Christmas to be remembered!

This week was busy with going to the hospital, adoption meeting, getting groceries the day before Christmas and the town being fuller than I’ve ever seen, so it took twice as long to do everything! We came home, unloaded the van and put those things away, changed our clothes and left to go to Enrique Becerra’s house for the evening. The home was invited for supper and caroling. They are a Mexican family that comes to church once in a while. They had made a delicious meal of tamales for us. Then Greivin shared the Christmas story with everyone. The children really enjoyed going away and we had a very nice evening there.

This forenoon then we fixed food and got our Christmas meal ready. Ham, mashed potatoes, rice & beans, salad, homemade bread, tea, and 3 different kinds of cream pie. Regina and Bethany did a great job of decorating the tables and making it special for everyone.

   Decorating gingerbread cookies      

After lunch was cleaned up I sat down to relax a bit and listen to Greivin’s mother tell stories to the children. After just a little bit I saw Nevin come rushing up to the front door clutching his arm and there was blood! I opened the door and he said, “I need stitches.” I told him we want to look at it so we went to the kitchen and I took one look and said, “You’re right!” There was a cut 3” long across his arm and if he let go of his arm it stood open at least 1 1/2”. So I told him to go to our house but we only made it to the couch til he had to sit down. The boys got Lorne and I helped Nevin to the van. Lorne got in to go and the van was dead! So he got the truck and off we went! I held his arm together while he hung his head between his knees to keep from fainting. On the way he told us what had happened. Some of the home boys got knives for Christmas and the one was out there by Nevin playing with his knife. Nevin was watching Greivin do something with the tractor and then turned to the boy and the knife caught his arm. We went to the Red Cross and the man there took a look and said to come on in. Well, he searched for the Dr. but couldn’t find him so he said we need to go over to the hospital. I was still putting pressure on the arm and carrying it as back outside we went. There was an ambulance driver and he wanted to see too! When he saw it he said to come over to the ambulance to dress it. Then he said that they can get us over to the hospital faster and get faster service, so into the ambulance we went. They told Lorne where we were going and off we went again! Only this time with lights and sirens! I tried not to laugh and just buckled up for the ride! The one man was cleaning and bandaging the arm on the way and the other racing across town. When we got to the hospital we got immediate service so that was a plus. We weren’t there long until two policemen came in and wanted to know what happened. We had told them he was cut with a knife and they were there to be sure that he hadn’t been in a fight! After looking and asking a few questions they were on their way again. The Dr. did a good job of sewing it up and when we were ready to leave I asked about paying. He said, “Oh, nothing for this day!” Well, thank God! An ambulance ride, an emergency room visit with lots of stitches and no charge. What a blessing! We came back and counted our blessings and so ends this eventful Christmas.

The ‘after’ picture. So wish I had a ‘before’ but somehow didn’t think of a camera until later!

We went to Tijuana today to visit Virgil & Liz again. We all walked several blocks to the ocean then back to the hospital and ate supper there on the patio. Yesterday she had a bigger day of treatments so seemed more tired today but was still up and going. It's so special to be able to share a few hours together!

Blessings & Trials…

The greatest blessing first… We received our answer from DIF today that we have been approved to adopt Tania!! How can I describe the feelings that go with this answer? I can’t. We praise, thank and glorify God for arranging this in His time! We are to receive our appointment next week to process the documents needed to take it into the legal phase of the adoption here in MX. We also know that until it is completely finalized God can allow it to be disrupted but we continue to place it into His hands and trust Him with the details.

It’s been a very full 2 weeks emotionally & physically. Susie, Amy & Tony Burkholder came on Dec. 9th and were here for a week. We really enjoyed connecting with them and having their fellowship here! The ladies helped a lot in the kitchen and Tony accompanied Nevin in whatever his projects were on the given days.

Last Sunday Virgil & Liz came to Tijuana for cancer treatment for her and plan to be here until Dec. 26th. We planned our Tijuana trip with the Burkholders for Tuesday so that we could also visit Virgil’s. Liz was feeling well enough that they went with us downtown to do some shopping too. They have a wonderful place at the hospital and seemed very positive about the treatments and care that they are receiving there. It was very special to be able to be together even if only for a little while. We continue to pray for her healing.

Then, on Wednesday Lorne’s Dad & Mom arrived with their pickup load of things that they brought down for here. They plan to leave the truck here for our use and fly home next week. It’s so special to have them here with us again!

One big trial this week was that we had 2 children diagnosed with hepatitis A. They had arrived around 2 weeks ago and we were unaware that they had been exposed to the illness. I never before needed to deal with this illness so was fairly ignorant on what is involved but have done a lot of studying and we go forward. We needed to put the children in a room by themselves with only their caregiver allowed to enter the room and are taking precautions to prevent spreading the virus any farther.  Please pray with us for healing for them and for protection for the rest of us that no one else will get sick. 

Every day God has appointments for you… be there.

