vida y esperanza

GOOD NEWS!

2008-01-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I have missed you! This is the official last post for the vida y esperanza blog, but I know you will all be thankful to hear that there will be a CVE blog! Yay!!! Check out this blog at http://www.cvelife.blogspot.com/.

Life Is Hard, But God Is Good

2007-12-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I sit here with a heavy, but joyful heart. The kids are all in bed, goodbyes have been said and a few hours of packing and a few hours of sleep are ahead of me. Bright and early, I leave CVE, everything that has become my home for the past year and a half, but I can rejoice, because I am going home, to the place where God has now called me. For such a time is this, God blessed me with the opportunity to serve here in Magdalena. I don't know why. I know He could have raised up a stone and the stone would have been more obedient! ;) However; in all His Goodness, I have been blessed to work alongside a staff that follows hard after God, to mentor beautiful children and watch as they come to know God, to love ten little girls with everything in me and to meet an amazing community and church family in Magdalena. Now, in all His Goodness, God has called me on to partner with Jon, an incredible man of Him.

I am blessed beyond what I can put into words and far beyond what I deserve. I thank each one of you who have supported me through my time here. I have been stretched to new lengths and know the only reason I didn't snap through those hard times were because of God's Grace given to me in abundance as a result of your many prayers and words of encouragement.

I will end where I started...

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

A Sunday of Goodbyes

2007-12-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

7-8 year old Sunday School Class
Another crazy made up game played after services
One last farewell to the kids on the bus

Saturday in the Park and More Family Pictures

2007-12-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

The girls and I loaded up this afternoon for one last afternoon at the plaza. We proceeded to eat at the many places that we normally avoid because the food is so amazingly good, but so ridiculously bad for you. We enjoyed it all with "extra butter." ;)

We browsed around the plaza while stuffing our faces. What a great time.

House Pictures: Today was the day the members of our house united to take house Christmas pictures. There are currently eleven living in the casa and all were around, besides Hilda. My housemates Jenna and Steph are amazing friends and have kept me sane through times of near insanity. ;)

Before we began the photo session, Jenna instructed us, "no matter what, don't worry about the kids' expressions, just look at the camera and smile." We did a really good job about not worrying about the kids' expressions. ;)

Any picture not requiring us looking at the camera was a huge benefit.

Pollo had enough, even after the blatant bribery of cookies...Oops, I mean, positive reinforcement...

Dinner Party With the Single Staff

2007-11-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight the single staff celebrated my departure with an amazing meal whipped up by the virtuous women of CVE. We missed Joel but still had a great time!

Obviously the guys loved the whole group picture idea. Aren't you glad we are blessed with such mature men?

Thanks to everyone for all the work they did!

Also, I need to correct a previous blog post...I am not the only PU grad here! I don't know how I forgot about Nicole! She graduated before me and we had class together and we lived in the same apartment building. ;) Nicole, chalk it up to lack of sleep? Sorry Nicole!

An Interview With Eli

2007-11-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

How are you Eli? I am really well.

Are you cold? Yes!

So, what is your favorite part of third grade? I like math and to play with friends in my class.

What is your least favorite part of school? Getting up in the cold to get ready for school.

What would you most like for Christmas? A lot of things...hmm...which should I choose? Christmas boots, they are really warm.

What is your favorite color? Blue

Favorite Bible story? When Baby Jesus was born because many people came to worship Him.

How old do you think you will be when you get married? I don't know, when God tells me.

What do you look for in a future husband? Umm...He needs to be a man of God. (...after some prompting into more specifics) He is a blonde and he needs to know how to make his own food, because if I am not home, he will have to know how to cook.

What makes you scared? Nothing.

What makes you laugh? (Edited)

What makes you sad? That my family never comes and visits.

What do you like to do most in your free time? I like to ride bikes and play Monopoly.

How can people pray for you? That I can behave and that I can obey.

A Blessed Thanksgiving

2007-11-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I am back! I had an amazing time with my family and Jon as they were down for a nice, long weekend. It was such a blessing to watch them interact with my CVE family as well. I don't have anything profound to post...especially being severely sleep deficient. ;)

In regard to questions wondering about future plans for Jon and I, we are planning to live in Auburn, IN and attend church in Leo. I have my one-way plane ticket home bought for December 4th. So...one more week of the blog. I will do my best to update daily!

love to all,

amy

I Am Thankful For...

2007-11-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight before bedtime, the girls started to talk about "The Day of Chicken." They actually meant to say turkey and were talking about Thanksgiving. They obviously don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico and we talked about what the day of Thanksgiving originally meant. This inspired me to be thankful for the big and the small and I wanted to share a few special blessings in my life.

I am thankful for...

Wound up little boys after bathtime

Little girls and little dogs

Fede, an amazing kid with a soft heart, compassionate spirit and dramatic flair.

Little boys in cowboy hats

The CVE Board

(From Left to Right: Bill, Jerry, Wayne, Jon, Tom, Marshall)

Afternoons games of "Sandwich" on the lawn

And there is so much more, but now it is your turn. I would love to hear what you are thankful for...so...comment. ;)

I am going to be gone from Wednesday-Sunday, so I will catch you then.

I am also thankful that my family and Jon are coming down! Yeah!

The Parade of the Revolutionaries

2007-11-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

November 20th is an important day in Mexican history as they celebrate the Mexican Revolution, led by peasants in a grassroots uprising against dictatorship. If interested in a the quick history, http://www.inside-mexico.com/revolucion.htm. The kids were in parades today to commemorate the Revolution and they were cute!

The Revolutionaries, Daniel, Yaneli and Poncho

Ezequiel with some of his family after the parade

Yaneli shows me how it was done!

Poncho shares his sombrero with his little brother, Aaron.

The older kids went and marched in their uniforms. Franc and Fede finished and were a little tired and grouchy. :)

The 7th graders had a parade in the morning. They also just marched in uniform and Uriel went, too cool to march, but just to hang out. ;)

Parades are so different in Mexico. No candy, no firetrucks or sirens, just lots of kids, dressed up and marching around the block. I missed the candy. ;)

Spreading Purdue Cheer

2007-11-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

When Jeff returned to Milford last February, he left me the only Purdue grad/PYGer living at CVE. Occasionally people get in their jabs about PU (I don't want to mention any names...BILL!). I am trying to right this wrong by gifting t-shirts that say Boilers or Purdue to various staff and kids.

Yes, Estefania has only been living with us a few days, but they are never too young to "be trained up in the way they should go."

To Mr. Jeff Bahr, yes, Purdue is more than a boarding school. ;)

Weekend News:

Thanks to all for your prayers! This weekend truly was a sharp contrast to last weekend bringing much joy as Elizabeth shared her testimony and was baptized today. Church was packed as the workteam joined us and we saw many new faces that had been friends of Trini and family. The kids sat up front and eagerly watched on as Elizabeth was "bathed." D. P., have you ever had to preach with children sitting on your feet before?

A few women who have been attending church also expressed a desire to turn their lives over to Christ, repent and be baptized. Please be prayerful. God has been glorified!

On Friday night we had our "Teen Night" and played the "Balloon Game." We had a large turnout for the event and were thankful to meet some new kids from town.

In rough news this weekend, Pollito's mom brought a letter from DIF today, explaining that in about two weeks, he would go and live with his family. This feels like another "ouch" but we trust that God loves him so much more than we ever have and He will continue to hold His little Pollito under His Wing. Deuteronomy 32:10-12. Please be prayerful, especially for Steph as she has done an incredible job as his primary caretaker.

Today in the kitchen we were talking about how life here can seem like a giant revolving door, you love, you lose and then you pray God empowers you to love again. Of our own love, we can't continue, we can't open our hearts again, but praise to God, we simply need to pour out the love He gives us. Romans 5:5

Does the pain of separation ever diminish?

To not finish things on such a heavy note, here is an adorable picture of one very amazing boy, Diego.

Wow...the last few posts have brought with them a very serious tone. Life is hard, but God is Good. All the time.

Thanks to all for their support and prayers.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Elizabeth's Big Weekend

2007-11-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend there are plans for Elizabeth to give her testimony of how God has changed her life, followed by baptisms on Sunday. Elizabeth began following Christ earlier this year and her Spirit-filled life has been a testimony to all.

Joan and Eli serve lunch

Please pray for our upcoming weekend. Hopefully this weekend will provide joy and rejoicing in sharp contrast to last weekend. Eli has been an amazing example to her mom and four sisters and please pray with us that she has the strength, wisdom and endurance to continue.

Also, the Denver/Altadena team is joining us on Saturday, please pray for their safe travels.

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3

love to all,

amy

Trini's Funeral

2007-11-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

Funerals in Mexico are very different from those in the states...None of the priest in town were available to have a mass for Trini, so José stood up in front of her casket and read a Psalm and then Bill had a prayer for Trini and the family. The hearse pulled in and the mourning processional left the house were the wake had taken place to walk to the cemetery.Because we had Trini's kids with us, we drove so we could meet the procession as they arrived. In the morning, Trini's brothers, Jesús and José had dug her grave in the cemetery.
Julisa loved her floral kleenex on the way to the cemetery.

Ezequiel

The mourners passed the casket for one last time and then her brothers and brother-in-law mixed cement on-site to bury Trini.

Through this very difficult time, there have been moments of joy. The other night we didn't have any p.j.s that would fit Julisa, so she put on one of my tank tops, crawled into bed and just giggled and giggled.

Thanks for all the prayers for the family and for our CVE family. God has been Good and we trust His Goodness will continue to sustain us.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

A Time to Weep

2007-11-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

In the past, there have been posts on the Guerrero Leon family. (If interested refer to the archives, May 2007) Lili, who lives here, is the youngest sibling of seven. Both of their parents passed away years ago. Her brother, José, now lives and works with us at CVE. Within the last month, he has made the decision to become a Christian and it has been amazing to watch the Lord work in his life.

Sunday afternoon, the oldest sister, Trini (25), went home from church and took her own life. She leaves four children. Jazzany (8), Ezequiel (7), Julisa (5), and Estefania (3). Jazzany and Hilda (a sister of Trini, José and Lili) are now staying with us at CVE. It appears that within the next few days DIF will place the rest of the family with us. Tonight as the siblings gathered in the back room of the house, José told his family to fold their hands because "it is time this family prays." He proceeded to lead them in prayer.

This picture was taken a few months back after Trini and her kids and I went to watch Lili in a parade. Trini is holding Estefania, Jazzany is in front of her with Ezequiel at her side. I am not sure why Julisa didn't make the picture.

Please pray for:

-Jazzany, Ezequiel, Julisa and Estefania

-Trini's remaining siblings, Javier, Jesus, Sulema, José, Hilda and Lili

-José's faith would only be strengthened and his siblings could see the drastic change God has brought in his life.

-Strength and wisdom for CVE staff

-That God would use this for His Good and satan would not have room to attack anyone involved.

Psalm 31

A Day at the Ranch

2007-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to the ranch for a picnic (thanks Joan!) and a great day of just enjoying the beautiful outdoors and each other's company.

José guards his prisoners.

We played all kinds of cool games. :)

Armando and Uriel show off their strength as they lugged the thermos through several fields to arrive at our perfect picnic spot. Armando immediately began working to build a bridge across a rushing river. :)
Yaneli and Lili guard their flag (doubles as Blanca's hat) with much attitude. Who would dare go close to those two?
Blanca eats her marshmallow...she likes it crispy.
After our walk/hike/climb through the dry riverbed, we all came back, exhausted, dirty, a little sore, but laughing at all of the day's activities.

An Interview with Jaqueline

2007-11-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Jaq, how are you? I am good.

Ready? Yeah...

What is your favorite thing to do? I like to color and draw.

