Looking back at my rock piles...

Andy...cutting metal for the window guards




Mark and Andy working together




Gary and Samuel




"Welder Fred"




Homework!!!




Jazmine




Pablo and David after a game of soccer




Pastor Dave's daughters enjoying the sunshine!




The Scoggins arrived last night and brought 2 teenage boys from their church to help.




Handsome Nico!




Mary and her hair stylists...Nico and Alberto!




Lorena




Ruby and her friends chatting over homework.




Mark and Chandra...do you have dental insurance????




Mary loving on sick Karely




Mark collecting autographs




Chandra caring for her sick hubby! Mark soaking it all in... :)




Sweet dreams Chandra....




Barb rocking Cecilia. It doesn't matter how old they are...they all melt in your arms and loved to be rocked and held.




Jackie...what big teeth you have...




and Karely...is there a dentist in the house????




Jackie, Chandra and Andrea




Coke anyone??? Who could resist???




Barb, Nico and Berto playing football






Wherever there are kids...there is Chandra




Karely and Barb




Andy and Karely




Andy showing Jazmine some Riley pictures...




Javier and Tia Selsa cleaning the wall




Ever sporting a coveted headband.




Mama loving on Cachito




Lovely Leslie




"Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God and there is no one like me." Isaiah 46:9 Today is my day for looking back at my 'rock piles'. There have been times in my life where I have seen a BIG God and in my celebration, I mentally piled up some rocks to commemorate the event. I remember sitting in neonatal ICU ward when Charles had spinal menengitis at 6 weeks of age. The Dr.s prepared me for losing him through the night. Amidst the alarms from his heart and breathing monitors going off, I was able to have a supernatural peace that held me close. I didn't know if I was going to have a baby to hold in the morning...but I did know that I had a BIG God that I could hold on to during those long hours. When God healed Charles, I built a huge pile of rocks...to remember my BIG God. There have been many other occasions that I have quietly piled a mound of rocks together in my mind and fell to my knees in worship of my BIG God. Today, however, I am not creating another pile of rocks, but I am looking back at all those mounds. I draw strength from them...remembering my BIG God. In Isaiah 61 it says to all who mourn, the Lord's favor will return. He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, joyous blessing insead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. Their righteousness will be like great oaks that the Lord planted for His own glory. I am sharing this verse with you because today I am seeing the children closer and looking more deeply into their hurting eyes. I need to remember that God is BIG enough to heal their broken lives. These children have been abandoned, some tortured and many abused so severely that it seems impossible that they are alive. I am living with the effects of a depraved sinful world...and it rips my heart out. I can't fix their hurts...but my BIG God can. Today I am looking back at my 'rock piles' to remember my awesome God. He is the only one that can heal their hurts...but until He does...I will keep on hugging them, keep on kissing them and keep on crying out to God for them.

The FBC family that is down here is quite a team. Between Fred's naps, he has been running millions of errands, welding, loving on kids and having many grandpa talks with the kids. He is so good with the kids. Barb...what is she doing? Everything from playing football, arm wrestling, writing skits...the question would be...what doesn't she do? She has been such an encourager to Gary and me. Mary has been battling a flu/cold. It didn't keep her down for long. Her ministry is loving the unlovable kids. She has made it her point to pay special attention to the kids that easily get looked over...and she is doing an awesome job. This afternoon she was holding a sick Karely for over 3 hours in her arms. I don't really think that Karely has ever had a mom hold her like that. At one point I thought Mary might be sleeping...but the closer I got to her, I realized that she was prayig for Karely and singing sweet little songs to her. What a great mommy to these kids she is!!!
Andy's main position in our family is keeping things in order....which is quite the challenge with all of Chandra's empty pop bottles!!! Actually Andy has been Gary's right hand man and they have accomplished many repairs. He wants you to know that besides keeping us in order, he and Gary repaired a frozen valve on the water main so 120 kids could flush the toilets. Oh yeah, Andy also stands in front of us eating stale barbequed pork rinds with peanut butter. It wouldn't be so bad...but three of us have battled the flu...maybe that is why we got sick? :) We have always seen a tough Andy...but many tears have been shed down here and his heart has been deeply touched. By the way, Mary, Mark and I were the lucky flu patients, but we are now back on our feet again. Chandra has been busy loving on kids. Where ever there are a group of kids...Chandra is in the midst of them! They just love her...and why wouldn't they??? She always keeps us laughing. Be sure to ask her where her key is. That is the question of our house. Mark has a awesome relationship with all the kids...especially the boys and chubby girls. Sounds wierd...but Mark is strong enough to rough house with the boys and he also swings the chubby girls around...which is cool. You might wonder why...but these girls never get any attention...and when a daddy figure comes and pays attention to them and swings them around like the other girls...they giggle and squeel with delight. Speaking of squeeling...Andy, Gary and Mark castarated the baby pigs. Ouch! The kids didn't know what to think of that. Now when the kids see the guys...they say "Ouch!" :)

The Huizengas and Fekkens are still in Juarez. The necessary paperwork to get Ramon over the border has been filed...but other paperwork is slowing the process down. This delay is causing stress for Roger since he is away from work longer than he anticipated. Let's pray that the people at Meyer's Chevrolet will be able to cover for him and it will be no problem. I can sense the evil one working overtime on these adoptions.