Back Again…

We are back to Mexico and back in the routine here. We came back at 9 pm Dec. 1st. We had a wonderfully sweet reunion with our little girl! She first just looked at us smiling, then just laughed as if not believing her eyes. She readily came to us and just looked into our faces and couldn’t get finished going back and forth from one to the other of us. She didn’t want to sleep for a while then was awake several times during the night. The next few days she wanted to be held all the time, laying on our shoulders, cuddling and snuggling, but she seems to be settling in better the last couple of days. What a joy to be together again!

We’ve been busy catching up on schedules and working on upcoming plans. On Friday we went to Tijuana to take some more adoption related papers to the office there and to bring Enrique back again.   He had left on Mon. to go to his adoptive family but that didn’t work out for them so he was returned to us. He was so terribly sad when we first saw him, but when he realized he was coming with us he became very lively and happy! This afternoon Lorne went to Tijuana  for Nevin’s ortho appointment and to bring 2 more children. This brings our number of children to 40 again.

Friday the men and boys helped Delores move all of their things up into the school apartment, as they’d decided to move up there for the winter. Greivin continues to improve but still is not able to be out and going or doing any work. The house where they were living was total cement with no insulation and was very cold. With little children and a sick man they knew they couldn’t live there while it’s cold.

Today it has rained all day! And for us that’s very different. But it also means water under the doors, water in some windows and down the walls, sweaty windows all day long. Muddy, slippery road. It continues to get more windy the later it gets. Just a bit ago Mikaela came and told me to come look while she excitedly showed me that the chimney had blown off the roof and into the courtyard! Well, so she blows! We’re in Mexico… Come visit us!!

Blessed!

A time of rest. A time to reflect. A time to think of where we are and what we are doing. This brings thankfulness to God for all He has given us in the last year. For the growth He required in our lives through the things He allowed us to experience. What a blessed privilege to serve a God that continues to refine us and bring us ever closer to Him.

We came to Indiana on Nov. 12 for Jeremy & Brittany’s wedding which was the 14th. Lorne’s family was all able to be there and we were so glad that we could come to be with them on this special day. To see a nephew get married puts us in an older phase of life, it seems!

The weeks since the wedding have been a great time of reconnecting with family and friends again. Our family was very blessed to have a house to ourselves while we are here. We have really enjoyed our time together as a family as well. In Mexico we don’t have much privacy and so the opportunity to have some alone time here has been very special.

What have we been doing? Helping my Dad build a new shop. Sewing 8 dresses. Regina & Nevin flying to SC with Galen to bring Rachel back. Shopping for things that we can’t get in the west. Birthdays for Lorne & Nevin. Miller family pictures. Thanksgiving day together with all of my family. Supper invitations. Choir service. Sundays with Lorne’s family. Being blessed over and over!

Our hearts have been torn between two since we are here. Greivin’s were taking our place at the home, but the first weekend already he became sick and then was in the hospital for a while. We would have wanted to return to be with them through this difficult time but had to rest in the fact that God knew all these details before we left and it was all in His hands. We also heard that Gustavo, Marlene’s baby, left to live with his grandparents since we are here. We know how hard those days are and again we just wanted to be there.

We miss Tania more than we can say and are very ready to go back and have our family complete again! It’s hard to explain the feelings we deal with as we are with family here and enjoy that so much yet want to return to our Mexico family as well. Then we face the separation once again and we commit our families and ourselves into God’s hands for the unknown of the coming days. This time we said goodbye to Galen & Edith’s family not knowing when we might be able to see them again as they  plan to leave for Canada in the spring for a term of service there. Also, we face the uncertainty of our sister-in-law Liz’s health. Her cancer has returned and her condition declined. When our families face difficult situations it requires a deeper level of trust in our Father as we commit them into His will and submit to the details that He chooses for each of us.

One day when we were talking here one of the children said something about when we go home, referring to when we return to Mexico. That brought a discussion of “where is home?” I spent a good bit of time thinking about that and concluded that when we are in God’s will, following after the things He calls us to do, at the place where He calls us to be, there we are at home.

There is no greater rest than to be at rest in God!

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

How much is it worth to invest in the life of a child if only for a little time? Will it really make any difference? Only God knows what the fruits will be and yet this week we had a glimpse of the fact that it really does matter.

Carlitos and his sisters (former children here) have been coming with Gordon’s to church regularly. Last Sunday their Dad came with them too. He’s not visited here since we’re here. Gordon preached about the parable of the talents where some had 1 talent while others had 10. His challenge to us was to see what we are doing with the talents that God has given us. After church these children's Dad said that he understands this message clearly because he sees Daniela (5-6 yr. old) using the talent that God gave her. He then explained that he’s been reading his Bible and that Daniela has been begging him to come to church and it’s because of her persistence that he came to the service. Does it make a difference to invest in the life of a child?

