Pic-Juan with Jenean

A couple weekends ago, Jenean and her niece Heather came to visit us. It was a beautiful weekend, and we all (Jenna, her kids, my kids, and the visitors) headed to the river Saturday afternoon for a picnic, and - inevitably - "adventures" in mud and water... :)

Jenean and Heather -- you might have noticed from the above picture that there are no blankets... hmmm. Yep. We were the bright ones that forgot to bring blankets... ;)

So rocks and... well, mud... became our chairs!

We also strategically chose the spot where we would eat so that it would be the most hygienic -- please note Diego's three eating companions to the right. :)

However, this did not seem to deter the children from literally tearing into the bologna Jenean bought in town... lol.

I love this picture of Jazany -- I think she looks like an elf!

An adorable elf... but still an elf. :)

Diego and Aaron -- sporting their Spring Break haircuts... a.k.a Non-existent Haircuts. ;)

I think Aaron ended up winning the No-Hair-Cutting contest when we finally cut it all off!

After eating, the kids looked for more entertainment, which included (but was not limited to):

Jumping off dangerous-looking broken, tree limbs into 3.5 cm of water...

(Yes, there was more than that... but not much [sigh].)

Skipping rocks...

Napping and playing "phone games"...

And then... clean-up! Although Ponch's attempts here with the rock were not that effective, if you can believe it... :)

The "mud" actually smelled incredibly, incredibly horrid. Maybe because it wasn't all "mud"... lol.

Thanks, Jenean, for coming -- good times!

Catch-up Blog...

It seems like my photo cache for the month of April has been abnormally large; which [logically, cough] would mean lots of blogging material. But -- since for some reason I find it easier to blog while sitting down for a LARGE chunk of time, instead of just a few minutes... they all come at once! ;)

The above photo was taken at the DIF park in town on Good Friday.

Diego turned 5 on the first day of April -- "oh my goodness!"
[His favorite English expression, and my sentiments exactly! lol]

I can't believe he's five years old. It's incredible to me that this family has been here for two years already... and it's beautiful to see how each one is growing in a different way.
Praise God! :)

This Easter I was missing my family a lot. Even before I had given my life to Christ, I enjoyed Easter -- whether it was singing Handel's Messiah with our college choir, or at home watching Mom pour pastel-colored peanut M&M's into the cross-shaped pan for church... ;)

But this year was special, too -- and I pray that these kids also have great memories from all that happened. And more importantly... I pray that they realize that all we have, all we do, all we are is NOTHING without Jesus and His sacrifice of love... and the communion we can now have with our Father.

"And, behold, the temple of the veil was rent in twain from the top to the bottom..." - Matthew 27:51a

Sunday morning [early] we headed to a mountain (sort of a hill, actually... but we called it a "mountain"... lol) for SONrise services; it was beautiful, and I was so thankful we were able to go, sing songs, and praise God!
It was nice because a few sisters from Ixtlan and Guadalajara were able to join us, as well. We all headed back then for an Easter morning breakfast at our house.

I had originally planned on hunting Easter eggs ON Easter [go figure]. However, I got super-sick, and we ended up hunting Easter eggs on... I don't know... Thursday or something. It was still a good time, though... ;)

Here the kids are with their Easter sacks -- no baskets [oops] [but they worked just fine] -- ready to rip open the plastic eggs and get the treasures inside!

Some of the "treasures" were the pills that convert into animal-shaped sponges when you put them in water -- which was a blast! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching the pills explode into little critters as a child -- and I thoroughly enjoyed it again as an adult seeing the kids so excited! :)

At left, Nere with her collection of Easter eggs; at right, Aaron "modeling" Candi's earring from her sack of treasures -- she wasn't a fan, so he thought he'd model it for a photo. :)

At left, Candi with her "bling" -- these rings have definitely made the circuit of the orphanage, now... lol. And at right, Diego models another of the girls' gifts -- butterfly clips!

One Saturday morning we had some free time, and I had told Aaron that I wanted to clean out his ears with hydrogen peroxide -- which we did all the time as kids; especially when we went swimming or something. So -- we decided to try it! And the boys -- about peed their pants giggling... seriously! They couldn't stopped laughing because it tickled so much!

