Rag curls, anyone?

Santos and his beautiful wife, Eugenia...with rag curls.




Barb and Alondra arm wrestling




Did you know Chandra hates spiders! It's amazing the amount of fun a person can have with a rubber spider... :)




Last minute hair styling before church on a crowded bus this morning.





Andy and Gary hooking up the washer/dryer for Mama




Youth outing bus ride.




Picnic time!




Beautiful Cecilia!




Alondra and her new friend, Mary!




Saying goodbye to Lauren




Marcella and Mary Ellen shedding tears...




Vito and Karla...parting with tears




Sidewalk chalk + kids = fun




One of the beautiful chalk drawings.




Vito and his shadow, Karla




Fred and his fan club!




Elveda, Karen and Belem




The FBC group arrival...




late Friday night.




A goofy Angel...




Time to clean the buses!




EVERYTHING is washed out with lots of water!




and thoroughly scrubbed with brooms.




Silvia and Esayla did a great job!!!




Antonio, Vito and Marcella...great buds!




A great duo...Brenda and Nohema. These girls shoulder a lot of responsibility along with Papa and Mama.




Tia Mica and her 2 grandchildren




Grandpa Ramon and Gustavo enjoying time together. These kids are so blessed to have Grandpa Ramon around. Every kid needs a grandpa.




Tio Santo relaxing outside the cafeteria. About 1/2 hour later I saw he was reading his Gideon new testament out loud and soaking in every word. He is so hungry for the Word and passionately is seeking after God. It is an honor to work alongside him.



Tough Mark Fessenden had admitted that he hadn't cried for quite a long time...but the tears have been flowing freely since he's been down here. This morning in church he was holding Andrea and she put her head down on his shoulder as the twins were up in front singing. Well, that about did him in. Chandra and Mark are in the process of adopting these girls and this is the first time he met them. It was love at first sight...to say the least. Please help me pray that we are able to get 'orphan status' for these precious girls and the adoption can take place in the near future. Chandra and Mark have been bringing smiles to all the kids. Mark especially is popular since he can swing the kids around in his arms with no problem....sorta like a living jungle gym.

This is Mary's first time down here and she is having the time of her life! She has so much love to give out to these kids...and they are soaking it all in. Mary has the gift of seeking out the kids who are in the background and they are all beaming from ear to ear. Thank you, Jesus, for Mary and her tender, loving heart.

Andy is soaking this all in. I can see his wheels turning as he is asking many questions and trying to absorb everything. Yesterday Gary and Andy and Mark hooked up Ed and Rosa's washer/dryer in their casa. It should have taken only 1 hour...but took several...which is the Mexican way. But he had a great attitude and they got the job done. Andy is quick to give out tons of hugs to the kids and every once in a while I watch him with a distance look in his eyes. I think it is because his daughter, Holly, worked down here for about 6 weeks a couple years ago and he is just imagining what it was like for her. I am so glad he is able to be here and see firsthand for himself.

Fred and Barb are happy to see their three children that they are adopting. Their kids have been counting down the days for their arrival. It's fun to see them finally together again. Since Fred knows excellent Spanish...it's a real plus. Barb and Fred are always in the middle of a group of kids. They all love them!

On the bus ride to church this morning we had 56 people in the small International bus. Just a bit cramped. Pastor Dave and his 2 beautiful daughters from Mass. arrived here late yesterday afternoon and they joined us on the bus ride. We're looking forward to getting to know them more. Leslie sat on my lap to and from church...Mark and Jean...she is a definite keeper. I love her gentle spirit. Angel is another one that we think the world of. Gary had to get tough with the older boys who tried to get out of some work. Most of the boys were mad at him for a day or two...but a few of them were OK and accepted the hard work that they needed to complete...and Angel was one of those boys. He got the job done the right way with a smile. Riley's...your kids are very special...and they are hard workers.