On Monday we got a call that Melisa and Kimberli will be leaving to go back to their mother. They decided that it would be on Friday when they go, so we had several days to prepare with them. The girls had been here for 2 1/2 years. It was really hard for Kimberli to think of going. She said she wants to go live with her mom but she just knows that she’ll miss everyone here so much. On Tuesday evening I was talking with Melisa about the fact that no matter where we are God is with us and she can serve God even if she’s not here. She started to cry and so sincerely told me that the reason she so badly wants to go is so that she can tell her mom about God. She had a very real burden for her mother. I assured her that this will be a good opportunity and that by her life and testimony her mom can learn to know about God. Does it make a difference to invest in the life of a child?  
A week and a half ago when we had our last appointment with DIF the social worker set an appointment to come for a home visit the following Wed. She said she’d need to check with her boss for sure but to plan on it for then. That Friday morning I told the children that we were going to clean house before we do school that morning because for my birthday Saturday we planned to go shopping in San Diego. That was also the morning the men chose to do repairs on the generator so we were without electricity all day. I had our bed pulled out to clean underneath, Regina & Nevin had tables moved to mop and clean and there was a general unfinished look about the house when I saw a DIF car drive in. Strange, I thought, since we had nothing on the schedule, but Oh well, so goes. I watched to see who it was and saw that it was the social worker! I knew right away that the time for our house inspection was now! Gulp!! I very rapidly told the boys to fly to their room and clean it faster than they’ve ever cleaned. They later commented that it was the first time they could ever remember Mom saying to stuff things under the beds! Point being speed! Soon there was a knock in the hall with the message that DIF wanted to talk to me. Gina kept flying about and I tried to take my time to allow a few more minutes of flurry. And yes, that was what she wanted and right soon we were back to our apartment for her to check all the rooms. I took her to our room first to give the others a bit more time in their rooms and by the time we came to the side rooms they were so nice and clean! We received a good report in spite of the speed by which it was accomplished. I reminded the boys that that is why we like to live in a clean house so that it’s not a problem when we have surprises. Nevin thought it was probably better that they came then, because if it had been on a day that we planned on them we’d have had everything so perfect it wouldn’t have looked like a family lived here. True, I admit. So, now that was done.

We had a wonderful day as a family on Saturday, the 31st. We took Heidi to the airport in Tijuana to fly to Costa Rica, then we went on to San Diego for the day. We did lots of shopping and ate American food at Long John Silver’s. It was a special day for all of us.

Friday night was slumber party time for Regina and the girls. On Tuesday they helped me thoroughly clean the schoolhouse apartment so I told them they could plan a party for Friday night. Great memories!              
                Little party crashers!

Yesterday Darin left for Indiana so now Lorne and Nevin have the home boys to watch. Makes for an interesting circus! We all have come to appreciate even more the work that Gideon does when he is here! Greivin’s are back and it’s very good to have them here again! They’ll be taking our place when we leave.

My mind is spinning with details of last minute things to be done here to make it easier while we’re gone. Trying to have extra supplies on hand, making sure the jobs are all covered, schedules all in place and on and on. Gina and I are still trying to do some sewing that got pushed off until it now that it needs to be done. On Friday we canned 12 quarts of pumpkin and today Gina made pumpkin pie for lunch. Truly a treat since we haven’t been able to find canned pumpkin here. Check another thing off the list. Only three more full days to go.

I leave with you the challenge as well, what are you doing with the talents God has given you? Make a difference in someone’s life today!

My Soul Waits for the Lord

Oct. 23rd was 1 year that Tania came to the home here and into our care. She came as a sickly little girl who was HIV positive. She was allergic to dairy and had a lot of respiratory problems. Today she is HIV negative, is on raw cow’s milk and is a very active, healthy toddler. Praise God for his mercy on her life and His healing for her body! She is changing so much right now and we all enjoy her antics!

Our family is looking forward to going to Indiana in 2 weeks for Jeremy’s wedding and for a time of rest and refreshment. At the same time I feel so sad when I think of leaving Tania here. I know she won’t understand why we’ve left her and that we plan to return.  She was upset when she saw Regina’s suitcases the day she left. The rest of that evening she was just sad and wanted to be held. Such a mixture of emotions!

We had another adoption appointment on Tuesday. Right now they sound very positive but they say it will still be a long process. So many unknowns. So many details to just give to God because we can’t do anything about them. Last week Darin gave us a copy of a writing entitled “Learning to wait on the Lord”. It was a good reminder to us that this is in God’s time and He has a plan for our lives, a purpose to every delay.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning."

"WAIT" (Author Unknown)

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried: Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate, and the Master who gently said, "Child, you must wait."

"Wait?" You say, wait!," my indignant reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I can relate hangs in the balance, and You tell me to wait? I'm needing a 'yes' a go-ahead sign, or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"And Lord, You promised that if we believe we need but to ask, and we shall receive. Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry: I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, as my Master replied once again, "You must wait." So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, and grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting… for what?"

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine, and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun. I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

"All you ask me I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have what you want – but, you wouldn't know Me. You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint: You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair: You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there; you'd not know the joy of resting in Me when darkness and silence were all you can see.

"You'd never experience that fullness of love, as the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove; you'd know that I live and I save… (for a start), but you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of My comfort late into the night. The faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked of an infinite God.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, what it means that 'My grace is sufficient for Thee.' Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true. But, Oh, the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see that the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me. And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late. My most precious answer of all is still, 'wait.'"

And so we wait…

More of October….

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Strong and steady, always enthusiastic? What a challenge!!

