” “Why do I feel alone?” Talk about tugging at this mamma’s heart. It’s a struggle to hold back my own tears while I watch the tears stream down her cheeks.  Now, there has been a huge improvement over the past year, and while the tears and questions are still there, there aren’t as many of them. But they are still there. She still struggles to understand what her purpose is here and why God would call her to the DR. But through this struggle, God has opened a door and allowed us to have many conversations about how much God loves her and only wants the best for her. About how God calls us to be uncomfortable at times because He is shaping  and molding us to be more Christ-like. We talk about how everything we do is to bring glory to God and that we are called to deny ourselves and surrender everything to Christ.  It’s a lot to take in for an eight year old but she often nods her head through the tears. As I lay in bed after our conversations, I find myself asking a lot of the same questions. Why God does she have to go through this? Every ounce of my heart wants to keep her from this heartache and pain. But I know that God is faithful. I know that where God calls, He will provide. A few weeks ago, He did just that! We got to once again experience His faithfulness.  Every week, the girls pick a kid from their class to pray for. Each night they pray for that kid during their bedtime prayers. That week, Ava picked Bryan. Bryan is an ornery little kid with a contagious smile. :) Half way through the week, Ava came home and shared with me that Bryan was having some discipline issues at school. While this isn’t exactly out of the norm,  Ava said that it was an increased amount and that he was just acting different. She thought maybe something might be going on in his home life. I told her that we would continue to pray for him and for whatever was going on in his life. Every Friday night, our Freedom team gets together to share about our week and then we worship and dig into God’s word. That night, our leader Jason, said he had a story to share about Bryan. My ears perked up when he mentioned Bryan's name. Jason went on to share that Bryan had been having increased discipline issues, just like Ava had pointed out. That morning, he had visited the office twice before 11am, which meant he would be sent home for the day. Jason drove him home to talk to his mom. When he arrived, Jason found only his brother at home. His aunt, who lives across the street, walked over and Jason explained to her what had happened and that Bryan was having a lot of discipline issues. When he asked where Bryan’s mom was, the aunt told him that she had a job that now required her to be gone all week. She only came home on the weekends. As Jason talked to Bryan's aunt more, he found out that Bryan was sleeping at their house but spending the rest of the time at home with no one to really look after him. The aunt mentioned that she thinks his increased discipline issues was a result of him missing his mom. At that moment, Bryan covered his face with his hands and started weeping. Jason kneeled down to his level and gave him a hug and told him that he understood how that would make things more difficult for him. He asked Bryan if he wanted to come back to school for the day and Bryan said yes. After Jason shared this story, tears were streaming down my face. Ava had picked Bryan at the beginning of that week to pray for. I believe it’s because God placed his name on her heart. She took notice of his increased discipline issues and came home and shared that we needed to continue to lift him up in prayer. How awesome is that! I know it’s not that Bryan’s discipline issues immediately disappeared, and it might seem like a small thing, but God used an eight year old girl to lift up a little boy that was hurting and missing his mom. God is so faithful! Not just because he pricked her heart to be praying for him, but because He allowed her a glimpse of how He is using her down here to further His kingdom!  What's Happening with Freedom?

Classrooms continue to go up! Next Tuesday we hope to pour the ceiling on this second story classroom. These classrooms will give us the opportunity to equip children to glorify God by loving Him, loving others and living out their design! The Suon's have made it to the half way mark! They have raised 50% of their needed financial support! If you are looking for a way to invest in the Freedom ministry, consider supporting this family! Click here to make your donation.  Tuesday we received two more containers! Supplies such as desks, cabinets and tools will help us keep this ministry running. God continues to provide beyond what we can imagine! Thank you to everyone who donated and helped out! We need interns! We currently have 5 interns - Abby, Heather, Sarah, Olivia and Vannie. You can see the love they have for God reflected in their love for our kids. If you're interested in joining them, click here for more info.

We are truly thankful for your continued support! Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray that we would keep God first and that everything we do would bring glory to His name.