Do you like school and what is your favorite subject? Yes, I like school, my favorite subject is Spanish.

What makes you laugh? When the girls are mischievous.

What makes you cry? That my family isn't here with me.

What makes you scared? When I am by myself.

What is your favorite Bible story? When Jesus rose up after he died on the cross because it shows He is God.

When you are older, what do you want to do for a job? I think a veterinarian.

Hmm...and your recent allergies to animals don't change that? No, I still want to do it.

Where did you learn to do your Pink Panther impression? I watched him in a cartoon.

If people come to visit, would you show them how you do it? (giggles) Yeahhh...

Is there anything else you would like to tell people who read the blog? We should all remember to take care of the kids that don't have any family and we should teach them about God, so when they are bigger, they know the truth.

One Very Angry Kitty

2007-11-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Girls in Love

2007-11-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Jon was able to visit this weekend and it was a huge blessing to watch him get to know my CVE side of the family! The girls have had mixed feelings about this "stranger," but they gave him a chance this weekend and he definitely melted their hearts. ;)

Aaron, Diego and Jon play "sandwich."

We went to explore the girls' latest casita.

Jon, Aaron and the chicas sit in the crazy neighbor's airplane.

Magda photojournaled the whole weekend. This is only a small sampling of the over 300 photos she took. :) Mom, don't worry, between Magda and Jeanne Rink, not a single moment was left undocumented.

It turns out that the girls are crazy about love. Two of the girls have told me that they are going to be the ones to marry Jon...

Thanks to all who have added us to their prayer lists. What a blessing it is to be supported by so many.

The Day of the Church Rafters

2007-11-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Bill and Joel went up to Nogales, looking to see if they could hire a crane to come during a work team to put up the church rafters. On Wednesday morning the crane driver called and said he would be passing by and wondered if he could just come in the afternoon to save us some money. The mad scramble began in the morning to get ready for the placement of the rafters. The crane arrived and CVE staff and kids showed up to offer our help. The crane driver commented, "Wow, everyone is here!"

Setting the first rafter

The crane operators began to get into the festivities. Probably after some of Jeanie's sponge cake!

Limón

Bill and Seth bring the next rafter.

Joel and José show their monkey skills.

Fede and Franc take a break from the work...if only Franc would agree to this all the time.

The last rafter on the sanctuary is placed as the sun starts to set.

We all improved greatly in our abilities to construct and destruct scaffolding and scrambled to begin work on the kitchen, lunchroom and Sunday School rooms.

Fede, Michelle, Jaqui, Lili and Ben

The crane operators chatted with the kids.

Working against the setting sun in the dining room.

José welds in the last x-brace before we had to call it a night. The crane operators are coming back today (Friday) around noon to set the last four rafters. Overall, the day of everyone working together left everyone with a few sore muscles and lots of great memories. I was struck yesterday of the beautiful blessing it is that the CVE kids literally helped build their church.

"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

Acts 4:10-12

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

2007-10-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

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"

2007-10-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

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!

At Least No One Can Say The Girls Aren't Creative

2007-10-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

A Whole Lot of Hangin' Out

2007-10-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

The kids didn't have classes on Thursday or Friday because of the festival in town. It has been a wonderful few days enjoying the beautiful October weather and using the extra time to accumulate minutes on the new reading program.

On Thursday afternoon we went and hung out in Bill and Joan's backyard.

The girls and Aaron had a great time in the pool!
Because it is a little cooler during the days, it seems you can always start a game of soccer or volleyball. Yesterday we played a great game of Ultimate Frisbee!

This morning the girls who had the Saturday job of cleaning the comedor, did a huge favor for the dish girls by finishing off what was left of breakfast.

In other news:

(I can't believe I keep forgetting to write this!)
The Ricketts had their baby! Timothy René was born on October 3rd.
Congratulations to the Brian and Marie Rickett's family!

Reward for the Capture of the Snake

2007-10-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Missing: One Big Ugly Black King Snake

Last seen: In a bucket in the schoolroom

Last night before church I heard the kids yelling, "look, look, a snake!" Joel, surrounded by a throng of kids, approached and showed me the treasure in the five gallon bucket. It was a black snake that was at least three feet long. It was almost time for church and we watched as Joel walked into the schoolroom and put a screen over the top of the five gallon bucket and then put a chair on top of the screen. He went to look up what kind of snake it was. (The "bad snakes" we kill, while the men insist on letting the "good snakes" live. Interjecting here a quote from my dear friend, Steph, "I am unconvinced there's such a thing as a good snake!")

At church Joel informed us that it was a King Snake, therefore falling in the non-life-threatening, "good snake" category. After church he called all the kids who wanted to watch the snakes release and they headed to the schoolroom. I was in the cancha and Michel came up, "the snake is gone!" I thought he was joking, so headed up to the schoolroom to check it out. Hmm...The snake had escaped.

Joel searched the most diligently (probably because he realized his neck was on the line.)

Like true friends, David and Seth searched (I am sure silently rejoicing they were not Joel).

I was invaluable help as I took pictures and instructed the men on where to look next. I know they appreciated it. :)

Jenna came in to help in the search, I am positive she didn't find it because it was so scared of her umbrella.

The news was broken to Denise and Carissa outside of the schoolroom and I was there to catch the reactions on camera. They handled it quite graciously.

The kids watched the show from the doors and windows. They were supposed to wait outside, but couldn't resist the temptation to come in for a close up on the action. They were probably about as helpful as I was.

It was concluded that the snake wasn't in the schoolroom or library, but being the good guys they are, they returned later at night to tear apart the schoolroom, nothing left unsearched. Limón would rather face a bear than an angry woman. They say there is no snake in the schoolroom.

And we are trying really hard to believe them, but might keep our feet up for awhile! ;)

WATCH CONTEST WINNER:

Congratulations Mark Sceggel!

I hope marital bliss will soon be restored to your household! ;)

New Trend Spotted In Magdalena

2007-10-03T18:13:00.001-07:00

Guest Blogger: Magdalena Trend Spotter

The town of Magdalena seems to have been taken by storm with a new fashion. I am not sure where it came from, but "Hello Kitty" water-resistant watches have been spotted on everyone, tweenage girls and grown men alike.

Tobi, the CVE dog, wears a beautiful watch with a blue face.

A contest for blog readers:

Which arm is which?

In the above picture are the arms of José, David, Seth, Limón and Joel.

The person who can first guess which arm belongs to which male staffer, will receive their very own..."Hello Kitty" watch!

Additional rules:

CVE staff cannot guess

Only one guess per person

(Hint: Notice that the numbers aren't in order and if you don't understand this post, refer to previous.)

You Never Know What People Will Donate...

2007-10-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I heard a knock on the window. A man was standing at the door, with a bag in hand. He thrust the bag towards me, "Here, these are for the girls." I peered in and saw lots of watches. "Wow, these are great, thanks for donating these!" He shrugged, "You can have one too if you want." He walked away and I opened the bag further. Not only was the bag full of watches, it was full of "Hello Kitty" watches.

I went and found Gloria to share our new wealth.

Me: Gloria, are you ready for a funny surprise?

Gloria: (skeptically) What do you have?

Me: Umm... (tossing her the bag) Look.

Gloria: Wow, there must be a hundred! They're all "Hello Kitty!"

We are going to have little girls dripping in "Hello Kitty" watches as we counted them and we have 67! At first it sounded like a lot of watches, but with Blanca capable of breaking at least three a day, before long, we will be wondering where they all went. :)

Jaqueline The Pirate

Playing soccer on Saturday afternoon, Jaqui was involved in a crash with Michel that resulted in a nasty black eye. She took off her patch long enough to take this picture. After I finish patching her, she looks more like a war victim than a pirate, but the nickname la pirata is catchier. (Teresa, what do you think of her eye, should we take her to the clinic?)

The Water Hole

2007-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Gloria went walking Friday morning and came back with the good news that there was water in the river! She said she had found the perfect spot and Saturday we took the girls to swim.

The girls walked through the dry river bed. At this point I must admit I was a little skeptical we were going to find water further down.
But, just as Gloria promised, we arrived at the river and found a great spot to meternos.
There were several large trees overhanging the water that the girls enjoyed perching in.
Eli was the first one to climb the tree and jump into the water. One small part was at least three feet deep!
Magda was a little unsure of making the plunge. :)

I hope everyone has a great Monday!

The "girl who lives in a box"

2007-09-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

I walked out of the school room the other day and heard a little giggle. I looked over to see where it was coming from. "Yaneli? What are you doing?!?" She pranced around a cardboard box and in a sing-song voice said, "Look, I am a girl who lives on the street, in a box!" Yaneli spent the rest of the afternoon begging for things from anyone on campus, then she gave it all away. I received a half-used bottle of white-out from her productive begging.

I was thinking back to my make believe games and although I can vividly remember playing "school," "library" and "Dr." but I don't think I ever played "beggar." :)

A Time for Prayer

2007-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

If you would drive through Magdalena today, nothing about it would seem dark, the sun is shining, a nice breeze is blowing, everything looks in place.

Magdalena is a city of special historical significance, especially to the Catholic Church. The darkness is one of a spiritual nature. The two week festival of Saint Francisco officially starts tomorrow. Alongside the road, the travelers are pouring in from all directions, making their pilgrimage to pay homeage to St. Francisco, buy "holy" and "blessed" Magdalena water, and fulfill the rituals of the "true faithfuls."

Please pray:

-That light would pierce this town and hollow religion would not fill people's hearts.

-Physical and spiritual protection for those at CVE and also our church family.

-Ezekiel 11:18-20 "And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

After the Great Flood

2007-09-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Magdalena doesn't handle a lot of water well. Because we are desert and most of the people in this town have lived their lives in the desert, torrents of rain can almost shut everything down. There is no good drainage system and as seen from Joan's post, the rain results in excessive amounts of water in the streets.

The day after the storm, the sun came out, shone brightly and dried the earth once again. Fede and Ben were apparently practicing how to properly use an umbrella before the next storm.

Perspectives

The girls constantly teach me about considering and loving other people. On Sunday evening, I was talking with the girls and said, "Wasn't that an awesome storm?!" (I get very excited about rain because of our lack of it.) Lupita looked at me and obviously upset said, "How can you be excited about a rain like that? Did you not think about the people that live by the river? Some of them had to have lost their houses and they are already so poor!"

As much as I don't like to be called out by an 11-year old, I was thankful for her view on the world to prompt me to consider life in someone else's shoes.

1 Corinthians 1:27-28

It never rains here in the desert

2007-09-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we heard the rain was coming, the remnants of
a hurricane which hit southern Sonora. Thankfully church was dismissed, the bus loaded, the vans all returning people to their homes Sunday afternoon...and the heavens opened and the rain fell.................

The trusty White Van full of adventure seeking little girls and Bill
paddled upstream on Obregon, the street leading to the Schick's, Maller's, and
Jenean & Carissa's houses...

Not to worry, this street is usually a river when it rains but this was a little over board!

The view of our water front property which only lasted about 6 hours.
This drops into the river which...

Most visitors wonder if there is ever water under the bridge in Magdalena...
Here is proof!
Thankfully we all returned back to CVE, a bit wet, but all amazed at the blessing of rain!

Ames, thanks for letting me guest blog! Joan

It's Monday

2007-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I know it is time for a post, I think this picture of Aaron sums up how I feel after the weekend. :) After school he climbed into the passenger seat, didn't ask any questions and his eyes started to droop. "Are you tired, Aaron?" After a few second silence and through eyes that barely opened, the classic child response, "No."

This picture is taken about 45 seconds after his response.

You can all soon anticipate a new post from guest blogger Mama S. Yeah! Stand by. :)

Attack in the Jungle!