Yesterday morning we were so excited to present our soccer team with their new uniforms! They wore their sharp looking uniforms to devotions yesterday morning (when I didn't have my camera) and looked so great! Everyone was very excited. Then, later in the afternoon, we found out their soccer game was cancelled. They were so disappointed, but there will be a lot more games in the future. I'll make sure that Jenny and Aaron get some good pictures of the kids in their uniforms. Thanks for making that happen! You'll never know what it meant to these boys!!! We still had our youth activity and the kids had a great time. During the afternoon, we assembled 80 bologna/cheese sandwiches and bought pop for the kids. Then, we loaded everyone up and went to the park. At first the kids were moping around because there was no soccer game...but perked up with the surprise picnic. Afterwards we played blindman soccer and had devotions. Please help us pray that the blindfolds will be taken off their spiritual eyes...and they will see a loving God. We've been talking to them about trust...and will continue this theme until we leave. Every one of these precious teens have been severely betrayed and trust is a huge thing for them to grasp. I want these kids to see our faithful God and surrender their lives to Him.

Yesterday afternoon I spent some time with tia Eugenia (Santo's wife). For the past few days, I have been talking to her and tia Selsa about fun girl stuff and we usually end up talking about hair (very typical girl topic...fyi guys). So, yesterday I found some old material and cut it in strips so I could do rag curls for Eugenia. I went to the boys laundry room...where she works and we set up our beauty shop. But first, I needed her to wash her hair. This gal is so humble and sweet that is was a joy to do something for her. I presumed she would run to her apartment and grab her shampoo to wash her hair. What I wasn't prepared for is the way she scooped some water out of the laundry room barrel and walked out to the laundryroom courtyard and used a bowl to wet her hair. Then, I asked her where her shampoo was, and she put the laundry soap in her hands and began to wash her hair with the laundry soap. I told her to rinse it out and wait for a minute. I ran like crazy back to our casa and (Karen, I hope you'll not mind) grabbed the fancy shampoo and conditioner that Karen sent me. Eugenia was still bent over in the courtyard with her hair dripping wet and I put some of that wonderful smelling shampoo in her hands for her to wash her hair with. She giggled with delight...and then I gave her some conditioner. It was so much fun to watch her enjoy some girly smells and tenderly wash her hair. Then, forty five minutes later, I had her hair all rolled up in curls. She left the rag curls in until this morning and I took them out and styled her hair this morning before church. It meant so much for her...and it cost me so little. Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity to get to know her better. By the way, I gave her the shampoo and conditioner to keep and she was thrilled. My hair is still so short...that the cheap stuff I've been using doesn't matter. There was another opportunity that the Lord gave me yesterday to get closer to tia Selsa. Since the bus was so packed with youth and us Amerianos, I stood up as we drove to and back from our youth activity. We picked up tia Selsa on the way home...and there was no where for her to sit. While waiting for some kids at the Oxxo I noticed there was an empty seat...so I quickly sat down after being up with the kids all afternoon. Anyway, as soon as I sat down and gave out a sigh, I looked up and saw tia Selsa standing up. I quickly stood up and told her to take the seat and she refused. She said it was for me. Then I told her it was for my special friend to sit in...and gently took her hand and led her to the seat. She was confused and yet honored at the same time. I don't know if that ever happened to her before...but I was so glad that Jesus asked me to do this. Please don't think I'm a saint...I AM NOT. I am telling you this, because it is so awesome to let God use you...and I want to encourage you to listen to His voice and step over the line for Him. It may be as little as helping wash someones hair and curl it or giving up your seat. But when God asks you to do it...it's so much FUN! This is the joy that our group from our church is experiencing right now. Are the beds great?....no. Is the food great?....no. Is the weather great?...yeah. (Guess that doesn't go with my point.) Are the smells down here great?....no. But serving God is AWESOME. We are living in the casa ...packed in here pretty tight...but doing it all for His glory. Everyone is here to love on some pretty terrific kids for a week...and they're doing it with all their might.

The Fekkens and Huizengas are in Juarez awaiting their 8:00 appointment tomorrow morning. Then, after that they have a few other places to file paperwork as well as a physical for the kids. Please pray for a smooth process so they can be on U.S. soil SOON! Also, I ask that you pray for Marta and Ramon as they make adjustments. It is a huge grieving process and it will take time. Their new parents will need a lot of wisdom and patience.

Sad, sad news...Vito, Mary Ellen and Lauren left yesterday. It was hard on all of us.

Deb Haner and Linda Hunt...just saw some of your mirrors in the girl's wing. They are still a treasured possession! Thanks for showing your love to these girls.