Este verano, vamos a Mexico.

2008-01-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

Just so you all know, Linda and Gary have started a blog for their stint in Mexico. They're not quite there yet, but the blog can fill you in on the adventures they are having in the meantime.

orphanministryatlily.blogspot.com

Enjoy!
Mary Ellen

By the way, Lauren and I are hoping to head back to Lily for a visit before the end of March, so if any of you are interested in making the drive (yes, we're driving!), splitting some gas money, and seeing those kids we love.. let one of us know.

Here is the end.

2007-12-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

First, I wanted to show you a few pics and video from the recent Christmas outreach, and then are lots more from my last days at the orphanage.

Navidad en la Calle- Lily's Christmas Outreach. I've never seen an orphanage put on event of this magitude. Or heard of it, really. What God did through Lily of the Valley was pretty amazing.

Shacks in the neighborhood where the event was held- Colonia Soledad.

The choir girls getting ready. (Merm and I missed a lot of the prep because we were picking up lots and lots of chicken and mashed potatoes...some of these are Samuel's photos. He was a picture-taking machine that day.)

Lorena.

Merm actually took this while we were on the road that day. I think she mentioned earlier that Mexicans can strap anything to a truck. Example number two.

More of Colonia Soledad.

The crowd. This shot was taken by Irela.

Mama and Papa addressing the crowd.

A sea of people waiting to eat.

Brisa (totally staged) serving food to the kids.

A group of friends with their yummy food. I said to Mary Ellen, "Isn't that boy in the middle cute?" And she responded, "He came through the gift line twice, trying to lie and get extra gifts." Can't blame him, I guess.

Marcela and Rubi hanging out during the festivities.

Lots of this.

Every kid loves some candy.

Brenda and Mama, the two women that worked so hard to make this happen.

Paloma, a good friend of Mama and Papa, is trying to work with the huge crowd ready to received their gifts. She's awesome.

Mary Ellen ran into a boy named Axel, who lived at the orphanage briefly, and is now back with his family living in this community. Here he is with his family after they received their gifts.

This is hilarious to me. Mama wanted him to take a picture of her with EVERY kid as they received their gift. The woman is nuts.

Okay, now on to the "last days" portion. I took tons of pics, with each one wondering, "Will this be the last?" So here are a few.

Karla and I one morning before school.

Samuel and the girls that love him.

Rubi and I. I road the bus to school with the elementary kids one day last week. At one point the kids pushed me down into my seat and all crowded around me so I couldn't get up. They had the driver of the bus go a little faster than normal over one of the giant speed bumps to watch me fly into the air. The kids thought it was hilarious. This was taken right afterwards.

Irela, Ana, and I on the bus.

My two favorite girls- Andrea and Jaci.

Andrea LOVES carrots.

I found Joanna one day just chilling in the sandbox by herself.

I'll miss these sunsets.

This one. Well. There aren't really words to describe it. I don't really know what Brenda (left) or Flor (right) were thinking. You never know what they're thinking.

I LOVE this of Rebecca. She was running to catch the bus and was asking if I'd hold her Barbie for her while she was at school. Such a pitiful face. I said yes, but what I didn't know is that minutes early she asked Mary Ellen, who told her no. Woops.

One of those- this might be the last picture together- pictures. (Brisa and I)

Jasmin lost a tooth!

I'll miss this, too.

Miriam and Leticia, two girls that really tested my patience but I loved, on the road home after an adventure into Chihuahua.

This was taken several weeks ago, but I never posted it. On Saturdays the kids don't do their hair- don't you love their bedheads? (Brisa, Cielo, Gaby)

Here's Brisa, explaining that we're at Oxxo and that Vito's inside buying food. When Cielo and Gabi see him walking out of the store with chips that are possibly for them they gasp and say, "Papitas (chips)" simultaneously. Nothing exciting. I just love watching our kids.

Those animals...

Here're a few videos I wanted to show you weeks ago but wasn't able to. Here, Marcela, Karla, and Flor are admiring the pigs. They asked me if pigs bite (I think), and then proceeded to tell me that one time Daniel (an elementary kid) got bit by a pig. What do you think, girls?

This one is my fav. If you didn't know, Flor is an animal lover. She's feeding the goats, and then I asked her to count them. She counted six. But there were only four. Poor thing.

Actually, this one might be my favorite. You can hear Marcela's laugh, which is so distinctive, and Flor's silly personality is really shown. Karla is with the two girls and they're all demonstrating their goat-feeding methods. Oh, I miss these kids!!! Don't know if we mentioned it, but Flor and her sister Jasmin actually left. A week or two ago I said they were leaving, but they didn't. They ended up leaving the day Merm and I were supposed to fly home. I didn't even get to say goodbye... I just pray that their homelife is better than the orphanage. I worry that it isn't.

Speaking of Flor, here are a few of her back over the summer. I just love the girl.

Ana, Flor, and Jasmin goofing off with me instead of picking up trash.

I've been staring at photos for hours, sorting through those that I want to frame on my walls and put into an album. And I have to tell you, it's hurting my heart. My days are somewhat busy, as I'm trying my best to settle back into being home. Unpacking, catching up with friends and family, and sleeping are all priorities each day (because I'm unpacking really slowly). And so an hour, maybe, can go by without me thinking too much about where I came from. For that reason, studying these photos is just awful. I can't stop thinking about the kids and wonder what they're doing and how they're doing. I wonder about the staff- if they're having a good day, or if they're in the middle of something stressful. And more than that, wondering if I'll go back. I hate it. I want to look forward- to the ministry I coould have here in my hometown, opportunities to work and to serve, but my thoughts keep backtracking. I went to church this morning, and while it was awesome to be back- to sing songs in English and fully understand the sermon- I was overwhelmed with emotion when the service began. For five months, I prayed and sang with a hundred kids and several amazing staff every single day. And as much as I missed community in Louisville and to worship in my own language, I miss Lily. I miss praying with the staff for the kids, and for protection over the house, and for whatever was on the hearts of Mama and Papa. Don't think I'm not praying for them now. Because I am. But I miss being a part of it. What does all this mean? That I'm gonna go back and do it all over again? I don't know. Mary Ellen shared the song with me about the girl who was exposed to orphans in Africa and is now compelled to do something with her knowledge. I guess I feel the same, but right now I can ONLY think about the kids at Lily. My question to the Lord is, what do You have for me now? Do I only support the orphange through financial donations and continue with life in Kentucky, do I go back down to work again, or will I adopt one day? These are all very likely options, and I'm just ready to know what it's gonna be. Do you sense a little impatience? I'm encouraged by those of you who have maintained a relationship with Lily and pray that Mary Ellen and I will be the same way. We hope to connect the Louisville area with Chihuahua so that even more hands can be a part of what God is doing there. I want to say thanks so those of you who've supported us financially, through prayer, or words of encouragement. I never felt alone because I knew that so many people back in the states were concerned for us and wanted good things for us.

Please pray for the staff this holiday season because December is a busy time. The kids are invited to lots of parties (many of which are at the orphanage) and while it's fun for the kids, the prep work and cleanup makes lots of extra work for the adults. Also, pray for protection over the kids, as many of them will go home to visit family for Christmas.

This is my prayer, and I pray the same for you:

Teach me you way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

Psalm 86:11
Salmos 86:11

Instruyeme, Senor, en tu camino
para conducirme con fidelidad.
Dame integridad de corazon
para temer tu nombre.

Can't believe this is it. Thanks again for supporting us through this journey. I'm sure I'll being seeing you.

Peace,

Lorena

Now that I have seen, I am responsible.

2007-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna start with a few videos. I had finished this whole thing, pictures and all, and it mysteriously disappeared. I had to add-over the pictures and re-type it all. I'm still annoyed about it. Surprisingly, I'm missing some pictures that Loty has on her computer from the week before. Bummer.

Here's a little picture of our abuelo/gramps of Mexico. He's awesome... he loves the cookies we bake.

I love this of Gaby. I miss this little one.

This was our going away present. This song along with Barbie's, stuffed animals, and miscelaneous candy.

Didn't know a pair of mattresses could be so fun.

More of the same mattress stuff... but I love it. Listen to those laughs.

Check out that backdrop as we set up the food tables.

Stage set-up. They made that stage the night before.

The doodling I did in high school came in handy.

I never figured out what these skits were about, but I loved the stuffed dog costume.

They are amazing

THE FOOD:
A family of boys waiting for food from the tables of:
enough pizza for 3000 children, 1000 pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken, 500 mashed potato cups, over 4000 gellatin cups, pasta with cheese sauce, and a juice box (aka Pau-Pau).

We totally staged pictures of the kids from Lily helping the kids of Colonia Soledad.

They were playing the "too cool" act for the camera at first, but they broke at the last minute.

John.. who is still in Mexico with his wife.. and a couple of the girls.

PRESENTS!
She's such a cabbage patch doll.

Here's proof. I had one of these as a little girl.

Mama and a kiddo.

The "Brinka, Brinkas":

Javier played a little too.

So miniature. She had not chance.

Nohema directing the kids... and Sergio.

Amazing how they pulled this off.

Silvia with a friend from the area. Her mother lives here as well.

Irela with one of the boys from the neighborhood.

Ask us how confident we were that this would last the 15 minute drive to the church? Not at all.. but it absolutely made it. Mexicans can tie anything down to a truck.

_________________________________
My last cold, rainy morning with the boys. Don't they look devestated?

Believe it or not, I miss driving these roads.

These are pictures from the party for the kids thrown by some school. I went camera crazy because I was afraid there was a kid I hadn't documented. Seems impossible, I know.
Tonio was smiling a minute before.

Boni... I don't know what to say about his little get up.

Manuel is back. Featured here with Rafa.

Two of my faves.

The group handing out presents to our kids.

Julien with a gift... looking turtle-like.

Little Brenda. What a character. A third of my stories include this lil' one.

So many presents.

Ana Karen played my camera games with me.

I'll miss you, Jaci.

The beginning of our life back in the States. We had some buddies over to my parents Friday night to fellowship and catch up...
Kat and Ryan- two of our newlywed pals. In Mexico some of the girls would play like they were me and my good girl friends. Kat was one of them. It was funny to hear them try to pronounce "Kathleen."

Our buddy Smitti. He came over last night with some friends. We were showing him pictures from Mexico and he said, "You all had a blog?" I told you Michigan folk that you read this more than our friends.. now you have proof.

Me and little man. My nephew, Isaac. Awesome picture, eh?

Lil' I watching the game. My brother, his daddy is coach.

So, which one of these places is the foreign country? Mexico or the U.S.? I thought that Mexico would make me uncomfortable, but I feel like a stinkin alien around here. I'm writing this from one of my very favorite coffee shops here in Louisville with a delicious white mocha. I am in the middle of my old neighborhood. The house that I lived in with three of my best pals is walking distance from here. My church is just a few blocks away. The previously familiar streets, shotgun houses, and little stores make me a little nervous. I don't really want to talk to anyone, and at any moment I could break out in tears. My mom said to me a little bit ago, "I know, you want to be back in Mexico." I don't know if that's what I'm feeling, but I do feel an emotion that I believe has not yet been defined. I am so sad... but I cannot explain it. I just want to sleep. Maybe my dreams will hold something familiar.

Goodbyes were emotional, but not nearly as bad as I had thought. The house has been so busy that there wasn't a lot of time to feel the effects of leaving. Our "last night" (so we thought... Andrea had another idea) we had the girls watching a movie while we finished packing. We then went around the room and passed out the girls' gifts. They loved the pictures. In fact, we probably could have given them nothing else. One after the other would run up and say, "Remember that time..." and then they would go on to describe whatever we were doing in the picture. A few girls got really emotional, the expected ones, really. When they came home from school the next day and we were still home, they gave us an incredible welcome, and said "We couldn't focus in school.." or "We heard a plane flying and thought it was you all!" What a blessing it is to be loved by them. 24 hours later, we really did leave. We spent all day going back and forth between emotions... total sadness, excitement, shock. Right before we landed, Lauren and I had this sweet friend moment where we were just overwhelmed to the point of tears (not the awkward, public weeping type) at what the Lord had done in our lives over the past 5 months. What a beautiful mercy. We landed and were greeted by a surprisingly sizely group of friends and family. This world is so familiar... yet so strangely unfamiliar now. I give myself about 2 weeks. I think I'll adjust in time.

Thanks to a friend, I stumbled across this little musician Brooke Fraser from New Zealand. Apparently she spent some time in Rwanda and met numerous orphans there. This song hit me in the middle of the night Thursday...