2007-09-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

The other day after homework and our jobs were done, the girls, Aaron and I went to explore. We confidently left the gate, strutting past the niños. When asked where we were going, they heard the confident response that the girls were going on an "adventure in the jungle."

We leisurely walked to the bamboo hut that the boys had built. I was bringing up the back of the pack as we trekked through the brush and a bright color flashed out of the corner of my eye. The boys were running towards us, Super Soakers beaming in the sun. "Girls! Run! The boys are coming, run!" They shamelessly soaked us, as we were unarmed and then ran off through the brush, yelling about their accomplishments. They say they just had to protect their turf. (Lili is to be credited with an action shot of the battle. Thankfully she had my camera, or I think the water would have ruined it.)

The wet girls regrouped in the casita and played while plotting revenge.

Lupita enters the house through the front door.

Yaneli eats membrillo while perched in a tree.

Karla Josie cleans up the place with a stick as her broom. (Maybe the boys should be grateful.) :)

Magda and Karla hoard their membrillo and talk about their most embarrassing moments.

Jaquí thought she could swing from the vines she found. Unfortunately for her, when she hung from they, they both broke.

Be afraid boys, be very afraid.

Prayers for Paola

2007-09-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Gloria and Paola left on Wednesday morning for a medical workteam in Juarez, Mexico. On Wednesday morning at the bus station, Paola was so nervous/excited that she didn't even know what to do with herself. :)

Pray that Paola's heart would be soft and that God would use this trip as a turning point in the life of Paola.

Tigers, Bears and Anacondas, OH MY!

2007-09-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

"Hey, there is a bear and a tiger along the side of the road! Do you want to take the girls to see them?" After clarifying that the animals were in cages, we loaded up. The circus was coming through town and one of the trailers broke down across the road.

As many as could fit loaded up into Jenean's pick-up truck. The girls were talking about the sign they had seen advertising the circus, complete with "REX the ANACONDA." ("Rex the Anaconda" needs to be said in Mexican announcer voice for the true effect.)Aaron wore a mask on the top of his head so he could be a "soldier." He actually looked like a circus monkey. We drove to the sight of the broken down truck and it was gone. We drove on in pursuit of the animals.
We found the sight of the circus on the other side of Magdalena. The animals travel from town to town in these cages. The circus is from Michoacan! (Gloria's home state, 24 hours South.)
In the first set of cages we saw, there were tigers, black panthers and a brown bear. Diego and Pollito look at the tigers from the safety of the truck.Eli, Magda and Karla Josie weren't quite sure what to think.

I have never been so close to a tiger. Notice his neck chain is broken. The trailer of baboons, bears and other various circus animals. I don't think PETA has strong presence in Magdalena yet.

I was beginning to get really depressed for the poor trapped animals when I looked inside the truck and couldn't imagine the life of a circus performer.

We didn't see the anaconda and probably won't be rushing back to see the skinny animals perform under the big top, but we had a memorable time watching the circus come to town.

2007-09-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Candi, one of our smallest CVE family members, is our precious baby girl. As I think about the first day she came here, I think of her, nearly hairless, diaperless, listless, in her dirty little onesie. I remember thinking, "maybe if we can clean all that grime off, she might be cute." She didn't walk, crawl or seem to have a personality.

God has been good to this little girl. She has come to life, is quick to smile and her little eyes sparkle. She toddles herself all around campus and has a personality that could charm a porcupine fluffy and a temper that would force a jaguar to back off.

Please pray for Candi. Pray that she will be raised up as a strong woman of God.
Pray that Candi's past can be overcome, that she doesn't repeat the cycle from which she came.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; " 1 Peter 2:9

Who is my neighbor?

2007-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today's Sunday School lesson of "The Good Samaritan" was brilliantly acted about by some exceptionally dramatic 7 & 8 year-olds. Each of their own personalities and interpretations of the characters brought a new light to the well-known story.

The Levite sauntered past the wounded man and said, "Uff, You aren't my style!"

Finally after the poor man was passed by the priest and the Levite, the Samaritan man (aka Yaneli) entered to clean his wounds.

The Samaritan man pays the good hotel manager(Daniel). (His hotel is under the table).

The group of actors gathers together to show off their tea towels turned robber/Levite/priest/Samaritan/Jew costumes.

The funniest part of the whole day was that the little Levite, Dina, refused to let me wipe off her mustache. She giggled and told me she was going to go leave it to be "scolded." I told her for that reason maybe we should take it off. She wouldn't back down, but near the end of class was embarrassed of reentering church with a mustache. We wiped it off and I was so relieved as I thought of her trying to explain to her mom why she came home with a mustache. :)

The complete story of "The Good Samaritan" can be found in Luke 10.

¡Viva Mexico!

2007-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is Mexico's Independence Day. It is celebrated with much flare and great Mexican flavors. Because the kids have to go to bed early on Sunday, we had our big celebration with the kids last night.

The cake reads, "Long live Mexico (and the gringos)

The kitchen was a hub of activity yesterday and somewhere in the flurry of action, Magda was in a Sharpie fight with Joel. She won, you should have seen him.

We made food from Michoacan,up to our elbows in masa trying our best to be like las antiguas.

After supper we went back to the dorms for a bonfire.

Fede took my camera and did a wonderful self-portrait.

We played "Hot Squirrel" and tossed a stuffed animal around as we didn't bring a potato with us.

¡Viva Mexico y la Patria!

In our celebrations yesterday, we were reminded that even though we may "belong" and celebrate a country, we are just pilgrims passing through, with our citizenship belonging to a heavenly kingdom.

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country."
Hebrews 11:13-14

You Never Know Who Will Stop By...

2007-09-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as I headed to the kitchen, I was startled as President Bush flew by me on a bicycle. We chatted a little bit and he agreed to a short interview for all the blog readers before biking on. (Apparantly there were other people to see.) Before actually meeting Bush, I never realized his affixation for orange. I think he would really like Armando. :) Armando was unavailable at the time of the interview, so Fede filled in as Presidente.

President Bush, What do you feel is the biggest issue affecting U.S. society today? The rich, snobby people, they have a lot of money and don't share.

Hey, careful President Fede, are you calling me a snob? No! Yes! What?!? Some are, but I have met some Americans who aren't stuck-up.

How do you feel about the current war that U.S. is involved in? I think war is a really ugly thing. Wait...Amy, who is fighting who?

What is your plan to most effectively change the state of the impoverished in the U.S.? There are poor people in the United States?!?

What do you think about the current policies on illegal immigrants? I think that all the Mexicans should stay in Mexico. The country is really beautiful and I don't know why they want to leave.

What is the issue you would most like to address and change in this world? Hmm...poverty and pollution in our world. For the poor people in poor countries, I think we should, as American citizens, give our money to the people who don't have money. I also think pollution is bad and we should stop doing it.

Who would you support as the next President of the United States? Why don't we have kings anymore, I think the word kings is a much better one.

Ok, who would nominate as the King of the U.S.? Jeff Beer.

Anything else you would like to tell the American public, Mr. President? I wish that we wouldn't fight...I also wish the Mexicans would stop fighting.

An Interview with Magda

2007-09-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

(I feel the need to preface this interview with a little commentary about Magda. She is probably the bravest child I have ever met. Life has dealt some hard things and she has become a warrior to confront these circumstances. She could fairly be described in the word "sassy." When a new staff member comes to work here, they know they have made it when Magda gives them a hug. She was the girl who spent so much time in the hospital last year, possibly making her learn hard lessons on depending on others? God is doing great things in this little girl's life.)

Hey Magdalota, How are ya, chica? I am really well.

Really? Why are you really bien? I have a really nice teacher in school.

Magda, what makes you scared? Nothing.

Nothing? No...Except for when I was in that wreck, I am scared that all the cars are going to wreck now.

Do remember the time you killed the mouse? (giggles)Yeah, it was running and the girls were screaming and so I killed it. I just stepped on it and all of it's guts came out. It was really funny.

What is your favorite thing to do? I like to play Monopoly when I win.

Tell me about your boyfriend. :) NOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOooooO!

Where is your favorite spot to go? Bahia de Kino, the beach. I really liked that we ate a lot when we were at the beach.

You do like to eat, but you are so small! Where do you put it all? (shrugs shoulders) I don't know, I really like to eat, but not beans!

What bothers you? Paola...and Joel.

What makes you laugh? When Paola ripped her skirt and when Jaqui imitates the Pink Panther.

What is your favorite Bible story? Jonah because they throw him in the sea (a giggle fit).

What is your favorite thing about God? That He made animals, especially owls. They are my favorite animal because their eyes are so big.

When you are older, what kind of job do you want to have? A kindergarten teacher.

How can the blog readers pray for you? That I can behave myself and that it can rain so it isn't so hot here!

What else do you want to tell everyone? (discussion back and forth explaining some of the people that she would know that read the blog.) Jeff B needs to come and that Joel needs to behave. (through giggles) Oh, and tell them I died and see what they say!

The Amazing Time Between Bathtime and Bedtime

2007-09-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

There is something incredibly precious about little kids during their "wind-down" time before bed. Usually they are ridiculously cute, but they won a prize in creative the other night. I am not so sure anyone wound down, but they were so funny!

Candi plays "Peekaboo."

Pollito

Diego lathers up with the baby lotion.

Aaron kept putting on random articles of clothing and yelling, "Take a picture of me now!

Jenna and I looked over to see the boys put socks on their hands and then begin to box. Aaron was "airboxing" but Diego was going for gold as he promptly right-hooked Aaron right below the eye and Aaron fell to the ground holding his eye, yelling "Diego! Oww! You aren't really supposed to hit! It hurts! It hurts!" After a dramatic ten seconds, he realized he was okay and he stood up for round 2.

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 18:3

This is what happens when you lend Francisco your camera...

2007-09-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a large group convened on the porch for "communal" haircutting time. Jenna and I each had our own clippers and started trimming hair as fast as the overheated machines could go. Later, one of the male mentors made the statement, "I like communal haircuts, so we all go the dorm and we all have bad haircuts together."

Francisco asked if he could use my camera. Distracted by the task at hand, I let him, and from the pictures I now have on my camera, it was worth it. ;)

Pictures by Franc

I am sure he would be willing to start doing Senior portraits and wedding photography.

A few pictures not involving Franc

Daniel uses locks of David's hair to transform himself for the picture. He said he really liked his own hair cut, but he didn't take the hat off for awhile.
Seth has recently been whining (all sarcasm intended) that he has not had enough screen time on the blog, he is alive and well. :)

In other news:

-Limón could use our prayers as he studies Spanish in Morelia for the month of September.

-Also, Keith and Emily Schamback are currently studying Spanish in Morelia, with plans to eventually live in Magdalena and I am sure would also appreciate our prayers.

Food for thought:

What do "y'all" think of the word "pocked in" or "blarked in"? (Refer to post "I'm Just a Busdriver"...) Could one of these words possibly help us close the giant cultural gap between Bluffton and the rest of the world?

INVASION!

2007-09-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Seemingly intoxicated by the light, these "attack dive beetles" (not sure of official name, some call them June Bugs, although they started in late August) come out en masse when the sun has set. They lack control of not flying into people and when entering a lit area, one can expect to hear the now familiar sound of one of them dive-bombing towards you. My normal procedure after I hear the noise is freeze, hold my breath and shut my eyes until I feel the "whap" of impact. Then the beetle falls to the ground, upside down and slowly paws the air until it's death. I am unsure of the exact time they live, but by morning, they are all dead.

The dying beetles outside the schoolroom door.

A lone beetle on the fly strip.

We no longer are facing lice as our biggest hair-infesting problem.

David shows he is not scared of the beetles and shows his bravery by having an open mouth as they fly towards him.