Two weeks ago I started an update but was interrupted and then it never got finished. I’ll try again and see if I can backtrack that far. Laura left the evening of the 12th. She was our floater so there were loose ends to be attached to someone. We passed around her jobs and it’s been working well. It’s such a blessing to have willing workers that pitch in to help, even when it means tiring days and sacrificing personal comfort!

Then, Regina and Marcela left on the 15th, flying out of Los Angeles. Regina really enjoyed the adventure of international travel, seeing another country and most of all, spending time with Gina Miller and her family. The wedding was Oct. 23 at 6:00 a..m. The girls flew back then on the 24th but didn’t get here until 4:00 Sun. morning. I only got to talk to Gina once for a little more than 3 minutes the whole 9 days she was gone. So it was very good to have her back and hear all about the trip. We really missed our Gina!

Also, on the 24th Gideon left for a vacation at home and in Costa Rica. Darin is taking care of Gid’s 6 boys while he is gone. It’s quite a switch to deal with boys and their issues versus fixing things and going after supplies!

A special thanks to all of you that dug into your sewing supplies, or that bought new supplies and shared with us here! It really does help us to be able to go to the supply boxes and have items here to use rather than wait until someone can go to town or we can order things through the mail. And to have the tools to use as well makes the job so much easier. God bless you for helping!

God is so good and has sent us some more help again now. Yesterday Bethany Klassen came from Canada to work here as floater. I think God lets us have those times of less to make us more thankful when He gives us more. Heidi plans to leave on Sat. for Costa Rica and will be gone until Nov. 21st so Bethany’s arrival is definitely on time!

Blessings to you all!

Count it all joy…

Another week, another chance to serve the Lord!

What an awesome privilege!

Our last week was one of variety. Friday, Oct 2nd, we had an adoption related appointment with the psychologist  in Tijuana. This time it was with our children so we all went. Then for supper we were invited to Gordon’s and we had a relaxing evening of fellowship with them.

Saturday was Brent’s 12th birthday so Lorne took the boys to town to do some ‘guy’ shopping while Regina and I stayed here to get ready for the company that was coming. The board of directors came Saturday afternoon. We had meetings with them in the evening, but the children waited on us and that night we had a birthday party for Brent. Darin missed the party because he had to make a hospital run. Alfredo, a 6 yr old, was vomiting blood and seemed pretty sick so they took him in. The Dr. gave him a shot to stop the vomiting and some other meds and they came home again about 1 in the morning.

Tuesday Brent & I went to Tecate to get the mail and then pick up a few other things. Brent had gotten some money for his birthday and really wanted a hamster, so we went to the secondhand stores and he found a good cage with supplies for a good price. Then we went on to the pet shop and bought the much wished for critter.

Wednesday was tree planting day. Phil brought an auger to dig holes and they were in business. That is, until the auger teeth wore down and wouldn’t dig anymore. But, they got 30 some trees planted anyway and hopefully this week will have it fixed to do more.

Thursday Lorne needed to take some children to Tijuana so we decided that the boys and I would go get the groceries. Well, our vehicle situation here is pathetic and the only option we had was to take the blue van, which is an adventure in itself. Darin had the battery charger on it until we were ready to go and Nevin took the jumpers along. When we went to leave Nevin told me I need to put it in neutral and rev the motor to get it to stay running. Umm… Certainly! I can do this. So off we roared, chuckling as we went! We made it about 5 minutes down the road when something popped as if I had hit something. We decided it must have just been a rock and on we rumbled. Not much further, there was an awful grinding noise from the front right wheel. Nevin got out and couldn’t see anything, so we went a little more. Oh dear, it just sounded too bad to go further! Check the phone. No, no service here. Well, God had it all under control! We were just a small field across from Phil’s house, so Brent & Dustin ran over to see if Phil could come to help us. He came and after just a bit of looking he found that the spring had broken and was grinding against the rim. OK. He went back and got his truck, jacked the van up, and took the broken pieces out. Now we could come back home if we drove very slowly. When we got back, I talked to Greivin at the school and he said we should just take his vehicle since the truck (which had gone to Tecate) should be back by the time he wants to go home. So, an hour and a half after we left the first time, we were off again. But, we were so thankful that God was in charge of the details as it could have been so much more difficult! God is good!

Saturday we were all invited to visit a ranch across the mountain south of us. All of us here at the home went, along with Phil’s, Greivin’s, and Gordon with some of their children. It was around 25 miles but took us 1 1/2 hrs to get there. The road back there made our road seem like a fairly nice road. (it isn’t) It was a beautiful place to spend the day! They are very nice people who seemed to really enjoy the children and our fellowship. They had a picnic area where we grilled hot dogs and ate our lunch. There were lots of trees. Beautiful, big, oak trees! Shade. So quiet and peaceful it was. I heard different comments about it not seeming as if we were in MX. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Please pray for healing for my back. On Friday afternoon I had a sharp pain in my lower back and have been living on pain pills and even with those I’m not getting total relief. It affects my legs and makes it hard to move around, while here that’s not really such an optional thing.

