Video Time!!! enjoy

Papa declaring his love for Rosa



Jovana rolling out tortillas



Mama's babies!



Dawn...grab a Kleenex and watch this!



A first pimple for Briza...



Brisa and her Tio



A very hungry new boy. I was there when his Grandma and Grandpa 'dropped him off' at the orphanage. It is very typical for a new child to eat like there is no more tomorrow. Quite often they never knew if there would be another meal...so they would gorge themselves. This video clip is funny and sad at the same time. This little guy will have meals every day while he is at Lily!




Sid was showing her how to shoot a rubberband! Very funny!



Julian




You would never know she is the little Adriana!



Great music!



boy time...



Tonito



Sergio should really open up a pizzaria!



Lovely Leslie rolling out tortillas!



Jose and his Mama...Martha



Julian breakdancing! Just for you, my sweet friends at Dallas!



Brenda and Dawn!

I have emptied my treasures for you, my friends. I'm looking forward to May and June when I can post more for you once again. In the meanwhile, if there is news or more pics available...I'll get them on the blog for you!

Renewing Vows...

Preparation for the big day...the renewal of Mama and Papa's wedding vows!




Beautiful flowers were sent by friends to celebrate the big day!






Jazmine




Another book enjoyed by the staff!




The happy couple!





One of the pastors, his wife and tia Lidia




Papa waiting for his bride!




Papa and a few of his kids!





A handsome Ramon!




Samuel and Gary




Lucinda




The choir sang as Rosa was escorted down to the front.



Rosa and her very handsome escort...my Prince!




The bridesmaids




Renewing of vows




...the rings




The happy couple listening to the 'charge'.





So in love...




The guest pastor and wife prayed over Ed and Rosa.




Ed and Rosa





Belem, me, Gary and Felipe after the ceremony.




Adriana with a special shirt. Heads up, Dawn!




Adriana enjoying an afghan donated by the Montague church!




Fabiola enjoying her afghan!




Silvia...loving the warmth of the afghan!




The soccer team enjoying their new NAPA hats donated by the Hart NAPA store! Thanks!








The finished picture boards! See Chilo...your hard work paid off!







More NAPA joy!






Lorena





Sergio




Arturo




Sean and Tonito




Brisa and Cielo




Me and Lupita....love this girl and her whole family!


The renewing of Mama and Papa's wedding vows was such a special night for everyone. The excitement was felt by all. The children worked very hard after school to decorate the cafeteria and clean. Patti came in to cook up some delicious goat meat into a tasty feast. She even made a cake for everyone to enjoy. My most memorable experience was the pure joy of Mama and Papa as they pledged their love one to another. They were able to leave for more rest and they have now returned to Lily again. I spoke with Rosa today and she said they had a wonderful time resting and relaxing. They were ready to return to their children and jump back in the saddle. I asked if the vehicle situation has improved...and it hasn't. The white van and truck are still in for repairs (and have been since we arrived in February). There were a few other tough things to face, but they were refreshed and ready...thank the Lord!

The group from McBain, Michigan will be visiting Lily this Thursday for about 10 days. Everyone is looking forward to their visit. The next visit will be from the Traverse City church. Although they had to postpone their April trip, they have rescheduled in May. Then in June I will be back at Lily for the Virginia Westside's Mission Trip and the mission trip for my home church at FBC. Some of you may be concerned about the media's covereage of the violence in Chihuahua. My husband, Gary, researched the reports to find that the situations are taking place in Juarez...the main border town. Some have questioned if they should cancel trips to Lily because of this. Here is my spin on this: Suppose Mama and Papa would like to visit Traverse City, Michigan and fly into their airport. But, on the news they heard of violence in Detroit where two Mexican residents were killed. They would call the Traverse City church and ask if it would be safe to still come and visit. The Traverse City church would say, "Of course you can come...the violence is in Detroit...5+ hours away. There is a big difference between Detroit and Traverse City." The same is true of Lily and Juarez. The evil one hates our connection with Lily and tries to discourage the spiritual transformations that take place at Lily...and the adoptions. If there ever is a time when I feel it would be wise to reschedule visits, I will be the first one to let you know. Until then, let's keep praying and defeat the enemy!

Another glimpse of Lily...

DIF...where all the work to get the children orphan-status and where adoptions are formed. Please pray for this place. We have many children who need orphan-status so they can have a forever family!




Car body part store. A bit different from the states!




This was such a welcome sight for me! I survived a weekend with no electricity/water. We finally got electricity...and later the water. Then, we realized we were out of propane. No real shower for 3 days. By Tuesday noon I was really praying about this because I had a meeting with DIF and I needed to be presentable. 2 hours before I had to leave for the appointment, the propane truck arrived and Gary lit the hot water heater! Voila! We were so thankful that the company sent the propane truck since Lily still owed them over $3,000. Finances have been tighter than usual...because money donations from the states have drastically dwindled. Please help us pray about this!




A face of an angel!




Love it!




Leslie & her tio




Julieta, Adriana and Erwing! They loved the shirts!!!




SOMBRERO BURGER! Oh my goodness...this is the ultimate burger. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!




I love Brisa




Javier




I think these shoes would fit me better than her!




Love the tennies!




Crazy Adriana!




Jazmine




A beautiful ride home!




Sid connecting with the states during the game.




A happy Fabiola after the game!




..& a crazy Silvia!




Javier and Vicki watching the game.




What a smile!





Elvida and Fabiola in their Westside shirts!




The girl's soccer tear wore their Westside T-shirts as their uniforms for the game!




TC Westside




Lily also feels like home!




Mama giving Omar a haircut!




Luis and Sergio




Laundry line!




Pablo after white-washing the tree trunks. He looked SOOOOO cute!




For you, Jim...




Luis, Manuel and Abulardo





Belem and Johana

...sisters!




Antonio




another pic for Jim!




An attempt at a bon-fire. We are so thankful it didn't work. Actually, the girls planned this since we had no electricity at the dorm due to high winds. If it would have actually ignited, the whole state of Chihuahua would have been in danger!




Sergio is in charge of the vehicles...and he's doing a great job!




Andrea




Andrea and her tio





The hardware store we frequent...




Danny was the official 'door-closer'!




Road Construction...no cones in Mexico!




Sergio




Nancy




Katy




FUN!




Lizeth




Melissa!




Gary and Nico




Gabby and Ana. I love this pic!




Jose Angel




Ana and Brisa




Jovana




Doin' make-up on a crowded bus...




Nancy





Elveda has such a beautiful smile!

I have about 1 more posting of pics left. Hopefully I can get them up within the next day or two.

Prayer requests: Mama and Papa as they are away and will return Friday night. I also ask for prayer for the staff as they are running the orphanage in their absence. They are doing a great job!

The Tustin/McBain team will be at Lily the 25th of this month. Please pray for them as they are making last minute preparations.

Lastly I would like to ask for pray for Alex. He has been my partner in Mexico that helps with the adoptions. For some reason, his full-time job has been terminated. So, he needs to pick up another part-time or full-time job. The best scenerio would be that the orphan-status for all the children would happen...and we can keep him busy full-time with adoptions.