Happy October! 🍂 Here in Iquitos, we have been experiencing a very intense summer heat. Temperatures have reached up to 115° at about 11 in the morning. Thankfully, the weather is cooling down as we transition to the rainy season soon. I (Ashley) have been working on something new for the ministry in the recent summer months. I have always enjoyed baking things for my loved ones. Whether that be boxed brownies for my family as a teenager or brownies here (you can see that brownies are my favorite) for my nieces and nephew. Any excuse to bake for other people was really what I was aiming for. I really love making something with my hands and giving it to someone! So, when my RSD leaders suggested that I start baking cakes for the ministry kids, I immediately got excited and took on the task. Though my budget is limited, with God, my leaders and I adjusted my ministry budget so that I can cover all of the supplies, ingredients, and party decor! 🎉🪩
So far, it has been a real success! The kids absolutely love the chance to be celebrated with homemade cake 🎂 Before the party, I like to ask them what flavor of cake and color frosting they would like! I am still learning to get the color exactly right before the frosting melts in the heat. I learned that butter will quickly separate, and the frosting becomes more speckled. So, I put it in the fridge immediately after mixing in the food coloring before I continue decorating the cake. I had never actually decorated cakes before, but September was FULL of birthdays and celebrations! We had a birthday every week, and one of our teens, Stifh (red tank top), won an award for school 🤩 , so we got to celebrate his achievement, too.
This gave me a chance to keep practicing and let the boys also have an opportunity to practice! At RSD, we always celebrate birthdays, and the kids love having the time together to hang out and be a family. So, for me, baking cakes and being more intentional about decorating my home is like the icing on the cake 😉🎂 My next goal is to find piping nozzles so I can make things like flowers or soccerballs for their cakes!
Our mission is to create a safe and loving environment for these kids, so celebrating them is integral to that! 🩵💜 I am excited to see where this goes and watch the kids succeed. As they do, we will be right there to cheer them on!
—Ashley.
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