Walking By FAITH
Since we left Costa Rica in September of 2017, we have had many new challenges in our ministry such as: loss of donors, doors closing, health issues with our son, problems in Costa Rica, Cindy having to be treated for basal skin cancer under her right eye, and being patient to hear from God the direction of what to do next. All of these challenges have taught us that God is faithful in all circumstances. However, if we trust God with our lives, then we must hang on to the simple truth that God has got this. He is with us and He will never leave us even if He is silent ( A favorite quote from an unknown movie is "The Teacher is always silent during the test."). Lastly, we are learning that sometimes what we think could be a long term direction is really a short term direction.
When we left Costa Rica, we thought that God was calling us to Honduras. After the first door closed for us in Honduras, we thought maybe it would be best to help another ministry in Honduras for a while. We found a ministry that needed some help in areas that we were gifted in so we reached out to them. However, after a week we started to feel something wasn't right. We soon had our feelings confirmed when they told us that they had made the decision to move back to the states. The reason for this decision was because three of their children had been sexually abused by one of their local workers. Please pray for this family as they begin the healing process. Once again we got another closed door in Honduras. After praying and seeking Godly counsel we feel that we are not to move to Honduras at this time.
In May and June, we spent about three weeks with our son in Kansas. We were there to help take care of him while he recovered form his acid reflux surgery. Our son came through the surgery fine, but has had complications since then. He is very nauseous and he has not had much of an appetite since the surgery. We would appreciate your prayers for him. We will be heading back to Kansas the middle of August.
After we returned to Georgia, we called Grandma and the kids in Costa Rica and got some bad news. Grandma told us that just a few days before child welfare had come and taken ten of the children away from her. We were completely shocked. Grandma said that the only reason that the kids were taken was because her house was too small. After praying, we decided that we should return to Costa Rica for a few weeks to check on the children that were taken and see if it would be possible for Grandma to get the children back.
During our time in Costa Rica, we took Grandma to meet with child welfare and see what could be done. We also went to be a witness for Grandma and to tell them that the children were doing better than they were with their moms. We quickly learned that it would be hard for Grandma to get the children back and that our time would be best spent getting permission to see the children. Grandma was given permission to see the children, but we did not because we were not related. Grandma tried to explain that we knew the children well and that we were like family, but we were still not allowed to see them.
Because we could not see the children, we felt like we were to go to the women’s prison in San Jose to visit with two of the moms. We have never gone to a prison before, so this was a new experience for us. When we were waiting in line to enter the prison we were a little nervous. When it was finally our turn to go in, we got split up. John had to enter first because the men's line was empty, but the women's line had too many in it, so Cindy had to wait outside. After going through all of the different security checks, we were then allowed to visit the moms. The visit with the moms turned out to be a great visit and we were happy that we went. These moms do know what they did was wrong and they are trying to change their lives. Please continue to pray for these moms.
When we returned from Costa Rica, we headed to Wilmington, NC because John's dad had been admitted to the hospital. He was in a lot of pain and it seemed like his kidneys were shutting down. He had a procedure called a nephrostomy and this will hopefully allow his kidneys to continue working. He was released after about two weeks in the hospital. He was so grateful to finally be home and was very thankful for all of the prayers
After we left North Carolina, we returned to Georgia so Cindy could have the surgery to remove the basal skin cancer. The procedure was done in the doctors office and it went well. The doctor said that it was not a big spot of cancer, just in an unusual place.
Finally, we may not understand why things are working out like they are, but we know that God has been through all of these circumstances with us. In fact, He is going before us and is paving the way we just need to follow His leading even if we don't understand why. We now see that if we would of started something in Honduras we would not have been able to return to Costa Rica when we were needed. We also would not have been in the states when our family needed us. God is also showing us that He will provide for all of our needs.
We are continuing to pray about what God wants us to do next and we would appreciate your prayers as well. We do believe that we will continue to make trips to Costa Rica, but not sure how often. We would love to hear your thoughts as well. Also, if you have any prayer requests that we can pray for please let us know.
We want to thank you for your continued prayers, love and financial support. We know that we would not be able to do any of this if we did not have your support. If you feel lead to give to our ministry you can click here to donate online or you can mail a check to the address at the bottom of page. Also, anther way that you can support us is when you shop on Amazon use our Love Changes All AmazonSmile link and we will receive a donation from Amazon at no cost to you.
Love and Blessings,
John & Cindy Thalheimer
