Take 2...

I just finished typing out a lovely update and , it disappeared! Bummer.

Let's try this again.

All of the children here are precious. Each has a unique story and many have gone through extremely difficult situations. Some are here because their parent(s) could not find a way to put food on the table even once a day. We have been loving them as best we can with smiles, play, laughs, broken and limited Spanish, and practical acts of service.

One of these practical projects is converting a small two-story building from storage into space suitable for use as classrooms. Actually, Madelyn's vision is to convert the two second floor rooms into classrooms and the two bottom floors into a cafe on one side and a souvenier shop on the other. This will hopefully bring in some revenue to support the Home.

We are almost done with this work, which involved sorting through many bags of clothing and organizing one of the downstairs rooms. For now, the goal is to make it presentable for the children's first day of school in the new space... Monday!

Another related project is to clear out a storage shed that looks more like a short-order vendor shack (metal roll-down window/door covering and all). This will be converted into a vending stand the older children can run.

This work is coming along, too. Layne, Roger and his sons pulled nails/screws, spackled, etc. and will then paint it something pleasing. Some painting of the school rooms will also be done.

The othe team (Truitts, Selkirks, Armostrongs) are still at the Reynosa BIC Church. We're curious to hear how that is going! They plan to return their tomorrow, too.

Some of you (Mom's) may be wondering about safety and how our kids are doing. In short, they are doing very well! Aside from an old soccer ball and Nate's nerf football, there really are no toys here. They do have a playground... covered mostly in hard dirt and some pebbles. Layne and I were wondering if we might be able to get into contact with a tire company in the US to see if there is a way to donate the rubber scraps used to make rubber mulch (much safer than the hard, packed dirt... and better for those here with asthma or allergies).

Speaking of dust... I cracked ribs about 5 days ago (long story) and would appreciate prayer. It's been very sore the last 48 hours and sneezing really hurts. :-)

On the safety front, Madelyn described the neighborhood for us last night. "Not too bad. You can jog in pairs over here on the hill. When you see the great big field, though, don't go there. You might not come back with your watch."

Actually, we feel quite safe within the Home's grounds. Double gates and a thick wall surround us, with chain-link fence above that. She said we can go out as long as we take 2 or 3 of the older children from the home with us. Everyone around here apparantly knows the kids here and they are all respected. In other words, no one will bother us if they are with us.

For now, we've all been content to stay within the Home's grounds. However, Madelyn recommended a great taco place about 2 blocks from here and I'm feeling adventurous. :-) I may ask Oscar and Jesus to join us since I've started to build some rapport with them through our common interest in music.

Well, back to work. Spackling, painting and lots of other stuff to do.

Blessings to you all and thank you for your continued prayers.
-M