Happy birthday Carlos Israel!

When we first moved to Hope Mountain, we lived in a house that was not connected to any of the boys' dorms. We lived there for a few months, then moved into the house that is connected to the youngest boys' dorm. Shortly after moving in, we decided that we would do what we could to celebrate and make each birthday special. The very first birthday that we celebrated was for Carlos Israel, he was turning 14. We decided to wake all the boys up at midnight, and I will never forget watching their sleepy faces go from grumpy - to confused -to excited, as they figured out we were having a party. 

Last Tuesday, we celebrated Carlos Israel's 15th birthday. Oh, how time flies. 

This year we did not, however, wait until midnight for his party. After dinner, we called all the boys from our house over. We played a 'Minute to Win it' game where they had to keep three balloons in the air for 60 seconds. After the first two boys didn't even make it past 10 seconds, we dropped it down to two balloons. 

When they made it to 60 seconds, they won a little box filled with candy. 

We all had so much fun with this simple game. After it was over, I tried to get them all together to take a group photo...but as you can see, they were not cooperating! 

I finally gave up on wanting a good picture, and we sang happy birthday, prayed for Carlos Israel, and cut the cake! We ate our cake, and then the boys brought their mattresses, pillows and blankets and we all crammed in our living room and watched Rio 2. I wish I would've gotten a picture of how many mattresses we manage to fit in our living room, but its always so crazy, that I forget to snap a picture. Maybe next time. :) 

 Happy Birthday, Carlos! It has truly been our greatest pleasure to be able to celebrate two birthdays with you. 15 years old means you have hit the mark to be considered one of the "older boys" and will soon be leaving our house. I am excited to see you mature, as you are given new responsibilities. The happiest of birthdays to you! 

Meet & Greet Mondays. {Paulo Vitor}

Happy Monday!

Remember way back when, when I promised a new boy every Monday? Well....life happens.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Paulo Vitor.

Paulo Vitor has been with us since the beginning of January. I remember very clearly the night he arrived. It was probably after midnight, when we heard honking outside. Isanon stood on a chair to look out the window and saw a man with a little boy. Isanon went out to receive him, and I didn't meet him until the next day. Paulo Vitor had this cute little face and looked to be only about 9 or 10 years old. I didn't believe him when he first told me he was 13 years old (he turns 14 in 2 weeks!). 

Right from day one, Paulo Vitor has been a very affectionate boy. It is very rare that a day goes by without him knocking on my door just to give me a hug. He is constantly making things at school to bring home to give to Isanon and myself. He is an extremely bright child and does so well in school. He is also very quick to apologize when he does something he shouldn't have, and has even told on himself a couple different times. 

Please pray for Paulo Vitor with us this week! We are praying that he would continue to make wise decisions and be the sweet boy God has made him to be. We are also praying that he would continue to excel in school, and be a good example for the other boys around him. We pray that he would come to know the love of God, and seek Him truly.

In the midst of grieving, we will cling to hope.

It is currently almost 1am, and I have started this post 4 different times today. I like to write. I feel like I express myself way better through written words, than spoken words. Yet, I can not seem to find the words for this blog post. Fact is, I don't want to find the words. I don't want to be sitting here writing about this. It's painful, and ugly, and it hurts. 

One of our boys, Luis, is dead. The reason behind it, and specifics are unknown (to me). 

What we do know, is that it was gang related, and he was shot. 

Luis was a bright and charismatic boy. Shortly before coming to us at Hope, he witnessed his step father murdered by drug traffickers. His mother was fearful of his safety, so she begged the authorities to have him sent to us. Luis had a hard time being with us here. He held a lot of anger towards the people who killed his step father, as well as missed his family. He ran away several times, always getting into some type of trouble before being brought back to us. His father was a well known drug trafficker in his neighborhood, and Luis had every intention of following in his footsteps. 