As well, pray for us these next 2 weeks. Laura leaves for home Mon. night. Wed. Greivin’s leave which means that one of the Mom’s will need to teach school. Then on Thurs. night Regina and Marcela leave for Costa Rica for Regina Miller’s wedding. There go our cooks, and cleaning people. We had thought that our new floater was going to be here by now, but that hasn’t worked for her yet.  I told Lorne, Nevin, Darin and Gid that I guess the guys will need to help cook. God has a plan and I’m trusting that He will give us the strength to do what needs to be done or send us some help.

A quote I read this week that was right on time for me is “Trials are never wasted, nor does God ever give them to the wrong person.” God bless you all this week!

Continue to pray….

Just a quick update on Rocio. We thank God that she has decided she wants to stay here at this time. God is working in her heart and we need to continue to pray for her that she could completely surrender to Him and His plan for her life. We serve an awesome God who is able to do far above what we can ever accomplish, so we continue to commit her to Him. Thanks for your prayers!

God is Faithful…

What am I willing to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom? On Sunday we had a message on giving up our all to enter the kingdom. He used the example of the rich young ruler that had lived a nearly perfect life, yet Jesus said he lacked one thing and that was to give up his riches. His unwillingness to give up what was dear to him cost him the kingdom. God knew just when I needed that message because I wasn’t doing such a good job of willingly giving up my wishes just then! When I heard on Friday that Galen’s had their baby, I really struggled with being ok with where God has me just now! My selfish heart wanted to be in Indiana right then. But, God again reminded me that being anywhere outside of His will is the last place I want to be and right now His will is that I be content in Mexico.

Yesterday we finally had a  little break from our hot weather! During the day it’s only in the upper 80’s now and it cools off at night so it doesn’t seem nearly as bad.

We ask that you join us in praying for Rocio. She’s 15 and has been struggling in her Christian life the last while. Yesterday she told us that she wants to move to another children’s home as she’s ready for a different life. Submission to rules and work that is required is a struggle. She says she has no relational issues with anyone here but wants to leave. This affects her sister Alex as well. When they were small their grandma told them to never allow anyone to separate them, so Alex says she has no choice but to go with Rocio if she leaves. Alex has been doing so much better and making a lot of progress in maturity recently, which makes it so sad to see her leave! We are still working with Rocio and praying that God would work in her heart even yet. Please, pray with us for her and pray for us as a staff as we relate to her.

Sunday evening we had 2 truckloads of soldiers come to visit. They brought us 102 small trees to plant. They had been past here before and saw that it’s quite barren here so they wanted to help. Now the discussion with the men has been “how will we dig 102 holes?” A lot of the ground here is like cement so it’s no small task to dig even a little bit!

Here is a ‘before’ picture… The ‘after’ will come later. 

We have been very blessed with a good supply of water recently. We had a man come dig the one well deeper and he found a much better water vein and since that it’s been much better. Last week the tank in the garage ran over for the first time since we are here! This is cause for rejoicing! Praise God! And now He sent us some trees and the water to water them.

Tonight is one year that we arrived at Shining Light Children’s Home. What a journey it has been! Never hesitate to follow where God wants to take you. He has a plan and when we go with His plan we grow in ways we never knew possible but that are so awesome. Yes, at times painful. But, when it’s to draw us closer to God and to see more of who God really is, it’s always worth the pain. And the result of walking with the Lord is a life of true joy!

God’s blessings to all of you!

The newest additions to the farm :)

   

 

 

 

 

 

Time…

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

What are we doing with our time? This week marks one year that we left Indiana for the land to where God was calling us. Have we used that time to totally, fully glorify God in every opportunity He gave to us? Or are we just passing the time?

Last Mon. Ema left to go live with her Grandma. She was  a 10 yr old that came, with her brother, the day before we did last year. Her 13 yr old brother, Ismael, is still living here. He accepted Christ as his Savior several months ago and wanted to stay here where He could continue to learn of God and have support to live as a Christian. His Grandma honored that wish and gave her consent for him to stay.

Last night God again wanted to show us that He is where we need to have our trust. That’s been one of the ‘blessings’ of living in a remote land. There are no nearby hospitals or doctors and so the first option is to do what we can for a situation and pray for the Lord’s healing and wisdom. He has always been faithful and has so much more power than any Dr. would have. We have gone to find a Dr. when that seemed to be what was needed, it’s just not the first thing we can do here. It has taught us what our first response really should be. And yes, the story of yesterday… Nevin had gone with Gideon and his boys to the ocean for a birthday treat. They came home around 8:30 last eve and Nevin and Gid were both fried quite well. No, sunscreen hadn’t been an option. :) Nevin showered and then started shivering. He thought it was so cold. Well, trust me it wasn’t cold so I knew there must be a problem! I asked if he’s dizzy or lightheaded at all and he thought only at times. We checked his temp and he did have a fever so I felt like he probably had gotten too much sun with too little to drink. I gave him EmergenC drink to help and had him drinking a lot of water. Within a half hour his temp was over 103 and he was miserable. He took pain pills and we used a cold wet towel to try to bring it down. After a while he slept and then this morning he was just left with a headache and an abnormally low temp. This eve, Praise God, he seems to be quite well again.

We wish all of you a very blessed week!

