March 2018

What a busy year we've already had in 2018.  The kids have been in school for two months and received their first school break, which they really enjoyed. We have 20 new children in the program this year, bringing our total to 75 for 2018. We also have several new staff members. It has been an adjustment but we are all getting along nicely and have settled into a new routine.
 
We have been incredibly blessed this school year to have already been visited by two missions teams.
 
The first missions team came from the high school group at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. We have never seen so many teens on fire for the Lord and so quick and willing to share the gospel. Bellevue has definitely equipped them for obeying God’s call to ‘go and make disciples’. What an encouragement to see our next generation winning souls for Jesus. They were led by a godly young man that pushed the teens all week to step out of their comfort zone and it definitely paid off. This group brought almost 20 children to the Lord at La Aljaba and through a teen conference, they hosted at a local church. This group touched the lives of our children at La Aljaba, especially our new children, and we are forever grateful! Aside from being soul winners, the Bellevue teens ran a VBS with our children and were able to help with some much-needed painting.

​Our second group came to us from Canada. They were a smaller group of six, but WOW what servant’s hearts they had!! They came ready to work and even after working all day in the heat, didn’t hesitate to spend a lot of time with our children. Our Canada team helped fix our sidewalks at La Aljaba, so we can get from one building to the next without “drowning” in muddy waters during the rainy season. They also completed the painting in the newly constructed bathrooms located in the new building. They also held a VBS with our children, took them out for pizza and spent a day at a local water park. On top of blessing our home and children, they took the entire staff down the river for the day, including Lucy! What a nice break this was for the staff to relax and enjoy some time away from their daily work at La Aljaba.

​This year, we welcomed to our staff a young lady who grew up in La Aljaba, spent the last two years in Memphis, TN, attending the local university learning English.  Many of you know her and love her dearly.  When Kimberly returned to Leticia at the end of 2017 it was a natural fit to bring her back as a staff member as she continues her studies in Leticia.  She has been a huge help to Lucy and also has been a great asset to the English speaking missions teams that visit! We are very grateful for her heart and love for La Aljaba.
 
In March we had to say goodbye to our 6-month intern from Canada, through Camino Global. Darian has such a loving heart and gave up her life in Canada to live in Leticia investing in the children of La Aljaba. We are so grateful for the impact she’s made on the children emotionally and spiritually. We were so sad to see her go, but we are trusting she will make her way back very soon.

We want to take time and write how grateful we are for Orphanos, our mission partner, who not only manages all our finances but has been such a blessing and support to our ministry.  They go above and beyond what is required to ensure we are supported. Thank you, Wayne and the Orphanos staff for all you do!
 
Starting in May we will have a mission team visit us almost every week until August. In some ways, this interrupts our weekly routine at La Aljaba but it is so important to have a plethora of godly men and women invest in our kids. What an impact you all will make spiritually in the lives of our children! Thank you for everything you do for us and for your commitment to what God is doing in Leticia.
 
These our prayer needs at La Aljaba, we ask you to join us in prayer over these things! God tells us in Mark 11:24 “Therefore * I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you”

1. Pray for our children at La Aljaba that they might ask Jesus to be their personal Lord and Savior and have a growing relationship with Christ
2. Pray for our staff, that they will keep God first in their lives and will always be a godly influence on our children. Pray they will also have a heart for the ministry.
3. Pray for Lucy and she continues to lead this amazing ministry. That you would continue to give her wisdom and guidance in all things.
4. Pray for the safety of our ministry, both physically and spiritually. Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy!
5. Pray for our financial support. We are more than $2,000 each month shy of our monthly needs. We lost many donors after the new year, which is not normal. So be in prayer as we work to find new donors.
6. Praise God for all our new staff and alumni staff that work hard at investing in our children. Thank you that our doors are still open and that God continues to work through our ministry here in the jungle.

 
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and catch up on our lives here at La Aljaba. We ask that you continue to share our blog and social media posts to raise awareness of God’s work in Leticia. Social media sharing is one of the biggest ways we raise awareness and get new donors for La Aljaba. Thank you for your continued faithful prayers and support. We love you all!