We have an urgent need for new transportation to get the kids to school.?? Our
van, which has 300,000 miles, is broken down once again!?? We hate to continue to
put money into fixing it as we know it is not going to last us much longer.??
This week we are renting a van and driving our SUV to take the kids to school.??
Ben is doing a great job of researching all our options as we begin the search
for the right vehicle for us.?? We are considering either one small bus that
would seat??30 people or 2 vans that would seat 15 each.?? Either way we go, it
looks like we are going to need to raise $25,000 to $30,000.?? Please pray for
wisdom for us as we look into our options and that the needed donations would
come in!?? If you are able to make a contribution you can send your donation to
Love and Hope International with a note attached??saying that??it is for
purchasing a vehicle.?? L&HI mailing address is 9555 Vista Parkway, Suite 230,
Cleveland, OH 44125.?? We greatly appreciate your prayers and support!

I had just pulled in the driveway after three hours of parent teacher
conferences.?? I was driving home feeling encouraged.?? Not everything the
teachers said was encouraging, but a lot of it was, and I felt excited about
brainstorming ways to support those kids who are not doing as well.?? I opened my

car door, or rather my car door was opened for me, by several people that had
something important to tell me or ask me.?? ???What time are we leaving to climb
the mountain?????? ???Who???s driving us to church?????? ???I just threw up.????? And then from

a care giver the story of how two of the girls had been disobedient and
disrespectful.?? All my excitement vanished and I felt overwhelmed and
frustrated.?? I responded as best as I could to all the questions, mostly by
saying ???I don???t know.????? I knew I had to address the situation with the two
girls, but I was feeling my heart beating fast and I thought ???I???VE GOT TO GET
ALONE.????? I came into the office and locked the door.?? When we are weak is when
God can make us strong.?? Sometimes all I can do is repeat over and over whatever

is on my heart at that moment until I feel like he gives me the strength to
stand up again.?? Sometimes it???s ???I can???t do this alone, I need you??? or ???I need
your wisdom??? or sometimes simply ???HELP.?????

Before calling the girls in to talk about what they???d done and what their
discipline would be, I decided to read My Utmost for His Highest. ??I???m always
shocked at how that devotional seems to say exactly what I need to hear.?? The
title for August 14th is ???The discipline of the Lord.????? Before I disciplined,
God wanted to talk to be about His discipline in my life.?? Hebrews 12:5 says,
???My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you
are rebuked by Him.????? Just like the kids, I am a work in progress, God, my
father loves me and is ever patient with me and that is why he disciples me.?? He

is at work creating a vessel to pour His son into.?? And actually, he???s already
poured Jesus into us, but there are still cracks and holes to patch up in order
for Jesus to fully live in us.??

My prayer is that God would continue the work he has started in me, and in our
children at Love and Hope, and in all of His children, that Jesus can live
again, now, through us.??