Confession time: Parts of this post may have been exaggerated or staged to contribute to the overall "funny factor." A big thanks to Joel and David who cooperated so beautifully. :)

I will close with a true quote from a brave comrade of mine. As Jenna and I walked to the house last night and she once again confessed her deep fear of any kind of "shelled" creature and we reflected on the fact that they fly into her more than any other person, she said, "You know how dogs can tell when someone has fear of them and then they attack? I think it is the same with these stupid june bugs...sigh." It is okay Jenna, stay strong, as soon as June is over this plague shall leave us.

"I'm just A busdriver, but what do I know?"

2007-09-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

As I prepared to leave to pick up the kids today, someone suggested I take my camera along to blog about the afternoon route. I thought it was a great idea.

I was expecting a normal day but I must say things were a little chaotic today.

Act 1

11:49: Amy and Nora are pulling out of the CVE driveway, right on time!

11:56: Nora gets out at her daughter's school. Amy continues and pulls in early 2 minutes early at Aaron's kindergarten (11:58), getting a great parking spot.

12:05: Amy waits outside the gate with the other parents as kindergarten goes long. Amy is worried because José's school is a school for children with special needs and the staff there equivocate late arrival of parents and child abuse.

12:08: Parents can enter and then wait in line at their child's classroom and wait for their child in what feels like a child auction. (Lots of yelling and chaos, shouted instructions for the parents for the next day)

12:10: Aaron and Amy jump into van and realize they are *parked/blocked* in as they don't want to back over small children and young mothers.

Finally they break free from the chaos and Aaron proceeds to use his intelligence to question about every person, place and thing we pass and proves that I really don't know much. How can a five-year old stump Amy every time?

Act 2

12:17: Five minutes late for José, he stands looking dejected on the sidewalk as the crosswalk guard reassures him someone is coming for him.

12:18: José is sleeping on the front seat.

Act 3

12:34: Pull up at San Ignacio, 4 minutes late. Fortunately, school has also gone long at the elementary. Amy sits and waits with the other mothers.

12:48: Having made the rounds of the teachers, Amy gets to van, counts the children and realizes she is short one and enters the school yard to find the prodigal.

12:50: Amy finds that she was actually short two children and sends them to the van. In an unexpected turn of events, the principal catches her and wants to talk.

1:01: Crossing the school yard, she sees the van parked in the distance with children everywhere, running and screaming and jumping up and down.

Amy to Crosswalk Señor: (tone of frustration)Who takes care of those kids anyway?

Crosswalk Señor: (laughing) I am not sure, but if you see her, tell her to hurry out to the van as it seems to me that the kids have decided to flip over the van.

1:02: All children properly scolded and quietly sitting in the van...that won't start.

Children: Aah, aah! The van won't start!!! (while Amy prays)

1:03: The van starts and we are bound for home. Whew.

**After asking for input, some of the staffers close by are having a discussion about what word to use to convey "unable to move because other cars have parked in a way that leaves little room for manuever." By discussion that basically means Carissa and David are telling me that I must be completely stupid and no one would ever use "parked" in. I have decided to be stubborn and insist you could use the phrase "parked in." Seth thinks you can, Denise says it is weird (making it not just a Bluffton regionalism.) Would you use the word "parked" in or "blocked" in?

A General Update

2007-09-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I know I have been a little slow in the updates lately. It isn't that nothing has been happening. A lot has been going on, but there is only so many good photo opportunities available of the kids doing their homework, jobs, eating and sleeping and not very many interesting moments in parent-teacher meetings.

School is going well. We have tweeked the routes so it involves less people needing to run around town all morning. :) The kids seem to be slowly adjusting to early mornings and busy days.

A few weeks ago, José went swimming as a prize for the reading program. While he was at the pool, he was stung on the lip, by a bee. (He isn't even Polish!) ;) As you can tell from this picture, his whole lip and then cheeks swelled to gargantuan proportions. Poor guy! He has returned to normal now.

The church and house look a little different as this picture is about a month old, but I love this picture because of the beautiful sunset. (Church on the left, house on the right)

So, until something bloggable happens,

amy

Hasta Los Ricketts

2007-09-02T18:43:00.001-07:00

The Brian and Marie Ricketts family is leaving CVE this coming Wednesday. They are returning to live in Forrest, IL. They have been at CVE for almost two years, and have been an example to us all as they have formed solid relationships with many community and church family members. As you can see from the photo, they will leave a big hole in our CVE family! (And every woman will especially miss Marie's presence in the bodega!)

The Ricketts with Ruth and her children.

Tonight we had our send off supper and slide show.

Please pray with us for their readjustment to life in the States, safe travel home and safe delivery of Baby #7

Nos vemos Ricketts! We love you!

Come and visit us soon!

On behalf of our CVE family and friends, We'll miss you!

What Do You Think?

2007-08-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

It is time for another caption contest! Let me know your clever captions for a great prize. (okay, it probably won't be that great, but I would love to see your ideas!)

Thoughts From Francisco

2007-08-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Franc uses the game pieces from "Giant Jenga" to construct a plane. He has never been in a plane, but apparently pilots wear really cool hats. ;)

Hey Franc, How is your day going? Fine

So far, what is your favorite part of 6th grade (still part of elementary). My teacher, Carlos, he is really nice. I also like my classmates.

What makes you really scared? The devil and the dark

If you could do anything for one day, what would you choose? I would like to eat a big breakfast of oatmeal and then do my jobs in the morning. I would like to play with Tobi until lunch. I would want to eat an early lunch of pizza and afterwards spend the afternoon with my friends playing in the river. I would want to come back and eat hotdogs and go to bed at 10:00.

What do you want to do for a profession? I want to be a preacher in a church.

What is your favorite vacation spot? The beach in Bahia de Kino.

Would you rather spend four days at Rancho Betania or two days at the beach? Four days at Rancho Betania.

What bothers you? Nothing really (an interjection by Amy)...maybe the little boys I live with. Oh, and when I am playing and the adults here tell me I have to do my work.

What is your favorite Bible story? Goliath! oh wait, no, the story of Samson because someday, I want to be as strong as him and destroy a building.

How would you like people to pray for you? That God can help me be a preacher someday.

What other thing would you like to tell anyone reading this blog? That Jenna is really beautiful. (Jenna yells from the background, "Don't you dare write that Amy!") That everyone send me a gift for my birthday and "Hi" to Jeff B.

Limón adds, You can also send Francisco's mentors gifts for their birthdays.

First Day of School

2007-08-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

With children starting school in five different learning facilities today, emotions were high, some of the kids being thrilled to start school, others wishing school didn't start until December and the mentors, wondering why it didn't start last week. ;)

The kids looked ready to confront whatever life would offer this morning in their fresh uniforms and nervous laughter.

With the variety of different schools, we worked out a tentative driving schedule last night...As you can see from the schedule, it got a little complicated, but I am sure we will soon fall into routine. :)

Because the guys' schedule rotates by the week, we used the following clever abbreviations.
M.M.=Morning Man
E.M.=Evening Man
O.M.=Other Man

Karla, Lili, Magda and Michelle

Uriel, Paola, Lili and Michelle ready face middle school! I was nervous for them!
The girls (minus the middle schooler candy stripers). They were definitely the cutest girls in San Ignacio Elementary this morning.
José, Lupita and Jaqueline
Uriel and Yaneli (Don P., This morning I tried encouraging Uriel by telling him that everyone loves a man in uniform...he was unconvinced. ;))
Francisco impatiently waits until we can leave for school.

All of the boys graciously cooperate for a group photo. Don't they look great?

7:00 am, pulling out of the CVE drive, with Franc yelling things like, "hurry up, drive faster, can't you pass that semi?, etc" A minute away from school, in a panicked voice, he yelled, "We are early! Can't we drive around the block a few times before you make us get out?"

Our Newest Bundle of Joy...

2007-08-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

As of about a week ago, we officially have a campus dog. Our new puppy, Tobi, is a beautiful black lab. The kids love playing with Tobi and dragging him under their little arms. He is full of puppy energy and so it is a struggle to keep him in your arms just to cuddle. :)

Tobi's name was selected by the kids. They each nominated names and then voted on their favorites. This happened during the kids' meeting about "puppy treatment" conducted by Jo-el and Limón (the two who have agreed to be "in charge" of Tobi).
In this picture he chews on my camera bag strap as I try to get a photo of him.

Karla is locked in with Tobi, thanks to some quick work of Francisco's. :)

Jo-el and Limón worked with the kids to make a large fenced area that Tobi will call home.

Eli offered her helping hands.

I think a campus dog is going to be a huge blessing. :)

Jungle Fest

2007-08-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

As we face our last weekend before school starts, we decided to celebrate with a special supper and evening for the kids.

The guys decorated the comedor in true jungle style and we ate on the floor and enjoyed tacos of monkey brains (translation: beef). All the trabajadores pulled together to make for one great night.

Giant Jenga Anyone?

2007-08-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

In the above photo you see a normal game of "low risk" Jenga as José and Karla enjoy a break after lunch.

Brian brought up wood scraps to create our own game of Giant Jenga. Definitely a huge challenge, especially because the game could squish young children who get in the way. Fede, Uriel and I went round and round this giant pile, considering every piece, becoming more determined with each turn that we would not be the one to topple the tower!

Uriel is glad to be able to breathe again as he was holding his breath until he could gently pry the piece out from the pile.

Fede is exuberant that the tower is still standing!

I got fairly into the game myself and felt triumphant pulling out the piece as Fede, Uriel and other onlookers deemed it "impossible."

Fede slowly pulls the piece that proved to be the toppling of the tower.

Who wants to try it? :)

Back to What?!?

2007-08-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again! The feeling of excitement to start school is permeating the campus. We will have kids in four different schools next year and all the kids start on Monday. We are in a state of "relaxed scramble" as we shine shoes, sew book bags, give out new materials and power up for the busy time, while still enjoying our last days of summer.

Maycon is super excited about the possibility of new school supplies.

José stands outside of the schoolroom, waiting for his turn.

Poncho only entered school for the short time he lived with us last year. He is excited to go back, but very behind for his age. (He doesn't seem to notice. :))

Connie Schambach, Denise and Carissa worked on the distribution line, filling the bookbags with necessary school supplies.

The kids compare their bookbags, notebooks and pencil sharpeners.

Uniform Shopping

For all the kids we have, we did some online ordering, Joan worked her bargain magic and we passed shoes down and had most of the kids' uniforms handled. However, the middle schoolers require a special uniform that you can't find in French Toast or Land's End catalogs.

The girls that are entering into middle school have to wear these pink jumpers. They are being impressively good sports.

Poor Uriel. As he tried on his new uniform in the back room, he moaned, "I look like a soldier and I am roasting!" Uriel is a solidly built kid and shopping for his exact size with three girls his age isn't exactly his idea of a good time. He did look a lot like a Mexican soldier and he was sweating profusely in the hot dressing room. I finally let him go out to the van and wait for another day to find the perfect uniform.

The countdown is on! 4 days until school!

A Popular Month for a Birthday

2007-08-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last year we didn't know when Yaneli's birthday was, as she wasn't registered and didn't have a birth certificate. We still don't have one, but at least know her birth date now. (Please pray that her mom would be inspired to register her as her schooling can't count until she is registered.) Yaneli had two days of birthday as she was convinced her birthday was the 20th and told everyone on Monday that they needed to tell her "Happy Birthday." We didn't have anything ready on Monday, so we celebrated on Tuesday, which she later conceded that it must be her birthday.

All she wanted for her birthday was SpongeBob pajamas and a set of bunny ears. Thanks to Target, this was made possible.

She then proceeded to jump all over the dorm. :)

Before bed, the girls wanted to pose with the little bunny.

