"Are You Sure He Isn't Made of Plastic?"

Amber and Cade Lehman just came to visit for a few days. (Tim didn't come, something about him not liking me or something... ;)) It was so fun to have them here and Cade became an instant celebrity among the kids. They were continually asking if I was sure he wasn't really a doll, or plastic.

Yaneli wears Amber's glasses

The kids fought over who held him and for how long. Fede did pretty well with the güero baby.

José was one of the kids who "taught" Cade how to walk.

Candi sports Amber's glasses

An aereal shot of the constant crowd around "the baby."

Thanks for coming Am and Cade, it was a blast!

Farewell JoeMama and Mama D!

On Saturday evening, Joe and Denise took all of CVE out to Momo's. They have been at CVE for almost two years and are planning to follow God's call as they move back to Bluffton, Indiana.

Please pray specifically for Joe and Denise as they adjust back to life WAY NORTH of the border and also for CVE, kids, staff and church as we are all in a stage of transition.

Do "The Jenna"

This post isn't funny unless it is prefaced with a fun fact about Jenna:

Everytime she can capture a small child after their naps, she lays them across her lap and uses her fingernail to clean "crusties" out of their noses...

The other day I was hanging out with the chiquitos and one of the girls brought a doll to give to Candi. She wasn't even remotely interested in touching the doll. I tried again, "Candi, look, it is a baby, aah, hold the baby." She looked at me, grabbed the doll by the front of it's shirt and thrust it down on the picnic bench.

She put her hand on the doll's face. It looked like she was going to feed her. After a few seconds, I realized that Candi was actually using her little fingernails to dig "crusties" out of it's nose.

Oh, the things kids imitate! :)

Prayer Request:

Carissa's Grandpa passed away last night and she is going home for the funeral. Please keep her entire family in your prayers.

Flyin' High

Today as we played in the front yard, I started to "airplane" Aaron, Diego, Yaneli and a few of the other kids. José came up and wanted to join in the fun. I don't know how many of you have recently seen José, but it was a little more of a stretch. :)

Aaron wasn't an airplane, he was actually being "Superman" in this photo.

Diego would do this great, cocky face before each take-off.

This last picture of José was taken right after he was so excited that he lost control and suddenly a long slinging strand of saliva landed on me. What a blessing.

Family Pictures

Today was the dreaded day...time for family pictures. It went as well as you can expect it to go when you have to hike to your picture destination and then try to get kids and adults to not fall or sit on the cacti being used as our backdrop. That isn't yet taking into account the sun shining directly in the eyes of everyone. I don't want to use a picture that someone will later want to send out, so I chose instead to feature some of the photos that will never really be used, but more accurately reflect the true happenings.

Yes, It's True!

Mike and Shari Fiechter from Bluffton, IN

would like to announce the engagement of their daughter,

Amy Fiechter of Magdalena, Mexico

To Jon Gerst of Leo, IN

Son of Wally and Donna Gerst from Alto, MI

(Jenna, thanks for your mad cutting and pasting skills! :))

Psalm 18:30-31

Bunnies and Chick Magnets

Wow. I have been one inconsistent blogger! My apologies. I am still trying to recover and catch up on from my trip and also everything I began procrastinating before I left. :)José found some baby rabbits in the garden today. The kids are thrilled and begging to keep them in a cage on campus. I don't know, I don't think that Tobi and the cute little baby bunnies are going to get along very well...

Pollito (His nickname literally means "little chicken") wore a new shirt today. He was a big hit.

Poncho is all smiles as he enjoys the beautiful Fall afternoon rolling around in the grass in the frontyard.

Daniel and Michel take a break from their big wrestling match to pose for the camera.

Ahh...There is nothing quite like green grass and Fall afternoons...

Traveling Mexico on foot and by Taxi, Plane, Bus and Train

Thanks for all of you who prayed for my trip! I had a great time as I visited Luis Carlos and Liliana in Torreon. For a few days, Liliana and their son, also Luis Carlos, went further into Mexico for some incredible adventures.

Luis Carlos stands with his son, Luis Carlos.

Liliana sports a nice miner's helmet during our tour of the mines of Zacatecas.

Zacatecas is a city founded over 500 years ago by Spanish conquistadors and built at the hands of indigenous slave labor. The city is full of beautiful, old churches and monestaries. It was so amazing and brought me to a point to pretend I was a photographer, I am obviously not, but it was fun. :)

A Hike Up Cactus Hill

I am going to be gone from Tuesday-Saturday evening and so, unless I can convince anyone to guest blog, there won't be a lot of posting this week.

Have a great Monday!