At the beginning of this year the Lopez Ordoñez kids got a great surprise!!  They were told that Gerson and Crystal, the people who had been helping to care for them for some time, were now going to move into the house that the kids had been living in with another caregiver so that they could have more of a family environment.  This has been a huge blessing for the kids as it has given them security and parental figures who are there for them all day every day.  The boys have excelled in their schooling during this year now that they have a more stable environment.  Marlyn, however, has had some struggles because she has a friend in school who is a bad influence on her.  This has resulted in Marlyn having some issues with her grades and having some behavior issues. If you remember we shared in updates last year that we were having some of the same problems with Marlyn’s brother, Eric, because of some friendships he had.  Thankfully, he changed his friends this year and is doing much better.  We are hoping that with the 3 months that the kids don’t study starting in October Marlyn will lose touch with this friend and will change her attitude. Please continue to pray that Marlyn would realize how damaging this friendship is for her and that she would change her behavior.  Gerson and Crystal are also exploring the idea of homeschooling her, if at least for the next year, to help her avoid bad influences and to have more influence over her as she navigates adolescence.

The boys have also been blessed as they are doing much better from the health issues that were plaguing them at the beginning of the year.  It is a joy to see them well again and to see how they continue to grow into awesome young men.  Marlyn is a wonderful young lady as well she is just going through a difficult time right now which is something almost all of us can relate to.

Please continue to pray for Marlyn, Luis, Eric, Crystal and Gerson as they seek the Lord on how to move forward as a family and on what He wants for their lives.

Some of our missionaries had some time to spend with the family recently at the Servants’ ministry center in Guatemala.  Here are some fun pictures and videos from that afternoon!