Other Birthdays

Bill and Angel both had birthdays on August 15th. Bill was a little resistant to his head being shoved in the cake...but obviously the kids won. :)

Bill tries to share his birthday cake with Joan.

Angel celebrates his birthday with a beautiful dinosaur cake and a Chewbacca figurine.

Uriel wants to be a pilot and that worked perfectly with the package I received from the Earney's, brimming with posters, t-shirts and airplane items.

A few of the staffers went to Alma's Birthday party in Imuris.

We just found out that we missed Poncho's birthday (another case of registry confusion) so we are celebrating his on Thursday. The kids love birthdays, everyone gets cake and gets to dream about what they want when theirs rolls around.

"Banzai Blast!"

2007-08-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

The box read, "1. Inflate 2. Assemble 3. Make a Splash!" I looked at our new water slide that our friend Tom had donated and shrugged at how easy assembly was going to be. After pulling all the pieces out of the box and noticing one of the items was labeled, "motor." I used my astute reasoning abilities to realize that if the girls were really going to use it within the next hour, I had to call in some help.

I don't know what "banzai" means but it was a blast!

The guys had the second shift and so then took it down. They said the deconstruction directions specifically laid out, "Before deflating, ensure all children have left the apparatus." I am so glad for helpful directions.

ALLOWANCE!

2007-08-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Four of our CVE kids are entering into middle school in a few short weeks. As an additional privilege and responsibility, they started to receive an allowance. They all received three cups (representing their tithes, savings and spending) into which they will divide their money.

They were thrilled! It was fun to watch them begin to understand how much they could save as Seth did the calculations on the whiteboard of how much money they could accumulate if they were careful.

Lili shows her three cups.

Uriel holds his tithe cup. He labeled it "GOD".

Michelle

Paola

The View from the Top

2007-08-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

"BEEP. BEEP. BEEP." I rolled over, hit my alarm and wondered what crazy had set it for the middle of the night. Then I remembered that it was my fault as I committed to the girls to do a sunrise climb up the hill behind our property. (Why do things always seem like such great ideas the night before? ;))

We started back to the foot of the mountain in the quiet dawn. As a result of the rainy season, everything is green and beautiful, but that also means the normal route was hidden with tall grass and weeds. After a quick prayer for protection from snakes, we decided to proceed.

Starting off on the path. The girl you probably don't recognize in this picture is Sara, a friend of Steph's, who accompanied us for our journey. She said she likes snakes, so I was praying that if one had to be found, she would be the one to find it. ;) (Only one snake was seen, but the snake was apparently intimidated by a mob of screaming and pointing girls. I didn't even receive the "blessing" of seeing it. Bummer.)

Eli

Because hungry girls=grouchy girls, we enjoyed PBJ's at the top.

Lili was very happy to arrive.

Jaqueline and Karla

Lupita finds a rock that looked to her like a driver's seat. I thought we might not make it back n time for breakfast due to her excitement to "drive."

Paola lifts Yaneli as they cross the "mighty river."

As I sat at the top, watching the sun come over the mountains, I realized once again how often I may be reluctant to do or try something because it seems like too much work or just not worth the effort. Once at top, I look around me and realize I would have been robbed of the view because of my own laziness or my desire to do what is comfortable and known. Praise to our God who never promised us comfort, but did promise His Faithfulness and Goodness while on the journey.

"Vengan a ver mi rancho que es hermoso..."

2007-08-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the promised pictures!

The ranch is in a beautiful, secluded location. After an afternoon storm, we were blessed to see this rainbow over the mountians.

Franc holds some of the hail from the storm that pummeled the area. (For about five minutes I was definitely nervous in thinking about planning activities for some very wound up children if all we had was rain.)

Pollito is ready to swim

Gloria is also ready to hit the pool.

The kids all waited in line to shower before they could swim.

Candi was not so sure about the idea of "floaties" but after enough hours in the water, she loved it!
A snapshot of the chaos in the pool
Karla Josie

The kids played with bubbles for hours.

David and Joel launched Angel through the air. The kids loved it!

Contrary to this picture, Blanca did enjoy swimming. :)
José shows off the huge centipede they caught.
Fede floats through the pool, first robbing the little kids of the floation devices.

Pepe and Paola were the last two competitors in our game of "Chubby Bunny."

Magda hurries to shoot a basket during a huge game of knockout.
Yaneli sits on David's guitar as she waits to board the bus to return to CVE

On our way home, we were again blessed to see a beautiful rainbow going before us!

We had a great trip. Thanks for your prayers. We returned home with only sunburns, a few scrapes and many wonderful memories.

Rancho Betania

2007-08-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hey all! We arrived back at CVE on Tuesday night. Unfortunately we were having some internet problems, but everything seems to be back to normal this morning.

We had a great time at Rancho Betania and the kids are already counting down the days until next year.

I do have some bad news...blogger isn't uploading pictures right now. Somehow I have this one uploaded. I have great pictures to upload...I guess I will just have to be patient to share them with you all. :)

In other news:

-Pepe, a summer volunteer, left on Tuesday night to hit the books in Malibu.
-Vero, left yesterday with the Schicks to return for school in Iowa.
-David arrived last Thursday and will be moving into a position of working with the boys.

Lots of Birthdays

2007-08-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We are only minutes away from leaving for our two day "family" vacation at Rancho Betania. Spirits are high and we pray it stays that way!

I was recently looking back through some pictures and realized that I have not done a great job of posting all of the recent birthdays we have celebrated.

We recently celebrated Denise's 30th (?) birthday.

Daniel missed the cake completely.

While the Board of Directors was here, someone expressed the desire to celebrate their birthdays. So we did, all at once. It was a great time. :) I somehow misplaced some pictures, but I think these sufficiently capture the moment.

We pray the Board come back to visit us again. :)

VBS-A Week of Blessings and Chaos

2007-08-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! VBS was an absolutely amazing whirlwind...I will try to sum it up in snapshots. (The pictures aren't in any order)

A van of kids arrive from San Ignacio, excited about the day.

As some of the drivers had more than one route, the kids arrived as early as 9:20. They registered and then found something to do until it was time to come together in the comedor.

The kids wait in line to be admitted into the cancha, so they could say their verses and be registered.

Carissa, Steph, Jenna and Pepe taught the girls' class ages 9-11.

Disciple Jenean holds up one of the fish that was ready to be multiplied. Limón, who you may recognize as Jonah, apparently thought he was Ninja Disciple.

Carissa and Jon Apps signed kids in and listened to memory work in the morning.

Limón, myself, Gloria, Jenean and Ruben dress up for the lesson, "Feeding the 5,000).

The van doors open, exploding with kids.

The girls' class combined with another class where the five loaves and two fish were multiplied to feed the 5,000.

One of the little girls works on memorizing her verse as she waits for her van to leave for the day.

The class 12+ (taught by Seth and Joel)met on the boys' porch. Everyday parents were coming, which prompted an adult class (taught by Bill) to be started midweek.

During registration, two of my favorite little girls in the world, Julisa and Estefania, kept me company.

Marcos, Carlos and Manuel stand at the registration table.

Tito stands and waits to be registered. (Have you ever seen a cuter little boy?)

Juana hangs out the bus window on the last day, showing me her prize for memory work. The t-shirt reads, "Jesus loves me."

A huge thanks to all our short term volunteers who kept us going and did all the behind the scenes work! Once again, I am left with inexpressible gratitude for all of those who prayed for the work. God heard the prayers and blessed beyond what we could have imagined.

"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare." Psalms 75

An Ode to Our CVE Vehicles

2007-08-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I don't have time to really write an ode right now, but I would like to say that we pray these overpacked vehicles just keep truckin'!

VBS continues to amaze/exhaust us, but we praise God as we know the strength isn't from us.

This morning 41 children emerged from the 12 passenger.

Pepe gets ready to swing the door shut on his load.

At least Bill said we have "staff nap time" this afternoon! Oh wait, what did you say? oh, staff meeting...bummer. :)

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

Jonah and The Big Fish and Other VBS News

2007-08-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Lord has once again done exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we thought would happen...Praise Him!

We are busting at the seams!

The kids really seem to enjoy the singing.

Jonah and The Big Fish

Each VBS class has at least one male to be the "police officer." Poor Limón agreed to be our 9,10 and 11 year-old boy police man. He has turned into our class' gopher, running errands when he needs to and dressing up as Bible characters on command. We are in the "yellow bodega" and sit everywhere we can fit. Surprisingly, the boys have been well- behaved.

Today during the story of Jonah, we drew straws to see who had caused this great storm to come upon our tiny ship filled with 50 boys. Jonah (aka Limón) drew the short straw...

So of course we had to put him in "time out" while we decided what to do. We had to to echar him out of the boat...

And into the jaws of a giant tire. Jonah prays in the belly of the desk/tire and was later vomited up with great gusto, including green streamers spewing from his mouth. It was gross. The boys loved it.

Seth's Great Heroic Bee-Conquering Adventure

So, I wasn't there but as the story from Denise goes, the bus was full of screaming kids and it came upon a pick-up truck parked across the road with a man, lying on the ground in front of it. They noticed the GIANT swarm of bees and Seth ran off the bus to see if the man was still alive. I am a little unclear of details but something about screaming kids, starting a smoke fire, lots and lots of bees and Seth escaped it all with only one bee sting. Some bees boarded the bus through the windows, but miraculously, not one child was stung.

Crazy, huh? Seth told me that we couldn't start calling him Superman or anything.

Ready, Set, Go!

2007-08-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

The gloomy skies did not stop us from dividing up in groups and hitting the town with neon invitations. Blanca and I were "invitation partners." Aah...what a blessing...sort of...I was probably the only one who had a partner who was so slow due to all the flowers she picked along the way. Oh Blancuchi.

Blanca holds up the invitations as we walked/waded door-to-door.

We returned in time for supper. Our amazing and talented team of volunteers had decorated the wall, appropriate for our theme, "Fishing in the Bible." Yaneli tapes up bubbles as finishing touches.

The comedor really does look like an aquarium...Kris, you would hate it. ;)

Please pray for:
-Upcoming week of VBS in Magdalena
-Elder conference in Bluffton, IN

VBS Update

2007-08-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow starts our VBS and this afternoon we are dividing into groups to pass out invitations in the community. Please pray with us.

Summer Afternoons

2007-08-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

There is just something about green grass and summer afternoons. We have green grass now, praise the Lord for all the rain!

Friday was our last day of swimming lessons. It was especially great as all of the girls received new beach towels. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) They did want to know why Dad had so many beach towels as all the towels were marked with the initials "M.F."

Lupita imitates the dog sleeping at the edge of the pool.

Maycon shows me my personalized "garden." In case you couldn't tell, yes, it does say "Amy" in crushed up pecans. :)

Because of the rain on Tuesday, swimming lessons weren't a good option for the kids. We decided instead to play Ultimate Frisbee in the muddy field.

Needless to say it was slippery and a little dangerous, especially because of the many thorns in the mud. Ouch! I apparently have wimpy feet and went to cheer from the muddy sidelines.

Jeff slips as he tries for the frisbee.

Armando plays in the "pig pen."

Armando wallows in the pig pen...It was disgusting.

Lili and Karla swing as Eli is up in the tree house. The girls' casita behind the dorms is their world away.

Magda attempts to learn to cartwheel. I was not a very good teacher (obvious from the picture.) :)

Paola reads on the front lawn.

Restaurante Pepe y Limón (Limón & Pepe’s Restaurant)

2007-08-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Guest Blogger
Pepe (pronounced pay-pay)

Summer school is officially over.

The kids celebrate after their last summer class

Yesterday was the last day of summer classes, and the kids enjoyed various exams, surprises, and general hanging out typical of any school at the end of session.

