Is it really Friday again, already? Seriously, where did this week go? In an attempt to be completely honest on this blog - I should let you know that I've been in a bit of a funk this week. I get claustrophobic here - need to get out, do something different....but that has proved to be one of The Most Difficult things Ever! Transportation is hard, the husbands schedule is hard (but getting better, praise the Lord!), lack of things to do....the list of hindrances goes on. But, in an attempt to pull myself out of this funk....here are Five things I love about living here (in no particular order).
{One.} I love knowing that we are in the will of God. I have No doubt that God called us to Brazil to love on these boys. Is it a hard job? Yes, most definitely....but, it can be so rewarding at the same time. Sometimes in the midst of their attitudes, it is easy to forget just how precious of a job God has entrusted to us - and that is something I never want to forget or take for granted. I know that this time here at Hope Mountain is just for a season, a precious season, and my constant prayer is that during this time, I would be here-all here- for these boys.
{Two} We live so close to so many beautiful beaches. We literally have a handful of gorgeous beaches that we can choose from-and arrive at in less than an hour. Plus, it is basically summer weather at least 300 days a year - so we get lots of use out of those pretty beaches.
{Three} It has been the greatest adventure for Isanon and I. Not many people can say that they moved out of the country and became 'parents' to 25+ boys -less than three months into their marriage. And while it has not been the easiest on our marriage, it has taught and continues to teach us many things. Sometimes at night, we lay awake in bed laughing at the stories of things that we've gone through in these first (almost!) two years of marriage...and I know that many years from now, we will lay awake in bed again, still laughing at those same adventures. I love doing life with this guy.
{Four} I love being able to bake for these boys. It is pretty rare that these boys get any type of 'dessert-type food' here, so it is fun to surprise them with cake, or cookies, or something of that sort every now and then. It doesn't hurt that baking is something that I truly enjoy doing either, and the smiles that come to their faces when they see me walk out with a tray of goodies makes my heart happy. Throwing a party and celebrating their birthdays would also fall into this category, I love it.
{Five} I love that we got our little guy Tyson. If we never would have came to Hope, we wouldn't have met the couple that gave us Ty-Ty. This little guy has brought us so much laughter (and so many headaches) in the year and a half that we have had him. He is such a sweet, good boy.
And there you have it, Five things I love about where I am right now Hope everyone has a great weekend, I am off to plan a birthday party!
Right before the houses closed at 8pm, Isanon called Leonardo over to help him do some stuff. During that time, I put up a few decorations in the boys TV room, and brought the cupcakes, juice and game supplies over. Everyone else also came over at this time, so we could all be there waiting when Isanon got back with Leonardo. He walked in, we said 'Happy Birthday!' and got right to the game!
We played a revised version of the game "Don't Eat Pete" and had so much fun with it. Just in case you haven't played this game before, it goes like this; you put a piece of candy on each one of the balloons then choose one person to leave the room. When that person is out of the room, you choose one of the balloons to be 'Pete'. The person outside is called back in, and he begins to choose pieces of candy off the balloons. When he tries to take the candy off of "Pete", everyone yells, "Don't Eat Pete" and his turn is over. We seriously had so much fun with this game. Even the adults took a turn at it!
After the game, we gave Leo his present, then we prayed for him and sang happy birthday to him. He thanked all of us for giving him a party - and even shed a few tears. Everyone got their cupcake (chocolate chip cookie cups), juice and hung out talking for a while. 
We truly had a great time Celebrating Leonardo and hope he had a special day. In the months that Leo has been here with us, we have seen such a change in him - and it makes us happy to see him happy. The Happiest of Happy birthdays to you, Leonardo. May God bless you and pour His love on you in this coming year.
Listening to:
Making:
Goals of the week: 
Peter is our oldest. He will be turning 18 years old in October, and has been at Hope Mountain since May of 2009. Peter had already been here at Hope for a few years when Isanon and I arrived, so I can't speak for his first years here....but since we have been here, all we have seen from Peter is how great of a kid he is. He has never given us any (real) trouble, and is a great example to the other boys. 
Peter's father passed away when Peter was very young. When Peter was eleven years old, his mother also passed away. After the passing of his mother, Peter his brother and two sisters were taken to a group home for children. When peter turned thirteen, him and his older brother were brought to Hope Mountain. Despite the tragedy that Peter has passed through, he is a really happy and polite boy. He doesn't let his circumstances stop him from going after what he wants. Peter is an extremely bright boy, and does really well in school. He has a job working at a factory that makes shirts and things like that, and we have heard from his boss that he is a very faithful and hard worker. He is currently preparing to leave Hope Mountain in the near future - and is in the process of deciding where he is going to go. 
{Two.} Isanon's mom made me The Cutest pot holder/hot pads Ever. She is so talented, and I seriously love them. I love them so much that I don't even want to set hot pans on them - in fear of them getting dirty or messed up. I am still contemplating finding a way to hang them on the wall as kitchen decor or something. Aren't they the cutest? 
Goals for this week:
Leandro is almost 17 years old, and has been such a joy to have here. He came to Hope in March for his protection, after seeing a crime committed by some drug lords in his neighborhood. Leandro comes from a sad situation. His father died with he was just a toddler - and then he was raised by his mother who is an acolholic. From a very young age, he began staying in the streets more than at home, and then ended up getting involved in drug trafficking in his neighborhood. 
Please join Isanon and I in prayer this week for Leandro. We are praying for strength for Leandro, as living here and being far from his family can be hard. We are praying that he would continue to get joy back in his life, and continue to be this happy boy that we are seeing. We pray that God would truly reach out and touch Leandro's heart. That he would allow God to love him and heal him of every rejection and hurt that he has guarded in his heart. We are claiming in the name of Jesus that Leandro's life will be a life of victory - and that all that Satan has used to destroy him will be turned into a victory, that God may be glorified through Leandro's life.