Over the last few days several of our kids have been sick.?? All day yesterday Brenda was in bed with a fever and the flu.?? I had Brenda sleep in my room so I could take care of her through the night.?? Since Brenda and Linda share a room Linda slept in my house too with the girls that sleep in the room next to me.?? Before going to sleep we read a story and prayed together.?? Linda told me she wanted to talk to me about something on her bed.?? I laid down beside her and she said, ???I feel a drop in my heart.?? I feel very sad.????? I asked her, ???is it like a tear drop?????? And she said yes.?? I asked her why she felt sad and she explained that it was because Brenda was sick and Brenda always does nice things for her and helps her to do things and now that Brenda was sick there was nothing she could do to help her.?? I asked what the one thing we could do for Brenda was and she said ???pray for her.????? Earlier that day Aly had asked if we could pray for Brenda and Linda had prayed with us.?? I reminded Linda that we had prayed for Brenda a couple of times and that she could pray for her again if she wanted.?? I told her that in the morning she could clean up Brenda???s stuff in their room and leave a note for her on Brenda???s bed to show her that she loves her.?? I asked her to go get me Brenda???s medicine and I think she was thrilled to even help in that way.?? She called me over to her bed again and said ???when I came back from getting Brenda???s medicine I told her that I loved her.????? This morning she wrote Brenda a note and asked me to give it to her. Here is what it said, ???For: Brenda, From: Linda.?? Hi Brenda.?? I am sorry that you???re sick.?? God is going to help you to be healed.?? I love you so much.?? You???re my best friend.?? You???re beautiful.?? I hope you can eat.?? I hope that you can be my friend and that we don???t fight and that you know that I love you with my whole heart.?? Don???t feel sad because you???re alone.?? God is with you.?? You have a beautiful face.?? I want to help you but I can???t.?? I don???t want to hurt your heart or your feelings.?? I love you Brenda.?? I love you so much.????? Last night I was reading No greater Love which is a book of reflections of Mother Theresa.?? She was talking about a crippled boy that she met in Venezuela.?? When she asked the mother the child???s name she said ???we call him teacher of love because he keeps on teaching us how to love.?? Everything we do for him is our love for God in action.????? I am so grateful for Linda, and all the other ???teachers of love??? that I am surrounded by.

    One of the kids’ favorite things to do is to play in the rain.  We have a rule that they can play until it starts to thunder and lightning, which is what happened today.  Soon after they came inside it started to hail!  I couldn’t believe it.  It was the first time I had ever seen hail in El Salvador.  The kids were pretty amazed by ice falling from the sky!  Daniela and Michelle went back out into the rain to collect hail for the other kids to hold it in their hands.

We are still enjoying the last month or so of mango season! We have this really long pole with a little basket attached to it that is used to pull the mangos from the tree and then you lower them to the ground in the basket. They are so good! The picture with Jeremiah holding a mango is probably the biggest one I’ve seen here at Love and Hope. The kids love the mangos so much. By the afternoon most of their shirts are covered in mango juice! The avocados are also in season and the kids love to eat them with Tortillas and salt.

This morning during devotions there was a very short, but very strong tremor.?? The kids were sure that it was Ben running down the stairs.?? I assured them that even though Ben is a big guy, he couldn???t make the whole house shake=)

I probably get asked three or four times a day by different kids “cuando voy a cumplir?”?? “When is it going to be my birthday?”?? The kids love their birthday.?? In a family of 28, having a special day just for you means a lot to them.?? We celebrate by having a little birthday party after dinner.?? They get a new toy and a new outfit.?? Every month we take out the kids who’ve had a birthday and they get to invite one guest to go with them.?? Usually the kids pick their siblings.?? This week we’ve celebrated four birthdays!?? Daniel turned four on Sunday and??Tuesday was Eliseo, Esau and Jacobo’s birthday (they don’t seem to mind sharing their special day).?? They each got their own cake and we sang happy birthday three times.?? Tia Ana, one of the care givers who has been with us for several years now, had the twins bedroom decorated with balloons when they got home from school.?? ?????? Kevin was in the hospital again for a few days because his hemoglobin was low.?? He is back at home now and is doing fine.?? Please keep his adoption in your prayers.?? In a few days Angie Gruss is coming down for several weeks.????Angie is an RN and we are so excited for her to come and work with Kevin.??
?????? Thanks again for all your love and support.?? If you ever want to send the children a birthday card or just a note to say hello, our mailing address is:
Ministerio Amor y Esperanza
P.O. Box #10 Correos de El Salvador Sucursal Galerias Escalon
2ndo Nivel
San Salvador, El Salvador

The kids have had the whole week off of school.?? This week (holy week) is like their spring break.?? We went to the park for a few hours on Wednesday and the kids got to go up the mountain (the one right behind Love and Hope) yesterday.?? Today we went to see Alice in Wonderland with the fifteen oldest kids and now they are all over the cafeteria floor having a pijama party=)?? We’re looking forward to celebrating Easter on Sunday.?? I have about 300 plastic eggs to put candy in for an easter egg hunt:)