Esteven

Baby Esteven was the little baby who I did a post on when he had his feeding tube put in. He's been in and out of the hospital, and he passed away last night around 8:00pm. Here's the email Patti Sue sent out:

My house is quiet. No oxygen concentrator running, no pulse oximeter beeping, no suction machine running. It is very strange to us all not to have Esteven with us and will take some getting use to. Esteven had a sweet spirit and when he looked at you it was like he was looking into your soul.
Esteven went to be with Jesus at 8 pm on January 26, 2010 and we will miss him.
Any memorial funds sent in his name to CornerStone International US or ACCI Canada will be put toward his hospital bill.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
In His embrace
Patti Sue

We just had a small ceremony at 2:00 pm. They build these tall concrete structures where you slide the casket into one of the slots, and then you put the headstone on the front. Dwight, Freddy & Luis were sealing the front with blocks and concrete.

There are so many mixed emotions for the doctors, Patti Sue and everyone who has cared for Esteven over the past several months. Above all though...everyone involved is happy that Esteven is now perfectly healthy and with his Father.... Mama Ines and Patti Sue both spoke at the ceremony and painted a beautiful picture of Esteven singing, running and playing like a healthy little child.

This is one of my favorite pics that Patti Sue sent one day. Be sure to read his shirt!

I've always loved the visual this verse in Isaiah provides, and I often focus on this in regard to the kids with disabilities whom I love so much...

"Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy....

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Isaiah 35:5-6;10

Won't that be a beautiful sight!?! Thank you, Father, for your promises.

One day....

Oldies, but Goodies

Ok...so this slide show is from Thanksgiving weekend. :-) Yeah...I'm just a little behind. BUT.... there are some fun pics that I didn't want to leave out....

Sunday after Thanksgiving, we went with a friend and his family about 30 minutes out of town to visit their property. Jaime (pronounced "Hymay") used to work at the construction site, and Dwight really values him as a friend and someone he can trust. Jaime's wife and little boy came along, as well as Jaime's dad. We all piled into a tiny little car and had a blast!

We first stopped at their aunt and uncle's house, which was a simple wooden shelter on raised blocks. I wanted to take a picture, but it just seemed wrong. It very much felt like they were on display for us, and I didn't want to make things awkward. You'll see a lot of pics from their house first.... They raise several types of animals, and also live off fruit from their land. It was amazing, because they just kept walking around pointing out different uses for all of the plants and natural growth.

Next, we hiked up to Jaime's property. They plan to build a house there one day and possibly open it up for tourists. It will be beautiful....On top of a ridge in the rain forest with a clear view.

Afterward, we went down the road to visit a "zoo," which was really just a few animals around a house. It was more about rehabilitating and keeping animals in their natural habitat than anything else. People come from all over to study a lot of these species.
Okay...think that covers it!

Something to Make You Smile...

Jessi thought this was hilarious. I wish you could have heard her laughing.

Isn't John Paul getting big?!?

THANK YOU!!!

I know I'm going to forget some people in this post, but I'll still try. :-) We have just received so many donations lately, and I wanted to share a few....

The Gerardo and Kathy Mejia Foundation organized a huge shipment of toys donated by Jakks Pacific toy company. Dole corporation paid for 3 huge shipping containers as well, so a lot of people were involved. We only got a small portion of the toys, and it was still overwhelming!!! Ministries all over Ecuador received similar donations....WOW! Patti Sue picked everything up on Christmas Eve, and they filled up our guest room. Here is a picture of what it looks like now.... AFTER Christmas.

We gave each of the kids 2 big toys, and we've given out some of the school supplies. We're going to share a lot of the left-over toys with the mission hospital and different ministries in the jungle. It's exciting to be able to share!

Here's Alejo squeezing a new Barney and Neopet stuffed animal. :-)

Here is Miss Alison's class opening some large activity mats that they're using in class.

Miss Dallas' class opening some erasable Dora pads.

Yulisa

Ana
Mikaela

Thank you, Ms. Hahn!!

We know Ms. Hahn from the church Dwight went to in Alaska while he was stationed there. She saw one of the orphanage's update letters and emailed me about the needs. I mentioned tennis shoes and gave her some sizes...Needless to say, she bought every pair they had at the store! She also bought them out on long shorts, cloth diapers and everything else on the list. She shipped 5 huge boxes to some ladies who came to visit right after Christmas.

Thank you Julie, Michele, Nancy and Valerie for bringing everything down! Thank you for all of the goodies you left as well. AND for making New Years' Eve a blast for the kids!

Here were (some of) the piles after we organized them by size. We brought the kids over in groups to get fitted and inventory everything.

Javier loves his new sneakers!

We also had some others do a clothing and toy drive, and we just received the last of that with our team that arrived yesterday. Thank you to Cindy Wine and Faith Christian Church in Springhill, Fl, and Daniel & Lubna Mohr...AND to Carolyn & Rosemarie Asbach, and the Troyer group for transporting it all down! We're still getting everything unpacked and organized, but I know the kids are going to absolutely LOVE this stuff!

Here's a random picture of the construction site that Julie took while she was here last week. Gives you an idea of how it's progressing with the walls going up! They received another huge shipment of blocks today, so things are moving along!

LaBouef Family

We just received word that Joshua passed away. The entire family is traveling from Quito to Shell, and we don't have any details beyond that.
Please, please, please lift them up in prayer right now and through the weeks to come.

Please pray!

Rick and Sharon Labouef are long-time missionaries who live here in Shell. One of their sons, Freddy, lives with his family nearby in Puyo. This past Saturday, one of Freddy's sons, Joshusa (3 yrs. old), was in a water-related accident. There are not specific details as to what happened....only that he was unaccounted for for 20 minutes before he was found in the water unconscious. He was immediately taken to a local hospital, then brought to Shell to be flown to Quito. He was non-responsive throughout this time.
He was placed in intensive care in Quito, and they induced a 72-hour coma to allow his body to recover. The updates over the past few days have been positive. His fever has gone down, heart-rate lowered and fluid reduced in his lungs. His induced coma will end this afternoon/evening, and then they will be able to assess the damage to his brain.
PLEASE join us in prayer for Joshua's healing. Rick and Sharon have touched so many people's lives, and there are people praying all over the world right now for this family. Joshua's situation is very serious, and it's apparent that if he recovers- it can only be attributed to a miracle from our Father.
Joshua's parents' names are Freddy and Sondra. Siblings are Daniella (young teen), Matthew (Kindergarten), and baby Jake. At this point, Freddy's brothers have all traveled to Quito, and they are surrounded by family.
Please pray for everyone involved in this situation.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14