It has been way too long since I have written an official blog post update. I post picture updates on Facebook and Instagram, but I have not seemed to find the time to sit down and write out something detailed. It seems that when I am home on a visa trip is when life seems to slow down, at least in a different way and I find myself sitting in front of a computer screen able to pour out my thoughts into a post for you to enjoy. I really wanted to be intentional in letting you guys see whats been going on and giving you a financial update as well. These past few months have been the end of the year months that are full of holidays. Some of the holidays are traditional and are celebrated in Honduras as well as the States, like Christmas but others are not as commonly celebrated. For example, Halloween, is not celebrated the same as it is in the States. Most of the families that are located in the area that we are, which is very rural, do not celebrate Halloween. This holiday is known as "noche de brujas", translation is "the night of the witches", so you can see why it isnt as popular. However, we, at the Casa Santuario wanted to use the excuse of the holiday to dress up with the kids! We did a small party for the children and the children of the missionaries with costumes, games and even trick or treating! It was a blast to see the kids dressed up and enjoying themselves. Once the month of November quickly came upon us, we decided we wanted to really focus on "giving thanks" with the kids. We are very aware that we would not be able to do any of the things that we do if it was not for God or for you guys, our supporters. So Judy, the director, came up with an awesome idea of making a HUGE turkey out of construction paper and having the kids fill out the feathers with reasons and things they are thankful for. This was a joy to see. Everyday that passed the turkey grew bigger and bigger with all of his feathers. This project drew out for a week or so and each evening the kids would all gather around during devotional time and write out new things they wanted to give thanks for. Some of the things were as simple as shoes, friends, food and some were God, or even specific people. We really wanted to show the kids that there is always something else to be thankful for, even if we are lacking in areas. The kids did not partake in a traditional Thanksgiving meal because Thanksgiving is not normally celebrated in Honduras, but my family and few other missionary families gathered together for some good food, great company and a time to reflect on what we are most thankful for. The last Holiday to be celebrated this year is Christmas. The girls and I wont be in Honduras to celebrate with the children or with my husband, Omar, but we did get to help get ready for Christmas before we left. To give you a small background on what normal Hondurans do for Christmas, at least where we are located is, that they give a new outfit for the day of the 25th and they cook homemade tamales out of pork or chicken. They stay up late and enjoy time with family, eating, talking, and shooting fireworks. The children at Casa Santuario celebrate a little differently because we do gifts. We do stick to the traditional new outfit but we add in a few trinkets and toys as well. Sad that we wont be there in person this year, but looking forward to spending Christmas with family and friends here in Mississippi this year.
To conclude this post, we wanted to give you a financial update. As you know, my husband has been out of work for nearly a year now. He has done some part time work in the palm fields near our home and we have been very thankful for that work. However, this work has not helped us significantly financially. He makes approximately 10 dollars a day. We use this money to help pay the lady who cares for our girls while we work. It costs us 2000 USD a month to live in Honduras. Currently, we average 975 USD of donations a month. So this Christmas, we are asking that you pray for those who are willing and able to give, to join us to reach our financial goal and continue to work we love in Honduras. If you are able to give a financial donation for our family this season, you can send via snail mail and qualify for a tax deduction to: Missions: Alissa Kearney (pay to the order of) Lemoyne Blvd. Baptist Church 15005 Lemoyne Blvd Biloxi, MS 39532 United States Or you can donate through PayPal to my sending church and also qualify for a tax deduction (this way does deduct 3% of your donation): Email: [email protected] You would need to specify "Missions fund: Alissa Kearney" Or you can donate to our personal PayPal here: email: akearney@bulldogs.mgccc.edu paypal.me/AlissaKearneyGomez Thank you again so much for all the love and support. We would not be able to be here if it was not for YOU.
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