The Beauty within the Ugly

Their homes are just some sticks with tin sometimes thrown on as a roof and if they are lucky as siding, but if you look close while driving by some have beautiful mosaic tiles as a porch. The people here make and sell the expensive tile roofing sold in america. According to Wayne & Elaine (the missionaries we are staying with) the average salary here is between $60 to $100 a month. Trash is just thrown everywhere here. But in the all the ugly of the trash, poor living conditions and so on... sometimes there is a beautiful roof or tiled porch. What is everywhere here though, is beautiful trees and flowers beside those huts. Trees like lemon, coconut, avocado, palm trees, you name it...it is probably here. There is a verse in the bible that just came to mind in connection with this place and the fact that God is here.

"The poor and needy search for water but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, and the fir and the cypress together, so that my people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." Isaiah 41:14-17

La Escuela...notice gate and wire on top of fence

Roads

This is a picture of the road near the school, just all of a sudden large chunks of the road was missing. Most vehicles are SUV, standard diesels for all you guys. They usually have grill guads but they call them donkey killers here. Lots of people ride motorcycles too, there are cops but most don't have vehicles, they are just on the street. Buses are loaded past full potential.

Street vendor selling water....they are at every intersection

Arrival in Nicaragua

After getting up at 3:45am to make or flight out of Dallas, we finally made it to Nicaragua. We left the airplane and stepped into the Nicaragua airport to see all airline employees with masks on..talk about a little scary to us. Then we had to stand in front of an infared detector to see if we were running fever. Apparently they had their first Swine Flu case yesterday and 20 possibles. We went straight from the airport to the christian school to play soccer (or football) and frisbee with the kids at the school. Tommorrow we head to another school they started to play, visit and teach the kids. We have video and pics, but our blogger page isn't working so check back for video. It is SO hot, but we are blessed to stay in an airconditioned house that is considered a luxury here. We ate at TJIFridays and they even had an english menu for us! The first thing we noticed was how crazy everyone drives here, we thought we were going to get hit getting out of the airport. Everyone honks and no one even looks to see who honked. Our shipment of bears, coloring books for the children's hospital and other activites for the kids are being held in customs. Please pray that it is released soon.

Box 1 Arrived in Zimbabwee

Here is a letter from the orphanage in Zimbabwee:

Dear Tori
We would just like to inform you that the first box of blankets have arrived - Praise the Lord! I took it up to the children today and there was great excitement as the cold weather is starting to set in now. We had to pay customs $59,00 which is a pity as we usually get this all thru for no charge at all - but believe me it is worth every cent.
Thank you so very much for your love and care and we will let you know when the next box arrives.
God bless
Aurrell Olivier
On behalf of Good Shepherd Committee

Successful arrival in Liberia

I received a call this morning from Debera at Mission of Hope Orphanage in Liberia, the blankets and bears have arrived successfully in Liberia. She will be arriving in Liberia this June and pass them out personally and take pictures for us!

http://missionofhopeliberia.net

Donating Locally

When I was in the process of starting Blankets & Bears one response I got was what about people here at home, I really didn't have an answer for them except that my heart has been lead to help the orphans in Africa. Isn't the plan always bigger than we could imagine! Today I got a thank you note from the Downtown Women's Shelter for Blankets & Bears support. We often have items donated to Blankets & Bears that are too large and too heavy for shipment, after going through all the items from our recent drive, my mom had dropped off some of these items to the shelter and I had dropped off some to another charity in Amarillo. Who would have thought that this mission wasn't just about helping those children in third world countries but it was also going to help here at home.

Mission Trip to Nicaragua

Blankets and Bears will go on their first mission trip this June to Nicaragua. We will being staying with a couple originally from the Amarillo area. They have started a school with the help of Trinity Fellowship and work closely with an orphanage there and a children's hospital. It sounds like it is going to be a great opportunity to love some hurting kids and adults. We will be staying in a gated community and have a translator with us at all times...my spanish is un poco. Two highschool girls from Panhandle will be coming as well.