Once upon a time...

Once upon a time a godly man and a godly woman sold out to Jesus and then fell in love and commited their hearts to eachother! Although they never have given birth to any of any of the hundreds of children they care for, they have given them back their life...and pointed them to their Savior, Jesus Christ!

How in the world do I try to describe coming back to Lily? Perhaps there are words for it in heaven...but not here on this earth. I have been greeted with so much love. My eyes have not been dry and I cannot thank Jesus enough for allowing me this privilege.

The children are doing great. In fact, there are many new faces with those sweet big eyes that have won my heart. Each child, of course with their own seperate pain and heartache. They are all very very happy to be here...but that emptiness and hurt cannot be hid. This is indeed the place where they need to be for healing. Speaking of which, Rosa and Ed are doing better. Ed still can't drive the bus yet, but he can drive a car when he has to. Rosa's mild heart attack has taken a toll on her. She has been exhausted before, but her exhaustion seems to be so much more pronounced. They are leaving Monday for a week long get-a-way to Dallas for relaxation and rest. Ed, of course,is thinking about ministry opportunities while in Dallas, but I am strongly urging them to just rest.

The day after I arrived was filled with festivities! Pastor John & Marie, Rosa's sister and brother-in-law and the famous Cynthia Morales and her husband Jimmy were here for a celebration. Ed and Rosa were throwing a fiesta for Pastor John's birthday and they were planning a surprise party for Ed and Rosa to honor their 25th wedding anniversary! The best part was when Pastor John had a ceremony planned for Mama and Papa to renew their wedding vows. I was asked to take pics and it was hard...because my eyes were flooded with tears to witness that precious moment. Then of course, my other favorite moment was watching the children perform a Mexican dance (costumes and all)! Delicious food was donated and it was a feast indeed. Towards the end of the evening, after Mama and Papa's service, big Sergio's grandfather serenaded us with some beautiful songs. His voice seemed to be coming from heaven...and blessed us all. After this big fiesta, Cynthia and Jimmy treated all the older children to food in Aldama! What a day. The next morning Cynthia left the staff with many stories of Mama and Papa since she lived with them for several years before the orphanage began. What a beautiful time of fellowship. Cynthia also made a video of Mama and Papa's life before and after their marriage. Hope to share that with you somehow.

Gustavo is doing well after his surgery and even able to run. His smile is so big when he does this that I am fearful he could trip over it! Ramon's last wound has completely closed and healed from his burns and he is the happy little guy he's always been...perhaps even more! The new girls dorm has water (thank you Mark Riley) and I have temporarily moved up there. I am hoping this will give me more quiet time to post on the blog in the evenings. :) Of course I have already been reminded by several children that they want to be adopted. Each time this happens my heart stops and I stumble for words to respond with. I want to hug them tightly and tell them, "Yes! I have a family that wants you and you can be adopted!", but it isn't that easy at all. The first of this week I am meeting with Alex to visit DIF and appeal to them for 'orphan status' for many children. This, however, is more complicated since there is no head official in that position as of yet. This could work in our favor...so pray hard! Also, I will be checking on the adoption status of the Riley children. Please help me pray about these meetings. I have a strong yearning/desire for many more children from Lily to be placed in Christian homes. This passion has only increased after seeing the 7 new children in our church alone (Lily North)!

There are several new workers here at Lily. God has blessed us with a couple who lives at the new boys dorm. He is an engineer from Juarez, and they both felt called to move here and leave their comfort to work at Lily. Both of them are very professional and their love of Jesus is clearly evident! Two other beautiful Christian ladies have been added to the staff. One is Christina and the other is Norma. Both of these ladies work with the younger girls and love them dearly. Norma spends most of her time in the kitchen and does a marvelous job! Norma lived in El Paso for 17 years, so we are able to communicate fairly well. Her english is better than my Spanish. :) So, we use a TexMex and it works! Norma loves Jesus as well as Christina. It is so exciting to see them arrive. The entire staff and helpers have really stepped up to make it easier for Mama and Papa. It is a pleasure to work along side them!

The kids are very excited about the Traverse City + 1 Okie group's arrival on Thursday evening! For some reason they all remember Micah, Todd and Jenney and of course, VITO! They remember how hard Todd worked and played and Vito is like their big brother. With Micah...they remember the playing....go figure!!! By the way, Micah...your work gloves from last time are like new...you can probably plan to use them again. (Did you take the tags off yet?) =) FYI...the kids are asking if the McBain people are coming with the TC group. The McBain team did a spectacular job here...everything looks great! Most importantly, the kids remember your love and the time you spent with them individually! Thanks, McBain!!!

I want to post lots of pics...but don't have time to comment on them. Please forgive me. Later, I am hoping to do better!

Again, I am humbled to be here...loving on these precious children. Wiping runny noses, kissing boo-boos and handing out oodles of hugs and kisses is an honor. Thank you, Jesus, for counting me worthy!

P.S. First of all...remember my proof-reader is not here. Sorry this ended up to be so long! I didn't realize how many pics I had and how many things I wanted to share! I've done my best to hand out all the greetings and hugs you've all requested!!! I miss you, my friends...and I send you my love, my Prince! xxxxx

P.S.S. My pic download is tired...will try to do more tonight when the internet is faster!