Back in the saddle....

One of my favorite things!!! I just love holding their little hands and talking with them!





Leslie, Luz and Maggie




18 girls + 2 Tias in a Dodge van! Yahoo!!!!




Eliodoro...my knight in shining armor.




Leslie...




Abulardo and Johana




Guess who????




Oscar and Vicki...I love these kids!





Nancy and Luis...sis and bro




Buds!!!




Katy and Lorena





Briza!





Luis...what a cutie!




A full house! I love it especially when I see things running so smoothly! God is blessing!





Adilene




Vicki with a friend. Such sweet girls! (FYI...Vicki is Melodia's sis...remember her?)




Ashley and Belem!




Adriana and Belem




cold milk and beans with hot dogs. Like I said, they were good going down...




Leslie doodling!




How handsome!




A very cute boy! They are all soooo special!




Jovana...so petite and sweet!




Irving...my buddy.




Felipe enjoying the skateboard.




Jose Miguel...do you know how cute you are???




Nico!




Chewy and Maggie!




I love his smile!




Karla and Lupita!




Adrian is such a nice boy!




My haven...sitting on the benches chatting with the kids!




A resting broom. They get quite the workout each day!




Fun pic!




Thanks to many generous donations, there are nice shoes for all the children!




These shoes get a lot of miles!!!




A new boy that I love.




Amigos!




A sweet smile!




Karla all grown up. Makes my eyes well up. How about you, Vito?




Lupita and Karla having fun!




Fabiola and Jazmine!




Unloading the van after a shopping trip.




Sweet Maria Elena...the birthday girl!!!




Another face that melts hearts! How can a little boy be so cute???




Katy and Armondo...sis and bro




Some type of a lizard in captivity. Poor thing.




Backpacks galore!




Luz




A flower thirsty flower garden. I love the fact that someone tried!!!




Ashley sneaking through the 'secret opening' with her secret stash...a quarterpounder!




Leonardo enjoying some quiet time...




A sleepy Lesley




Tia Celsa, Andrea and Adilene...a typical day...




My daugher, Calle' lives in Indiana...so I couldn't resist the pic of the sign in downtown Chihuahua! I took the pic while driving. (I was at a stop light, Gary.)




Tia Lydia loves the Big Mac! It was my joy to watch her enjoy it!




Gustavo enjoying his burger!




The secret entrance to the secret garden (orchard). This is how Tia Lydia described it and she wanted to take the pic! I love this woman!!! We are truly sisters!




Where is my bug slayer?????



Hey friends, sorry for the silence, but I've been camped out in the bathroom since I ate something that didn't agree with me yesterday. Luckily I have been able to drink water and keep it down...but things pass through at an amazing speed! Ahhh...the challenges of Mexico!!! (Mary Ellen and Lauren...I'm sure you can relate! ) But I'm happy to report I'm back in the saddle again! Because of the Swine Flu stuff going on, my Prince has arranged for me to come back this Friday afternoon, just to make sure I will be allowed across the border. The Traverse City group has cancelled because of the border issues as well. It has been quite intimidating here, I must admit. While going to Chihuahua yesterday, everyone in Walmart had masks on. When you see people walking in the streets, some of them have the masks on as well. Even McDonalds employees were wearing them. So, after losing one full precious day here because of my bean adventure...that means I have only 2 1/2 days here to work on adoption things because of my early departure. Please pray hard that I will be able to make the connections with Alex and DIF that I need and with some other families. It seems impossible to me, but with God...all things are possible. It is such a comfort to know that He is orchestrating everything. I am to just remain faithful. Thank you, Jesus.

We are all so happy for Mama and Papa to get away and rest. They are so special to everyone and we have been concerned for their health. The excellent staff here is keeping things going on an even keel in their absence. My selfish thoughts are that I will be gone by the time they get back. I was looking forward to some time with them. God knows.

Let me tell you about yesterday! First of all I was greeted by a big ugly spider...first thing I noticed when my eyes opened in the morning(my Prince will not be surprised at this). Without my buy slayer by my side...I had to try to kill it or come up with plan B. Because I hate squishing bugs...and there is the chance they could jump at me, I went with plan B. This guy seems to like the wall...so I just moved my bed out away from the wall. He is way across the room, which helps and we have drawn a truce. All is well. After breakfast, I volunteered to pick up the kindergartner and cam kids from school so Ashley and I could make much needed copies of keys. :) Of course the two places that made keys were not able to do it when we were there so we went back to the orphanage after we picked up our cute kids. It was then that we were given a note from the schools that school has been cancelled until the 6th of May due to the flu outbreak. The federal government issued this order. After arriving back at the orphanage I was asked to go with Tia Lydia into Chihuahua for Gustavo's physical therapy. I thought I was asked to keep everyone company so I was planning on climbing into the passenger's seat. Wrong. They needed me to drive. My prayer life increases dramatically even when I drive into Aldama...so this was a stretch. It was a wonderful time with Tia Lydia and Gustavo. God always knows the best. Only 1 close call driving...almost missed a stop sign that they actually stop at. God is good. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, we stopped into McDonalds and enjoyed a hamburger. I loved the way Gustavo's face lit up when I handed him his burger. What a privilege. The rest of the day was spent loving on children and spending time talking with them. The new children, especially, are so surprised when I sit down beside them and talk with them. If they only knew... the honor is all mine. The day ended with a serving of beans and hotdogs. It tasted good going down but that is all I can say about it. The early part of the evening I had a chance to talk with a 14 year old girl that just arrived. She is pregnant from a rape. Her baby is due the 27th of June. Oh how my heart breaks to see babies give birth to babies. I shared with her my story of adoption and let her see my adoption DVD. Mama had already talked to her about this option and she seemed very receptive. Please help me pray for her that she will make a wise choice.

Ashley's dad has arranged for her to fly home tomorrow afternoon to make sure she gets home in case the borders close. She will be greatly missed here and everyone loves her. We all know she'll be back!

I am trying to love on everyone...staff and children. Mark and Chandra, I held little Andrea while she was sleeping for you. Roger, I've delivered the hugs and kisses to Lorena. Mark and Jean...I've loved on your sweet kids and reassured them that God is working...and I am hopeful. Yoder family, I am working on details for you as well as the Arnetts. And for all you others who have expressed an interest...I am going to do all I can while I am here. What a comfort to know that God is at work!

I do have a prayer request. One of my precious granddaughters, Selah, is quite sick. They are out visiting the other grandma and grandpa in Pennsylvania when she came down with a high fever. Tomorrow they are taking her to a new Dr. in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I appreciate your prayers on her behalf.

Hey...is anybody out there? No comments. Fred...I know you have your kids, but Roger, Mary Ellen, and Lauren...did you eat beans too???