Hello Friends! Well, first thing firs t;we are so thankful that Aaron was safe and sound at home in Australia at the time of the earthquake in Nepal. He had been there just two weeks before the quake. His time there was really productive, he made plans to head back there sometime in August where him and his team will start working with a small village called Dhamaura. The work there seems so small and insignificant after such devastation and loss from the earthquake. However, after praying; he and the team feel to continue on with their plans by providing homes for the people of this particular village. Thanks to those who provided finance and prayers for Aaron while he was away.
Aaron has been away a lot since October so he surprised us with a weekend get away! With his birthday money and a Groupon deal, he booked us in at a holiday house on the beach. We will go to a place about 2.5 hours south of Perth called Busselton. The kids are all excited as there are 3 bedrooms and king sized beds, movies, heated swimming pools, tennis courts and very beautiful beaches. It'll be the first time we've had a get away as a family here in Perth, and as a family of 6! It also happens to be Mother's Day that weekend as well, great way to celebrate.
We arrive home from that on the 10th of May and Aaron will leave us on the 16th of May to go to East Timor!This will be the first Homes Of Hope build. Aaron will be traveling with his two staff and will be joined by two DTS (Discipleship Training Schools) who will be sharing a house build as part of their outreach. He will be gone for nearly 3 weeks. It's exciting for him to be going in to the nations to do what he's called to do, but it's hard as he must be away from our day to day life. The kids always go through a small transition time but we're all adjusting to this and getting better at it.
Life in general is really good and getting busier as the kids grow. Aaron and I feel like it is really important for the kids to be involved with team sports or group events, especially as they get older.
**Kamryn is learning the value of fundraising as she is trying to send herself to Winter Camp this coming July. It is like teens camp at Cowichan Camp where she will be gone for a week, making new friends and learing to love God deeper. Monday nights she has cell group with the teens on base. She's playing sports on Wednesday nights with the teens and young adults and really enjoys that.
**Mikayla has been going to scouts on Tuesday nights. The first 3 times are a free trial so she's been going to see if it's something she would enjoy doing. She can be quite shy but we think it would be good for her to make some friends outside of YWAM. Here's Mikayla being shy...
**Levi is doing great at school and working ahead of his grade level. He is playing AFL (Australian Rules football).He really likes it, he's making friends plus it's great for him to run off all of his energy! He is a very active boy who does well when kept busy. He's an amazing big brother, and loves chasing Lauren, and making her laugh. It's such a blessing to see him grow in this.
**Lauren is a sweet girl, very curious and always busy! She is very steady on her feet and starting to say small words. She has been sick for the last few weeks and sleep is very fleeting but she is a very lovely girl. She has many friends on base, lots of big kids who love to follow her around and make her laugh. She's quite smart (we feel) for her age, and is quite obedient to instructions, which is nice.
We have been making the most of the time we do have together and now that fall has arrived, it's lovely to be outside! Bikes, roller blades, walks are just some of the things we have been doing on weekends. Movies and games in the evenings. Aaron has taken to reading the kids at bedtime, they love that. They just finished The Hobbit. We have been attending a small church on Sundays. We are on the younger side of the congregation, the majority are white haired but they have been very welcoming towards us. Not yet sure if it's a church we will attend regularly but it's a sweet group of people and the message has been encouraging.
Well, that's about it from us for now. I'll leave you with some prayer points:
-Please pray for us as we prepare to send Aaron off to East Timor in a few weeks. It's a very remote village where any healthcare is about 4 hours away by car. I always worry about that but trust that he is in good hands. The chief of the village is always so good to Aaron and his team so I know they'll be well taken care of.
-Pray for my sleep! Lauren is a very poor sleeper, only sleeping about 1.5 hours at a time in the night. After about 15 months I am starting to hit the wall. I need sleep to be a good parent especially while Aaron is away.
-Finances. Lots of travel for Aaron means we need to see more monthly support coming in to pay for his flights and ground fees.
Thanks to all of you who continue to love us as and pray for us as we serve with YWAM Perth. We may be far away, but we carry you all in our hearts.\
Much love and many blessings,
Aaron, Robin, Kamryn, Mikayla, Levi and Lauren Little