Now that I have seen
I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you
In my own arms
I cannot let go `til you are

I am on a plane
Across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
And in the dust on, the dust on my feet

And I'll tell the world
I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them, Albertine

I don't know what's next. Thanks to the sweet mercy of my God, I think I have a temporary job lined up that I know I'll enjoy and could be a good transition place for me. My old bosses are too kind. :) But, then what? I have a thousand thoughts... and even more ideas. This has always been my problem. The Lord has exposed me to a people in Mexico.. a small (in size) and neglected population of children that is in need of love and guidance. Yet, they are one group of so many in the world. My church has been doing some work in Africa.. Ethiopia and the Sudan. I hate to the point of tears what is happening to so many children worldwide. And it's here in the States as well. We prayed for the orphans of the world weekly, at times daily, and I'm passionate about it. So... do I go again? And if so, where? I'll be 25 years old in a month. At what point do I "settle down" or do I ever? All this is running over and over in my mind, but I don't want to pray. What a fool I am. Sins I hadn't considered in months are back as I have returned to the environment they rest in. I think I'm a little mad at myself and even at the Lord. I have so much I want to work through, but life is already feels so busy. The evenings have been full, and tomorrow, Sunday, I'll drive many an hour to Mississippi to work on houses and rebuild some of the destruction of that crazy hurricane that swept across our nation just a few years ago. Amidst the group of 17-ish I know only my dad, but I'm told the beach is close enough to skip to and the weather has been in the upper 70's. We're done every day by 5. I don't know why the Lord has me doing this, but apparetly I'm supposed to go. The needs of the world are endless, eh? We could never rest and still make no dent. I feel like I'm putting a bunch of little band-aids on these big nasty gashes in need of surgery. I don't want to stand by and do nothing, but I still need to process Mexico. There's so much to process.

I've written too much, but it should be the last time. In fact, I've procrastinated writing on here just because I know it is the end. Maybe I'll write a time or two more... pictures of Mississippi? :) Thank you for reading all these months, for loving us though many of you hardly know us, and for loving the kids of Lily. The Lord is good. Good beyond words. I pray you've been encouraged to seek Him and find your joy and satisfaction in Him while living out His love sacrificially. I still don't get it, but we're being chipped away. One day we'll be glorified with Him. I can't wait.

To God be the Glory.
Mary Ellen

home (my other home)

2007-12-13T14:15:00.001-08:00

Chandra, thanks for your prayers, but we actually weren't home yet... Sweet little Andrea, four years old and in kindergarden, stole our passports Monday night. We went to the airport, assuming that we had them, but quickly realized they weren't where we left them, and went back to the house. Miriam, one of the staff members, found them in our closet, but the little purse and a few American dollars inside(perfect for a little girl) were nowhere to be found. The girls in our room invistigated for us all afternoon and it was determined through several witnesses that Andrea was guilty of the crime. She later confessed. Her sentence: staying home from the Christmas party. At the time it was pretty stressful, but really, it's only fitting that sometime unexpected would end our time here at Lily. Mary Ellen and I arrived safely home last night. Thanks to God, we were able to get on a flight the next day and with no extra charge. Our friends and family were waiting for us at the airport and I was happy to see them. I don't have one single word that describes how I'm feeling now. I'm here in Louisville physically, but every bit of my mind is in Chihuahua. At any point in the day, I'll look at the time, and think about what the kids are doing, what the staff are doing. Right now it's 3:30 and they're probably eating lunch. In a little bit they'll take showers and play with the tons of new gifts they've been given. It's good to be home, I know it will be good to be home. But it will take some getting used to.

I want to put up lots of pictures and video for you- look for that sometime soon. Until then.

-Lauren

The time has come.

2007-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Here´s Mamá and Papá doing their thing... they shared the Gospel and addressed the thousands. I don´t expect to be like them, but I hope for even a hint of their passion and impact.

Some of the Tarahumara Indians in line waiting for gifts..

I saw these girls about 20 times. Never would smile for the camera.

One of the little ones after she received her gift. She was pumped.

Lauren and I decided that we´re not gonna spend much time on the blog this weekend. We´ll have nothing but time in just a matter of days, so we´re saving it now for gift-prepping, packing and saying our good-byes. We´ll give you pictures and closing thoughts mid-week-ish after we get home.

If you knew about "Christmas in the Streets" you´re probably wondering how it went... it was amazing. Man, we´re exhausted. Little sleep, lots of not-ever-sitting-ever, but it was an honor to be a part of such an incredible day. There were, in fact, about 3000 people there. We had plenty of gifts, food, and volunteers. At one point when we were setting up Samuel said to me, "Do you remember when Mamá started talking about this day? (Him and I were standing in front of the place they were unloading the gifts) We didn´t have one thing then. Look at all this now." My faith in the power and control of our great God was increased through this day. The Lord is so good. As if salvation from eternal separation from Him wasn´t enough. Sheesh.

The week was full of many "This is the last time we´ll do this, be here, eat this, say that.." While I´m at it, I might as well say that this is the last time I´ll take a day off in Mexico, sleep with this beautiful family, and write notes to you all via blog.... and I´m sad. I´m not sure that I´m ready for the upcoming transition. Some of my greatest girlfriends are getting together on Thursday for dinner, and I can actually go. I can´t even picture myself in an American restaurant in the company of English-speakers. Today my home is an orphanage. Everything is about to change. From some, we´ll get way too much attention for being here these five months. Meanwhile Brenda, Nohema, Samuel, and Maria Elena will be faithfully working with more responsibility than we ever knew for hardly any money and not a hint of recognition. How do both worlds exist?!

My eyes are on fire. I need to go to bed. I´ll be in Louisville on Tuesday night, so we can talk one more time after that.

Later gators,
Mary Ellen

I'll be seeing you...

2007-12-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what becomes a toy around this place... this day it was an old soccer goal turned jungle gym. Vito has some great video from this, but that´s in Tulsa. Dang.

Irela swinging.. little Vito in the background.

I´m obsessed with this group of girls.

Cielo has got some talent... and Tonio is trying.

Brenda, Karla, Ana and Gaby. I told them to smile normal.

Jaqueline! We were trying to leave after Kinder and I couldn't find Jaqueline. She was swinging on the rusty old playground.

Vito... Yes, the girls won their basketball tournament. Thursday, Vito, Noema and I went to see the girls play before heading to Chihuahua and taking Vito to the airport. We had to leave before they played their final game, but they greeted me at the house with their trophy and the screams of champions.

Rafa was playing around with his buddy Gustavo in the tortilleria, ran out the door, Gustavo shut it, and his finger got smashed. I had to take him to the hospital. Jasmin went with us because she'd cut up her leg while playing at school. Hers ended up being nothing, but the doctor had to squeeze the settled blood out of his finger. Poor thing. He cried a bunch, but we called him "The Valient" (the Brave) the rest of the day, bought him chips and a coke, and everything was okay.

Going to the hospital

I took some video before we stepped out to the hospital. They talk about how they're scared. We ended up going the following day because they couldn't see us right away... the hospitals here are terrible. They walked out and said "We're saved."

My bed buddies this week: Starting with Gaby...

Silvia asked to sleep with me Friday night. Unexpected treat.

Mourning the loss of Vito. She had to sleep with me that night because she was so sad. Are you kidding me? You are such the grandpa, Vito! The flash did something crazy so we look like cartoons.

me, karla and irela... Irela slept with Loty this night... I couldn't do the three again.

She is my favorite bed-buddy.

Brisa stayed home "sick." We made her stay in bed all day except for the 30 minutes she and I were taking pictures.

I adore this girl.

Saturday:
Gaby is such a cry baby, but I love her sense of humor. I only have a few pictures from their little Christmas fiesta on Saturday because I was gone all morning and then sick in bed. Hopefully Loty makes up for that.

Truth be told, we mess with the kids from time to time. We play mom more than anything, but occasionally the mean older sibling is just hilarious. Saturday morning I was resting in bed, sick of course, when little Brenda walked in. She wanted to go #2 and needed toilet paper. If you´ve never been here, you may not understand how difficult it can be to find this treasure. We happened to be out of toilet paper, but I had stocked a few tissues in my purse. I told her if she sang for me I´d let her have some. She eventually submitted, but the girl was frustrated. Brendita is hilarious. She talks super fast, has this incredibly animated personality and is hilariously mischievous. I wish you all knew her.
She sings a bit: a mix of jibberish and worship in Spanish, Lauren enters in a frenzy- on her way to Aldama for the 5th time- Brenda asks HER for TP and she just responds with "There isn´t any." She looks at me frustrated then begins singing/chanting, translated literally from Spanish, "I going to make poo-poo-po, pee-pee-pee and so on. I then proceed to butcher some Spanish because I wanted her to say what she always calls me, and the video ends. Loty and I think this is hilarious.

Yoseline and Jasmin

This is Pablo. He looks really tough in this one, but the reality is that he'd cry if you flicked him. Spiderwebs don't change reality.

Joana looking sweet. She said she didn't want her picture taken... why are you smiling then?!

I love our recent Friday night prayer routine.. we all stay up later and have this little bit of relaxed hang out time. Featured here Joana, Brenda and Silvia.

Belem and Jaqueline

Caught Tia, Angel, Brenda, and Elvira singing Friday night before our time of praye rand fasting. They sound awful, but I love it. Brenda, the little one, joins in later.

Well, you know what I´m going to say... we´re looking at just over one week now. What in the world?! How did that happen so fast? I am freaked out and not exaggerating when I say that I don´t have a clue what I am doing next. Not a clue.

Last night, Lauren and I visited with the Middleton family- this incredible missionary family that has blessed us so much since we came and were the ones that first introduced me to Lirio de los Valles. We were talking about the culture shock we initially went through and the way the Lord has worked since then. I can´t believe that this time last year I was beginning to talk more hesitantly about moving to Asia (it had been my plan for so long!) when my good buddy Lang called me up with this idea for a road trip to Mexico. We´d go meet some missionaries and hang out with some orphans. I didn´t know it´d be so life-changing. And now I am in love with this place. I cannot imagine my life without these kids nor can I remember my life before them. No doubt there are "things I would do different," but I love it here. I´m scared to go home... scared of how I´ll react. I am afraid that I´ll be prideful, or judgemental, or cynical of my other world. I´m scared people won´t care. There´s even a part of me that´s afraid I´ll like my other life at home more than this. I feel some strange hint of guilt over it all. I´m seriously worried about being lonely or feeling useless.... and at the same time, I´m pumped. I can´t wait to see my family, the best friends in the world, my nephew, my church! Lauren and I talk quite obsessively about the subject. Every time I mention going home I feel this obligation to clarify that I love it here. Again I feel
selfish for wanting the comforts of home. Why do I have the option? I imagine that makes some sense to those that are aquainted with this place.

And so I´m here, and these last 9 days will be precious. ...and busy. "Navidad en la Calle" is Saturday. Please pray for this, as we are still lacking gifts and organization of logistics. We have things to buy, gifts to wrap, details to finalize... and then Loty and I need to pack. These last days I´ll probably take too many pictures. I´m going to do my best to work a little harder, be intentional with the staff, play and laugh more than ever, and take advantage of the times set aside for prayer. I don´t know what the weeks ahead will look like and how I will transition, so I´m going to spend my last mornings begging the Lord for mercy and wisdom. I've seen the soveriegn and wise hand of God too much these last months to worry, but I want to be ready and submitted for whatever He has.

Well, Lauren and I skipped church and are going to spend the afternoon working on our gifts for our girls. I think I´m done with the blog for now. We´ll wrap it up next week, I guess. How tragic. I really can´t say it enough, but thanks for loving these kids and the unique work of our Lord in this place. I am living among many miracles, and I pray your faith has been as increased as mine has through our time here. Thank you for serving us through emails, phone calls, prayers and visits. I am still so overwhelmed.

I'll be seeing you,
Mary Ellen

One to go.

2007-12-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a huge Christmas party for the kids, held by members of the church we attend, as well as another group. Mary Ellen and I both had lots of errands to run that day, so we didn´t spend a lot of time with the kids (bummer). Mama and Papa encourage the kids to give away some of their gifts because they receive so much every year, which is pretty crazy to me (that they get so many gifts and that they actually give them away). The gifts they give will be given out at ´Navidad en la Calle.´

Andrea with her face painted. She's a queen, I think.

Rafa, aka Batman.

