A note from Maria Elena...

We made it! Lauren and I just woke up from a wonderful night stay with friends of Mama' and Papa'. Our second day here Mama sat the two of us down to give us a bit of an explanation of how things work at the orphanage and their expectations. This fiery little Puerto Rican can put the fear of God in you. I honestly wanted to cry. I still feel a bit inadequate for this job. The good news is that as I began to watch Mama and Papa work and interact with the kids I realized they're are pretty "inadequate" independent of the Lord... the good news is that they are submitted to Him and He is performing miracles in this crazy place!

L and I are sleeping in a room full of bunkbeds and about 35 or 40 girls 12 yrs and under (with the exception of a couple of teenagers). Next door to us is another room of 20 or so teenagers and a few of the staff. I sleep on the top bunk and Lauren is below- for now- the plan is to trade monthly... :) I need to take a picture of my bed because it's hliarious. My bedding includes one fitted sheet that I use as a cover, a small Winnie the Pooh blanket (one of those fleece ones girls make all the time that are tied on the ends) and, until the American group left a bunch of goodies for us, a travel-size pillow. The kids have given us a few gifts though, so Lauren and I both have a hilarious collection of stuffed animals and toys to decorate with.

SO... our job is to "mother" these little ones spiritually and physically. This includes passing out toothpaste at night, getting the kids in bed (seriously, the most difficult task!!!), looking at scratches and hearing complaints about a variety of aches and pains, offering water and a high-five after a lost tooth (we've had 3 in the past two weeks), and being a disciplinarian. OH my. This is a wonderful job, but a very difficult one because we speak so little Spanish. My language learning is coming along, but it is very slow. I don't know if I'll ever feel sufficient. On top of working with the girls, I help in the kitchen, the outdoor chores, chaperoning from time to time, and do some tutoring work with two of the boys that are mentally and physically impaired. Also, when the American groups come we'll be the ones expected to take care of them and help them integrate into their short-lived life in Mexico (we have a group from Texas coming this weekend!).

In other words, the days are pretty full- We wake early with the adults/staff for devotions and prayer at 6:30 and stay busy for most of the day. Lots of chores in the morning and fun in the afternoon. We've gone swimming, to a waterpark, played a bunch of soccer at every nearby park, and a bundle more. A week here feels more like a month... or two months.

Here are a few pics.. cuz I've taken a good 500 already:

Meet Eduardo Najera... a Chihuahuan NBA basketball star. He comes back every year with other NBA players and plays a "Juego de las Estrellas". The city is crazy about him.

Some government officials invited 25 of our teenagers to go... I was the "chaperone". They figured out that I like basketball. Perfecto.

Me and a few of the girls are standing with the wife of "El Presidente".

This was our view... the seats were terrible but free. Later on a man let me down to the front so I could take pictures. This is one of the benefits of being American.

Gustavo and Cielo.

Tonio... possibly the cutest kid around. He and his 3 sisters live with us. As you can see the bottom window broke out of the door. This has benefited the littl-er ones as now they can exit the building without ever opening the door.

Ahhhh... meet Flor. She's become my best lil' buddy here. She is the only one of her siblings that live with us, so we act like sisters. Notice the lack of hair- she got the bugs we don't like to talk about. :/

THe American group that was here brought a parachute. Hilarious.

I wanted just one cute one. THey couldn't do it.

Irela, Ana, Brisa, and Rebeka... Four of our bunkmates.

We shouldn't have favorites, but this lil' guy is one of them.

These signs and others were on our walls when we arrived. Presh.

They are not supposed to play by the construction site... I took pictures anyway.

They were filthy by the time we got them down from there.

This is the other Flor. She can be hilarious, but she is by far our greatest discipline problem. I have never met a child like her. Seriously, please pray for her. I thought Lauren looked cute in this one though it makes Flor look a little handicapped...

So, Lauren and I are still friends. In fact, I am so thankful she is the one here with me. Surprisngly, we haven't taken any pictures together.. but two. We'll take care of that eventually.

Oh my, this took WAY too long. We should be back at this house within a week or so where we'll be able to update and receive emails (hint, hint). This will have to do for now.

Peace,

Mary Ellen, Maria Elena, MERM, Pollo, Ini