Our Mother's Day Celebration was a huge success!
When I first sat down and talked to my Molly a few months ago, she told me that she was going to plan a Mother's Day event in Los Pinos. I told her that sounded awesome and if she needed any help, to let me know. Since then, we have developed a sort of partnership. Each of us has different strengths and different resources. Together, we make a great team.
At least once per week we go into Los Pinos and visit homes of the families that Molly was serving there. We are slowly branching out as we meet more people that God places in our path. One, as I wrote about last week, is Osiris. We can see God's hand in all that we are led to do.
We plan prayerfully and thoughtfully. We bring "body guards" with us - people who know and are known in the area. Each visit is planned with care. The Mother's Day event seemed to be the beginning of the fruits of our labor.
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| Molly and me with our body guards - Carlos and Ariel |
I counted 26 mothers present. Plus there were some kids whose mothers were not able to come, but the kids came in order to represent the family. So overall we served about 30 families of Los Pinos. Not bad for our first event!
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| Happy Moms with cake and gifts |
I had been sick for almost a week, but Friday it hit me really hard. If it weren't for the party, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed. I felt horrible. So I asked for prayer and did the best I could. Others said they couldn't tell, but I have to admit, I felt miserable all day.
The party started pretty much on time, which most of you know is a miracle in Honduras. We had help from Carlos and Ariel, as well as Ariel's mother and Jennifer, who is a girl Molly has been working closely with for years. They are now in the process of applying for college and jobs.
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| Jennifer made a special ribbon |
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| And pinned it on each mom |
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| as they came through the door |
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| Molly, Nohemy and Jennifer |
Everyone was such a big help. We could have never pulled this off without them. It all went smoothly and turned out to be a great success, due to the effort of our team here, in Honduras, and the people back in the US who helped us raise the money to pay for everything.
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| Carol's message for the Moms - Molly translated |
First we had a time of prayer, then the kids went upstairs to a classroom and made Mother's Day cards while my friend Carol spoke to the Moms. Her message was of hope, community, and praying in faith. It was perfect for our moms.
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| We kept bags of food hidden as an extra surprise |
Molly and I handed out bags of food to the mother who walked the farthest to get there, the mother with the newest baby, the mother with the most kids (16!), all of the grandmothers, the two mothers who have attended our women's group most consistently, and all of the mothers were given a chance to come up and speak about motherhood if they wanted to receive a basket. In all, we gave out 16 baskets to the 26 moms. That was quite a blessing! I know many of those homes normally have empty shelves where the food should be.
We invited everyone who is not already attending, to come to our women's group on Wednesdays. Many seemed interested, which is awesome. Then we encouraged them to ask one of us or a neighbor for prayer if they need intercession. Some of the ladies took advantage of that opportunity as well.
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| Carol prayed for the mother who had 16 kids |
The kids came down and did a little presentation, wishing their mothers a Happy Mother's Day. Then they gave their moms the cards they made while we passed out cake and punch. As they left we gave each mother a really pretty mug that said "Feliz Dia de la Madre" (Happy Mother's Day).
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| Kids coming back downstairs |
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| Happy Mother's Day! |
Thank you to each of you who donated in order to make this possible. We could not have done it without you!
Our ultimate goal is to support these ladies as they grow into a group of women who know God more deeply and can lean on each other, as sisters in Christ, to get through the tough situations they face. I am already looking forward to our second annual Mother's Day Party in Los Pinos.
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| Isa and me. She's becoming very cuddly. |
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| Erika, Marjory and me |