And Gustavo, too. Is he a rabbit?

The Brinca Brinca. We'll have several of these at the event next Saturday.

Lucia and Leslie said, ´Take one for Marcos.´ Here you go, Mark. (I love this one.)

Lined up for face paint.

Brenda, Gabi, and a new girl.

Tortillas! We´ve been here for five months and haven´t had a chance to watch the kids make tortillas (they make them about every week). For the past three Friday nights, we´ve had a time of fasting, prayer, and singing, and afterwards everyone who stays up the whole time eats sandwiches and burritos. So these photos were taken Friday night as the kids were preparing tortillas for the big feast.

Ana, Marcela, and I.

Jasmin, Ana, Carla Joana, Rubi, Karla, and Marcela.

Ana and I.

Rubi with the dough before the kids roll it into balls.

Karla, Leslie, and Karla Joana.

Rubi, Marcela, and Ana, super-hyper at this point because it´s getting late.

Ana has these glasses, don´t know why, but they´re hilarious.

New girl (again, don´t remember her name) and Rebecca. The new girl wasn´t feeling well so she stayed home from school. And Rebecca couldn´t find her backpack. The elementary school has a rule that if you don´t have your backpack, you can´t get in. Some of our kids ´lose´their backpacks on purpose so they don´t have to go. Very frustrating.

Our girls were in a basketbal tournament at school and came in first place. Woohoo! They were so excited...couldn´t stop talking about it when they got home from school that day.

Kinder kids, almost ready for school. Jaqueline had to change into pants because the only dress shoes to go with the skirt were about 4 sizes too big for her little feet.

Friday morning, the pigs got loose. This is always funny. It was right about the time that everyone had to go to school, so they wandered around the property for a while until someone finally corralled them back in.

I love this picture for many reasons. We have the pig, the dog (Lola) with a vest on, and Andrea and Jaqueline, running from the pig. This place is never boring.

Flor and I hung out for a bit on Friday afternoon. She´s such a goofball. I wish I could take her home with me.

I asked her where her favorite place in the whole orphanage was, and she said right here.

Flor and Beto.

Hanging out with the animals. Flor loves them. Also, Vito loves Karla. She loves him, too.

Sweet little Marcela, feeding the goats.

Disgusting.

Here's a little clip of Marcela, Karla, and Flor feeding the goats. In case you didn't know and were wondering, the infamous white goat has been sold.

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Ramon and Beti picking up trash on the grounds.

New girl, whose name I can´t remember, Jose Miguel, his sister Isael, Irela, and her sister, Rebecca.

Joanna, with her hair in a mess (on purpose), and Alondra picking up trash.

Well, this post is for the readers who don't actually love to read the blog, just look at photos. I don't have much to say tonight, that hasn't already been said. I still don't believe my time is almost up. I do wonder when it will settle in. Maybe not until I'm given a ride to the airport next Tuesday morning. Yeah, it's not real to me.

This week has been cool because I was priveleged to see God work in an amazing way through relationships at the house. I'm still amazed at what He has done, and is continuing to do in the lives of the staff. Please pray for community among all the staff members. This job is very draining, and it's so easy to focus on the work and yourself, and not pour into the people around you. I'm speaking from experience, because I've struggled with that the entire time I've been here. I have an amazing amount of respect for my partners in this ministry here, and want so badly God's blessings for them.

Hopefully I'll have lots of photos and videos next week, and even more to post after I get home. I imagine I'm going to fill every bit of my memory card this week, capturing as much of the kids and life at Lily as I can.

See you next Sunday.

-Lauren

Say it ain´t so.

2007-11-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

Merm, I just read your entry from last week. Thanks for making me all sad and stuff. It´s so true. I´m really really going to miss this place.

Two weeks from Tuesday I’ll be on a plane headed home. Are you kidding me? I can’t tell you how many times a day I think about it. Every time I hug a kid, I think, ‘How many more times will I get to do this?’ Mary Ellen and I are almost obsessed talking about it; to be honest, it´s driving me crazy. I constantly wonder what it will be like to not share a room with 40 little girls, yadda yadda yadda. Can I be real with you- I´m tired of talking about it. But seriously, I can’t believe we’re leaving. So I’m gonna talk about it some more. Haha.

I know some of you who keep up with the blog have made visits down to see the kids, so you know what it’s like to leave. Being my first trip down here, two weeks from now will be my first time leaving. I don’t know what it will feel like, but I can tell you that I’m not looking forward to it. Note to the fam: Yes, I want to see all of you. Yes, I want to come home. But it’s just that I live with 100 kids and a handful of staff and it’s pretty stinkin’ cool. Anyway… because I know I’m leaving in a couple weeks, my body is beginning to shut down from “I work at an orphanage” mode. It seems that I’m tired more easily and am ready for bed a little earlier. Visions of carpet and couches and my own room more frequently visit my thoughts, especially as the days are becoming colder. (It snowed here last night, by the way.) Sometimes I just want to curl up and read a book or chat with someone over coffee, without being surrounded by children who probably need to bathe, even if they just have (because they always manage to get dirty again in a matter of seconds). But here’s the thing, being at home means not being surrounded by lots of little ones. If I told you that I was completely comfortable here, I’d be lying. At home I will be physically comfortable, but goodness, I can’t picture life without Rubi and Karla and Rebecca and the twins and Jacquelin and all the rest of them. It’s funny how that happens; 5 months ago I didn’t even know them. So, this is where I am. Ready for a rest, but not quite ready to go. Maybe this means I’ll be back. Actually, I’m sure I’ll be back. But will I come for a week long visit, as most do, or will I once again find myself telling my friends and family that I’m moving to Mexico for a bit? I dunno. A big part of me hopes the latter. Only time (and prayer and counsel from family and friends) will tell, I suppose.

I guess I´d be shorting all of you if I didn´t tell you that I was in an awful car accident on Thursday. Truck accident, actually. The beautiful red truck that we all know and love is officially scrap metal. By the grace of God, I was spared. I´m only suffering from minor aches and pains, but the truck, however, is finished. Another truck pulled out in front of me on a highway going a ridiculously slow speed, and I had no choice but to hit him. He was fine, as well, thankfully. I was alone- another blessing. No kids were involved. And the way the whole thing turned out is really amazing. The local and federal police came out, and they were graceful with both parties, which is unheard of here. A man who was fluent in English gave me a ride home, and took Mama and I all over the place to transport the milk and bread from the truck, as well as the truck itself (which was missing a wheel, so it couldn´t be driven), back to the orphanage. On the way, however, this man tried to impress us, showing us his land, 800 goats (so he says, but Mama and I didn´t see them), and other things that he owned. Mama took the opportunity to share a little about the orphanage with him, who made it very obvious that he had a lot of money. She also told him about ¨Navidad en la Calle¨ in hopes that he´d want to help. (This is why I love Mama- the woman has no fear. Here we are, riding around with a stranger in his fancy truck. He buys us food from a gas station and is taking us all over the place in hopes to impress us (I guess, don´t really know) and all I can think about is how much I want to go home. Mama, on the other hand, is in the front seat on a mission. I love it. The man actually told her that he´d help the orphanage with paying for insurance. Pray that it actually happens.) Also, please pray that the Lord provides another vehicle for the staff. There are so many errands that have to be run every week, and with one less vehicle, making everything happen will be more challenging. I feel awful that this has happened, but am constantly reminded by Mama and the kids that we have to praise the Lord that I noone was hurt. Trucks are replaceable, right? Please pray with me that this one is replaced soon. I´m hoping to start a truck fund, so let me know if you´re interested in contributing.

Plans for Navidad en la Calle (Christmas in the Streets) are coming along. I don’t know too much because I’m not very involved with the whole thing, but as each day passes more needs are being met. It’s amazing to me that this event, which is providing food, entertainment, and Christmas gifts for 3,000 children, is being hosted by an orphanage. An orphanage! Churches, organizations, and private parties are stepping up to make the day possible, which is a result of lots of prayer and perseverance of Mama, Papa, and the staff. I know that a huge need at this point are the gifts. (We’re hoping to provide a shoebox-sized gift for every child that will include personal hygiene products, toys, etc. ) Please be in prayer that we would have all 3,000 gifts on December 8!

PS- This is my 88-year-old grandpa, who acts about half his age, from Thanksgiving last year. (Hey, grandpa.) Incase you´re wondering, Mary Ellen and I were able to celebrate the holiday with Mama and Papa, and a few other Americans who invited us into their home. We ate and laughed all night long. It was a blessing.

And Merm and I want to say hey to our dear friends at Vine Street. Thank you for supporting us financially and in prayer. We can´t wait to see you in a few weeks!

Photos from the week

Miriam and Leticia accompanied me to pick up the boys one afternoon. Here they are on the road that leads to the orphanage.

This guy, who I think wins the prize for the coolest name (Axel!), is new to the family. He arrived one day last week, very unhappy. But he´s doing better, now.

We painted one afternoon when lots of the kids didn´t have school (we used the watercolors that the Michigan group donated). Avelardo is displaying my awesome artwork, which was inspired by Axel (pictured above).

Karen loves to play a game we call ¨Ojos¨which is pretty much a staring contest inwhich you´re allowed to blink. In honor of the game, Merm painted this for Karen. Karen is seen here, demonstrating how the game works.

Bellem, one of the highschoolers I wish I knew better. Darn Spanish.

Lorena was allowed to stay in bed all day because she was sick that morning. Don´t you think she´s doing better?

Karla, Marcela, and Rubi. How great are these girls?

Oh, this is terrible. Flor and Jazmin are supposedly going home tomorrow to live with their dad and grandmother. Really, it might be a good thing. I just love them and selfishly want them to stay at the orphanage forever. This was taken yesterday.

Kareli and Flor demonstrating the effects of the cold weather.

We took the chorus kids into Aldama for icecream one night. Ana was dancing up a storm.

Brisa was my bed buddy one night last week. I love this girl. Here she is jamming to some worship music from my amaaaaazing church.

The big parade...lots of preparation for a few minutes of fun. Here, Noema is braiding Lorena´s hair for the event.

I mean, how gorgeous is this girl? And she doesn´t even know it, which is a good thing.

Jazmin, super tired from dancing in the parade.

Don´t know what happened to this photo. But here are a few more girls afterwards.

Well, another Sunday night is here. Merm and I will head back to the house in a couple of hours to find everyone asleep (we hope). Tonight we´re going to wake up Flor and Jazmin to let them sleep with us. And tomorrow will start another week. Thanks for keeping up with what´s going on here.

Peace,
Lauren

I will talk about this place for the rest of my life.

2007-11-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

Loty and I before the big parade. Proud lil' mommas.

So cute, Riley's. She is one awesome gal.

Karla was chosen to march with a few other girls from the primary school. She looked os cute.

This is me and my girl Karla afterwards... she's one I'd love to take home with me. She's not smiling cuz she was ticked off about the parade. She said the girl in front of her wasn't taking it seriously and threw her off the whole time. It was cute to see her get mad about it.

Rubi..

Pablo with one of his buddies from school looking like Revolutionaries.

This is Luis... check out that stache.

Some of the boys resting after all their boogying and marching.

The wall says, "Drugs Kill." I love this picture.

Some of the teenage boys at the end of the parade. What studs.

Javier... such a jolly guy.

Brenda had the cutest costume of them all. She has no hair, so it was sweet to see her feel girly again. The speed-talking tomboy has another side to her after all.

Me and gramps. I love this man... and I finally got him to smile for me. Abuelo and his wife work at the orphanage. We pay them in food. They are two of my favorite people around.

One of our days off we took the kids to the park in the afternoon... these guys are so dang cute.

Brendita and the monkey bars. She fell right after this.

Vito bought this Spiderman pinata for his brother's birthday. You'd think it would have been a blast for the kids... Luis got smacked in the face by Beto when he swung for it, none of the little ones got a single piece of candy because the big kids tackled them and took it all, and they were all rebuked because they were late taking baths. At least we got a good laugh from the event.

I had someone sleeping with me every night this week. Friday... I had two. This was a tight squeeze and almost resulted in a broken arm for me.

These are from last week:

So, we got this donation of clothing last week. Included in the mix of jackets and shirts was a tiger costume. I kept hoping someone would find it and try it on. Both Tonio and Abelardo did. SO awesome.
Here's Tonio after he defeated his little sister. She's 3, I don't know if he can brag about his muscles.

Scooting away after the big fight.

Flor loves dogs a bunch.

Luz and Yenifer... the best of buddies.