God’s grace knows no bounds…

God’s presence is never more real than in times of trials, through which He wants to chisel away those areas of dead weight and refine us to be the masterpieces that He planned us to be.

Last week we started our studies again here in our little corner. Our summer break was short but it was good and with new books, a few changes to schedule and a fresh start we’re at it again. For the home children, Sept. 9 was an exciting day as they had their first day of school in the new schoolhouse here!

On Tuesday Regina and I took the day and did a Mother/daughter day in San Diego. We had a mile-long list of things to get so that was tiring, but we also took the time to find a fabric warehouse where there were rows and rows of fabrics and just a real ladies store. Also, Sam’s Club, 2 Walmarts, Old Navy, & Family Christian. We made it back just in time for the farewell supper here for Raquel, who left on Wednesday for home in Costa Rica.

And a clip of our toddler, who’s a very busy little lady!!

We will bless the Lord!

Heat… wind… more heat! We are having miserably warm weather. It’s hard to get a good night of rest even with the fans running full time. Hopefully, once the hurricane passes we’ll get some relief.

We had a wonderful 5 days in Indiana! The biggest problem was that we didn’t have enough time to see everyone we would have wanted to see. :( But it was good for all of us to be there and take a break from our responsibilities for a few days. One of the highlights for the boys was flying with Galen on Saturday!

We returned to Mexico Tuesday evening around 9:15. Oh, how we had missed our baby!! She was quite shy when she first saw us but once we were all in our house she was so happy to see us. She has traded her crawling for walking now and is into everything. She loves to slip out the door whenever possible. The other evening she was in the living room and I went to check on her but she was gone. I went outside and she was so happily trotting around out there around the playground!

 

Yesterday we had another meeting with the adoption lawyer and feel so blessed with how God is working on our behalf! She accepted our paperwork with only a few things needing to be updated. We have an appointment on Thurs. for the next meeting, which is with the psychologist. They need to see if we’re of sound mind. :) Each appointment brings us closer to the biggest question… whether they will approve us to adopt Tania. But, at this time things are moving much better as far as time so maybe it won’t be very long until we know.

We were in need of a licensed translator in Tijuana so when we got home Lorne called Michele, our immigration lawyer, to see if she could recommend someone for us. That was a God directed phone call! She said that she is a translator and when Lorne told her what we need she said she also specializes in international adoptions. Once we have the acceptance from DIF she will be able to process all the Mexican court papers, process the proper paperwork on the U.S. side, and help us through the complete process! What an answer to prayer!! She did say that once we have our acceptance we can plan on 5 months until the process is complete in MX and the States. So we continue to pray and move forward, waiting to see what God has for us.

Since we are back we received our paperwork from immigration that contained the resolution for our situation with them. The final word from them is that we owe nothing to them! Wow! They recognize the mission here is giving a service to them here and they do not want to fine us and make it difficult for us. Praise God!

Blessed be the Lord God, who only doeth wondrous things! Ps. 72:19

A blessed week!!

We had a wonderful week with the Center Church youth from KS here. They accomplished an awesome amount of work, but even better they were such a blessing to the children and staff! They lifted our spirits and were such an encouragement with their love for God and their joyful attitudes. Thanks again so much to all of you for sharing with us!

20 years and still best friends!!

What a wonderful thing to be married to your best friend!! It seems impossible that we've been married for 20 years! It used to be only the old people that were married for that long. :) God has been so good to us! We had a very busy day here but in the afternoon we went to Tecate to buy some more supplies and Lorne arranged for Greivin's to be here for the evening so that we could go out for supper. We went to an awesomely relaxing, romantic restaurant. Water fountains, green plants, soft music, and (best of all!) time alone!

Yesterday, right after lunch, I sent Nevin to the store for ice so that Gina would have some for the afternoon break time. He had taken the gray minivan and after he didn't return for quite a while, Lorne sent Gideon to check on him. Gideon didn't go far until he met Nevin walking! It's around 3 miles down to the store and Nevin was almost there when the back wheel of his van fell off! He didn't know what else to do but head home on foot and he almost made it. He said that after a time it was pretty hard to keep on the straight and narrow but he made it. Nevin had put the tire against the van and when he and Gideon got back to the van the tire was gone! Later Greivin went along to tow it home and down the road they saw a house so Greivin checked close to there and sure enough the tire was there behind some rocks and bushes. So the tire was recovered and the van is back along with the boy who is sure he's had his exercise for the week!

After lunch yesterday Brent said he has such a headache. I checked and he had fever. So we looked a bit more and sure enough, he has chicken pox now too! He was quite miserable today and is breaking out more but hopefully a few more days and he'll be fine. This week we have 8 more children breaking out.
Oh! yesterday afternoon we got another 5 week old baby. Now we have 10 children 15 mo. and under.

We have a wonderful group of workers here this week! They've gotten a tremendous amount of work accomplished and with such joyful spirits! The biggest project has been to paint the interior of the house. They've done 11 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, the main dining room/living area, kitchen, pantry, laundry room, 2 apartment living rooms plus started on some other ceilings. Today was the day for our house and they did all of it except a bit of the boys room because we ran out of paint. And we have it almost all back together again tonight, wonderfully clean and fresh! The guys also did a bunch of outside projects.

