Busy Times

Several weeks ago, on October 27, we celebrated my 6 years of adoption! It was exciting, we invited some friends over. How the Lord God has blessed me with a loving Christian family. And I am so thankful to my God who loves me very much.

I am growing in Christ Jesus. He helps me in difficult times. This is one of my songs that I wrote:

Cheering

 When He loves me I feel close to Him,
When I'm sad He cheers me up,
When I'm downcast He changes my heart,
When I'm happy I rejoice in the Lord.

He who died is always by my side
He will never stop loving me,
What a joy to have Him,
His everlasting love never ends.

I've been busy with my school, choir, helping a friend with her two kids while she tries to get things done around her house; which is also learning how to take care of children and babies. It's lots of fun! Also doing my chores at home and helping at my church with the 2 years olds. Yes... my days are busy serving others.

I love the little children. They are so fun to play with. And is fun to watch them grow. And hopefully someday they would come to Jesus in an early age. God is changing people's lives even today. How amazing it is to see and hear what God is doing and changing in people's lives. 

Amazing God

What an amazing God He is! Oh, I'm so thankful to God. I used to think that my life is not going to turn out right. I thought that the Bible was boring to read, and that it didn't apply to  me. I just want to cry with a great joy, about God's amazing Grace. I read God's word more often and praying for guidance. O Father, thank you!

I love Jesus. And I am still growing in Him.

This is the Bible verse I look what God had done for me, which applies to me:

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Psalm 34:8

And I have tasted it!

God's Work in Me

It's hard to explain  how I felt inside me. I'll do my best.

First Dad and Mom talked to me while sitting at the table. I got mad when they said that we were going to go see a therapist. "I don't need any help." I told them. And they said that they wanted to be better parents to me. "You are good parents." I said.

The day came. I stared out of the window seeing the bare field. I sat quietly with my face unhappy and thinking about many things. We got there. Okay, we had to do this a lot of times. [several hours a day for two weeks] Mr. Rick was Christian and always fun with full of  burning energy.

One thing I had to do was to write about me. One thing I wrote was this,''I'm afraid that my life will not turn out like I want to.'' And,'' Sometimes I think that my parents are not my real parents.'' And he would be nodding his head while I wrote things down. Mr. Rick would sit near me in a little room while Mom and Dad were waiting out. We did many other things. Which each day I was excited to go.

He always did creative things and he was also learning about us when we were all doing the activities together. He was real smart. And I would say,'' how do you know? or how did you guess?'' We shed many tears when time came for me to share about my past in which I'm not writing it here.

Weeks and days passed by. Until my heart started to soften and learning to speak in a low level. I started to understand about myself. God had been working in me all this time. I started to change into a complete person. How hungry and thirsty I've been for the Lord Jesus. My heart was dancing for joy! I've given  my heart and my life to Jesus. And please stay, the Lord Jesus hasn't finished my love story for Him yet.

New Family

So, I was adopted by a loving, Christian family. Still I had to do dialysis, but not for too long. God the Creator, all Powerful blessed me with a kidney six months after arriving. Amazing!  Then I started to grow, healthy, strong, started to like American food, and my new parents took me to church every Sunday.

As I grew older I struggled with obedience. I was angry most of the time and was unkind to my parents. I just wanted to be left alone and nobody to rule over me. Usually I didn't get alone well with my Mom. She was only trying to help me with my heart issues. She would point me to the cross. How Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of the world and me. "For God so loved the world that  He gave us his Only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.'' And "For the wages of sin is death But the gift of God is eternal life." And she would say to me, ''Maria, God loves you so much and he has plans for you. I love you, I want what's best for you!'' Tears would come to my eyes because I disliked what she was saying to me. I wanted to hurt myself. I was hurt in many ways. My knew parents didn't know all about me, I kept things to myself. I knew about God, but I didn't want to believe it. Then before I turned 16 years old everything changed in my life.

Memories 5

I got to the hospital in Shell. While I was there a young lady came to tell me about Jesus. I didn't understand what she was talking about, then she handed me a book.

Later on the Dr's said that they couldn't help me. So, they sent me to Quito the capital of Ecuador. This time the man didn't come with me. Finally I got there. They put me in the hospital. I was hooked up with needles and other things; I couldn't just leave the room.

The next day a young man came. His name was Jonás. I didn't like him. And I wouldn't even speak to him. I wouldn't even let him touch me.

The next morning a young girl came. I liked her at once. From then on she took care of me. She took me whatever I was needed to be taken, stayed in the hospital, gave me treats, and one time I called her, "Mom!" She told me that she wasn't my mother. Somedays I cried when she had to go home.

Months passed by. I needed dialysis. So, everyday had to go do dialysis. It was tiring and I even slept in school and I missed it a lot too. I was a bad little girl. I was independent. Nobody corrected me between wrong and what's right. You may ask why I had to do dialysis? As a small for my age, thin, no family, not eating enough food, and my kidneys weren't working anymore.

So, life went on. People thought that I was going to die soon. But I wasn't worried about these things. As days, weeks, and months went by, I heard that I was going to be adopted.

Memories 4

Time passed. About when I was 7 or 8, my Grandpa went to visit friends or family in another village. I stayed behind with a neighbor family and also not to miss school.  He instructed me to obey them and to work hard whatever needed to be done. And he left. I felt lonely as time went by. I was tired of being bossed around. One day the dogs were barking and barking until my neighbor man got out of bed in the middle of the night with a gun. The neighbor woman lit up the candle. We kids got up with a start and were wide awake. The oldest daughter got up and came to tell us the good news. They  were very excited, more than I was. It was their son who came home. I don't know from where. But he had brought many new things from some place that we don't often get. So it was special treats that he brought. Later on they came to bed. The youngest son came and told me about him. I was too tired and had fallen asleep. Every night and day we waited for my Grandpa's return. Later I got an opportunity to  see Lucio who had come home the other day. I was hesitant to go in the kitchen. He looked at me and asked who I was. So it was explained by his mother. He told me to come in and that he won't bite. I just went somewhere else pretending I had to do something. Slowly each day I  got tired, weak and longing for my Grandpa to come home.

Memories 3

About when I was 6 or 7 years old I remember going home from school. My friends and I would stop on the way home and play hide-and-seek or swing high like a monkey on the tree. Thankfully the trees' rope was strong enough  to hold us. It was real fun until we would remember to run home and get into trouble with our parents or with my Grandpa. We didn't get home in time like we were supposed to.

Hunting was always fun. My neighbors and I would go camping far off and stay for many days until we got enough meal to feed our family. Grandpa and I would go work in the garden together.

Also I remember when doctors came to our village. They gave us shots and medicine. Kids from school would go running out to see what that white and red thing was. An airplane! Missionaries would come to our jungle, which I didn't know why. But they always had fun things to do like soccer and other fun games. What  lonely times for me without a mom or a dad  beside me to protect me and I to hear their voices saying that they love me.