June 2024

I pray that you are doing well! I had the opportunity to connect with a few of you this past month, and to say the least it was rejuvenating. In May we celebrated an anniversary, birthdays, mother's day, and finishing school. I feel like every time I reflect on the last few months while writing these updates, it seems like life has somehow gotten even busier. But in the midst of the busyness, I see 100 new ways that God is merciful and loving towards his children.

Our hottest months have finally passed and we are now in rainy season. It's always such a relief when the rain comes as it cools the temperature, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Right now we are preparing for an intense hurricane season, which brings lots of flooding along with it and poses a threat to many CDI families who live alongside the rivers. 

CDI 

The other day as I was receiving the kids and taking attendance, a mom stopped to talk to me. Her child is new to the CDI, but is adapting well and quickly making friends. She starting telling me about how her son had been hospitalized the week prior for breathing treatments; He suffers from asthma and a few other health problems. She told me about how the stress of their living situation was affecting both the boy's health as well as her own, and how in order for there to be improvement she'd have to make drastic changes in her life. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that, but seeing how it affected her son it made her consider it more seriously. With tears in her eyes she told me about how her son used to have an imaginary friend and many times while at home would talk to him about how he didn't like to be there, and how they should leave for a while and come back when things were different. 

Suddenly this mom's toned changed. She said, "My son's been different since he started coming to the CDI. He's made friends, he has a place to play and let off steam. He comes home and tells me, 'I like going to the CDI because there's love there, there's no love at school. But I feel loved at the CDI.'" With all the problems they faced in their life, it brought her peace knowing that her son was in a place where he was safe and loved. 

Many times it's frustrating, as working with people (especially kids 😅) can be. In reality we're with the kids at the CDI for a relatively short amount of time, but the Lord used this conversation to remind me that His love has a profound and resounding impact. Small acts of love and the way we reflect God's light in the world makes a difference in the lives of those around us, even when we don't realize it. Thank you for your partnership and prayers, which allows me to be part of this ministry!

Prayers for Health 

Lately we've been getting hit with a lot of sickness. Ado was out for a week with the flu (which is very uncommon here), and the doctor said that COVID was also going around again. In addition to that, the intense rains we've been experiencing have brought a TON of mosquitos, and the mosquitos bring many different illnesses. Over 20 kids have been missing classes in the past 3 weeks due to the flu, Dengue (mosquito-transmitted disease), colds, and bacteria-related illnesses. Please keep our health in your prayers, only God can heal!

Church Events

 Vertical

March 27-29 we went to GCLA's annual spring conference, "Vertical,"  in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. 8 of us from the church went and we had a great time learning about Daniel. The theme this year was 10x, and each speaker shared about a different aspect about the disciplines and habits that made Daniel, Hannah, Mishael, and Azariah stand out 10x more in their faith.

One thing that really jumped out at me was a graph that one speaker drew. He added a long straight line parallel to the x-axis, which represented "Christians in the system". He said most Christians live a long, steady life not veering off of the normal. Then, he drew an upward curved line and explained how that represented "Consistency, perseverance through time", and at the top of the y-axis were the words "Disciples with an eternal perspective." In order to move from being a "Christian in the system" to a "disciple with an eternal perspective," there are two important convictions we need to have,
1. Don't bow down, and
2. Don't corrupt yourself.
In order to carry out these convictions we need to: know our identity, have standards, practice our convictions, and strive for holiness.

Celebrations!

In May Ado successfully defended his final project for college and is now just waiting his graduation! The ceremony will be in November. We are so thankful for God's provision for his classes and relieved that he's done.

The first week of June we also had the immense blessing of taking vacation time with my parents. This was the first time in years that Ado has gotten quality time with them and the rest was much needed after a non-stop month.

Pray with Me

• Financial support provision- that the Lord will provide the $600 monthly that we need
• For health in the La Libertad community
• Praise for a safe trip and great conference!
• Upcoming mission groups (July 6-13 San Miguel, July 18-28 La Libertad)
• Protection during this hurricane season



"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Cor. 13:14)

Love,
 Alyssa

John 13:35
"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."