In January, after running away 3 times in two weeks, Luis went back to live with his family. He no longer showed any interest in being here, he missed his mom, and convinced her to let him stay. April 25th was Luis' birthday. He turned 14 years old. That day, I joked with some of the boys here about how if he was still here, they would be eating cake. I got on Facebook and wrote to him for his birthday. The very next day, I read on his Facebook that he had been killed. One day he is celebrating his 14th birthday, the next his family is finding his body in the street outside their home. 

Isanon and I stayed up with a couple of the boys until 2am the night we found out about it. They had questions, so many questions. The next morning, Isanon and I sat and talked about the bible studies we had had with our boys - trying to remember exactly how Luis reacted during each of them. We remember, he was knowledgeable. He had answers to the questions we asked. But, he also had a hardness about him. A hardness that I recognized, a hardness towards accepting that God truly cared and loved him. I know his life was hard, and things seemed unfair (and probably were) to him, but I pray that underneath that hardness, there was more than just knowledge. I pray that he knew the Lord. 

I needed to post this, because I need to grieve. The time that Luis spent at Hope Mountain, he was Our boy. He lived in Our house, and was Our responsibility, just like the rest of the boys who are here with us now. My biggest heart-cry right now, is that Our boys would grasp and understand that this is the life that we are so desperately trying to pull them out of. That Luis' story did not have to end this way. That there is hope, and that All are made new in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Please, take a moment to remember and grieve Luis with us. Please, take a moment and pray for his family and loved ones. And, please, take a few moments to pray for the rest of our boys. Pray that through their grieving, they would be filled with the hope of knowing that through Christ, their old life is gone and a new one has come. 

The day I missed a boat trip - to go to a closed orphanage..

If you know me, then you probably know how much I love babies.

There is something about their squishy little body, and their tiny little toes and fingers that capture me.

I am completely in awe of their miraculous existence, and I marvel at their dependence upon others.

So, naturally, when I was presented with the opportunity to volunteer at a nearby orphanage,

I jumped at the opportunity. I was so excited for the chance to love on some tiny babes,

for a couple hours a week.

When we arrived at the orphanage, we were greeted by one of the Sisters. (The orphanage is run by Nuns from -literally- all around the world) We told her who we were and that we were there to volunteer. She then told us, that the baby orphanage had been shut down by the government and that they were only functioning as a senior citizen home now.

I was beyond disappointed. Like, so sad.

So, we got back on the public bus and rode it home to Hope Mountain.

When I arrived back at Hope, it was quiet. Too quiet.

We provide a home for 25+ boys, Hope is never quiet. Never.

It took about 10 seconds for me to realize that the boys were not there.

While I was out, the boys had gotten an opportunity to go out on a boat.

A big boat. In the ocean. Jealous!

Isanon got to go with them, and said it was so much fun.

He also said that most of them got sea sick!

But, they loved it.

How cool would it have been for me to get to say that I went out on a boat, in the ocean, in Brazil?

Much cooler than saying that I went to a closed down orphanage....

Next time, right?

Hoping you have a lovely little weekend!

Easter Sunday!

Happy Day after Easter! Our Easter Sunday was filled with egg dyeing, huge egg hunts, yummy meals as a family, remembering that we serve a risen Savior, and lots of sugar! 

Holidays are always difficult for me to be far from my family, but being able to spend it with these wide-grinned boys makes it a little less difficult. I hope you all had an amazing day with loved ones, thanking our Lord for the hope that comes with His Resurrection. 

Hope Mountain Education Program

Today, I'd like to share an important and exciting new development in the lives of our boys here at Hope, and how you could be a part of this life changing opportunity. 

The boys who live at Hope Mountain are under child protection orders from a judge, because they are orphans, abandoned or have been abused. Many were living on the streets before coming to us.

Until 2010, Hope Mountain had its own school and, along with our kids, neighborhood children came to Hope Mountain each day. Unfortunately, financial constraints forced us to close the school in early 2011. This had a very negative impact on our boys. Currently our boys attend local public schools in neighborhoods where crime and drug trafficking are part of everyday life. Just like U.S. schools in similar neighborhoods, these facilities become places to sell drugs and recruit new users. 

