the last week*

So much has happened while we have been here. 

Many days have felt like a tornado of new and hard realities.

One of the women who has helped translate and walk us through different introductions and pictures of what God is doing here, Kat, said it well . . . 
"you have had a real taste of life here." 

We cannot believe that we have been allowed to be here.

We are starting to process our thoughts, feelings, 

and the events that have occurred.  

Please pray for these next few days of downloading and reflection*

We just had a sweet time with the younger girls wednesday, 

where we painted for awhile together, and then hung up their pictures 

to celebrate the individuality and beauty of each girl.  

Then we gathered together, amidst tickle wars, 

and as we were starting to thank them for the time with them,

2 girls asked to pray for us! That was the most precious thing . . .  

We felt the Spirit in their deep yearnings pouring out over us!

Then we gave them a token gift, a little something to thank them and show our love.

They were hugging us and crying, and we were too.

There was a new girl there, from a fresh raid that occurred last weekend. 
We heard there was a new girl, so we brought an extra gift.

This sweet girl  arrived that day. She was so quiet and uncomfortable. 
She speaks very little spanish, mainly a guatemalan dialect . . . 

I handed her a gift and she gave me a huge hug. 

She pulled me so tight to her.She was crying hard. 

I couldn't believe it. I can't imagine what she was feeling . . . . 

We will never forget these girls, their precious faces, their vulnerable eyes, their frightened and lonely hearts, the sweet moments we have had with them. . . 

Please pray for these precious girls- for God to provide mentors for each girl to love on them and walk through the next several years of  life with them!*

We want to invite you to pray with us for 1 girl each day for a month, starting June 4th.

We are seeing so much movement right now, and in the midst of it, these girls are so vulnerable and need so much. 

Only God can provide for their hearts.  

Please respond by emailing me (noel) if you want to pray for a girl  
and I will assign one to you, and let you know some specific needs to be voicing on her behalf!

Thank you for walking with us on this road. 

We are so thankful to be back, yet it is taking time to process and feel. 
Thank you again for thinking and praying for us.

We have needed so much and we have received more than we knew was possible.

Grace and Peace to you*

N y B

perspective*

This weekend has been packed with adventure and action - 
every step, every conversation, every turn has had a surprising end!


Beautiful conversations and moments with the older girls we are living with have blessed us and affirmed that God is leading a movement of healing and redemption here!


We knew and felt that when we met the last girl, 
Hope (who was traveling when we arrived) that it would be valuable.  
Every moment with her has been eye-opening.
Her perspective is vital for the movement in Mexico. 
She has sight for the issue here and her heart cannot ignore the pain she sees around her.
She is speaking the reality in the words we need to hear,
and showing us places we need to see.
Walking with Hope, we are seeing the context through HER eyes! 
She is courageous in her dreams, and each day she lives for other girls.
This doesn't come without a price, and we are seeing and feeling the new tensions that she is dealing with inside her own heart.  She is struggling to feel for the first time.
Please pray for Hope as she steps out in the ways God is leading her to with her story, 
but also in new ways that involve her emotions.


Please pray for Brittany and her team as they follow through 
with some very important interviews and conversations 
that have recently been kicked up in the dirt.
The mess is unfolding and God is putting Brittany and Volviendo
in the middle of the dust storm.
It is crazy and amazing to watch.
He is giving them clarity about the movement.
Pray for wisdom and protection for each step!




Brittany was feeling a little better as of yesterday, but please continue to pray for our health - we both feel very vulnerable in this area. 
It is NOT fun to eat PB & J here :), but that has been one of the only things she can eat.
How Gringo is that??! ha!


We are saying "Goodbye" to the little ones today. This will be hard. 
We cannot continue to be with them for many reasons, for their sakes and ours.
It is heartbreaking to see their reality over and over again, and not be able to help at all.
They are disengaging with us because they do not know what to do with our presence - 
as we have been here longer than any other "visitors" but we are not staying.
Pray for this interaction and for their future mentors, caregivers, parents.
Pray for their need for love to be met, for the healing of their hearts.




Thank you again for your prayers*
we feel them, and we continue to need them desperately!


Grace and Peace
N y B

trials*

"In his hand are the caverns of the earth: and the heights of the hills are his also."
Psalm 95:4




The past couple days, Brittany and I have been weak in body.  Very weak.
There is alot of spiritual attack as well, for the following reasons.


All the older girls have been telling their stories 
in various places, some well-received, some not.  


A few of the girls are going to trial this week. 
The process of trial here is CRAZY and traumatizing.  
The doctors are insensitive, the interviews are long hours alone, 
the actual trial is face to face with their perpetrators. 


Please pray for each girl going to trial 
for extreme peace, strength, and clarity in Christ. 


We are praying desperately for them!
Some of them are experiencing nightmares 
where the devil is speaking lies directly to their face. 


Today, i have to believe God is with them in every moment.
I have to hold onto the promise that His grace is sufficient. 


On a positive note, our trust and loving bond with each girl here is growing.
They can see love in us, and we can feel their love for us- they are very sensitive
to each other's needs and are telling us how to pray now.
They are sharing with us the stacks of dreams they are sitting on. 
These girls are being given powerful, inspiring dreams from God!  
Each girl who is speaking her dreams is more inspired and driven than 95% of all the people I have ever met!


God is moving and guiding their hearts- it is beautiful and hopeful!
God is with them, walking each step with them. 
We can see it and are refreshed by that sight.


This road is long, but the steps are powerful.
This is one of the hardest things we have ever done - 
because there is so much we are having to feel. 


Please continue to pray for strength for our hearts, bodies, and minds.


Grace and Peace to you*
N y B

needy needy needy us*

We are very much in need of prayer today and this week - for wisdom.
We are completely exhausted and we aren't half-way through this trip.
We are already ready to come home. We feel done.

