Monday, Monday...

Isaiah 61:1, 3 - The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord  has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom  for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. 
And provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty  instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

We packed up this morning and were ready to venture to the ABC Center and Nueva Esperanza.  Part of our group went to Nueva Esperanza.  Our team brought the message of Christ's love through singing songs, playing games, holding babies, changing diapers, sharing laughter, and teaching lessons throughout the morning.  The children were so attentive and soaked up all of our love and attention.  Glory to God what a beautiful morning! 

While one team was at N.E., the fantastico construction team made their way to the ABC Center.  They began to paint and build in the efforts of providing a new face for the building.  How crafty they are!  We are asking for prayer for our team to accomplish what has been set before them during this week.  The team has the knowledge and skill and now we just need the breakthrough to proceed with the solid work that we know that we can produce. 

Our group joined together for lunch at the food court and traveled to Mujeres.  This was a new orphanage for us to visit this week.  Some of our group had been there before and looked forward to seeing familiar faces.  Mujeres is an orphanage for adolescent women between the ages of 11-18.  Some of the young women have arrived in this community after being abandoned or from living on the streets. The girls have found a safe haven for themselves, and in some cases, their babies as well. 

We began our time at Mujeres with worship.  What a sweet, sweet sound, even though we were not speaking each others' languages.  Only God could create such a beautiful scenario!  The girls had the chance to ask questions of us Americanos.  We made nametags, played basketball, and began our scrapbooking project.  Some girls quickly connected with our team by sharing their stories of their lives and despair.  This is exactly what we hope for these girls  - to bestow on them a crown of beauty for their ashes.