Doug, you look hilarious in this one. I like have you fellas here because you can stand to carry the kids around for insanely long lengths of time.

Cielo with Vito's sunglasses. She thinks she's hialrious.

I´m not going to lie about the fact that we show a little favoritism toward the Kinder-kids. I picked them up last week... we got Takis (the teeth-roting spicey chip that every Mexican loves) and went back to the house. The kids drove, we took pictures, it was fun. I want to keep him forever.

Neither of these two ever lack expression or animation.

New girl Yoseline with Carely and Jaqueline. These girls are awesome.

Andrea is such a cartoon.

I´ve never known a brother-sister pair to love each other so much. When I pick the kids up, I get Jacqueline first. I go to Antonio´s class second... he runs out, gives me a kiss and then the two of them hug for a good solid minute. It´s amazing. Here they are with Taki-fingers.

I won’t go on and on this week about the fact that our time here is nearly over. Two and a half weeks, actually. \ You all know and can probably imagine what we are feeling. It’s all so weird... we're sad, happy, freakin' out, tearing up frequently, hugging big, taking too many pictures, and so on. I said it all last week.

The kids only went to school for three of the five days which makes all the “routine” (if you can call it that) a little off. Mexico celebrated yet another Independence Day on the 20th… nearly 100 years since the Revolutionary War. A good ¾ of our kids got all dressed up and made their way down the main strip of Aldama dancing and such. They were awesome. I was so proud of our girls. I've never felt like such a mom. Lauren and I were among the many that helped them get ready- makeup and hair fixed. Noema, one of the staff, made all those flags you see the kids carrying. I hope the pictures and bit of video capture a little of how amazing these kids were.

The big buses have been down and now we’re out a car. I’m not a real dramatic person and don’t tend to worry much, but I’ll tell ya that when I saw the truck Lauren crashed in, my stomach turned. I am so grateful that she is okay. I cried in prayer Friday night in gratitude toward the Lord. His mercy is real. Please pray that her soreness would lessen and that she would be able to drive fear-free. We would love to start raising money for a new truck for them (as every vehicle is greatly needed!) though we don’t know what the details of that would look like. Please contact one of us if you’d like to help.

Thanksgiving. I can’t believe I missed it. This was the first major holiday I’ve missed in my life, and I am not a fan. Lauren and I went, along with Team Vito, the young newlywed couple living here, and Mama and Papa to Paloma and Greg’s house for dinner. I’ve mentioned Paloma and Greg before. They’re this incredible couple- he’s American, she’s Mexican- so they have that cool international flare. They seem to have their hands of support and encouragement in nearly every amazing ministry around this city. Point is, they welcomed us in with a few others for dinner. It was so good. She may be Mexican, but this woman fixed up a classic Thanksgiving meal. Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, every dessert that I love... She even went up to El Paso in order to get missing ingredients. No doubt we have been shown hospitality here. Our conversations were different than any other Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever had. We laughed over stories of the kids and ways we’ve seen the Lord work miraculously. We got Papa started on missionary biographies (my favorite too) and he couldn’t stop. Seriously, my faith was increased from this one evening. Oh, and we all laughed hard… really stinkin’ hard, which I love. I’m so sad I missed the comforts of home and family, but I am thankful for this Thanksgiving... that's appropriate, I think.

I know a lot of you have been praying for the Christmas in the Streets event… and God is definitely working through it all. We started a couple weeks ago praying and fasting every Friday night, and it has proven to be an amazing time. How often do you set aside 3 hrs to just pray? I don’t ever. The evening is presented as optional, so the kids that want to be there are there. As far as I know, all the food that we have been praying for has been provided, and we are now just waiting on the rest of the presents. Mama and Papa have been on the radio a ton and are now taking the kids with them to help announce it. Everyone is getting pumped… only two more weeks to work out all the details. Oh my.

I guess that's all for now. I've been told I write a bit much. Remember, I have one person to talk to here, so I think I'm excused. Call me and you won't have to spend all your time in front of the computer. Consider it, friends. Have a great week, our faithful readers.

Peace be with you,

Mary Ellen

I'm ending with a video... We told Mama we wanted to interview her (with our inflatably microphone) on behalf of Linda and Gary for their church presentation. I think she only heard "interview" and "Linda and Gary".. we had to do it over, but I thought I'd share with you the first clip. This woman is a nut. I'm gonna miss her... she's taught me so much about discipline and sacrifice and faithfulness amidst the highs and the lows... praise the Lord.

A couple questions about the comment-makers. Is "Kevin" THE Kevin Boswel or THE Kevin Foflygen? Second, who is "looking for you everywhere?" Were you in one of the groups this summer?

Independence... again?!

2007-11-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

So, I totally didn´t put up my entry til today. Sorry folks. Its under Lauren´s.

Here´s a sneak preview into the craziness that was today... yet another Independence Day. Nearly all our kids were involved in the big parade.
See ya this weekend. Have an awesome Thanksgiving!
Peace,
Mary Ellen

Can´t deny that I love it here.

2007-11-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

Before anything else, a few photos from today. Mary Ellen and I went to a church where about 20 of our kids were going to be singing at the service. Also, Mama and Papa were going to share about Navidad en la Calle (Christmas in the Streets), an event we´re having in a few weeks.

How precious are they. All dressed up, hair fixed.

The proud mom. Such a great mom.

Hanging out after the service by ol´blue.(Marcela, Karla, Jazmin)

Rebecca in the van, eating something covered in chile.

P.S. About today...so much fun. Most of the kids at the church were girls from our room and I was once again reminded of how much I love them. I´m having such a hard time gearing up mentally to leave this place in a few weeks. A few weeks! I don´t even like to say it. They are so special to me and I hate thinking about not having them in my life the way they are now. I read a little bit of what Mary Ellen wants to put on the blog about this very thing and it describes how I´m feeling as well. Please pray for us as we prepare to enter an entirely different world and leave this one.

I think I’ve said it before, but I love the evenings at the house- most of the kids are outside playing soccer or running around. I LOVE this time of day, because if I’m sneaky enough, I can walk around and watch all the kids, without being seen. (Didn’t mean for that to sound creepy…parents like to do that, don’t they? Just watch their kids be kids.) It’s in these evenings that I’m reminded of how much I adore being a part of this place. The sun in setting behind the mountains, and there are kids everywhere having so much fun, who came from all kinds of awful things. And now they are in a home with lots of other kids just like them. They have two parents who have sacrificed a “normal,” comfortable life to provide everything they can for their children. I wonder if some of these kids will ever be a part of another family, or if they’ll only know their Lily family. Being a part of a family of over one hundred isn’t ideal, but I’m constantly telling myself that where they are now is one million times better than where they came from. Yes, there are inconveniences. The kids aren’t hugged enough, sometimes not fed the most delicious meals, their few belongings (and ours) are constantly being stolen, they have to wake early in the morning because there is so much to do… but I believe that every child we have is being blessed by living here. They are constantly learning about the Lord through songs of worship, daily devotionals, and through God’s love that the staff are graciously able to exhibit. I hate that so many of the kids don’t see or believe that God’s hand is in what goes on in this place, but I hope that even if it’s years later, they will accept the truth and lay their lives at the feet of Christ. It’s frustrating to see the kids singing, and even proclaiming to be Christians, when their lives speak otherwise, but I pray that someday everything will make sense. The songs. The devotionals. The miracles. The servants that work so hard to provide a loving, stable home for them every single day. I pray that someday these kids will look at all of these things and see that they all point to Christ. Occasionally Mama Rosa will tell me a story of one of her kids that used to live here, and has later contacted her with good news about their lives. That they have gotten married, have a decent job, etc. What is the most encouraging is when someone calls to tell her that they didn’t appreciate what was done for them while living at Lily, but at some point, they understood that the Lord was in it, and put their faith in Him. These stories encourage me because living here everyday to see these kids indulge in their sin nature is heart-breaking. I see them look for fulfillment everywhere and in everything but Christ. And until they look to Him, they will never change.

I really just wanted to show you a few pictures from a walk I took around the property one day. Didn’t mean to write and write.

Beti, who just had her sixteenth birthday, is hanging out on some sort of tank (probably unsafe).

Her brother, Avelado, loves this dog (Lola). She lives at the jobsite and every once in a while makes the long walk home. The kids swarm around her every time she comes to visit, like something out of a cheesy Disney movie. It’s cute, though.

Nancy reading the bible. I wonder what she thinks of it. I need to ask her.

One night last week, Mary Ellen and I both had errands to run- she to the jobsite and me to Aldama. We piled lots of kids into both of the vans and took off. Constantly driving can get lonely at times, but not when you have the company of these girls.

Rubi and Lorena (being adopted) were the privileged two that drove us down the dirt road. They’re precious.

Gabi.

I took the whole group with me to return a video because I was too afraid to leave them in the car by themselves. However, I was also a little nervous that somehow, in walking two blocks, I’d come back with less than enough kids. (Rosi, Lorena, Karen, Rubi, Manuela, Gabi, Gabi, Brisa, and Osmara)

Rosi, Manuela (she and her two sisters, Cristal and Maria, were recently taken to live with their families again), and Brisa.

Rubi, Gabi, Lorena, and I.

Gabi and I. This girl gets cuter and funnier everyday.

Oh, Kachito. I’ll never have enough photos of him.

This is a favorite. He’s so expressive.

Irela, Carla Joanna (who is being adopted), and I.

New girls! We now have Josalin, who is in kindergarten and is extremely hard to understand…

And her older sister, Estefani, who’s in first grade (I think). Actually, neither of them have their long hair anymore. The poor things. They’ve adjusted well to living here; our biggest challenge is teaching them how to make their bed. So, they’re doing fine.

Rubi and I in my bed.

We originally told the girls we’d pull toothbrushes every night for who’d sleep with us, but didn’t follow through. Now we’re just letting girls who really want to take a turn. It’s a sweet deal for us because the nights are getting colder, so the girls are kind of like little electric blankets.

One day last week the middle school girls didn’t have to wear their uniforms to school, so here they are all dressed up. All these girls sleep in our room, and to be honest, they´re a handful. I love them, but they´re at the age where they want more independence and do not want to follow the rules. :) Please pray that they´d all come to know the Lord.

I needed to run some errands one day for Mama and knew I didn’t know exactly how to get everywhere, so I took Mague and Marcela with me. I thought if nothing else, they could be my comic relief if I get lost or frustrated. The trip ended up being a lot of fun because I don’t get to spend a lot of time with the kids in small groups. We laughed a lot- mainly at me because I was never quite sure where we were going, but laughing is laughing.

One of our tasks was to take one of Mama’s precious dogs to the vet downtown to get her stitches out. Oh, that was another reason I took the girls. I didn’t want to have to worry about a dog roaming around the van while I drove all over the city. Here’s Marcela outside the vet’s office, looking so pretty.

Ok, so here are the shoes I mentioned last week that came from the shoe bank we have for the kids. Brand new pair of the same shoes I bought three years ago at Wal-Mart. Pretty amazing.

Miriam and Leticia come with me when I run errands from time to time. This time, they came with me to Aldama to pick up kids from school. I don’t work with them much anymore on their reading skills, but Katie does. She’s great with them and the girls love meeting with her. Pray that they will learn to read and that they’ll know Christ, too.

Oh, Jaqi. You’re so cute. I had a lot of slobber and snot on my face after this one.

I’m telling you, once you meet the girl, you can’t help but love her. Just look at her.

Beti and her brother, Julio. She’s another victim of the clippers in an effort to get rid of lice.

Noema, one of the amazing staff here at the house. She’s been a huge help to Mary Ellen and I in mornings with our girls. She works so hard at her job, and has been sharing with some of the older girls, as well. So thankful for her.

One afternoon, Mary Ellen and I found our girls dancing…or maybe it was aerobics (don’t really know). Rubi and Karla were their leaders- very cute.

Navidad en la Calle (Christmas in the Streets) is almost here! The orphanage is throwing a huge party for all the kids in a really poor area here in Chihuahua on December 8. The kids are seen here preparing gifts for the kids (we’re expecting around 3,000 kids from the neighborhoods to show up) that include hygiene products and a few little extras. Some of the kids have used their own money to buy the items and are thrilled to be able to help those that have so much less than they do.

Mama, Papa, and Brenda have put so much time, prayer, and energy into planning this event.

Ramon showing off his shoebox gift for Navidad en la Calle.

Kachito and Ana (a teacher at his school) on the ride home.

