Tio Gary is also known to be the mender of soles! Shoe repair is not beyond him! What a guy! Merm and Lauren...take note! :)
Marcos...a top student in his school!!!
Oscar & Pablo...anticipating the pictures we projected on the wall. The kids really love to see the pictures that are current and the ones from previous years!
Cielo...decorating a poster for Gary's mom
Please pray for Jovan. He is an awesome kid, gentleman, great soccer player and a handsome young man. But, he is hurting from the fact that there is no dad in his life. Jovan is craving a dad. Unfortunately he won't be adopted since his mom works here...but there is still hope that his mom might meet a man that would be a dad to him.
Cactus anyone??? It's really yummy...and squeeks against your teeth!
Leslie enjoying a seat to herself...which is rare!
Andrea...can you read her shirt?
Briza and Johana
Mayela and Jennifer
Two brothers who are dreaming of a forever home. Unfortunately it will be hard to find a home for them because Ramon has cerebral palsy. They are so loving...and in desperate need of a mom and dad of their own.
The twins and their tio!
Their hair is a work of art!
Oliver designing a special birthday card for our son-in-law Neal!
Jackie, Juan Diego, Jazmine, Karely and Brenda...craving a man who will be a dad to them.
Chunky sugar???
...the solution...just a little bit of elbow grease is required!
Great news for Julian! He is our only baby here...and he has Down's Syndrome. A wonderful Christian family in Chihuahua has decided to adopt him. His mom and dad are both lawyers...so hopefully the case will go quickly!
Luis
Girl talk...Jenifer and Adidlene
Marsela, Gabby and Alberto on their ride home from school!
Karla, Oscar and Jose Ramon
It's cookie time!
Look who was begging for an extra piece of chocolate!
Everyone likes to put the chocolate kiss on top!
Ok, so tomorrow is our last day...who's counting. I have decided to bury my head in the sand and not deal with it right now. Today I am loving on the children, playing silly games with them and taking more time than usual to listen to their individual sweet voices...because I want to be able to remember them all through the summer.
It has been a busy time around here...as usual. The outside shell to the new girls dormitory is almost completed. It has been decided to not build a dining hall so the money will be used for a second dormatory. Ed and Rosa both feel that they need to keep an eye on the girls...and have interaction with them throughout the day. So, the girls will be eating here and enjoying devotions here. There has been a struggle with the girls remembering to dress modest...which is a typical battle with teenage girls. We think this is a good decision for now.
Tonight we are going out to eat with Ed and Rosa. This is the first time since we've been here...because the schedules have been so crazy. We are looking forward to the evening because they are such awesome people. It has been a real honor to work beside them...and we have grown.
Right now several children are suffering from sore throats and a bad cold. Please pray for them. The good thing is that we now have medicine we can give them...but I hate to see them feel bad.
If God keeps on blessing our efforts, we may have several children who will have orphan status and will be available to be adopted. I have been praying about this...because we will need homes soon. Once these children have 'orphan status' DIF (the Mexico children's courts) is expecting us to come up with homes for them. The children who I have been doing the paperwork for...know what is going on (as far as adoption goes). So...they are already asking who their mom and dad will be. I tell them it will be someone very special who will love them with all their heart! They quite often ask if their family will have a house to live in. I used to wonder why...but not after realizing that many of them have wandered around in streets for most of their little lives scrounging for food. For those who had homes...they faced terrible abuse. These kids aren't perfect...in fact...most of them are broken by tremendous hurts. But I know of a BIG God who is in the healing business. I know first hand how this works! Thank you, Jesus!!! So, we need a concert of prayer...asking God for moms and dads. Will you help me pray?
Gary and I have started packing but we don't know what is happening. We are struggling to get everything in our suitcases. What have we bought? Only 4 bottles of vanilla. The odd thing is that we sent about 1 1/2 suitcases full of stuff we hauled down here home with our Michigan group so we'd have more room on the way back home. I know that Gary is concerned that I might be sneaking some of the kids in our suitcases. Smart man...I married! I can't reassure him that there isn't any living thing in our suitcases...because of all the bugs. In fact...I guarantee that our suitcases are filled with life...but not the kind I wanted to bring home.
Please pray for us...we will be saying our good-byes tomorrow and I can't bear the thought!