Please pray for strength and wisdom.
We are not sure how we should spend our time with the girls.
It is very difficult to be more connected with them but see the same hardships and needs everyday.

We have confidence that when we are weak, HE is strong.
We are just not sure what that means in our increasing exhaustion.
We are so needy for Him.

Grace and Peace to you*
N y B

Puzzle-Pieces*

It is hard to believe it has been a whole week. It feels like a month. 


The past few days have felt like putting a puzzle together- we are hearing bits and pieces of each of the girls' stories and most of them make sense, but a few do not.


As one of the volunteers said, "we are starting to see the masks come off because most visitors have only been here for a day or two."
We have spent 4 days with the girls so far, and are starting to see their real behaviors, real struggles, real beauty, real needs. It is painful to see. There are SO many needs - most of them are echoed in the girls' reactions to each other, in how they act out, in how they create.


It is hard to believe these girls have been abused until these reactions occur.  
They are lovely, sweet, passionate, precious precious girls! 
We are falling more in love day by day. We are feeling more bonded to specific girls, seeing connections that we don't yet understand, praying for God to use these playful moments.  Art has been such a sweet tool to see their hearts, their talents, their perspective and their personalities, and their process (little by little).




At the apartment, with the older girls, we are building friendships that are more natural. This week it was one of their birthdays. We felt so lame because we couldn't figure out whose birthday it was until she got home for the surprise party we helped create!  
But that night we got to celebrate with her, though her parents forgot about her birthday.  We all ate together, sang together, and then danced til early in the morning at the apartment! It was the big ice-breaker we needed - and we got to see their personalities become more free with us :).  


We are dreaming with a couple of the older girls about some expressive projects that they want to do.  We are amazed at their boldness, their valiant courage to tell their stories. We are also concerned about how that process is for them, as it seems they are asked to tell their stories alot more than they are asked to talk about their hearts.   


We are seeing the bigger picture of what the needs look like in Mexico, and the fight for healing and unity.  We met an amazing girl named Cat, who has been involved with the issue for the past few years, who has been helping paint the picture for and with us. She is a super connector of organizations and universities, and whomever else God brings her way!


We are seeing how He is preparing the way for the MTS conference in Oct. It is encouraging to see He has so intimately involved in the details, the people who are connecting. One of the young girls said the other day, "if our (caregivers) go to MTS, they will be able to help us?" She so profoundly sees her wounds that need mending, but remains hopeful. 


We are knee-deep, and have a healthy fear of  the depth we are invited into*




Please pray:
*for wisdom in helping the girls to tell their stories
*for spiritual sensitivity to satanic attacks 
*for strength to stay engaged
*for healing for the girls, even now, with Christ it is possible
*for sight to see the real needs, and for sight for the caregivers
*for the girls' sleep. they have nightmares frequently






In Dependence*
N y B

entering the goldmines*

It has only been 4 days . . .
we have been sore and bruised from playing .  . .  
in awe of the horrific nuggets of stories we have heard . . .
refreshed by the girls we are living with . . . 
and  enjoying the beauty flowing out of the hearts and scene here.


The first day, we were already being introduced to some new things God is doing here!
There are some new collaborations that are forming underground - new life is blooming. One guy I met said that he is "gathering seeds from other places to plant in Mexico City".  The realities of obvious abuse is still heart-breaking, but lovers of God are coming together to love their city in new ways. 


We live with  5 girls (20 and older) in their apartment.  They are very refreshing to talk to, which we didn't expect.  They are focused on their studies and work, excited about life, though we see them mostly at the end of the day when we are all exhausted.
Only 3 days into this journey, we have been entrusted with helping to write a girls' story in English. She is ready to tell it, using the word passion to describe her intense need to speak out! She is beaming and joyful . . . and for some reason, she already trusts us?!?  This is fast, and divine.


Today is Dia de las Madres - Mothers Day for Mexico. 
We saw and felt the abandonment of the girls yesterday, weaving in and out of our games.
Their feelings were coming to the surface- there was alot of sadness and mourning because of the lack of care from their mothers.  But there is also beauty in the new family God is giving them through the care-givers. 
Llorena, the heart loving mom who runs the the Safehouse, reminds us of Celestia - how tender and attentive she is to their hearts. We saw her comforting girls all day and she is going back today to just be there.
*Please pray for the girls today- for their hearts to feel comfort from people and from God.


Because each day is so intense, we are going to the Safehouse every other day (play, doing art, loving). The other days we are processing, resting, writing and Brittany is working on the documentary with her team that is here. 


*Please pray for us:
- for strength, energy to stay engaged
- for continued ease and help with language
- for wisdom in delicate conversations
- for sight for the real needs




This is such a strange journey . . .  but I am deeply encouraged by the reality 
that Jesus came for the broken, to pay attention to the sick, to walk alongside and find those who are hurting. In our weakness, inabilities, lack of resources - He is strong. 
We are learning to see grace in every step :). 


N y B

ready . . . set . . . adventure!

We are leaving friday morning, bright and early.
We are not ready and that is good.


We want to invite you to pray for the following as we meet the girls, as we enter their lives, as we let go and trust . . . 


*ease with language - quick hearing!
*connecting/bonding with girls!
*sight - that we pay attention to God's heart and no random agendas.
*wisdom and safety


We would like to invite every women to pray for the girls, for their healing on their journey, as it is a long one!
And invite the men to pray for the men in the cartel - for God's hand to move in a miraculous way in the lives of those who are the perpetrators of this evil.


He has the power to change hearts, any heart.




We are excited and overwhelmed by this opportunity and are grateful for your prayers! 


We will keep you updated as we discover His heart.


May the Lord bless you and keep you,
may His face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace*
N y B