We have dreamed of and prayed for a solution to this problem. Recently our prayers were answered when Good Samaritan, a private Christian school located near Hope Mountain, agreed to accept our boys as students. The school has a positive, welcoming environment and a committed leader and staff. This opportunity has incredible significance for these boys. Rarely do children from public schools in poor neighborhoods receive an education that enables them to pass the Brazilian equivalent of our SAT. Our boys at Good Samaritan will be prepared for success on the college entrance exam if they choose to go on to college. This past week fifteen of our twenty-five boys started at Good Samaritan. We hope to have as many as twenty boys attending Good Samaritan in the second semester.

Some of our boys have significant learning difficulties and learning disorders, often due to the traumas they've experienced in their lives. With special education assistance and time, many of these boys will be able to enter regular school. Isanon and myself, as house parents who live with the boys, also go to teacher conferences and are active in ensuring homework is done and behavioral issues are corrected.

What can your donation accomplish? 

•  $300 per month covers all the educational costs for one student for a month
•  $130 per month covers a month's tuition for one student
• $50 per month covers a student's monthly transportation cost
• $50 per month pays for one week of a daily hour of tutoring or special assistance
• $25 per month pays for a student's annual cost of books and supplies 
• $15 per month buys one library book monthly
• $15 per month pays for a student’s recreational, cultural or educational outing
• $10 per month pays for one hour of tutoring or special assistance

Your donation is really an investment in a young man’s life and the lives of his future generations. Hope Unlimited has twenty years of success in transforming the lives of adolescents at mortal risk. Historically, 80% of adolescents who complete all phases of our program go on to be gainfully employed and have successful family relationships. Without a program like Hope Mountain, the most likely future of these boys' lives would be prison or death before age 25.

How to donate:

Donations can be made by credit card at http://www.hopeunlimited.org/donate.html

or you can make a check payable to: Hope Unlimited for Children, PO Box 100 

Jefferson City, TN 37760   with 'HOPE MOUNTAIN EDUCATION PROJECT' in the MEMO

part of your check. 

Thank you for helping us change the futures of our boys! 

Meet & Greet Mondays. {Carlos}

Today, we meet Carlos Israel. A couple weeks ago, I told Carlos that I was going to write about him, and he immediately protested. 

After talking to him a bit about why he did not want me to, and explaining why I would really like to....he agreed, with restrictions. 

I have read what the "system" says about Carlos' background, and I have also been told quite a bit from his own mouth - his 

story is truly one rejection after another. For this blog, Carlos has requested that I do not share his story in details, but focus 

more on the boy he is today. I will do just that! :) 

Carlos arrived at 'Hope Mountain' in august of 2012. Before coming to the mountain, he had been pretty tossed around...

and had even spent some time living on the streets. Isanon and myself arrived at 'Hope Mountain' in November, three short 

months after Carlos' arrival. I remember seeing Carlos and thinking that he looked lonely. He got along well with the boys, but there

 were many times when we would find him just sitting somewhere by himself. He just seemed to be lost in his own thoughts 

or memories all the time.

At the end of February, Isanon and I moved into a new house and were put in charge of the youngest boys. There were three boys 

who completely helped us move in. Carlos was one of those boys. From carrying boxes over, to helping scrub toilets....Carlos willingly 

helped. It was during that time, as well as the weeks to follow, that Carlos stole a special place in my heart. I love this kid.

After being at the Mountain for a year, Carlos seems to be a happy boy. He makes friends easily, and is always flying kites! The only 

negative remark I would have about Carlos Israel, is that he is easily influenced. He seems to go along with others, even if it means doing 

something he knows they shouldn't. One reoccurring issue that we have been having with Carlos, is that he continues to get in trouble

 for making bad choices. 

Carlos asked for prayer for his family and also his best friend. He also needs prayer for school. He is a very bright boy, but spent

 years out of school and is behind. He recently began going to a new private school (more on that coming this week!) and is finding it 

a bit difficult. Carlos Israel is a good kid, but I believe he needs a lot of healing and forgiveness in his life. He completely shuts 

down when asked anything about his family or his life before Hope Mountain.