At left, Michell even put her princess crown on to receive her backpack and supplies; at right, little Yosmar looks both happy and nervous…this is his first year
Triumph. Travail. Tragedy.
God shows His faithfulness as we ride the rollercoaster of life
Dear Family,
WE DID IT! They [the enemy] said it couldn’t be done, but we accomplished 2 huge projects this month!
First, 3 generous donors helped us not only supply 200 children with new backpacks full of all their school supplies, but also pay for most of their tuitions!
And second, thanks to Heaven’s Family’s National Missionary Ministry, we supplied 20 of our national missionaries with new, high-quality hiking boots and backpacks, plus we were able to supply each of our house churches and rehabs with 16 brand new, much-needed wooden benches!
God is so faithful! Check out the following photos…
At left, Village 1 Jr High students—I am so proud of them all; at right, Ozomatlan House Church children
At left, La Gallera House Church children; at right, the kids from Nexapa House Church
At left, the contingent from San Lorenzo House Church; at right, Village 1 Elementary students—ready to learn!
At left, Nicole and Juanito—our precious Village 1 preschoolers; at center, Little Rubi, holding her new prize so tightly; at right, Wendy and Joselin, sisters, got matching backpacks that look bigger than they are!
At left and center, Jonathan and Alondra from San Martin, happily sporting their new backpacks; at right, Azulema, another Village 1 Kindergartner
At left, our Village 1 university students—3 are in their senior year now! At right, Village 2 Drug Rehab residents enjoying the new wooden benches
He keeps reminding me of that truth, but I have to confess that sometimes these large projects every August (back to school and missions) and December (when we minister to 2,000 children at Christmas) stress me out, and the enemy tries to fill me with fear. BUT GOD SHOWS UP (often through faithful friends like you)! Thank you so very, very much for helping Jason and I reach so many for our King!
One of the definitions of survivor is, “A person who copes well with the difficulties in their life.” I think that includes all of us to some degree, right? Very true. But living in a developing country allows me to see that it takes a lot more for some of us to “survive” than others.
Take Emiliano, our newest son, for example…
Can you imagine suffering hunger, abuse, and neglect all of your life, and then at 13 your mother and grandmother taking you to a children’s home and asking them to “finish raising” you—and then just leaving you forever? That is what happened to Emiliano on August 12th. If you follow me on FaceBook, I am sure you were shocked when you saw his story.
As you know, if a child suffering abuse, neglect, etc, comes to me—but has a mother—I do my best to restore them BOTH, take them BOTH in or help the mother establish a small business so she can properly raise her own child. And sometimes, this works. But many times, it does not, so we do our best to raise that precious soul ourselves in the nurture and love of Jesus.
Emiliano turned 14 just 2 days after we took him in and we gave him his first birthday cake, first birthday present, and sang to him and wished him the very best. It was so beautiful to watch the fear and disappointment slowly vanish from his face and be replaced with the sheepish smile.
At left, Emiliano upon his arrival, August 12th, and at right, his first day of 7th grade on the 20th—can you see the difference in just 8 days??
In spite of all the miracles I can never deny—like the joy beginning to sweep through Emiliano’s soul—I still get sad. Some days are wonderful, but some days are very difficult for me. Every single day I have to help one (or 5 or 10) of my children overcome an obstacle, deal with anger or hate or resentment, help them forgive a perpetrator, help them let go of the past, help them press on and plan for the future, help them believe in themselves, but more than anything, help them seek our Abba Father. I still get mad at the bad guys…I still cry when one of my little ones holds my face and asks me why it took me so long to find them. I am still very human.
On another difficult note, our dear son, Sed, had a terrible motorcycle accident on August 17th on his way home from work. He suffered multiple fractures and has had 2 surgeries, but he is strong and God is healing him. Please keep Sed in your prayers as he goes through this time of healing and recuperation, and for his wife Liz also, as she cares for him, their home, and works a full time job. They are a wonderful team!!
Thank you so much for your continued prayers, support and encouragement as we rescue, restore and raise these little angels, restore families, plant and disciple churches, help many addicts rehab from drugs and alcohol, and serve the “least of these”. It is all for His glory! Hugs and blessings!
Valuing Life, Nicole
Jason & Nicole Fitzpatrick
www.thevillageglobal.org
www.heavensfamily.org/fitzpatrick
Please pray and consider: I am blessed that 1 person has committed to financing the building of one new dorm room at Village 1 in September…but we are still lacking 11 more so that I can return the children this December during school break! Please click here to help now, or email me if you would like more information.
