Settling into a new season

-
The hobbit hole finally livable, the new charity registered as an NGO, arrival of Maggie the puppy and little Clara Beatrice entered the world.. ( with a lot of encouragement!) all since our last blog entry! To say that the last few months have been crazy is an understatement. I think we have all come out the other side without too many scratches.. we are a little sleep deprived still and these hard times always make us miss our family and friends more, but we are grateful to God for all that he has done, all he has provided and for being our Rock through the manic-ness!
Here are just a few photos to sum up the last 3 months! We will be writing a newsletter soon so look out for that!

All looking a little older! 


Before

After

Before
After

Tired doesn't even come into it! 

..but Tess is coping well.. especially with some art therapy and Pirate relaxation techniques.

Comments

Anonymous said…
We miss you as well, but are so proud of all you have achieved and obeyed the plans God has for you all. May he continue to be your portion and your strength, xxxx
16 February 2016 at 13:35
Lydia said…
I love this family!!!!! And so proud of what you've achieved. Excited for all that's ahead, after the years of sowing seeds, you are seeing things really take off and grow. Plus Laura your hair! Big hugs to you all xx
Lydia
25 February 2016 at 14:03
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

home visit to Chris

-
Image
I have to admit that I was a little nervous last Monday afternoon. It was my first time in a Brazilian Favela. We were going to search for Chris, to see how he was getting on, if he had made it to school yet, and to let him know there are still people who care for him. When we first arrived I was a little surprised the area looked a lot like the one we live in here, called Santa Monica, which was one of the worst Favelas in Recife 10 years ago, but now is more of a "community". The area we arrived in was even more developed than our community, houses were painted and tiled, they had pavements and there was no litter on the floor. But we turned down a side road, parked  up and entered a maze of shanty houses that were little more than a metre apart. People sitting in their doorways watching us go past. It felt very claustrophobic. I felt like an intruder, so obviously not from this part of the country. People sit on their doorsteps doing things together, it feels like you a
Read more

Changes in Hope house

-
I do admit that we haven't picked a simple path for our lives but this last few weeks has been unusually unsimple. Over the past few weeks 5 of the 12 boys at hope house have left. And for the others many new things are becoming part of their routine. One boy, who we knew was struggling since he got here 6 months ago, decided to leave, which is always hard on the staff involved. Then one of the o lder boys who had been in the house for years was visiting his parents for the weekend and was arrested for dealing drugs, they eventually decided not to charge him but he also left the house. Last week 2 of the older boys moved into the apartment block here on the base as a step towards independence which is brilliant! Also many of the boys who are old enough have started working with me in construction, which is going well and is a good step for them to become independent. I even have an apprentice who I am teaching to bricklay. Then last night one of the other newer boys, Christiano,
Read more

Nutmeg and Orange infused Butter

-
Image
Monica isn’t going to know that it’s not nutmeg flavoured butter. I don’t want to be rude but she piles her plate high with everything all mixed in. Rice with gravy, turkey with beans.. Christmas dinner/ Brazilian barbecue carnage.  She has lived in a slum or on the street for most of her life so, understandably, food is more about quantity than quality. So when Tony rings me from the hospital at 11pm (another story) to ask if I would mind making the nutmeg and orange infused butter for the Hope House Christmas party tomorrow ( for which Monica would be in attendance) .. it wasn't just the nutmeg that I started to grind.  In my defense it had been a long day, Tess is ill, I'm a hormonal wreck with an earache and it’s so flippin hot. I’d spent my evening tidying up and trying to cram cupboards with mess to give myself a feeling of more tranquility and less clutter over the festive period. But in trying to cram everything in with tetris style agility I had left
Read more