The Maria Elenas. Except the Mexican one refused to let us take a picture of her. Maria Elena is on staff here and works with the first graders, as well as Kachito and Ramon in the afternoons. She also takes care of a two year old, Julian, who has down syndrome and other disabilities.

Last Friday, the boys dressed up for a holiday party at school. Here’s Kachito with the usual, an empty coke bottle, but with a little Mexican flare.

This was taken right after he threw his hat on the roof. Throwing things outside the van really make that kid happy.

And, he’s gonna throw it again.

Yes, Ramon has a painted on mustache.

This is your everyday Kachito and Ramon.

Getting ready to take off…

Yep. Unless I take him by the arm to his door, he always gets away.

Kachito and Ramon stay in a house with Gustavo, who also has disabilities but attends the public schools.

Mary Ellen and Gustavo are helping Ramon into the house. He’s almost always in his wheelchair, but his doctors say that with lots of therapy he could eventually use a walker.

Antonio, showing me that he can tie his shoes.

I went outside to hang out with the kids working, but instead I found them all playing soccer which is way more fun. In the foreground are Marcos and Javier (blocking the ball). Javi is a great guy and such a leader at the house. I admire his sweetness with the little ones and his responsibilty, as well.

Joana, drinking vegetable yogurt. Mmm.

Miraya, Noema, and Fabiola.

Little Brenda’s brother (don’t know his name!), Josman, and Emmanuel (brothers).

Everybody loves this guy. Vito lived at the house for 6 months several years ago, and now comes to visit a couple times a year. It’s neat to hear him tell stories about the kids from when they were much younger. I hope to have a relationship with the orphanage like he does. But he´s got a really weird sense of humor.

Can you guess what’s going on here? Marcela and Rubi are helping me check my hair for lice. So much fun.

Well, didn´t mean to leave on that note. Oh, I wanted to say something else about Navidad en la Calle. If you think of it, be in prayer for this event. We have enough food donated to feed all 3,000 kids that we´re expecting to show up in the neighborhood, but now we´re waiting on food for the 1,000 parents that will be there. Also, we´re still in need of about 2,000 juice drinks and lots more gifts. Please pray for these needs, as well as organization of the event. This is a huge event and we are a very small staff. Mama is hoping for 100 volunteers to be there all day to help with the gift giving, pinata time (we´re going to have 50 pinatas, how cool!), food distribution, and those bouncy things (we called them moon walks as kids, but here they´re called ´brinca brincas´). Most importantly, pray that God would be glorified through all this. That the kids would be blessed and see that all good things come from the Lord. Pray that He brings salvation to this community.

Thank you for sticking with me on this one. Quite lengthy with photos, but I can´t help but show off these kids.

Peace,

Lauren

This is coming to you mid-week. My bad.

2007-11-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Wrote all this Sunday...
Well, we’re down to just 3 weekends… 3 and one half weeks. Wow. This week has been a great one. The kids are getting pumped up for “Christmas in the Streets” and the house is just a little busier. Mama and Papa have been on the radio every Monday and will be up until the big day. We’ve wrapped presents, are buying more, and praying tons for how the Lord wants to use this day. The 8th will be the second annual “Navidad in las Calles” where hopefully some of the poorest and most unloved people of Chihuahua will get a small glimpse of the love of Christ. We’re waiting to hear from a few major potential donors and anxious to see how the Lord will provide. We still need food for the adults and tons of shoebox gifts for the some-3000 kids we’re expecting. Pray for miraculous organization. This isn’t something the orphanage would be praised for normally, so I am asking for a miracle. About 300 volunteers, all our kids, the expected community kids and whatever parents decide to show. Oh me.

I can feel that it’s fall outside, but in no way does it feel like November. Leaves are actually falling. In Mexico that means the leaves went brown or occasionally yellow and then fell. It’s not nearly as beautiful as what I see at my other home in the States, but we still get that beautiful sound of the leaves scratching across the ground. The kids are a little more snuggly out of necessity. We’re wearing our jackets and trying to stay warm. I can’t believe we’re just over a month away from Christmas. What will that look and feel like for me this year? I can’t even picture life back in the States at this point.

I cried last night talking to Lauren about our first few days home. We leave on a Tuesday. The kids have school that day, so the night before we’ll have to fight to put the girls to bed as always. We’re praying for an opportunity to do something special with them, but we don’t know. We will wake up at 4:15 the next morning and pray with the staff. Then we’ll force girls back into the room to make their beds correctly, and maybe even threaten with a punishment that we’ll never see come into fruition. We won’t care about chores, but because things will carry on after we leave, we’ll help wash dishes from breakfast and pick up trash in the December morning air. The kids will go to school… and we’ll go to the airport. Lauren and I will spend the day flying and then arrive in Louisville that night. We’ll be thrilled, no doubt, to see the family and friends that decide to come, but then my buddy and I will go our separate ways for a while. In fact, we don’t know if we’ll ever live together again. I will walk into the beautiful familiarity of my parent’s house and then sleep in a big ol´bed… but I’ll be super alone. I won’t put toothpaste on anyone’s frayed-from-chewing-on-it toothbrush. Nor will I hug anyone because their head, molar, finger, foot, stomach, or other miscellaneous body part hurts. I won’t draw a toothbrush to see who gets to sleep with me. Still, I’ll be exhausted, so I will sleep. I’m not setting my alarm, so I’ll wake on Wednesday when body wants to. That morning I won’t pray with my friends and staff, eat beans for breakfast, make the long drive to Chihuahua with our two boys, or pack lunches for the Kinder kids and walk them to the colorful gate of the school. Brisa won’t ask me for a piece of paper to write her prayers on like I do, and no one will try to snuggle up with me as I read my Bible. I don’t know what I’ll do that day or the next… or the next. I do know that I’ll miss these kids: their quirks, their hearty laughs, their complaints, their fears and simple faith, their hugs… oh, I’ll miss their hugs. Please pray for us. And please pray for the kids. Increasingly within the last few weeks some of the girls have been calling us Mom… I pray we’re doing nothing to increase the abandonment complex so many of them already have. Now, I’ve made myself completely depressed by writing all that. What a dummy.

We’re leaving the Medina’s house soon to go back to the orphanage. We hope to meet a few of the staff and the two visiting Americans for dinner at our favorite torta vendor. Enjoy the pictures. I have a ton, but I loved this week so I gotta share. I hope you are all growing in your love for the Lord and His work within His creation. There is nothing more incredible than knowing Jesus Christ our Lord. Life could good, but there is no way that it could be this sweet and rich without knowing Christ. Gracias Dios por todo.

____________________________________________

Okay, so here´s a preview into my pictures. Since I´m apparently at a terrible internet café, it won´t let me finish putting up my pictures. You´ll get extra next week.

Gaby dragged me outside Friday night for a surprise. She made me close my eyes which resulted in me tripping twice and running completely into a tree. Awesome. She, Osmara and Rolando made me mud-pies and mud-cookies. No one has ever made me mud-pies nor any other mud-baked-good. They were absolutely delicious.

These are my bed buddies from the week: Marcela, Karla and Jasmin. Marcela was super hyper and giggly, Karla way cuddly- totally a teddy bear, and Jasmin was energetic and later a cover hog.

So, since we’ve been here Lauren and I have had a few small, simple goals… things we want to do before we leave. Included in this list is riding a horse (almost did, but still waiting) and hiking up the mountains behind the house. Since Vito and Doug are in town, we finally got our chance. We went Saturday afternoon, took forever to drive to the base of the mountain (took a wrong turn thanks to our navigator and ended up on a “road” lined with nasty old toys, clothes, broken glass and such, and a pile of dead horse bones with a little hair still on the nose. What?!) Lauren and I went with the American pair and three of the teenagers from the house. Ramon seriously ran the whole way down after hiking almost double what we did. Those guys were intense.

Me and Loty before we went up

Found these old horse bones. Yeah, horse bones.

Luanne.. Rog... this is your son. He made it down safely, no worries.

the hike was dangerous... seriously long thorns.

Vito found this old, decrepit shoe along the “trail” and put on the bottom of his so-called walking stick. The mysterious medal piece on the bottom clanked the whole way down. I had taken in quite a bit of water, so between this and the thousands of times one of us almost fell, I almost peed in my pants. Is that inappropriate to say? I promise I try to be feminine.

Loty and I with Team Vito minus one.. Aldama and Lirio are in the background. Beautiful! Wish you were here!

This trailed us as we drove back to the house.

moutaintop with loty... well, almost mountaintop. The sun went down too fast.

Loty and Javier as waited for Erika to get back.

Waiting in the famous Big Blue

We´ll end with a little video from last night. Our Mexican brothers serenaded us since we wouldn´t go out with them. They are so stinkin awesome

Interested in adoption?

2007-11-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

It is Monday, and I was able to sneak into an internet café to do a little business. We´re working on some donations for Christmas in the Streets, and it is super exciting. Please pray for this!

Okay, so Linda and I were talking, and through the stories of these children many people have been exposed to the option of adopting. A lot of people have asked me questions regrading this.. the process, the money, how you know who is available. Seriously, if the Lord has me marry, I want to adopt from this place... there´s a little disclaimer for all my gentleman-callers. I would encourage you who read this to pray and consider this. These are amazing kids with incredible potential. They may be fine growing up here (there are many success stories), but how much greater would a home be where they could get more personal attention and discipleship?!

So anyway, this is what Linda said about contact:
All the adoption information I gather is given through the adoption agency in Minnesota. The adoption agency is "God's Children Adoption Agency" and the director is Amy Twedt. Her numbers are as follows: work-218-998-1961, cell 218-770-2360. Feel free to use either number. Please have the people contact her with any adoption questions...she is extremely knowledgeable and very easy to talk to.

So, there you have it. On top of all this, there are a ton of couples I know that are going through the process right now and would probably love to help answer questions you have. Just let me know.

Chandra, this is for you... our email addresses!
Mine is moodyme@gmail.com
and Lauren´s is dotylg@gmail.com

I´d actually love to send you some videos and pictures of some friends of yours. ;)
All of you are welcome to contact us this way if you want to.

Have a blessed week!
Maria Elena

PS I just realized how much I wrote this weekend and that I thought I cut it short. Oh. my. goodness. That is ridiculous.

You just wait, next week will be fantastic

2007-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

Bad news bears.

I have about 15 minutes to throw on a few photos from the week, but the memory on my laptop is completely full. So...nevermind. Not now. Bummer. Bad planning on our part. We had too much fun this weekend- I think Merm explained a little bit of that. I have some great ones of the kinder kids in the van after school one day, Flor and Abelado playing outside with the dogs, a van load of kids I took to Aldama one evening to run some errands, lots of Kachito (always hilarious to me, probably not so much to you if you don't know him), Rubi and I in my bed when it was her turn to sleep with me, my adventure in Chihuahua when Mama had me run several errands with Mague and Marcela- one being taking Mama's precious little dog to the vet. Can't wait to show you. Oh, Mom and Dad- I got new shoes! It's insane, but ne of the older girls, Adidlene, said, "I have a surprise for you. A Christmas present." She handed me a bag and ran away. I opened it up to find the best gift ever- the SAME pair of tennis shoes I have now, but brand new. The ten dollar pair, red with white and blue from Wal-Mart that have giant holes in them, but brand new! I always regretted not buying 2 pairs and look- I got another pair from Mexico. From an orphanage in Mexico. How crazy is that? Oh, and these are the shoes I bought 3 years ago. Definitely not in the stores anymore. I have no clue how we ended up with them. I'll show you a pic of them next week. What a blessing.

Okay, it's time to go. Sorry to give you a boring ol' paragraph about the pictures that I can't show you. Things are great here. Feeling very blessed these days. Don't want to leave. (But I do miss the fam and friends.) I'm praying for a good last month here- that I'll love the kids more every day and soak up my time with the staff. I"m bracing myself for the day we have to leave, but try to be all here everyday and not think too much about a month from now.

Thank you all for staying connected with Lily this way, and for keeping everyone here in your prayers.

Peace,

Lauren

I'm feeling pensive...

2007-11-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

I wrote all this last night... so don't think I'm a blog hog. There's no time to proof-read, so take it as it is. I love you all.

Lauren enjoying our incredible meal at "Cinco Panes" with the money this precious couple here gave us to treat ourselves. We were treated like queens. The story of how we got all these goodies is below. We are so blessed!

The end of our adventures: a delicious frosty white mocha taken in today with the Word of God and some peace and quiet. I hate to be so American, but I miss the coffee shop scene.