Kids with clean ear canals twitching above (bottom to top): Aaron, Ramses, Jose, and Diego.

Frankie and Daniel came over and ended up getting their ears cleaned, too -- I told Daniel that now he could actually hear and obey what David was telling him... :)

Last Sunday morning I took this pic of Poncho -- quite handsome in his new shirt! It's amazing the amount of clothes that we get donated, and I'm thankful when we find something that works.

Please keep Poncho in your prayers -- that He can feel and acknowledge God's love for him and let that show in his actions toward others...

Nereida and Candi on Sunday morning. I did their hair the same, and so - of course - we were required to take pictures!!!

We also have this cool little ant traffic-way that crosses our path to the house... this provides endless entertainment for the kids as they watch these busy little insects cart and cart and CART all kinds of things; the ants also provide a great example of a good work ethic for the kids' chores! :)

Samuel -- our Hungarian friend and brother -- left last Monday to head back to San Diego for a bit, and then on to Hungary. It was a huge blessing having him here, and the kids loved him... a lot! We wish you well, Samuel, and pray that God blesses your journey and your time at home... that His Word does indeed go forth!

He came up to the house for a final night of "luchar-ing" with the kids, and I was able to snap a few photos...

The above photo was taken on top of the kids' bunk bed -- a little shaky with so much pressure applied, but there was very little blood, and nobody died, so we're good. :)

Aaron, Diego, Candi, and Samuel wrestling on the couch cushions.

Jose trying out a yoga position on the cushions -- it's very, very funny to watch the kids imitate yoga and pilates postures!!! :)

Limon (Joel Leman) headed back to Illinois for a couple months -- something important was happening... like... getting married or something?!? lol -- but before he went, we were chatting about all these events/activities that we get to be involved with here.

And it's so true! So many times I forget that our lives with these kids are packed with activities... and memories... and that it's just normal life here. I know that God is working and leading and guiding, and I just pray that as these kids develop, mature, and sense the void their humanity can create between their Creator and them... that they will open their hearts to His Word and His everlasting love.

Thanks for your prayers...

I've heard it said that to be a good writer, one should first be an avid reader.
My problem is that I keep reading others' brilliance, and become increasingly aware of my own shortcomings... :)

Una Fogata

A few Friday nights ago, some of us had ganas [the desire] to have a bonfire, sing some songs, roast marshmallows, get bitten by creepy, crawly things... etcetera. :)

Jenna and I's kids, and the boys from the dorms headed back behind the volunteer dorms to the fire-pit for some good fellowship...

On the walk to the fogata site, I snapped this photo of the six kidlets.

(l-r) Diego, Aaron, Candi, Nere, Jose, and Ponch

I believe Jenna called Limón the "fire-whisperer" right before this photo was taken... ;)

Fede and Aaron -- notice [again] the weirdo smile Aaron has. I don't get it... how can a kid smile normally for two years, and then suddenly... snap! it's gone.

weird.

José -- Strongest Child in the World Contest

Contestant #3307 -- a sure win. :)

Seth brought his guitar so we could sing a few praise songs -- which the kids absolutely love. They also loved strumming the guitar... five million times. :)

Five million might be an exaggeration, but it was certainly a main attraction!

La Princessa; who stole her crown from...

... the principes!

Diego and Mario inhaling lots of wood smoke...

Poncho and Juan-tan during the fogata.

Yesterday afternoon Juan-tan came up to the house to read with Ponch on the porch, and suddenly our entire house-full of kids was glued to his side.

Do you think they're longing for a little male influence??? :)

All in His time...

This is what happens when you stay up past your 8:15 p.m. bedtime... ;)

Federico and Uriel were having a great time "wrestling" with Diego and Aaron. I think it's awesome that these two little guys can have two "big guys" that will play with them like this -- most days, anyway... ;)

Fede and Uriel have a lot of influence over the younger kids -- please pray that they could be good examples... and that God would continue to speak to their hearts!

The Beach, Eleven Kids, and Lots of Sunblock...

