Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year to you all!

What a blessing to know that each year, each day, each hour, each moment, we can begin afresh in Jesus. That comforts me….even if I had a bad morning, or a bad day or a bad week or even a bad year…..I can begin again in Him with a fresh slate, sins forgiven. We can begin again. He truly makes all things new.

We prayed in the New Year with the same plan we used last year (Hermano Roque, a general in the Honduran military, would lead us in prayer for several hours). Last year there were four of us, including Roque, and we prayed for three hours. This year 17 people showed up including my little Susana who begged me to be a part of it [see photo above]. We prayed for 5 hours! To be very honest, I really was lagging in the latter part of the prayer time … everything in me wanted to bolt for home (think warm bed) but I have learned that God most often reserves the best wine for last and so I asked God for strength to stay the course. And sure enough, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was totally worth the wait. We danced and laughed and heard from God in a powerful way. These are some of the things God spoke to our hearts.

We sense His specific mandate to Jericho to continue to reach out to those trapped in prostitution but to focus specifically on their children (the second generation) this year. He told us this would be a year of much harvest, both in the spiritual and physical realm. We also need to move forward with making the Jericho Villa self-sustainable and the Lord once again sent Christopher Miller (back right in photo) from St. Mark’s in Geneva, Illinois on Dec. 31st to help us make a master plan for the placement of buildings, reservoirs, crops, and animal pens. The Lord spoke to me personally and challenged me to share about His miracle healing in my life in whatever way possible. I think this means traveling to visit many of you and getting the “healing adventure” written down on paper!

Chris stayed out at the Villa with the precious children God has placed in our care. I was able to join them for most of Chris’s visit and do the hiking required to make decisions for the master plan. As we were working on the master plan, it became evident that we also needed the help of a landscape architect. I went home one evening during Chris’s visit to find an e-mail from my dear friend Dorothy Washington asking if I still needed the help of her sister-in-law who is a landscape architect! We had talked about that possibility over a year ago and she was wondering if we still needed help! God’s timing is so perfect. She and Christine will be coming in February, God willing. We are so thankful for God’s provision! Chris also drew the sketches for the chapel that will be built on a bluff that has an amazing view of God’s workmanship. We praise God for the way that He has given us an architect with such a heart to serve Him. Chris comes and works tirelessly, sharing our dreams for and the burdens of caring for these young lives being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And finally I wanted to share with you about the lastest test results! Elvia and I went to the lab to see how my liver enzymes were doing. The lab technicians have been following this miracle with great interest and when they took my blood this time, both of them were touched by the Holy Spirit and decided to accept Christ into their lives! In the afternoon we picked up the lab results. The total bilirubin, for the first time in over 10 months, was NORMAL! You may remember how it went down by halves … 20 then 9 then 4.5 then 2.2 and now it is under 1! Praise God who keeps His promises! Please continue to pray for total healing as my feet are still quite painful to walk on and there is still a bulge where no bulge should be.

Betsy