To celebrate the last day of classes in the comedor and to reward the kids for their hard work, especially those who studied Geography, Limón and I decided to let the kids spend the day cooking different foods from around the world for lunch.

Our menu:
Stir Fry (Asia), Pasta (Italy), Corndogs (USA), Empanadas (Latin America), & Ethiopian Punch (duh).

Explaining the geographically diverse food selection to the kids

We had a good time as Limón used his Macaroni Grill skills to masterfully work the stove as he stir-fried and tossed noodles and oil. Meanwhile, I heated up the corndogs, mixed the punch, and I filled pre-made pastry dough with baked apples to make empanadas (clearly just as difficult and demanding as the things Limón was making).

The Master Chef & His Assistant

I take charge of the corndogs! (Such skill…)

We managed not to poison anybody, Chuyita & Jenna didn’t kick us out of the kitchen, and the kids had a lot of fun, so all-in-all the day was a success.

Slurping noodles is an international practice

Jenna had never eaten a corndog before. Now she has.

Our dishwashing crew

By the way, if you’ve been looking for a new punch to serve sometime, Ethiopian punch is a winner! Here’s the recipe:
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup grape juice
1 cup lemon juice (we used lime)
1 cup maraschino cherry juice (we dumped in the cherries too)
1 cup raspberry syrup (we didn’t use this, not available in the grocery stores)
2.5 qts water, sparkling water, or 7-Up (we used the latter)
Orange slices

Dump it all together, mix it up, put in the orange slices as a garnish, a bunch of ice to keep it cold and drink up!

And remember, next time you’re in the neighborhood and feeling daring, stop by and try out Restaurante Pepe y Limón!

Standing in the Gap

2007-07-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone!

I wanted to do a quick update, asking for your specific prayers.

The House of Life and Hope Board is meeting in Magdalena, starting tomorrow afternoon. We are blessed by a group of men who have done so much for us here and all of the work in Magdalena. Please pray that each board member would be even more filled with Godly wisdom to face each decision that they must make.

Board members:

-Jon Kokanavich -Marshall Heinold -Jerry Tooley

-Wayne Banwart -Tom Hoffman

(A recent picture taken of the green mountains and stormy sky)

Also, please pray for our upcoming VBS. It starts on the 6th and is a week of non-stop activity.

A picture taken during songs at last year's VBS

-Please pray that each staffer and volunteer would have the stamina, energy and grace to embrace this wonderful week as an awesome responsibility, opportunity and privilege to teach the ones so dear to Jesus' heart.
-Pray that the children's hearts would be soft and ready to hear about the greatest story ever told.
-Pray for our time of passing out invitations to the surrounding communities on Sunday afternoon.

"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none." -Ezekiel 22:30

God has heard your prayers and has been faithful in spreading His Name...Please continue to stand with us in the gap, God will continue to be faithful.

If You Teach a Woman to Fish...

2007-07-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

"Hey, Amy, do you have any ideas for plans this afternoon or would you want to take the girls fishing?" I thought fishing sounded like a good idea. Jenean and Gloria were very excited about it and the girls were pretty pumped, so we jumped in a van in search of a lake. I was a little concerned we didn't have any fishing equipment, but Jenean and Gloria seemed okay with it. Maybe we were going to get some practice being "fisher's of men?"

We arrived at Buenaventura and asked for a good deal (translation: free) to get in and fish. We were finally granted permission and walked around the lake. It turns out that Jenean had a fly fishing rod. The girls impatiently waited for her to put a fly on and then for the fish to start jumping out of the water.

After about 15 minutes, one of the girls said, "You mean we haven't caught anything yet?!?" They started to "snail" for snails and I soon had way more snails then I have ever wanted.

Magda smiles from her seat in the tree.

Needless to say but we weren't catching much. Karla found a stick and was using it to catch big weeds. We decided it was time to move on.

As we walked around the lake, looking for the perfect fishing spot, we came across a few fishermen with nice poles. I am not sure exactly what happened next, but they offered to teach the girls how to fish and let them use their poles.

Gloria, Michelle and I watched the action and tried not to get hooked by any bad casts. When it was my turn, Jorge asked me if I knew how to cast. I told him I did, but it had been awhile. Hmm...apparently way too long. I wasn't granted the privilege to cast again.

Lupita climbed up in trees to watch the action from a perch.

Watching Paola catch her first fish was such a joy, because she was so ecstatic and not grossed out about it at all. I was excited that we didn't have to take the fish on our drive back. As we packed up the two fishermen had a juntita and came back with this to say:

Jorge: Why don't you just take the fish she caught and the ones we caught too.

Me: (Silently screaming "No!" inside) Oh no, that is fine, we would never ask you to sacrifice your supper.

José (Now said with more passion) No, you must take these fish! These girls need to know how fresh fish taste.

Me: We don't have a container and you have already done so much, we have all these wonderful memories of the day.

Jorge and José: Girls, do you want to try real, fresh fish?

10 CVE girls: YES! YES!

Somehow it turned into the fish (in the bag) and then their watermelon. I really hope they didn't have starving families at home. Jenean, Gloria and I had talked...none of us had ever cleaned fish. We hoped with everything in us that the guys would be willing.

We left the smelly fish in the van to stop and take this picture.

Jeff and Limón came to our rescue and cut the heads off and then fileted the fish...I guess we had nothing to worry about. All who wanted to were able to enjoy some wonderful fresh fish for supper. :) We definitely have some work to do on our fishing abilities, especially because some of the girls want to go back to the lake every Saturday to "provide food for the whole orphanage." Kind of a high goal considering we caught one fish between the 13 of us! :)

More Creature Adventures with Jenna

2007-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

This morning Jenna and I were getting ready to move her to a new room,when I heard her shriek from the laundry room where I stood. I turned the corner into her room expecting a tarantula or a scorpion...but no...it was something much uglier...a MILIPEDE!
Here the milipedes are rumored to have some of the most painful bites of any of the poisonous creatures. I lightly stepped on it, not wanting guts to spill across the floor. It wouldn't die. I squished it again, but apparently the desert milipedes are not easily extinguished. Jenna decided that if she painted it purple it would look less intimidating. I am not sure of it looking less intimidating, but it was mad! Good thing some of it's cavities and legs were squished so it was very slow in pursuing us.

I am not sure why almost every scary creature happens crawls out of dark corners when Jenna and I are together...We follow the same pattern: Shrieking, hashing out a plan of action, implementing the plan (at times that means running for a boy) and then laughing as we talk about the need to scrape it off the ground.

Maybe we need to invest in our own personal cans of Raid?

Storms in the Desert

2007-07-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon the rain poured down on CVE in powerful torrents that could only cause one to go and run in the rain. The kids (and some staff) enjoyed the downpour by prancing around, riding bikes and rolling around in puddles.

Uriel bikes through the rain, soaking anyone brave enough to get near him.

Michael runs through the puddles. He later laid down and did his "horse impression."

Steph had this great idea of coming out under the cover of a kiddie pool. I was a little wet but ran to join her when suddenly the kids attacked and toppled us!

The boys enjoy the rain and the rivers it left behind

Paola enjoys the fruit of Joel's labor as she stands under our new gutter.

"Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit." -Leviticus 26:4

"Amí, you are crunchy booger!"

2007-07-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

Karla Josie giggled out this sentence in English. "What? I'm a crunchy booger?" I asked incredulously. "Yes! Crunchy booger, crunchy booger!"

After spending one day with the kids, I have noticed a lot of changes. One being that Karla Josie now has a cast because of her broken arm. Another huge change that I have noticed is the kids increased use of English. Steph has done an amazing job with her summer school English class and the kids have been quickly learning English. Although, I don't think I can credit Steph with some of the phrases I have been hearing, but rather, with a variety of workers and workteams here, the course has been supplemented with other English phrases. An example of a few of the phrases would be: "Amy, you old chicken." or an old favorite, "You smell like cow!"

According to some other coworkers, they had a great list of phrases to use with the past workteam...

"Do you want to marry with me?"
"Do you think I am handsome?"
"You are pretty."
"You run like a chicken."

Who takes care of these kids?
In other news, Yaneli looks like a different girl as her two front teeth finally started to grow in. :)

It is good to be back.

Ya regresé

2007-07-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

A huge thanks to all the guest bloggers! You all did so well I think I might just turn the blog over to you and retire! :)

I had a great two weeks and am so thankful that I was able to spend time with different family and friends. As with most trips, I was sad to leave but ready to return. This morning I walked out into a beautiful Mexico. The rainy season has started and the mountians are starting to come alive with greenery and the grass looks vibrant. More than just the scenery has changed, the girls look so much older! Yaneli gave me her teeth that Gloria pulled as a welcome home gift.

A quick picture summary of my time in Indiana:

The Fiechter family (minus Travis) got together on Friday night.

Kristen and I stand with Janel and her daughter, Madison, who I just got to meet!

We spent time with the Kaehr family at Lake James. My equation for the week:

Twenty people+one cottage+only two bathrooms=lots of great and a few not so great memories. (Don't worry, I won't relive the not so great memories. ;))

We had the yearly "Hey, this might be the only time we are all together so we need to take a family picture" moment.

I can't say that everyone thought that was a good idea. :)

It was fun watching the boys excel in some classic water sports. Jay slaloms through the course.

But of course, as with most boys, they had to keep increasing the challenge. This may not look hard to you, but actually, the "chariot raft" proved too much for Heather, Kristen and I.

Danno shows us how it's done

Tadd and Chad's wakeboarding show

The boys decided that everything that is fun by yourself is better with another person.

Troy, Jeff and Ben ski. I think that Jeffy and Benny are high-fivin'

Thanks everyone for your continued love and support! It can't begin to express how much it means.

God bless,

amy

¡¡Ya Viene Amy!!

2007-07-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Final Guest Bloggers:

The excitement here at CVE is mounting. In just a matter of hours, Amy will return!! We all will be thankful to hand back the blogging to her. (We are sure all of the blog readers will be happy too.)

Thanks for keeping the blog up, Amy, we are thankful that you do it!

The work of many hands but most importantly the work of many prayers

2007-07-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger #7 (what happened to #6)
Bill

As the last official work team of the summer left Friday I had to realize how much has been accomplished. Not so much in the buildings that have progressed but more importantly in the lives of both those that live here at CVE and those that have passed through only for a time. It is the work of the Lords hands and we continue to stand amazed as we have the privilege to see His hand at work. Friday after the group left I was out leveling out some gravel on the road that leads to the side entrance and had the 4 girls that were not able to go to swimming lessons in the tractor with me. As I went back and forth leveling the rock they were singing "Cristo me ama" (Jesus loves me) to there hearts content. It made me reflect back on the purpose of what we do here and on what is important. The Lord is building lives that desire to serve Him and we see his work progressing daily despite the distractions that the enemy throws our way. That is why it is so vital to us that you continue to lift up this work to the Father so that His name may be glorified, not the work of mans hands. Pray not only for the work here at CVE but also for your Church and for yourselves that we may have a unified body of believers that supports one another. Thanks to all that have shared a prayer, a talent, a week, a gift, or in a hundred other ways with us in the past. May the Lord draw you closer to Himself each day.

As an update to our current projects I am including the pictures of the church and group home. Many hands have made light work.

Assembly Room

Dining Room and Sunday School Rooms

Joan and Poncho with the church in the background

New Group Home

Sunset over the new Church. If you look closely you can see the sunset through the window at the top of the gable.

Life in the Comedor

2007-07-21T09:54:00.001-07:00

Guest Blogger #5

Pepe

Welcome to the CVE Comedor, summer home of Maestro Limón y Maestro Pepe's classes.

The Rules are simple:

· Bring your stuff.

· Have a good attitude.

· Do everything as well as you can without staying in the Comedor.

