Our Heritage

Dear Partners in Prayer,

So many people have asked about the children so I wanted to spend a little space on them. It will probably remind you of those Christmas letters we all write and send to each other about our children!

Noé: He (left, in photo above) turned 17 in August and his main passion in life is praise music; whether it’s playing it on his acoustic guitar, listening to it on his iPod or belting it out in the car, he is perpetually singing God’s praises. I don’t know if his sweet nature is a direct result of this time invested in praising Jesus, but I thank God for Noe’s even disposition and steadiness. He’s been a great help to me in this time of recuperation. He assists with cooking (you have to try his amazing omelets), laundry, and keeping the younger ones in order. Who would have ever thought that this little munchkin (photo at left) would turn out to be such a psalmist for the Lord!

Juan Carlos (a.k.a. Juanca): Now officially a teenager (13 yrs) Juanca has sprouted up so fast that I can barely keep him in shoes and clothes. His favorite thing is to hang out with Noé and so (not surprisingly) he too has a penchant for playing God’s praises. Juanca’s sudden growth has caused a gawky gangliness that tends to make him a bit clumsy. I have tried to reassure him (and myself at the same time) that once the rest of his body catches up with his arms, he should be OK. During his September break, Juanca, Noé, and their friend Eduardo went to the Villa and spent several days chopping grass with a machete and moving earth from one place to another. I was blessed by Juanca’s diligence. (In picture at top, from left are Noé, Juanca, Kevin, and Eduardo with Korean team member Gee who donated a bass guitar this summer to the Jericho band.)

Susana banana: Susana is 7yrs old and she is my little shadow (on the right). She is at that stage of life where she thinks her Mom can do no wrong so I try to take advantage of that to teach her as much about Jesus’ love as possible. She reads to me every night from her Bible Story book which is in English. Do not ask me how she does that…..I do not know. Somehow she innately knows how to pronounce the words even though she hasn’t been taught to read in English. It’s definitely a gift. She has a strong character and loves to tell others what to do (smile!) so we are working on that little issue with her. She’s definitely got leadership in her future. She says she wants to be a missionary doctor when she grows up!

Miguelito: The Mig (above, left) turned 6 this week and he is a very funny child and makes us laugh often. Because of emotional wounding as a toddler, he has a hard time communicating but he doesn’t let that steal his joy. The doctor has assured us that he should outgrow his communication difficulties so in the meantime we enjoy the new words he makes up. This year he moved out to the Villa with Hae Young since she is his Uhm-ma (Korean for Mom). We miss Mig and Hae Young but they come back on the weekendswith Leslie, Vanessa, and Genesis, the three young girls she is caring for at the rehab center. We’re 10 on the weekends, filling up the dining room table not to mention the whole house, which is how I like it best. (See last photo of Genesis, Vanessa, and Leslie playing “red light, green light” with me.)

Marlyn: ( better known to us as Marlynchka or just Lynchka) Marlyn is finishing her last year of University and will graduate with a teaching degree in July 2009. She is specializing in TESOL: Teaching English as a Second Language. A gifted teacher, Marlyn spends her days at Jericho House where she is part of the teaching staff. In the afternoons she goes off to college and then at night she studies and helps take care of the family, including her recuperating Mama Bets. Marlyn is still praying about going to India after she graduates to share the love of Jesus. Once I read that we should send our very best to the mission field. That’s what we will be doing when Lynchka goes.

Maricela (18yrs) and Lety (13yrs): Unfortunately I don’t have any recent photos of Mari and Lety but missionary Suzy McCall (whom they live with) assures me that after some troubled waters, they are both now doing well. Lety (my fellow lover of ballet) came and spent some time with me when I returned from New York. She is a great little nurse. She was on summer break but is now back at International School where she is completing 6th grade. Mari is the receptionist at LAMB Institute ( a missionary training school that Suzy founded) and she is finishing High School with a bilingual online program in the evenings. Both girls are just a joy to be with!

I’m doing a Beth Moore study this month called “Stepping Up” and it has been such a balm to my soul. It’s a study of the Psalms of Ascent and this week’s Psalm was 127. Verse three states,” Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, children a reward.” Whether spiritual, adopted, or biological, children are certainly a wonderful reward! I praise God that while I was away from home receiving medical treatment, He took amazing care of my children through the Body of Christ. Your prayers for them made a huge difference!

Thank you so much for praying for me and for mine.

With love in Jesus,
Betsy