Human Kindness is on the rise again!

As I sit here it is the dawn on a New Year and I realize that if I could say one word to capsilize this past year it would be:  surprised!!  Don't you love a good surprise?  I do.  Well, truthfully it is best to be surprised if you aren't wearing old clothes and have a bad hair day but yeah most surprises are wonderful.  :-)

I would say the biggest surprise this past year was the support we recieved from so many people.   Over and over and over people stepped into our world and blessed us.   Why would that be surprising you ask?  Because it seems to be that more and more people are becoming too busy to get involved or  too  inward to think of someone outside their family circle.

Human kindness is on the rise again!!  

 Yippee!  It would take me forever to actually write about all the ways people have become "Jesus with skin on" for us but I hope these photos will paint a better picture then my words could ever do.

Blessing #1 - Through a generous gift we were able to fly our  kids down for 10 days over Christmas.  It was so good for my momma heart to have them around me: we laughed, we told old funny stories, we played games, we went for walks together, we worked hard for the Food Drive together, we shared gifts on Christmas Day (see photo below), we hugged, we prayed together, we sang songs together.  We were family again.  Blessed!

Blessing #2 -  We hadn't been able to spend Christmas together in 5 years.  Um... it was so fun!

Blessing #3 -  We had the Kent family come down for 2 weeks to help with the food drive.  We worked hard, we played hard.  They brought down 'sole's 4 soul's' shoes for the people of Roatan.   They bagged up food, candy and toys and worked very hard to distribute them.  They tirelessly sorted shoes and clothes!     They used their photography skills to capture so many beautiful moments! They helped in the Made In Roatan shop...even on the most beautiful sunny beach days! 

Blessing #4 -  Bob decided to head up the Because we Care food drive this year

and we can't thank our 31 hard working volunteers (too many to mention by name but you know who you are!) enough for their support with donations, the time, and their love.  We visited 12 remote areas on the island and were able to feed over 600 families.   It was a lot of hard work but it 

translated into real blessings!!

Blessing #5 - We are always grateful for people who come down.   We had the Naugler family come 

to Roatan for a week.   They helped in the shop, they made price tags, Sammy shares her creative designs with us, Mel used her photography skills,  they brought down needed items,

they visited island families, brought nail polish and soccer balls to Punta Gorda, Dusty helped fix a lady's house in French Harbour.   Also in the above photo is Joe and Sherry Houtman who brought freeze dried vegetable

mix for the feeding program in French Harbour

Blessing #6 - Our friends Sandy and Bill arrived on a cruise ship with 11 large boxes of shoes and clothes for us to distribute and also more boxes for the Orphanage in Sandy Bay.   They also donated a projector so we can show the Jesus film around the island.   It is so cool because it is solar powered and the size of a small phone! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Sanibel Island Church!!

Blessing #7 - Rhonda Lux wrote and said she wanted to come to Roatan to help.  I didn't know exactly what that help would look like but as it turned out we worked endlessly for an entire week redesigning the whole shop! You can read more about it here

Check out what I wrote at our other blog

Blessing #8 -  Since we opened up the new shop we are so busy in there and I can't

manage the shop by myself anymore so we are grateful for volunteers who come in.

The Lawyer family have been a huge help to us in the shop and also coming to our house on Saturdays.   As well Jeanette comes in and does 'the book' for me.  I have also trained Ladeesha, Joan's daughter to do the book on Thursdays.  It is all such a huge help!!  

  

We began praying last year that we would have help and ... voila... God answers prayers!! So why was I so surprised....???  Oh me of little faith!   Either way,  I cannot express enough the gratitude we feel.

   Thank you a thousand times!!  Mil Gracias!!!