· Be respectful.

Confused by rule #3? Don’t be. It’s just one of our ways getting the kids to leave so that we have more time to sneak back into the bodega for snacks.

We also accomplish this by sending the kids to sew or to work on their own in the corner.

Of course, this is an equal opportunity Comedor. Even the boys and the girl with a broken wrist are sent to sew.

Can you really blame us when we’re forced to teach while people bake wonderfully smelling pumpkin pies? I’m sure you’d send the kids off so you could sneak some food too!

What do the kids think of all this? Well, of course they’re not very pleased…

…but it’s ok. As we all know, it’s things like this that build character.

But of course, I’m kidding.

The third rule of the Comedor is not that the kids do their best work without sticking around; it’s that they do their best work without complaining. If you look closely at the “Reglas” picture you will notice that the incorrectly written quedarse has been changed to quejarse. Do your best without complaining! Much better.

And, though the Maestros do often make excursions to the bodega for snacks, all of the kids immensely enjoy their sewing classes with Marie (even the boys), and have finished some very impressive projects! As for the last two pictures of Magda and Fede with their unhappy faces, well, Magda was unhappy that I wasn’t giving her more math to practice (really!) and Fede was upset that he couldn’t remember where a certain country was.

In fact, the Comedor is a place of games…

…happiness…

…friendship…

…and even some actual teaching!

Still don’t believe me? Well, just ask Uriel. Look how excited he is to see that his schedule is filled with the blue that signifies a class with Pepe y Limón!

So my friends, have no fear. The CVE Comedor is a lovely place where children can come on hot summer mornings knowing that they will leave after a class or two with their minds (and their teachers’ stomachs) well-fed.

Summer classes

2007-07-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger #4

Carissa

It is almost hard to believe that summer school is now on its fifth week! The class schedule this summer has expanded quite a bit from last year. We still meet from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. but we have added several more classes and teachers. We have five different “classrooms” with seven different maestros (teachers)--Denise and I are each teaching a variety of remedial classes, Stephanie teaches English and art, Vero teaches advanced writing and reading, Marie teaches music, and Limón and Pepe are in charge of the “alternate class” for the boys (Limón) and girls (Pepe), which includes spelling, geography, and study/homework time.

The kids hover at the escuelita (schoolroom) door, waiting for us to ring the bell so they can come get their folders. (This is an accurate picture of most mornings anytime after 9:00 and up until 9:55! Sometimes I feel like I live in a zoo, but I'm thankful for their enthusiasm!)

The kids make a line at the door to get their folders before classes.

(Left) Francisco reads aloud in one of the reading classes. (Below) Armando and Michel B. work on summarizing a story.

Carla Liliana, Michel Edith, and Paola do math problems on the board.

We have about two and a half weeks left of summer classes. Then we will break for VBS, and give the kids a few weeks off before the new school year starts again!

Work on the accreditation for a school of our own is progressing. Please join us in praying that God will provide Christian Mexican teachers and a director for our school!

From a Male Perspective

2007-07-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger #3
By: Joel

This is my first attempt at blogging, and I'm pretty sure I will never do it again. Who ever invented the format for creating a blog needs to be _______ (insert appropriate words). Maybe I am just being too obsessive compulsive, but I could not get the font, size, or spacing to work right. It was continuously changing on me. I must say that I now appreciate everyone who has the time and patience to blog. Anyways, on with the blog.

My main duty here at CVE is to take care of 9 boys ages 7-13. It seems like every day is a new adventure that brings new challenges. Some people might not know our boys very well, so I would like for you to choose the best answer that completes the following statement:

On any given day (when they are not fighting, eating, or trying to destroy something) the boys here at CVE would be most likely to. . .

A.) . . . run arround looking for tarantulas to play with.

Top: The hunting party shows off what they have caught.

Bottom: This tarantula has already eaten two of the others.

B.) . . . play with SuperGlue.

Top: Uriel tries to pull his fingers apart.

Bottom: We finally found a way to keep Francisco's mouth shut.

C.) . . . study hard.

Left: Some of the older boys working hard... or is it hardly working. ;)

Right: I had to call Fede's name 10 times before he looked up. What concentration!

D.) . . . make countless paper airplanes.

Left: Armando showes off his trick plane.

Right: Aaron demonstrates the difficult "double handed" throw.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the correct answer is, but hopefully people now know our boys a little bit better.

The Attack of the D Battery

2007-07-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger #2

By: Superman

A few days ago as I soared over the CVE campus Jenna hailed me from my position in the sky to come and aid her. The conversation is as follows.

Jenna: "Superman, there is something making noise in the little boys bathroom that I'm scared may come out at night and kill the boys. Will you please sacrifice yourself in order to find out what it is?"

Me: "Sure, Jenna. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep people safe around here."

Jenna: "Well, it is something that is poisonous and has fangs and claws. Unfortunantly all I have for you to protect yourself with is this paint stirrer. Since you are an amazing fighter and part tiger you should be fine."

So I proceeded to enter the house and search out the strange noise. After only seconds of being inside the little boy's bedroom I heard the noise that had spread fear through all living in that house. I heard the heart stopping, blood pumping, hair raising, fingernail biting, screech of.... the thing! So I searched low and high until I found a trap door leading into the ceiling. Grabbing a chair to stand on I peak my head into the gaping black abyss of the ceiling above only to hear the piercing scream again. This time it was closer to my head. As I turn around and look on the top shelf behind me I see the culprit that had been imposing fear on all the ladies. It was a smoke detector with a low battery. I calmly removed the battery disabling the detector from ever inflicting such terror in the house again. As I refused payment of jewels, food, and raiment I replied, "It's nothing that any normal hero wouldn't do."

2007-07-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger #1: Jenna

Sunday afternoon, Joel, Limon, and I were watching the kids outside in the cancha. Sunday mornings and early afternoons are always so busy, so we were relaxing in the slightly cooler breeze. When the conversation dwindled down (translation: Jenna stopped talking and Joel and Limon stopped pretending to listen) I went to see if I could be of any help in the kitchen. I couldn't, so I went back outside and found this:

Naturally, I grabbed the first camera I saw, thanks Pepe, and documented this rare ocassion of expert child care.

Yes, those are kids at each other's necks on the right, but do not worry...

nothing fazes these sleeping beauties.

2007-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I can't put on titles!

Head Injuries

A few days ago Blanca and Yaneli were running around. They had the great idea that Yaneli should climb on Blanca's back. A decent idea until Blanca tripped over a rock and with both of her hands supporting Yaneli, she scraped the ground with her face.

That night as I was tucking the girls in:

Blanca: (yelling from the other room) Amy! How am I going to sleep!?!
Me: You'll be fine, just don't put that side of your face on the pillow.
Blanca: But this side is my favorite! (a few moments pass and she yells again) It is all okay, I can sleep on the other side too!

Fede's Head Injury

So I am still a little unclear of the details, but today after church, Fede fell and hit his knee. He later was acting like a concussion patient. ( I know it sounds weird because he hit his knee, but he had no feeling on one side of his body, headache, vomiting, whininess, etc). Gloria took him into the emergency room and I went a few hours later to see how things were progressing. I walked in and saw through a crack in the curtain. Fede lay on the bed, eyes closed, tongue out, IV in his hand...I kind of thought he had turned into a mental patient. "Fede?" I whimpered.

I pulled back the curtain to see Gloria doubled over with laughter. His mouth turned into a huge grin. He had made a miraculous recovery but still needed to be kept for observation. I sent Gloria home and said I would sit with him for awhile. I picked up a book to read, but he just wanted to chat. "Fede, don't you want to lay down, aren't you tired?" "Tired? No! I slept all afternoon." He was in an hilarious mood and we had a great rest of the time and they released him early. (Probably because the other patients were complaining because of the noise.)

Speaking of head injuries...

Tonight when I went to put the girls to bed, they told me to shut my eyes and sit on the couch to wait for a surprise.

Surprise! Jaqueline was dressed up as a grandma and deserves an Emmy for her role playing as she wouldn't stop talking, walking or acting like Nana. Very convincing.

Totally Unrelated: Guest Bloggers

I am going to be MIA for a couple of weeks and in my absence have asked other CVE staffers to keep the post coming. There have been several that have reluctantly agreed. They have all committed to being nice, especially during the time when I will be away from internet connection. :) I feel like it will be refreshing for everyone to hear from someone else. I am super excited to see their creative genius!

love to all,
amy

2007-07-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Crazy Days of Summer

As we have had scorching days, the past few afternoons as the sky darkens with clouds that deceptively look like they are going to bring lots of rain, everyone is excitable and I think I could safely say, just a little crazy.

The dark clouds lifting

Aaron was skipping around the lunch room as the other kids ate, chanting, "santo, santo, santo" (holy, holy, holy).

He then fell over and died, "like Jesus on the cross."

Brian takes the kids for rides. Karla Josie pretends to be scared.

Uriel pops-a-wheelie

Jaqueline

Armando finished his hour of computer time and was telling me of the monsters he killed. When asked to show his monster face, this is what happened.

He then proceeded to chase me around like a monster.

Then, he saw Aaron throwing pebbles in the air, so he joined in until they both had to quit b/c of the pain.

He then apparently felt the need to be a one man circus as he started to show off his acrobatic abilities.

Joel holds the exploded Diet Coke that he found in the freezer. He claims innocence to the crime.

Franc falls to the ground, but the blow is cushioned by his pillow. I wasn't there, but borrowed this picture from Limón. Part of their "fight night" with the boys or something.

Clearly Armando is "doing the daBID."

Can you get any more precious?

José models his new haircut. (Seth, come back, things are falling apart.)

Uriel punches the camera. I am not sure why.

I just went to preview the post and noticed the girls have been very underrepresented on this post. Probably because we are more mature or something.

Just a few moments showing that isn't true.

I decided it was time to get over my fear of tarantulas by holding one. (Joel has creepy animals trapped in an aquarium.) I was a little unsure, but it was honestly not too bad. I had a dream one was on my head and I wasn't even scared. Then again, my dreams are definitely not always reliable.

Glorieta, the crazy cat. I am really not sure what she was thinking. ;)

Candi represents how most of the CVE girls walk around in the morning, a little grouchy and bad hair.

The Cheering Up of Fede

2007-07-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

This week we have a workteam from Belevedere here. Yes, that is in IL and not WI like I always think. I went out to take pictures of the team and had the rare opportunity of catching Fede's attitude on the camera.

Seth and Joel had this great idea that a few afternoons a week, they all need to do some sort of physical labor. This is maybe the third week into the new program. As I saw the CVE boys walking out, I went over to talk to them and to snap pictures of them hard at work.

Needless to say, Fede was not happy to have to scoop rock on such a hot day.

He walked over and plopped down on a bucket. "Fluffy, what is wrong?" I asked. He mumbled, "leave me alone." "Come on," I said, "smile for the camera."

José develops his own plan for taking Fede's mind off the heat.

Yay! Smiles all around. :)

The guys stop their work for a picture. They weren't even posing. :)

Last night, the minister had the service on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He was inspired to use the story as he said that "It feels like an oven or furnace outside." Amen. Have you ever wondered how hot you have to be to actually bake? (If you bring this up as a late night conversation starter, be careful!) As dear Jenna Bean put it, "it is so hot that your inside organs are being baked by the sweltering sun." Well said girl. :)

Sweemming Lessssonz

2007-07-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

"Okay, everyone out to the car, it is time for swimming lessons!" "Yeah, sweeming lessssonz! Last week we started swimming lessons. We take the girls (the guys take the boys after us) to a public pool where we "teach" them how to swim. So far it has been a little more of teaching them how to float and not panic or drown, but hey, baby steps with memories along the way.