... or not enough as it turns out. :)

So... we went to the beach. And we're back. I got stung on the foot by a sting ray. It's okay, though. We swam. We played. We got burnt. We watched Mary Poppins. We ate some seafood. We took a monton of pictures. We praised God, and gloried in all He has made!

And... I'm really tired... lol.

However, it was a really good time, and I am so thankful we were able to go. Below is a [brief] [for me] account of our time in Bahia de Kino during the kids' Spring Break...

We got to the beach on Sunday afternoon/early evening and were met with cloudy skies and lots of wind... and I was definitely praying that our next two days weren't going to be overcast and freezing... because it was chilly! However, that didn't deter the kidlets from crashing right into the icy water...

... and running right back out to wrap themselves up in towels! ;)

Katie Schick went with us, and was a HUGE, huge help... I know both Jenna and I were grateful for not only the extra set of eyes to watch eleven kids on the beach, but also for getting to spend a little extra time with this amazing muchacha... :)

This was taken right after Candi decided that [for some reason] she should smash her forehead into the cold, wet sand and let the tide run over her face...
Who teaches her these things???

Diego and Candi watching [now] a safe distance from the icy waves...

We finally headed back to the bungalows for the night, grilled up some quesadillas, and then had chips and cheesy Ro*tel dip... :)

As there wasn't anywhere near enough seating for all of us, the kids ended up eating most of the meals on the floor, or outside on the porch... which worked just fine. :)

Praise the Lord, the next morning dawned bright and clear with a dazzling sun to start off our day! Here are all the kids with their swim-gear ready to hit the sand and waves...

... and hit it we did!

Wherever our "stuff" was, it was quite colorful... lol. Rounding things up at the end of every swim-time was something quite interesting... and even though a few things went missing [cough... Katie's miraculously lost-beneath-the-sand-and-then-recovered-the-next-day flip-flops], for the most part it went well... ;)

Alexia and Jazany -- growing into two young ladies!

Julissa and Nere -- still best of friends, and every-other-day worst of enemies... ;)

Mario & Jose -- every time I see this photo, I just have to laugh!

They were so ready to go out into the deep, deep water [that was 3 inches deep] with their inflatable boat that had no bottom... ;)

Aaron & Diego -- who have apparently lost their ability to smile naturally! We tried this photo several times, and could never get good smiles or straight faces from them!

Ha! Cutest child award... right here!

(Or one of the cutest... I know I'm biased.)

Top left: Ramses got his arms stuck in this little inner-tube... :)

Top right: Ponch hamming it up... and looking like a blinged-up reindeer. ;)

Bottom left: Super-Mario!!! With lots of snot... lol.

Bottom right: If he doesn't win you with anything else, Jose will capture you with this beautiful little smile... :)

Diego in the water -- always colorful with his protective goggles to see through beach air, and his fuzz-top [specialty-cut by Steph which includes NOT cutting hair until the kids head back to school! We're having a contest to see whose hair grows the longest... lol]

And Aaron -- in one of the greatest pics of all time... ;)

Maybe not of ALL time, but this was certainly a highlight! He found the skeleton of a -- well, I don't know what it was, actually... sorry -- and it still had the eyeball [petrified, of course]... gross.

Cool -- but still kind of gross.

On Monday night we went out to eat at Jorge's, a Mexican seafood restaurant. And these four little guys posed for me in their "good clothes" before we walked to the joint...

This is what happens when you try to take a "good" picture... kids usually interrupt!!!

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." - Matthew 22:37

Tuesday morning was amazing.

Jenna and I had the opportunity to have an early-morning prayer time on the beach, and lots of time to write in the sand... ;)

So... once again I am so thankful for God's provision in our lives. And for the memories that we will have from this trip. It does seem like a lot of work, but looking back at the pictures... it's a lot of fun, too!

And Mom -- it gives me a whole new appreciation of what you did every single time we packed to go to TableRock! ;)

I have some pretty great videos from the trip, too, and I will try to post those sometime soon. [Yes... "soon" is always, always a relative term in my world... lol.]

Thanks so much everyone for your continuing prayers... :)