At least the girls riding in the seat had their seatbelts on... that's a start right? Don't judge me. If only you knew how hard it was to get these kids to sit still. These are 3 of the 4 kids I took with me to buy gifts for the upcoming "Christmas in the Streets". They all gave money for gifts (what money!?) so thet were able to go with me.

I love this of Flor. For whatever reason the girl starting laughing and couldn't stop. So. much. fun.

The girls with their treats. I hope its okay that we spend so much our budget rotting these kids teeth.

Gaby and Daniel... siblings. Gaby was incredibly giggly all day. Everything was a bit funnier for her.

With our goodies from shopping. The sun was a bit bright for their eyes.

Lsuren and I were sent on two separate errands at the same time one day this week and so we each took our own vanload. I ended up with 16 in my 15 passenger van and we went out to the worksite for the new boys´ home. We sang worship songs and I gave all that wanted a chance to drive. So hilarious.

Who is this guy? The girls took this picture when Lauren and I were inside the gas station buying goodies. I absolutely love this one.

Karla took this video while we were driving to the worksite. Mexico is beautiful at sunset.

Jasmin drives? She was FREAKING out! She kept getting down from my lap and saying she just couldn't do it. Hilarious.

Terrifying... why did I say this was okay?

Get ready Riley's! The crazier these kids are the more I laugh for Mark. Knowing you now (and I know that you only look at th

Bonfire... its officially fall.. except this fire has a pot of boiling potatoes in the middle of it.

Vote for the Dali Lama? I promise these are Bible-believing people.

Karla helped adjust Jaq's tummy.

this is so disturbing and hilarious to me. No one set her up for this one.

Mis abuelos= my grandparents. They both work at the house and have become my buddies. Really, they just like to tease me a lot. Like always.

Smile, Jesus loves you!

Miriam and Chuey

The girls running after dressing Lucia up. She loved it though she played like she didn´t.

My buddy Ana swinging

I'm feeling pensive allright...
... and oh me, this could take a while. Since all our fun company left I´ve had more time to think... more time alone in the car, no music in sight, and the result was an excessive amount of brain movement. I´m tired. I´ll confess that at times this whole blog thing has been a bit burdensome. We have little time off and I don´t really want to spend it typing. Well, now I more often look forward to it. I got an average of about 1.5 friends here, so you all are my outlet. How would I process without you!?! You guys want to meet Lauren in I in Florida next month for some debriefing? ...and thank you for all your notes and emails. I have gotten a bit teary lately over these. We write because you read. For you I am so thankful.
So thankful...
I´ve never really been on the receiving end of many miracles.... at least I never recognized it. As I mentioned before, I´ve been reading that book on the sovereignty of God and I have been so challenged in the way I perceive the works of my Lord. I mean I call Him sovereign but I don´t accredit Him for the things happening around me... not really the good nor the bad. I usually pray AFTER I make plans and pray He´ll bless the things I do. Here at Lily, they pray first and the Lord gives them ideas... often ridiculous and crazy ideas. And then He blesses them. It truly is amazing. I love how this job is challenging my faith, or my lack of.

I´ve been thinking a lot about money lately. The bling, bling. People hate to talk about money, especially when it challenges the way we spend it. I relate to this, but as it was pointed out to me recently, this is a subject that Christ addresses frequently. So, if my Lord speaks about it frequently, I should then listen. When this topic comes up I immediately think about all the wealthy people I know (I went to a private high school and always thought my family was borderline low class... ridiculous) and how they spend their money. I could waste a day in criticism of those around me. Oh, but if you knew my heart on this matter! It´s ridiculous how frivolous and wasteful I can be. OR I can be the opposite, obsessive and worrisome. I have nice things.. always bought on sale (thanks mom, for that obsessive compulsion), but way more than I need. The irony is that I have been unbelievably exposed to the poor, so its not that I spend out of ignorance. I have traveled much of the world, met people living in tents because of the destruction of the tsunami in Thailand, met generations of families that lost everything because of Hurricane Katrina, been begged for food in many a city, met people that have days that they don´t eat because there is nothing to eat, and so on... and now I´m living in an orphanage in Mexico, exposed in a very personal way to a group of very poor and abused people. Most of the girls in my room can fit everything they own (if they own anything) under their pillows. What am I doing with this knowledge? How should I be responding to this knowledge? Is it wrong for me to have nice things? How do I live in a culture, be in it but not of it, respond to the harsh realities of the world and live a Gospel-centered life? My young mind can´t grasp it all. Because I tend to have a more passionate and exaggerated outlook on life I can swing to an extreme with this very quickly. "Commit" my life to poverty and say I want to give it all, or amidst my helplessness, give up and live how I want to in response to whatever culture I´m in at the time. Just tonight Loty and I were doing Christmas shopping (hoping to buy all those silly trinkets asap) and wondering how we´ll live when we get home. How do we live simply and sacrificially without being ridiculous?
I want to be a giver. I know it always "feels better to give than to receive", but sometimes I really like to receive. I look forward to receiving Christmas presents. I hate this about myself.

Papá always says that our house is built on prayer and giving, and it is so true about this place. Golly, I see it now more than ever as we´re doing this big event called "Christmas in the Streets." On December 8, three days before Lauren and I leave, we´re giving out shoe boxes of gifts, a meal and a dang good time to some 3000 of the poorest children in the city. What?! I went today with four little ones and spent over $200 of the house´s money on "things for the poor". Hello! We´re poor! The kids and I were sitting at a red light just outside Chihuahua headed towards the giant market (Linda, your favorite place) when this woman walked up. I´ve seen her there before and she´s offered me the same old back-stratchers and little packets of some strange homemade mountain food. She´s always really cheerful, but there are approximately 75 million street vendors that all think their Mexico stickers, soaps, suction-cup flags, posicles, packets of food or BACK-SCRATCHERS are all a worthwhile purchase. Before I could reject what I thought was an inevitable offer, she was talking to the kids... and so smiley. She told me she had kids of her own and asked me if I did... of course not, but they always ask. Its sad really. Anyway, as she´s interacting with the kids (it was a looong light) she is continually responding with things like, "Thanks be to God" or "All glory to Christ." This is totally normal culturally, and I was only surprised by her references to Christ rather than general things about God. A minute later while saying "God bless you" she handed each of us 10 pesos... that´s almost 5 dollars. If you don´t know anything about poverty in Mexico, I´ll tell you this... street vendors that sell plastic back scratchers DON´T make a lot of money. I was so overwhelmed. The only reason I didn´t cry was because the kids think its weird and kinda freak out when people cry when they´re not bleeding or been recently punished. The kids spent the next seven minutes or so talking about how she was a Christian and that she sings at her church... she has helped orphans before and really loves kids. They are sure she´s going up to heaven one day and not "down to you know where". What did the kids do with the money she gave them? Well, we went on to our last store of the morning and they used money to buy things for the poor. I´m sure these orphan kids were quite the site for those standing in line with us. Daniel, after buying his gifts, looked up at me and said "I´m so happy". Maybe it is in fact better to give than receive... I just don´t give much.

On top of all this, Lauren and I were given 500 pesos, almost $50 to go out to eat because it seemed like we were having a rough week (and we totally were). The closest thing to eating out we do is the $1 hamburger joint or the burrito stand where I could buy 80 burritos for 500 pesos and still be able to buy 4 packs of gum. We live a glamorous life.
So, here´s what we did:
We went to downtown Chihuahua and did a little of that Christmas/tourist shopping (with our personal money). We were feeling a little hungry, so went into this local pizza place and spent about $6 on a personal pan pizza to split, tòpped with green peppers and cheese, and two bottles of water (they don´t give water from the tap). It was about 6 o´clock (way early to be eating in Mexico). We went back to this main strip of shopping and acitivity, stopping once at a bakery to admire their pastries... admiration turned into desire and we spent about $2 on a donut, eight quarter-sized treats, and one giant cookie with sprinkles and a strange dollop of jelly. We then began to walk quickly, hoping to stir hunger in us. We´d had big plans for a fancy meal and dessert later! Eventually we made our way to the best restaurant in town. The manager came to our table and explained the menú to us in english, welcoming us there. He was a real gem. The waiters spoke slowly so we always knew what was going on. We ate the best salad I´ve had in 4 months, loaded with fresh fruit and yumminess, and split a tasty panini with chips. We drank soda (I never do this in the States!) and our total for the two of us was still short of $20. What? How? We tipped big to make up for it, and we have plans of grabbing coffee and a dessert some time soon (we ended up going today.. Sunday). Point is, when did we get on this side of things? It's amazing. God has provided quite miraculously for the two of us since we´ve been here, but this was just way more than we could have asked for. SInce we can't seem to give back to all these people, we just worship. I have been so overwhelmed lately. I cry when I get an email. I was told today that someone is going to pay for me to go to Bay St. Louis when I get back to do some Katrina Relief work with my dad... I cried again. I am unworthy of these blessings of God but it is ultimately increasing my faith and causing me to praise Him.

I have more I'd love to say though I know you all have lives outside of our blog. You all are incredible for reading this... or just looking at the pics (Mark Riley totally confessed this while he was here... by the way, the American girls over at Libres por Amor couldn't say enough good about you and your interactions with the kids... stealing your crown's jewels one at a time. :) ha!)
Have a blessed week. We'll try to plan better next weekend so we can get more up here.

Peace be with you all,
Mary Ellen

A final note from Linda

2007-11-04T17:56:00.001-08:00

Here is my final contribution to the blog:

During my recent visit to Lily, I spent the majority of my efforts to gather information on children who might be available for 'orphan status' and research possibilities of adoption. This took such a toll on my heart. I remember a few of my 'interviews' with the children...and I weep each time I think of these children. One sibling group of 4 children stands out in my mind. I asked these children what they were most thankful for. They were very quick to say "a bed to sleep in and food to eat". Their background information revealed that they were living on their own in a shack for several years. Their mother and other people would stop by every once in a while...but they were on their own. These kids have very tender hearts and are very loving for all they have been through. Another sibling group of 2 young boys waited at a grocery store for their mom to come out...but she ditched them there and took off. The store owner got annoyed at them because they wouldn't leave the store entrance because their mom said she was going in after a few groceries and she would be right back. The police finally took them away after 3 or 4 days and these boys believe there was some kind of mistake and their mom will come back any day...they are still waiting for her.

These kids need godly moms and dads to adopt them. Unfortunately these godly moms and dads are living a very 'comfortable' life right now and don't see these desperate needs. Please help me pray that God will shake the worlds of Christian homes and challenge them to adopt these children. Every child is a gift of God and needs a mom and dad to lavish love on them.

One more thing (and Mary Ellen...you better include this paragraph). Mary Ellen and Lauren are doing an awesome job down there. These two single girls in their mid twenties are moms to 50 some girls without any practice. They instantly have had to figure out how to fix upset tummys, make girls shower & brush teeth, help calm nightmares, talk about fears, serve as taxi driver, big sister, mommy& daddy and they do all of this with huge smiles. Their lives are a testimony to a huge God. What they do is not humanly possible. Please encourage them. I will testify that money you send to them is used for these children. They are not there for any other reason but to bring glory to their God. I know God smiles as He watches them.

All for Jesus,
Linda Beggs

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not loved, I gain nothing.

2007-11-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

Every time I sit down to work on the blog, I’m reminded loud and clear that another week that has gone by. Arg. This week has taught me a ton about love and servant hood, and that’s what I’d like to share with you today. The lesson I’m learning is applicable to anyone. When I leave in a month (one month!) I’ll still need to remember this lesson. Lately, I’ve notived a very obvious, distinctive pattern in my behavior. A child approaches me with a problem, and as he/she begins to speak, I hear nothing. To me, it's the same kid that came up to me minutes ago. I hear the same problem, the same sad story, I don’t understand why the same kid is back again. I don’t listen. Or maybe I half-listen, half-pretend. Then I say something like, “I’m busy” or “I don’t care” or “I don’t have time right now.” How awful?? This week I read 1 Corinthians 13, and although it’s a chunk of scripture that’s pretty familiar and it easy to skim over, I couldn’t get past it. In His sovereignty, the Lord forced me to look at it over and over again. And learn from it.

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

First, He showed me that this is the way in which I am to love the children. With patience and kindness, not harshness and with pride. I hold the key to the bedroom of 38 young girls, but that doesn’t give me the right to treat them however I want. Each child is a little human being, who has feelings and hurts and wishes and dreams. Who am I to treat them as if they are just another number? Who am I? A lowly sinner, just like the rest, given responsibility by the Lord to love these little ones in a very specific way.