Must run check my pantry supplies and make sure all is in order for another day tomorrow. Blessings to all!

Busy, Busy week ahead....

The big event here has begun. Tonight a group of 33 people from Kansas arrived to work here this week. Lowell Miller's and Marvin Mast's are the families that came along with the youth. They plan to paint the interior of the home. We are really looking forward to the much needed face lift in here! There are also various outside projects on the agenda. We're excited about working with them and having the fellowship this week! They are needing to camp out in the school house. We have it nearly finished and just put sleeping bags and foam mats out for sleeping quarters.
Tonight I am SO very proud of my daughter! She was responsible for planning, preparing, and serving the supper for tonight and she did such a wonderful job! We had 92 people here for supper!! She, of course, had helpers to prepare the food, but was the coordinator. I was gone all afternoon getting groceries... she had Tania here... she did laundry and ironing, plus fed 92 people and was still of sound mind when she was finished! She's a jewel I say!!
Today was the day when the Mexican trial of waiting seemed to be in effect more than some days. We wanted to quickly run in and get some last minute supplies and be back again before very late so we could finish up things here to get ready. It was not to be! Thankfully, Nevin was also at home going on with tying up some loose ends here and there so it all worked out.
I best catch a few winks and be ready to keep up with the troops tomorrow!

And the story continues....

Our book of life here is just one chapter after another it seems, and they all tend to run together!
Goodbyes, new children, visitors, sicknesses, local authority situations, and the list goes on....

July 21st Regina Miller left for Texas and has ended her term here. She plans to get married Oct 23. Marcela and our Regina have tickets to fly to Costa Rica for that wedding. Then on July 27th Keren left for home and doesn't plan to return. Goodbyes are not a fun part of the work here!

One fun part though is that sometimes we get these tiny babies that come and are so much fun to hold & have here! On July 24th another 12 yr. old came with a 6 day old baby. He only weighed some over 4 lb.s. Then on Wednesday another little guy came that's only 26 days old. Tiny little munchkins!

Last Sunday and Mon. Dustin seemed a bit draggy and had a little fever. I just figured it was some of the same flu mess that'd been going around so didn't give it much thought. On Mon. he asked me about a spot he had on his cheek and I told him it looked like a mosquito bite. Then on Tues. he told me he has a bunch of spots on his back and arms. "What is this , Mom?" Uh, oh! The light started to come on! 2 weeks before several children here had chicken pox! I took a look and there was no question, Dustin had chicken pox! The next 2 days he felt even worse and kept breaking out more. By Friday he was on the go again and you can hardly tell he was sick now. Brent never had them either so I guess we'll see what another 2 weeks brings us.

This week we've had more visitors again. James and Deb Brubaker and Jeren Imhoff are here right now. The men are welding the fence inserts for our front fence. It is looking awesome out front! Today, Isaac Martins, Marvin Putt, & Benson & Abigail were here for church and the afternoon. For those of you who might know them, that would be Abigail Overholt that used to be from Sarasota. What a surprise to see her! I really enjoyed visiting and hearing a bit about her family too. Her Mom was my 4th grade teacher in school, so it goes way back there!

Continue to pray for the safety of the home and all of us here. About 3-4 weeks ago there were 3 men killed down the road from us. They had robbed some men and the men took things into their own hands and killed them. Then a week ago a border patrol was killed out behind us a ways. The area did seem to be more heavily patrolled after those shootings but at times we weren't sure who was patrolling and who was involved in the trouble. We see traffic and activity that we don't know what it's about. So, like I said, keep praying that the Lord's protection would be upon us. Nothing can happen to us without God allowing it!

We are all really looking forward to our little bit of time in Indiana! The children keep us informed of how many days yet and were threatening to start packing things. What Mom knows is that one thing at a time, and before we leave we have a group of 30 workers coming to help with some odd and end projects around here, so as of now it's focus on preparing for that!
It's almost time for supper and we have an English singing planned for after supper so I don't want to miss it!!
We wish you all a blessed week full of God's blessings!!

Excitement is High!!

We get to fly to Indiana!!

August 19 - August 25

Life in the last 2 weeks hasn't slowed down any!

We enjoyed getting to meet Gid's parents, Enoch & Leanna Eichorn, 2 siblings and grandparents, Jonas & Katie when they were here last week.

On Wednesday we had an appointment with our adoption lawyer and now have our list of requirements needed to move ahead with adopting Tania. After gathering all of the needed documents and they review the case then we find out whether they approve the adoption or not. So we continue to move forward and pray for God to continue to show us His will.

That same day we were planning on getting 4 new boys at the home. 8 yr old twins, a 6 and a 5 yr old. We thought the 2 youngest would go with a Mom but they all ended up being very nearly the same size and activity level, so Gid got more than double the boys all in one day!! The twins have been like adding an in-house comedy show!! Then, while we were in Tijuana DIF asked us if we'd take some girls they have there. We still had room, so we said we would take them. They are 2 sisters who were abandoned. They are 6 and 3 yr.s old. The oldest one is such a protector of her sister. These brought our amount up to 39 children so it seems like the house is full.

