Elias finished up his internship that he started in August. He was hopeful that they might offer him a full-time position, but it didn't work out. We would appreciate your prayers as he now starts job hunting. Saturday is his graduation ceremony from high school, and they've asked him to share his testimony at the ceremony. He's pretty nervous right now as he prepares!
Edwin and Jenifer are siblings who stayed with us for Christmas last year. On Sunday their older brother Hugo died of complications from pneumonia. He had several medical conditions that had progressively worsened over the years, and lately he had been constantly in and out of the hospital. The most beautiful thing about his testimony was that in the middle of all his problems and pains, he always talked to everyone about God's goodness. Well now he's in the presence of his good God and isn't suffering anymore, and we give God praise for that.
Out of this sad time came a new beginning. Hugo had left the orphanage years before I arrived, and his death reunited many guys who grew up with him and are closer to my age. We had an INCREDIBLE time meeting them and getting to know them. It was like a big extended family reunion! The common feeling with everyone was "I miss this family. We need to get together more often!"
On Monday I got sick, and I wasn't able to get together with them. They responded, "No problem, we'll come to your house!" God helped me feel better in the evening when they arrived, and He really blessed our time together. I'm very excited about the new relationships! Yuli and I really enjoyed listening to each of them share their experiences after leaving the orphanage and learning about the challenges that they faced. Yuli invited them all back over again in a few weeks so that she could cook for them all, but I think that she forgot that she's about to give birth! (God really blessed me with an incredible wife!) We would really appreciate your prayers that God would allow us to continue to build these new relationships, and that we can encourage each of them to continue to seek God as adult men.
At the end of September we poured our cement roof! It was a pretty massive undertaking, and it used about 150 sacks of cement (about 6 tons), 14 cubic meters each of sand and gravel (around 23 tons each!), and lots of water. Coming from the United States, it's a little weird thinking about all that weight above your head. I put together a quick and very shaky video of the process if you're interested. The last few weeks we stopped construction in order to let the roof fully dry, but now we're back removing the wooden mold that held it all together. It looks good!
Our family is going to grow in size very soon! Yuli is less than a month away from giving birth to our little girl, and we can't wait to meet her! We work with lots of kids, but not with many babies, so it's going to be a huge change for us. We're so excited to soon meet our little gift from God! Last week we took advantage of the break in construction and snuck away for a little vacation to relax for a few days. Pretty soon our lives are going to become a lot busier, and so the time was so needed and refreshing. The doctor says that our baby is doing well and already over 6 pounds, but she has her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice. Please pray for our baby during these final weeks of pregnancy and as we decide if a C-section is necessary.
Verse for October:
The Lord is close to the brokenheartedand saves those who are crushed in spirit.Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Please pray this verse this month for all the kids and men that God has placed in our lives. Edwin and Jenifer are going through a time of sorrow. The guys who live with us are affected by the rejection of their mother. Many of the kids at the orphanage suffer from the abandonment and abuse and brokenness that brought them here. We so desire to be used by God as a conduit of His love and healing. Please pray for us!
Here are all of the blog posts for this past month:
Thank you so much for your support and prayers for Yuli, myself and our ministry with these guys. We pray that God also blesses your lives and draws you closer to Him. We pray regularly for you, so please let me know if you have any prayer requests!
Brent & Yuliza
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