Love isn’t easily angered. That’s tough. When the same two kids continue to find their fists intertwined with one another in a silly fight, love still isn’t angered. I can respond in anger and let my words fly, or I can respond in love. As I worked through this passage, the Lord showed me time after time that I fail to love the kids the way that He has clearly laid out.

Love always protects. The odds of injuries occurring, whether accidental or with purpose, are very good, considering the number of kids that live here. It is my duty to protect these kids from physical hurt. Not only from physical injuries, but emotional wounds that other kids (and the staff, myself, included) can inflict with harsh, piercing words.

Love always perseveres. This is hard, when the problems and concerns of the day seem to far outweigh any fruit that is reaped. I am called to persevere in my love for them. To hug the child that, in anger, flailed her arms at me earlier. To kiss the one who constantly bullies the three year old.

The more I read this scripture and relived situations in which I failed to love, the more overwhelmed I felt. How Lord? How is this possible? How can anyone love in this way? And then God spoke to me. I love you in this way. I have always loved you in this way.
You’re right, Lord. I am just as unruly and undisciplined as the worst of the kids here. I don’t listen when You warn me against something, disobey when Your direction is clear, treat You as if You don’t have authority in my life.

Without me, you can’t love anyone else.

How humbled I felt at that moment. I was looking at the situation, and worked myself up over how I was going to fix it, without looking at the Lord. Without first looking at who the Lord is. He is Love. And if I’m not acknowledging that primarily, “I gain nothing.” Without the love of our Father I am nothing and can give nothing.

Be encouraged by this, wherever you are. Whatever the Lord has for you today. Let’s praise God for the way that He has loved us and continues to love us. His love never fails. He has given us His very life so that we can experience joy. By His grace, only by His grace, are we able to experience this love through Him and through fellowship with His people. Let us praise Him for this today.

Okay, on the the photos (and a few videos, for once).

I was searching through my pics, hoping for lots of the Michigan group who stayed with us this past week, but I was pretty disappointed. Hopefully Mary Ellen will have a few more. This group was fantastic- such a blessing to me. They worked hard from the minute they arrived, and still found lots of time to love on and minister to the kids. Thank you for serving the staff and kids of Lily. Thank you for being a reminder of Jesus Christ, the Servant. It's easy to be in a routine, even the crazy routine at Lily of the Valley Orphanage, and forget my purpose- to serve the Lord in whatever it is He has planned for me to do. This week I was reminded of how precious the kids are, how crucial the staff are, the lofty responsibilty that the Lord has given me for this short time that I'm here, and how good our God is. Thank you for being so intentional with your words and actions, and being an example of Godliness to me. I hope that the trip blessed you and that you've drawn closer to the Lord through you week here. To the church that supported this group in coming, thank you for your continual prayers for this place- for caring so much for your many children here. Mama and Papa were blessed by this visit, I know. Thank you for the way that you ministered and served them.

Men from the group are seen here slaving away in the kitchen, preparing over 200 pancakes for breakfast.

The finished product. I was very impressed.

The amazing cinnamon rolls that Linda and friends prepared for us TWICE during her stay. (Pictured with Cielo.)

Here's a video of Fred chatting with some of the girls. They kids loved spending time with him...I think because he's such a good listener. These girls are talkers. :)

Spending time with he kids outside is probably in my top 3 favorite things to do. Here's a little of that time.

Antonio and one of his older sisters, Ana.

Andrea is using the NEW WATER FOUNTAIN! One of the men from the Michigan group worked on this every night after the kids went to bed. I wish I had Mama's reaction captured on film when she saw it. "Oh wow, oh, wow!" were her exact words. She was thrilled. Thanks Chilo!

And, here's a little singin' from Andrea. Can't quite carry and tune.

Jay and Tracy, this one's for you. I asked Ana to say hello to you all, and she totally became camera shy. We all know that Ana is NOT shy at all.

The following are a cluster of some of the many photos the kids took with my camera this week. It happens all the time. Somehow they get away with it without me noticing. Or I give them permission to use it, but it doesn't get returned for half an hour. Makes me nervous sometimes...

Love you, Merm.

Merm and I danced a little after the amazing staff appreciation dinner the Michigan group held for us. Thank you! Linda, in all pink (of course) is in the background. Linda, thanks for the way that you serve the kids and staff here. Thank you for ministering to Mary Ellen and I during your short stay with us. We will pray that your house sells and final details are worked out quickly so that you and Gary can make the final move here, soon. It's so obvious that your heart is here.

Pray that God will give me the grace to love the kids with His love (especially these two right here).

Peace,
Lauren

¿Five weeks from Tuesday?

2007-11-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

How is this kid still here? It blows my mind.

American friends, these kids remember you. This picture is of Cristal and Nicole when Cristal still had hair. She´s been carrying it around lately.

Loty and Karla spinning... maybe Lauren´s gotten a little stronger since we´ve been here?

He loves me; he loves me not. In this picture, Kacho loves me not.

Linda and I took a few of the girls with us to run errands in Aldama. Linda went in to make copies of birth certificates (yay!) and I took the girls to a little store to buy crackers and lil´drinks. It is fun to play mom from time to time. The best part was when Jaqueline had a bathroom emergency.. had to pee asap. Mexico isn´t big on public bathrooms so we used a creek-like stream along the road. Good news is we didn´t get arrested for this public act and her pants remained dry.

A video from picking up the kids last week. Seatbelts are apparently optional in Mexico. Tonio was a little grumpy so you miss some of his sweetness. They love to sing worships songs.. hopefully that will eventually translate into something sincere for all of them.

"Quieres hacer cookies?" The girls learned the english word for cookies, so they say it a ton. "Shower", "cookies", "for what?" amd "sleeping" (pronounced "esleeping") are the words they always translate into english. Point is, I made some cookies with Cielo, Brisa, and Rebeca. They are cute.

The girls in kitchen. I have video from this afternoon that I'll try again to get up next week. The twins can dance, dangit.

Gaby didn´t get to make the cookies this time... but I thought she looked really cute in this hat.

She helped Karen do the dishes instead. Awesome trade-off.

Have I put up any pictures with Miriam? Lauren´s been helping her learn to read and she just makes fun of us a lot. ... and Ana Karen snuck in at the corner.

So the American group that visited us this week was a-mazing. Seriously. Wednesday night they made an incredible dinner for all the staff, encouraged us in the word, and concluded with washing our feet. Such servants. Here´s Lauren and I with Mamá and Papá. We had about 5 minutes to change clothes amidst passing out toothbrushes and curing headaches. Mamá said someone donated that furry coat to her but she always feels insecure about wearing it out. This was the perfect opportunity for cheetah.

Me and Loty... its funny how few pictures we have together.

Look at the way he´s looking at her... seriously, Linda came in here and helped revive their marriage. This couple was a big reason I wanted to come down here in the first place. I just wanted to live under their influence.

Brenda and cheesecake. We ate cheesecake for dessert. Yep, cheesecake.

Because of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, a lot of the kids missed school this week. Second grade stayed home 3 days... I don´t understand why, but I loved their company. They are one of my favorite groups... just to prove it we went and got them burritos one day. Yummy and like 50 cents.

Osmara and Gaby

Because of my insecurity with driving the stick shift in the big city, I took the giant blue van to pick up the two boys and the Americans took the lil´truck to the job site. Sorry, ladies.

I had an empty bottle and offered it to Kachito. Have we mentioned his love for bottles. Its insane really.

Boy meets bottle. Love at first sight.

Compare this pic with the one of the two of us earlier. The kid is moody.

My hair is not usually this red. Don´t know what the deal is. This is a pretty average afternoon... Me in my giant van with Ramón sleeping and Kachito either loving on or throwing around the trash from the car.

Here´s a video of Kachito and Ramón in the van on the way home.

Here´s more proof that they remember you guys... This is Joana and Sylvia´s dresser. Hart Baptist´s pastor is posted on the wall, and they hung that monkey thing up too. Your gifts of love mean more than you know.

I think I mentioned that Lauren and I have been letting the girls sleep with us lately. We draw a toothbrush every night to see who the lucky girl will be. Here I am jamming to some Lily Goodman with Joana.

Hello, my friends.
It has been an insane week. As we mentioned, this incredible group from Michigan came down this week to serve... and man, they served. The men had their hands on nearly everything broken or clogged, fixed it and then added new features (like the fancy new water fountain) while the women ran errands, made-over Brenda´s bedroom and fixed up an insane number of yummy goodies. Linda was in adoption-land getting tons of paperwork and research done. On top of that, they were a huge encouragement to me... so intentional in asking us about our hearts and work here. We were especially sad to see Linda go, but we are praying the Lord has her and Gary down here soon. Anybody looking to buy a house in Michigan?..... I just so happen to have a connection. I pray your group was overwhelmingly blessed by the Lord this week and that you were both encouraged to love Him more while growing in your compassion for His creations. God was generous to share you with us at Lily. **If any of you have pictures or words you´d like to share from your week, we would love to put them up for you.
For those of you who read this from all over, please pray for the adoptions that are going on through this church. Its incredible, really. I´m praying for the Riley´s like crazy and pumped to see a few new adoptions getting started. I can´t wait to see these things come into fruition, and I count on road-tripping it up there when it all works out.

As iron sharpens iron: Lauren and I led devotions Wednesday night instead of our normal slot in the morning... we met with the girls to talk about relationships and girl stuff while the pastor talked with the guys over some similar guy-version things. It´s funny how you start these things out with a goal in mind and those receiving it often get something different from it. Gary was a big encouragement to us as we prepared and helped us sort through our ideas. Such a blessing, my friend. We did get to talk to a few of the girls afterwards about some more specific questions and concerns, and I think the Lord honored our exhausted efforts. One thing that seemed to stick out to the girls that we weren´t planning on was the way Lauren and I interacted as friends. The Lord has been so gracious to us in this area, and we are being broken over our nature´s all the time. These kids know nothing of loyalty or edification or commitment to one another, so it seemed to stun them that we have been so involved in each other´s lives... including who we´ve dated or not dated. In the room that night a few of the girls asked if we ever fought. I told them that we didn´t really, but that God does use our times of frustration for good and that we really loved each other as sisters and friends... they turned to Lauren and said, "Maria Elena loves you!" How humbling to realize that the Lord is allowing them to see that in us. He quickly reminded me of how blessed I´ve been with godly and sincere friendships. I am so thankful that I have an abundance of people that exemplified the truths of God to me, and I hope the girls get a bit of that from Lauren and I.

He who has ears, let him hear: Another highlight was close to the end of the week when Linda, Belem and I ran to Aldama for a couple of things. Thanks to Linda´s observance and intentionality (always! the Holy Spirit was so evident in her while she was down here), the two of us ended up sharing the Gospel with three Mexicans that were in the same little internet café with us. These two guys, late-twneties, and one girl that worked there listened to us as we spoke about Christ´s work in our lives and the potential for theirs. It was amazing. The guys really reminded me of people I knew from the Anthropology Department at my university... cold and apathetic but strangely open to talking. One of the guys was extremely open and said that his mom shares with him all the time.. said he didn´t believe in coincidences and was willing to recognize that there was some purpose in us meeting. I just went in there to print out a picture for "Alberto" and the Lord had something divinely planned. Pray that I have the time and opportunity to meet with the three of them again. I struggle with laziness and follow-through, so pray the Lord would intercede for me in this.

Goodbye: We´re at 5 weeks and counting now. So weird. It looks like the last bit of time here is going to be crazy... more visitors, a huge Christmas outreach to some thousand people (if anyone is interested in donating somehow, let me know!), and lots of last minute jobs. It is going to fly by. I am overwhelmed by the ways God has shown Himself to me in this expereince and fear at times that I´ll lose that somehow when I get home. He will hold me. Loty (that´s Lauren´s nickname by the way.. I say it all the time and never clarified) and I have talked taking a roadtrip when we get back.. maybe a time to process a lttle. We´d wanted to do something here but can´t justify spending the money or the time when its all so limited. Instead, we´re thinking Chicago or Florida... like Miami. We love Chicago and its closeby, but Miami has Spanish and it´d be a change of scenery for sure. And then we have to think about paying bills and finding work. Anybody have any ideas? Golly, this is an awkward stage to be in. We always have the choice of coming back, but neither of us have a clue what the Lord wants for us. One day at a time. I want to plan for all this future stuff, but I don´t want any of my time here to be wasted with worry. I guess I´ll think about it when December 12th rolls around.

