Fruit

*(names have been changes for privacy reasons)*
Back into the swing of things again and I am super pumped for this year.  Remember the time that I was sharing how I felt that there was no visible fruit last year and how that was really discouraging to me, well a couple weeks ago God blessed me with being able to see some of His fruit from last year, some fruit after a year of tears and prayers.  As some of you also know that for birthdays I take the teen girls out for ice cream.  This is a good one on one time and just a time for them to get out and do something special.  First up every year is Maria.  Last year when I took her for ice cream, conversation was a little strained, a lot of her answers to my questions were just one word and lets be honest, there were a lot of awkward moments.  As this year rolled around first up again was my beloved Maria and we had an awesome time.  We laughed, we talked and she was really honest with my questions and was really honest about how things were going with her and it was just an awesome time.  So yes after a year that was a little rough I can really see the fruits of the relationships with these girls and I am so looking forward to keep on building those relationships.

I have less responsibilities this year which I am also so thankful for because then I can really focus all of my energy into these girls and I am hoping to do a lot of one on one time with them this year, outside from our birthday ice cream.

However I ask you guys to please please pray for these girls they are so heavy on my heart and a lot of them are going through a battle.

Please pray for Deisy, she is a 16yr who constantly makes me laugh, however her mom is really sick and might not live to much longer.  She is diabetic and has more then one type of cancer, she is almost fully blind because of the diabetes.  Deisy has to miss a lot of school and a lot of our time together to go with her mom to appointments and arrives late to school everyday because she has to hook and unhook her mom to various machines.  Erika has a tendency to internalize everything and guard her heart and mask everything with her awesome sense of humor and that is what she is doing but all of this is weighing so heavy on her heart.  She has older brother and sisters but is the only one who is caring for her mom.

Then there is also Laura.  She comes from the family of fourteen that I have shared about in previous blogs.  She is just a couple of months shy from turning 15 and I was informed she is dating a 20 year old who is also living in their one room bedroom with her family of 14 and that her parents approve of this relationship.  Her mom was spoken to about them being in a relationship and him living with them but he helps pay the bills and when you are living from day to day, from paying the rent for that day, for feeding 14 mouths for supper that money from him becomes part of their lively hood, literally.  I have known Laura from the first time I was in Colombia in 2009 and have formed a pretty good relationship with her.  I had a little talk with her and she was pretty open but she is a teenage girl and getting attention from a boy.  Please keep her in your prayers.

And last but not least Maria who I shared about earlier.  On Tuesday I was sitting with her as she was eating lunch and she shared with me how on the weekend her mom hit her with a stick.  She later showed me the bruises on her arms and told me she had them on her legs to.  She was quiet shaken up as this was the first time in her whole life that her mom has hit her.  She shared with a co-worker that after it happened she cried out to God and for that I am thankful.  When she was leaving on Tuesday I told her “Maria, I love you” and her answer was “I know you do Ingrid” and so I am also thankful that these girls know that I do care for them.

So again sometimes feelings of overwhelmingness (this is a word I invented) burden me but I am always reminded of God’s love for these girls and that He sees them and that every step of the way He is right there.

My thanks to all of you again and all your prayers and encouragement and support are part of this fruit growing business in these girls lives.