Home, sweet home!
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Our apartment has been very full the past several months. The Lord laid it on our hearts to invite a friend, Karia (27), and her baby Ariakzi (4 mo.) to live with us. Karia is finishing her degree in the local university, and will be looking for work soon. She grew up and aged out of a local orphanage in Panama, so she knows firsthand the atrocities. We first met her at a church where we were speaking, when she indicated that she wanted to volunteer to help other orphans in Panama! The Lord began a relationship that day, which has blossomed from there. Karia loves Jesus and is seeking Him in her life.  Also, we've had Aracelys living with us for a while now. She is almost 19 years old and her family is from the extreme interior of Panama. She first worked for us last year to stay with our dogs and apartment sit while we were in NC when Matt's dad passed away. We loved her so much that she stayed on! The Lord has allowed us to help her get back in school, and she should finish the 3 remaining years of high school in under 2! We have gotten very involved with her family, and love them dearly.
We never know where the Lord will lead. We are just seeking to follow Him, one day at a time. He has brought these 2 girls and a baby into our lives for a reason. It is a HUGE challenge, and God has shown me (Misty speaking) many things about myself that are not so pretty. We moved our home office and Matt's music equipment into our bedroom, which has been oh-so fun. I am learning to cook for 4 adults (with different tastes!). I could go on and on. Yet the Lord knows I needed this mayhem. I am so thankful that God loves us all enough to work these ugly things out in us. We just ask that when you think of us, remember to pray for our whole household! And for love to abound!
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Greetings!
Hello again from Panama. Can you believe it has been one year? October 2nd was the one year anniversary of our move to Panama. Wow, time flies. We praise the Lord for all He has done in us and through us. We serve a mighty God. May the Lord continue to order all our steps in the days ahead, as the days draw closer to our Lord's coming. We invite you to read on and learn what is happening in the ministry and our lives.
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The Work Continues
Well, we have been working hard at SENNIAF, the government office over adoptions and the equivalent to our social services department. We are truly thankful to be there working. I must say, though, that we had no idea how bad the problems would be once we got there. Now we see perfectly clear why these precious babies are rarely able to be adopted. The Lord has opened our eyes to many sad situations, things not fit to speak of much less write. He has allowed us to drive social workers and psychologists on home visits, using us to uncover sad situations and protect innocent children. We see His hand in it all. He is leading and guiding us all, every step of the way. And we praise Him for continued protection, as our staff have gone to some of the worst parts of Panama to perform these investigations.
In the days ahead, we just ask for your prayers. For patience and love for the workers, for the Lord to order our steps and grant us wisdom so that we can give godly counsel to the Director over SENNIAF. Also, specifically we ask you to pray for this Director, Gloria, for the Lord to divinely order her steps, as she has come into a giant mess. She has a great heart for the kids, but this is truly an overwhelming task ahead of her. And finally, we praise the Lord that the non-profit Heart's Cry is formally registered in Panama, a process begun a year ago! We receive our notarized proof later this week. This formality is necessary for the government to put full weight behind our recommendations. Couldn't have happened at a more perfect moment!
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Personally...
Thought we would fill you in on a few personal happenings. And again, your prayers are always appreciated. The past few months have been a walk of faith in many ways. We underwent a miscarriage, which was an extremely trying time. Thankfully my mom "just so happened" to be here visiting with me at the time, which was a huge blessing. I have recovered physically and the Lord continues to provide healing emotionally. Yet He has shown us in multiple ways that our daughter is in heaven with Him (and Matt's dad!). If you go to our website you can listen to Matt's song he wrote about it.
Just after this, Matt's sweet mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. We were able to go to Raleigh for over a week to be with her for a few dr. appointments, surgery for the port and also the beginning of chemotherapy. We just ask for your prayers for her total healing and strength through this journey. The Lord is faithful and we continue to praise His Holy Name. He is good and He is right beside each of us every step of the way.
We also have good news that our house is finally under contract (14+ months later) and it appears as though it will close the end of November. So who knows, we may be back for Thanksgiving, after all! Had not planned on it, but this would be a huge blessing and allow us to be with Matt's mom. Thankfully, Matt's brother and Aunt have been able to be there with her throughout this battle, as well as all her friends, but I know Matt would love nothing more than to be beside his mom any extra days that he can. Please pray for the Lord's continued provision and direction.
I must end this section by praising the Lord for Heart's Cry employee, Ari Herrera. Most of you may remember that He allowed us to hire her in January of this year. She loves Jesus and is a super intelligent, mom of a 2 year old (pictured below), who can translate on a dime (with no accent!). And, she is a dear friend. We praise the Lord for her for many reasons, but lately it's even more apparent. When I was in the hospital and then when we went back to be with Matt's mom, she was able to take charge and run the show without skipping a beat. It was such a relief to know someone with the same heart was there doing the work when we could not. We were able to pick right back up upon our return. She is a valuable member of Heart's Cry team on the ground in Panama and we wanted to share this with you all. She truly goes above and beyond for these kids!
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Thankful for the opportunity to share our work, our lives and our hearts with you all.
Sincerely,
Misty Hedspeth
Heart's Cry Children's Ministry |
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