Yaneli starts with a smile after being strapped into the "swimmer's training wheels."

So, just because a kid quickly learns to ride a bike doesn't mean they will enjoy the water. She sat for most of the time on the edge of the pool. Anytime she was in the pool, it involved large amounts of yelling and crying.

This random teenage couple yelled at me when I walked by.
Them: Hey!
Me: Hi.
Them: Take a picture of us.
Me: Umm...have I met you before?
Them: It will be a great memory!

So, I guess this photo is for pure memory sake. Hopefully it created a wonderful moment for them.

Paola, Karla and Lili take a break from their game.

Blanca shows her superb form and swimming style.

Today I started thinking back to my early swimming lesson days to encourage the girls who were afraid or embarrassed to learn now. After reminicsing a little bit with them, I decided that even though we aren't learning that much, I would rather not learn from a drill sargeant. Anyone who reads this from Bluffton, do you remember Pete? ;)

The Lessons They Teach Me

2007-07-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

A few girls trooped toward the kitchen, bags in hand. "Amy, we went through our toys and decided we should give these to poor children." I looked in their beautiful, little faces and then inspected the bags, anticipating their junk. Instead, as they looked on with eager, shining eyes, I saw some of their best. Little Yaneli sleeps with a naked doll baby that is missing at least one limb and is almost bald. In a voice filled with passion at the injustice of life she proclaimed, "There are some kids out there who don't have any toys!"

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." -Luke 6:38

For My Dear Brothers

2007-07-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Chad, Jay and Jeff,

I sincerely apologize for calling you "the rest of the family." Please allow me to make it up to you.

Meet Chad: Chadders, Chaddy, Chadder Cheese or Fluffy

He is oldest of the Fiechter boys at 20 years of age. He attends Purdue University and is currently studying abroad in Australia and says he has learned how to surf. Although, there is much suspicion amongst our family clan that he has never surfed a day in his life but he just sits on the beach and waxes his board. Thank you Mr. Jarin for photo proof of this.

Jay: J-J, Bub, Bird and Fluffy.

Jay is 17 and is a Senior. He is Class President for Norwell's class of 2008. He lives at home and works for Dad on the farm. Jay is a great, talented, accident prone kid. :) If you get the chance to meet Jay, ask him to flex for you. ;) This picture was taken in my front yard in March.

And last, but certainly not least, Jeff: Jeffy, Jeff-Beff, Jeffy-Beffy, Buddy or the fall back, Fluffy.

This picture was taken the last time I was with Jeff in March. Jeff also lives at home and works for Dad...and Mom. He is entering middle school in the fall. All of my brothers are smarter than me, but I am pretty sure only Jeff was smarter than me when he was seven.

Well "rest of the family" I hope this makes up for my previous insensitivity. :) When did you all get so old?

Hasta Pronto Muchachos!
love,
amy

Profound thoughts from a 12 year old

2007-06-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ready Michelle? I guess, what are we doing?

An interview, you can tell the world what is going on inside your head. Hmm...ok.

How old are you? I turned 12 on June 8th.

Do you prefer rain or sunshine? Rain

How do you feel about starting middle school? I am scared and kind of nervous.

What are some problems you have in your life? Seth really bothers me a lot and Joel tickles me.

When you can no longer endure the heat, what do you do? Throw cold water on my head.

Do you have a boyfriend? NO!

Do you want one? NO!

What is the best thing that has ever happened to you? When I learned the things of God.

What is your favorite thing about God? He has a plan for everyone.

What do you think God's plan for you is? That I can accept Him someday.

What makes you laugh? When Jaqui does here hair like a lion and then prances/dances around.

How can people pray for you? That I can serve God and that my family can also repent someday.

Anything else you want to tell the people who read the blog? What should I say? ...I have people who really care about me here...I like chocolates...Hi to your Mom, Dad, Kristen, all of your family and also Jeff B and David. That is it. Bye.

Always Worth the Climb

2007-06-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up early to try to beat the sun up the mountian. Any of the girls that wanted to hike, Steph G, Brittany, Emily and I were going to hike to the Cross before the female summer staff leaves. We ate Pop Tarts and headed out. Our start was a little late and when we got to the trail head at 6:20 am, the sun was beaming and I was already dripping sweat, I knew we were in for a hot hike up.

Jaqueline and Lili arrive and collapse into sweaty heaps. I was not doing any better. However, looking down, the valley looked absolutely beautiful and it seemed worth all the sweat.

While at the top, I looked over as Blanca stuck her sweaty little hands into her sweaty little pockets and emptied them of the Pop Tart that she decided to save. "Blanca! Did you really have to do that?" She laughed, smiled and cleaned out the other pocket to hand the other smashed Pop Tart to Yaneli.

Yaneli sits with her shards of snack on her lap.

Emily Gerber, Brittany Streitmatter and Steph Gerst with the girls. Arriving at the top was worth all the sweat. Each time I look over the whole town of Magdalena, I can just imagine God's hands lifting up the whole valley.

Funny Story of the Morning
Our conversation started on the way down.

Me: Girls, who forgot their deodarant? Remember, we have to put deodarant on every morning! If you forgot yours this morning, don't forget to shower when we get home.
Yaneli: Amy, I NEED deodarant!
Blanca: Me too, me too!
Me: I think you girls are really young to need deodarant, I will smell you and decide when we get down the mountain.

(Time passes, I forget to smell armpits and I am driving back)

Yaneli: (very indignant) I need deodarant Amy! I told you!
Me: Be patient, I said I would decide when we got back, besides, you are seven, that is really young for deodarant..
Yaneli: But I smell like an onion!
Me: (laughing at her accurate description) Ok, ok, just hold on, I will get you some when we get home.
Blanca: (taking the whole conversation in and waits a few moments) Amí, I need deodarant too because...because...because...I SMELL LIKE LETTUCE!

6th Grade Graduation

2007-06-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last night Uriel, Lili, Michelle and Paola graduated from Elementary school. Fede, Frank and Karlota went along to help with the flag ceremony and the much anticipated waltz.

Pre-graduation Blues
Getting ready for 6th grade graduation started with much stress and tears. Trying to work out routes to pick everyone up had us all (adults involved) leaving early with much to plan. I was late getting home and got ready as fast I could and 3 hours later came out to a group of girls who were crying, "My family isn't coming!" "My beautiful hairstyle fell down!" "I wanted to wear LONG sleeves!" "This is the last time I am going to be with my friends!"

None of the boys were crying, just whining they had to wear ties.

Frank helps Uriel with his clip-on tie. :) At least they weren't crying.

The Graduation

Michelle, Karla J, Fede and Paola

Michelle and Francisco proceed in while...waltzing?

Some of Michelle's family came

Maestro Carlos stands with the kids that graduated from CVE. He actually celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday. (Along with Kristen! Happy b-day Kris! Your Christmas present is in the mail, so another 6 months and I will send you a great gift for you.)

Lili and family members

Uriel and family

The Three Caballeros. They all looked so grown up and handsome last night.

Praise the Lord that graduation only comes once a year! Although, I am feeling very unsure that we are prepared to have kids in Middle School!

Joel took José and his sister, Lupita, to his school's graduation. He didn't graduate but danced in the "Dance of the Cowboy." The video footage is amazing!

P.S. I didn't really get ready for three hours, just wanted to see if anyone would notice. :)

Los Metiches de CVE

2007-06-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today we heard a loud bang and our eyes turned to the highway. Within a few minutes we realized there was a cement truck overturned and a smashed car. We called the emergency services and then tried to get to the highest point possible. The kids wanted to run across the highway to check out the action, but I had to resist my own metiche spirit and we stayed within the fence.

We stayed put and Lupita led those in the treehouse in prayer for the accident victims.

The boys were jealous of the girls' tree house as it is much closer to the highway.

One of the girls commented, "Look at all those people, they are blocking what the police are trying to do." To which Lupita laughed and responded, "HA! Look at the mote in your own eye!" :) (Effective lesson Jeff!)

unimportant side translation error-The word for mote in Spanish is only one letter off from the word mustache, so it took me a little bit to realize she wasn't yelling, "look at the mustache in your own eye!

We saw three people extracted from the car and taken in the ambulances, but, praise the Lord, it looks like everyone survived.

The Little Duck, Patrick, The Little Dog and the Little Yellow Duck

2007-06-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

The other night I was tired and excited to have the girls in bed so I could head to my own. As I flipped off the light and neared the door, I heard Eli's voice, "You forgot to kiss them." I ignored her. I felt justified in not kissing her 4 little stuffed animals. I kiss them every night and was pretty sure their stuffing wasn't going to fall out as a result of one night's neglect.

I opened the door to leave and heard, "AMY!" I rolled my eyes, turned around, flipped the light back on and went to the side of Eli's bed. I leaned over and started down the line, "Buenas Noches Patricio, Perrito, Patito y Patito amarillo," kissing each one. I looked at Eli to make sure I had met her expectations for the night so she would sleep. I could see the beginning of tears from when she had thought that I wasn't going to come back and kiss the whole zoo she has living with her.

What did I think? I was going to run out of love? That I had used up my day's capacity?

I realize that I have already posted the following C.S. Lewis thought, but it is such a good reminder for me.

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:5

Isn't that awesome? I don't have to worry about running out of love. God wants us to freely love and freely give, to be vulnerable, to love so much it hurts and then to love some more. Love never has been mine to keep or decide who to lavish it upon.

Today I had a conversation with Fede, hands down one of the most caring kids I have ever met:

Me: Fede, do you ever get tired of loving people?

Fede: What do you mean tired of loving?

Me: I mean, do you ever think that you are going to run out of love, or that you just don't have it in you to love another person?

Fede: (long pause) I don't get tired. You just...love.

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:16-18 (KJV)

Isaiah 55

2007-06-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

At the end of May,I asked for prayers for the Guerrero Leon family. Since that time José, the youngest brother (23), began to work at CVE for our three weeks of straight workteams. God's Hand in José's life is evident as He is doing big things in drawing José's heart to Him.

Against All Obstacles

2007-06-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13-14

From Heather's Point of View

2007-06-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

I (Amy) am really not in the mood to blog right now, but my beautiful friend, Heather Furrer is here right now and she is going to tell you about our day of chaperoning adventure from her point of view.

Yes, I am honored to blog for Amy :)

Today Amy, Sheila, and I had the delight of playing the 'parents' of about 20 kids at a 6th grade graduation party- hosted by their teacher. (Correction: Amy played the parent, Sheila played the girl who can slightly communicate with the kids, and I am the one who can merely smile, nod my head, and say 'si!')

The afternoon's expectations were to pick up ALL the students in the 15 passenger CVE van, then watch the kids swim for a few hours. We did have quite a full van, but it turns out the kids can swim for days in MX and not stop!

Although my communication skills are nearly nada, it was fun to sit and watch the kids play together for hours and not get bored for a second- the teacher was even caught up in the fun, with no thought of passing time...

By the end of the day, Ames and Sheila had both fell victims to the kid's desire to be joined in the pool.. note: sitting on the Other side of the fence while reading a book keeps a person out of the pool. :)

Michelle and a few of her classmates enjoying the pool

Sheila and I relaxing beside the pool and trying to stay as cool as possible- yes, an impossible task in the MX heat! I believe Sheila thinks she has both staying cool and being the inconspicuous American mastered with the straw hat. :)

One of the other activities available for the kids: trampolines. Uriel is quite the athlete, working on mastering his flips..

No party is complete without snacks! Lili and her friends take a break from swimming to eat... although Lili seems to be the only one enjoying the food..

The boys impressing the girls with their strength..

At the end of the pool party before departure. Yes, this pic was taken at 9:00 pm :)

Overall, a wonderful day spent in the hot sun with great company!!

Signing off,
Heather