As for our immigration situation, we had a report from our lawyer saying the case has been resolved. God has worked so mightily, way above what we could have even imagined! Our fines could have been quite frightful yet they are only a fraction of what was possible. And the other things are also being worked out amazingly well. God ways are so much higher than our ways!!

We had told our children that if they reach a certain goal with their schoolwork we would take a special weekend to San Diego. They did a good job of completing the requirements so we decided to do it this weekend since it's Gina's 18th birthday. We came to San Diego on Saturday and have had a wonderful time relaxing, pool time, sitting by the water, watching awesome sunset over the ocean and just being a family here for a few days. We plan to return to the home on Mon. evening.

Happy 18th Birthday, Regina!!
Flowers & chocolate from Sarah waiting at our motel when we got there...

The same God that created the awesome scenery and the power of the ocean is the God that's carrying us through every situation we face!

"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him"

Oh, that we could get a glimpse of the angels surrounding this place! We do see the effects of the presence of God~ Praise His name!

After lunch today I was in the kitchen making a grocery list when some of the children rushed in saying that there's a helicopter flying really low back by the border. I thought it nothing since we often see helicopters patrolling the border. After a bit, more and more people were back at the fence and I saw Lorne went out too. I walked out and saw that indeed there was a very low flying machine. There were some vehicles on the ground and the helicopter had landed several times, some people got out and they heard gunshots. Whoa! What is this!

Regina Miller needed to go to Greivin's to catch her ride to the airport so Marcela and several girls left to take her. They didn't get very far until this helicopter was flying right overhead and following them! They drove in at Greivin's and it followed them there and circled the place there. The boys from here were at Greivin's swimming and saw the men in the helicopter as it circled over them. They said they waved at them but had no idea what was going on.

As soon as the van was back here the helicopter flew up and hovered very low behind the house, flew over the house back and forth then out back again towards the border. There was a man pointing a gun out the bottom of the helicopter. The helicopter didn't have any logo so we didn't know with what it was associated.

We called the police to report the activity going on here. They said they are aware that there is activity out here and are working on it. We knew that this is a busy area for border crossers and for drug traffic so weren't sure what the war was about. We gathered the children inside and had a prayer meeting asking God for His divine protection.

After flying back and forth numerous times the helicopter left again and soon we saw a Federal Police truck go by, then watched again as there was more activity out back. We had seen other people walking around back there and now the police were with this group.

Soon there was a group that came walking up the road from back there. They stopped and talked to a Mexican man that's working out front on our fence. They told him that they were trying to cross the border but the police sent them back because of a drug war going on back there!

The police continued to move about back there as if continuing to search for something. But soon they got onto the truck again and came this way. Would they stop?? Sure enough! They drove right on up to the house and soon we had police staked about with machine guns. They wanted to know what is this place. Are we Mexicans? Do we help immigrants? It appears to be a rich place here in the middle of nowhere... what is it?

After we explained that we are a children's home, they asked to look around. We called the children to come in from behind the house and welcomed the police to come in. We gave them water to drink and they were very happy to see the children and visit with them.

Well, what do you know! 2 of these men were in the helicopter and had been the ones flying overhead here and trying to see what was here. They had seen the boys swimming too. It seemed that they were definitely searching for people, but they didn't really give us a clear explanation of what was happening out back. They did want to know if we have information about a vehicle that sits back there. After talking a bit with us they were almost apologetic for the disturbance to us and were quite friendly and very respectful of the work here. They then went on their way again and we commenced to piece the bits of the puzzle together.

How many times does danger surround us and we have no idea? How many times has God delivered us and we were unaware? God's protection is the best security system we could possibly want!

The group of border runners returning to their homeland.

Thank You God for Friends!

Yesterday morning Lorne received a text from Curtis Martin, (from CA) saying that he is on his way to the home with his parents and Darvin Weaver's from PA. Lorne & I exclaimed over the name and wondered if it could really be the same Darvin's that we know. But how could that be? How would they know Isaac's?

Several hours later they arrived and sure enough, Darvin & Sheryl and their family were with Isaac's & Curtis!! What a wonderful surprise! We had such a refreshing visit with them! It was encouraging to see how God has worked in their lives and such a blessing to us to have them come. They spent time touring the home and seeing the work here and also joined us for lunch.

They are on a western trip with their family and had known Isaac's from when Isaac's lived in PA so made that one of their stops. Then Curtis talked them into coming down here. We realized that they had to sacrifice of their other sightseeing plans to spend the day coming here and felt all the more blessed and so appreciated the gift that they gave of their time.

On Monday, we celebrated Tania's first birthday. Our family gave her a doll and how she loved it. She gave it kisses, but was even happier to suck on the bottle and sipper cup that came with it! How we love this little princess that came into our lives about eight months ago! And lookingback at how she was when she first came here - God truly is amazing. She has come from beingababy dealing with drug withdrawl (from her mother) and undernourished to a healthy, happy baby.

the day she came...

1 year old...

and a few random pics...

..talking on the phone

The other day Lorne came in with these two hanging on to him. The boy on the far side (Alfredo) said they were mops =)

Have a wonderful week!

-Gina