Loving Orphans...

I tried to post this yesterday...so again I apologize for the poor internet. Today I can post my thoughts, but not the pictures. In the last 6 days we have spent hours and hours trying to get things to upload. Gary reminded me that this is God’s work and I need to not try so hard and accept what comes our way. (I hate it when he’s right...which is quite often!) So now, I am trying to chill. Rog and Fred…I don’t chill well either!

This was written yesterday:
This morning in church there was a baby dedicated. At first I was captivated by the beautiful little baby girl, her small sister, mom and dad as they stood in front of the church. But then I caught a glimpse of our teens that were sitting near us. They were very distracted and not really trying to watch. At first I was feeling rather upset at them and then it hit me. This is very painful to watch. I’m sure every one of them wishes they had a mom and dad that would proudly bring them to the front of the church for everyone to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over. Then their parents would state their love for God and their desire to raise the children in a strong Christian home. What more could a child want? In the states I would add a laptop, the latest MP3 player, designer clothes, the latest cell phone with all it’s gadgets, etc…but not these kids. They just dream of a mom and dad that they can call their own. When I catch them looking wistfully at the families in the church my heart aches and I beg the Lord to find Christian moms and dads for these beautiful kids.

Today we went to the farm for milk. It’s Papa’s regular routine for Sunday afternoons and the children love it! The most important part of the trip is the stop at the Oxxo for cookies and goodies. Then it’s off to the farm. I love to watch the little boys climb up on the fence and watch the animals. They look like little cowboys! I’m so thankful that Papa takes all these little trips with the children because it’s very special to them. It’s part of their ‘family’ routine.

Jose left the orphanage today to spend his last few days in Chihuahua with his parents. They are here on a mission trip and he has bunked out at the orphanage to renew friendships. It has been a good visit for everyone. Mama and Papa are so happy to see their kids again and the kids are anxious to see them as well. Jose blended in very well with his ‘brothers and sisters’ and even played on the soccer team on Saturday. We lost the game by 1 point…but 2 of our guys played on the other team since they were short players…and our guys scored the points against us! So…really we won! Oh well. Everyone had fun! After the game we were able to treat everyone to hamburgers, fries and a soda. That was a real treat! Thank you, Michigan Team, for making it possible. Gary and I were wondering what to do for the kids after the game because we were out of funds…but God provided through you. Your love offering will take care of our last week here with the teens as well.

My friend, Alex (who helps me work on adoptions), stopped by for a few minutes to provide transportation for Jose’s family. Of course I went over to greet him, and the children swarmed around like bees in a beehive. Since Jose has been here to talk about his great adoption, a lot of the children want to be adopted as well. When Alex left, they told me that they all wanted families. If only it were that simple. Some of the children even clung to me…and were pleading. Please help me pray that Christian moms and dads will open their home and their hearts to these children.

Today was the monthly major cleaning day…and also our day off. Thank you, Jesus. The kids work very hard to clean everything. It always looks really nice when they’re done. But, today was also a 4x4 event down the road from us. So all day…even now…vehicles have been driving past here in a steady stream. The dust is very bad and the drivers seem to drive terribly fast. We have some older children posted at the gate to make sure the little children don’t go outside the gate to play. It would be very unsafe. Mama and Papa are concerned that this might be the beginning of a new event for weekends. Please help us pray that this will not happen.

These past few months have been a real learning experience for both of us. God has been stretching us in many ways…it’s sometimes fun and sometimes painful…but always for our good. Our strength has come from the Lord. We give Him all the glory. I also want to thank the Lord for our good health that we have enjoyed for the past 2 weeks. Between the two of us...we have only 1 plugged ear. I might ad it comes in very handy when Gary is trying to tell me something I don't want to hear. :) God is merciful.

Since there was no school (another holiday...) today (Monday) Papa, Gary and I had a great chance to share with the teens. We seperated the girls from the boys and shared from our hearts regarding modesty, pornography, purity, etc. If you think that it is tough for a teen in the USA to battle these things...it is 10 times worse down here. Pornography is everywhere...and sexual perversian is the norm. It is very dark here in Mexico and our kids are battling. Please pray for them.

Here is the scoop: If this posting has pictures on it within the next 6 hours...it is because there has been a spare vehicle for me to get into the internet cafe in Aldama. Presently we are down to 2 buses, 1 truck and 1 car...so I'll need a miracle.