That´s all I got. Lauren and I are going to leave early tonight to go run around and maybe play a little handball. Yipee. Quality time with my buddy.
As always, I am sincerely thankful for all you who have spent hours reading and watching through pictures and video what the Lord is doing here. It´s a bit overwhelming. I have learned much about the body of Christ through you.

Peace,
Maria Elena

oh! Update:I never told you all this, but Cristian, the boy who "ran away" a couple of months back... he's okay. I found out a couple of weeks ago that he ended up at a different orphanage. Super sad to see him go, but I'm thrilled to know the kid is alive!

Some pictures from Linda:

2007-10-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

Linda gave us a few pics last weekend that we never were able to put up from the visit of this precious couple from Michigan. They´re taking this dear teenager, Ramon home with them hopefully within the next few months! Here´s Ramon and his new dad.

Instantly buddies... Lorena was sad to see him go.

Its amazing how attached the kids can get so quickly. Its definately not hard to attach to them either.

Ramon with his new mom.

We´ll end this with a video from when Ramon met his new dad for the very first time... and when he was reunited with his momma. So incredible!

Counting down to the goodbye.

2007-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Sweet little Rebeka lost a tooth. Samuel, one of the staff, said he was going to pull it out with a piece of string, but she wanted to do it herself. That 'a girl.

The next several photos are of the Michigan group that's here right now. We're so thankful that they're here. If you're ever interested in coming down to serve, talk to these guys. They came down with a plan, ready to work, and are following through. Go team!

Mark, with her future daughter (at left), Jasmin (one of five). Pray for this adoption!

Abby has made herself right at home. She's been very warm to the kids and is always spending time with them.

Lice check.

Katie, a new addition to the staff team, is hanging out with Julian (our only baby at Lily) along with Sylbia and Mague. Katie, who's had a relationship with the orphanage for several years, is here with her husband, John. They're staying in one of the new apartments in the back of the property, and at this point, are working on finding where they best fit into serving. I'm so thankful that they're here, and I know that Mama and Papa are, as well. The day that several of our girls got their heads shaved, Katie was a source of comfort. She's their hero.

Christy, with her future daugter, Marta, at right.

Mark in the kitchen with several kids, including Angel in the jean jacket, his future son, as well as his little brother, Rafa (red shirt).

Yep, Careli lost all her hair. And is looking pretty weird in this baby hat thing she found. Don't you miss her, Sid?

Receiving a donation. This happens all the time. A car pulls up with all kinds of food that Mama and Papa has no idea about. Praise God.

Cute little Tonito. (Antonio)

This is why we got rid of the kittens...we found them EVERYWHERE. Don't make fun of my t-shirt pillowcase. You gotta do what you gotta do.

No thoughts this weekend. I took a nap instead of making more time for the blog. Please forgive me. Merm, thanks for writing so much. Hope the photos are sufficient. Somebody eat some macaroni and cheese for me.

Hair and Company

2007-10-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Let's mix it up and put the entry at the start of the blog. Gettin' crazy in Mexico.
Believe it or not, it is cold in Mexico and the whole house is sick. Over the past couple of weeks nearly everyone has faced a plague… this includes a terrible cough, all-over body aches, and often a fever. I’m finally getting over my bout with the plague after a week of battling. I bought some prescription medicine over the counter (love that about Mexico) and have noticed an almost immediate improvement. I still have an awesome nasal sound added to my already southern voice (I never knew I had such an accent until Linda started pointing it out), but I imagine I’ll be sleeping through the night in a matter of days. Unfortunately, Lauren and I are pretty convinced we won’t really be “better” and “healthy” until we get back to the States.

Because of both the cold front and the fact that our time is coming rapidly to a close, Lauren and I started having some of the girls sleep with us. They serve as good company and are kinda like an electric blanket. I think its adorable that they would want to be our little bed buddies.

I started reading Suffering and the Sovereignty of God this week. My dad brought it to me when he was here though I didn’t ask for it and I must admit it was the sovereign hand of God that brought it here. The book was made as a result of a conference… the book reaches a broader audience than the conference did… you know, like me, in Mexico. It has been so good for me to read. I hadn’t realized how this experience was testing my theology. Wednesday morning, I was in charge of doing the devotions and wanted to talk about what the Lord was teaching me about this. I got up in the morning in a terrible mood and confessed to Lauren that the last thing I wanted to do was share with the kids about the Lord. Thankfully, I didn’t have a choice… and so the Lord continues to break me of my desires and challenge me to follow through with my responsibilities. I started with the same confession to the kids- about my exhaustion and selfishness as a result of a dumb sickness thats been keeping me from sleeping. Thanks be to God the Spirit moved in me and changed my attitude as I talked... I ended up crying as I shared about the Lord and His sweet sovereign hand over them. It is so hard to look at a group of one hundred abused (in every way our sick minds could imagine), abandoned, lonely children and tell them this about the Lord. Only the Spirit could convince me of this truth, and He did so by giving me a picture of Christ in my mind… beaten, mocked, abandoned. Judas kissed Him on the cheek and then gave the Innocent over. I am ashamed to confess that this horrifying truth can sound so cliché to me at times. Yet despite my lack of reverence, we have this Savior that is able to identify with all of our pain and emotions. The whole thought process really birthed from meditating on Hebrews 2:10-11, 17-18:
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."
I have friends that worship false gods... the gods of Hinduism, the thoughts of Buddha, and the false god that many Americans call the God of the Bible. This Jesus that I worship does not look down on the pains of these children with hopelessness or fear. He can identify and sympathy with all that they feel. I love this about the true and living God. I'm thankful to be exposed to this and be changed through the fire. God is good in a million ways.

I’ve been really anxious about going home… this time about what I’m supposed to do. As always, “I have an idea…” about what I could do, but nothing is very clear. Last time I said those words I ended up in Mexico. Oh me. Its hard to plan because I still can't imagine life without these kids. They've captured me.

Americans! We had a group of 12 arrive from Michigan Friday night to begin a week-long trip. For all of you Michigan-based readers, your friends and/or family has arrived safely and are doing well. The kids like visitors; it livens up the routine.... frankly, I do too. Oh, and this group is a good one. They all seem to know at least a little Spanish, and they came ready for work. Seriously, the men were literally covered with grease to their elbows by lunch their first day. They all said to tell you "hello" and I plan on getting some feedback from them before they leave next weekend. Its hilarious who has stumbled across this little blog. It was started for our friends and supporters, but some of these strangers-made-friends in the visiting group came in quoting stories and referencing recent activities. Hilarity. Point is, look for some more "special guest appearances" next week from Michigan mouths.

**For those of you who read this and know Sadie Cravens, please call her on her birthday. She’s turning 14 on November 5 and I know it’s gonna tear her up that we’re missing it. That lil’ gal and her sister are absolutely precious to me, so love on them if you can.

Have a joyous week, my friends.
Mary Ellen
_______________________________
And now its photo time:

Linda and I went to pick up a buch of kids the other day from school-- in a pick-up truck. I was feeling a little insecure about driving the stick-shift so I took the back and stuck her in the front. They were good times.
This kid's name is crazy hard to say. ...and guess how old he is... now guess how old his dad is. I promise you'll never guess! (**Answer will be featured at the bottom of this entry)

Me and some of the cutest boys ever in the back of the truck.

I tried to put these pictures up last week and failed. Because of the inevitable lice problem, Mama finally got fed up and decided to shave some heads. I was initially really defensive of the girls, but now that I've gone a week without lice, I think Mama is a genius. It was one of the craziest days yet at the orphanage. I had to hold Flor Susanna down (she now looks like a little boy) and put Brisa in my lap for the cuts. My clothes were covered with the hairy mess.
So, this is an overview of the chaos... in case you ever wondered what it looked like when a salon comes to an orphanage. These "new talents" are the ones that gave Lauren and I our classy, feathered hair-do's.

Brisaida... being a little goofy. Her sister refuses to let me take a picture of her while Bri would pose for hours. She's one of a few that live at the orphanage with their mom, "Tia Celsa"... the only reason this little lice-infested hair continues to esacape.

They told Alondra (lil' girl on the right) that her hair was going to look like Mrs. Beckham... hilarious. She has no idea who that is or why that would ever be cool- a little young for the Spice Girls. Look at Brisa on the right... Mama said she was gonna have to lose all her hair, so she was in panic mode.

Ana Karen was hilarious with these ladies. I ain't gonna lie.. I was pumped to see her hair go. We'll go ahead and call her a "carrier."

These are a few of the girls that escaped the hair masacre.

Brisa and Jasmin... Brisa cried and cried before her hair was cut. I literally had to hold her in my lap, covered with hair, as they cut it off. Afterwards, we went and gelled her hair and styled it a bit. I took a couple pics and she was sold on her new look. Jasmin embraced it from the start. She wanted it cut and was proud of it as soon as she stood up. I think some of her future family members from Michigan read this, so I thought you'd appreciate a picture. This girl is great.

A couch shot... hilarious. Look at all their faces.

Just a few of the girls that endured the loss.

They all really lost their personalities with their hair.

I know I have a ton of these, but Karen was just too hilarious in this one.

This is one of the pictures I kept trying to put up last week... Beto, Karla, Ruby and Joana makin' cookies with Ramon's future fam.

That's it for this week. Love ya'll.

***Answer: the age of the kid featured above in the back of the truck= 8 years old. His dad, no joke, is ninety something. What in the world?!

Merm here...

2007-10-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

A bunch of the girls got their hair cut off this week due to the lice. Oh me. This isn't even all of them.

More of the group cooking away...

The group that came to visit their new family member, Ramon... they made cookies with Linda. THe kids LOVE Linda's cookies and cinnamon rolls. They were talking about them long before she came.

Look at this precious lil' boy.

I surprised Ana with a cake for her 11th brithday... Chocolate con fresa, su favorito.

Joana and her "computer"... I love the creativity.

I have some more fun pictures, but I'll have to try to load them later... we're totally out of time!

Here Kitty, Kitty:
I mentioned in my last blog that due to the allergy-irritating kittens that had consumed our home I was forced to wear my glasses. Well, I made it my mission to get rid of the little things (everyone was talking about it.. but no one was doing it). Mid-week Maria Elena (the Mexican), our precious down syndrome baby, me and the 7 kittens piled into the car. My plan was to take them to the pound (mama gave me incredibly vague directions), drop off my other two passengers, and then head downtown for the two boys at their special school. We didn't have a box to put the kittens in, so someone put them in a garbage bag and stuck them in the backseat. We weren't two minutes from the house before the things were crawling all over the car... and me.. and Maria Elena and the baby! We were cracking up. At one point there was one on M.E.'s back and head, one at my side and one at my feet... right there with the gas and break pedals. We had to pull over and put them in the trunk, praying they didn't die from the heat. At this point, we were out of time and decided to head toward her drop off point. We stopped once to ask a group of men selling tires and car parts if they wanted a cat. They didn't. One man spoke English- he told me he grew up on the border in Tijuana, learned English there, was driving around the country selling old tires from the back of his truck and smoking lots of marijuana. Yikes. He had enough wrinkiles to make me believe he'd actually never been indoors, and he never did explain how he lost all his front teeth. Adventure. Two and a half hours later after dropping of ME, picking up the boys, and picking up ME we set back out to get rid of the cats. We ended up at the city trash dump. This was the most disgusting, poverty-stricken neighborhood I have been yet. There were people digging in the dumps for their daily needs, houses built literally of boxes and old tin roofs, and so on. But, we still had no home for the "gatitos". After making a couple more wrong turns we came up to the "pound". Maria Elena, the Mexican!, let me do all the talking. Thanks. The man had me bring the cats in (in their trash bag, mind you) and put them in a cell where one little kitten was waiting for company. The thing was pitiful: he had no eyes, his hair was matted with blood and who knows what else, and his tail was hairless, like a rat's tail. For all you animal lovers, I am sorry for sharing this story. It was honestly only one of many insane things that happened this week. I hate it for the cats, but I'm glad to be waring contacts again.

Linda:
So, as we mentioned, we have the pleasure of being in the company of Linda for a few weeks. She's been such a treat and doing some pretty incredible works here. The Lord is doing some huge things with adoption through her. On top of that, she's been an unbelievable blessing to Lauren and I. We haven't had a lot of womanly influence since we've been here, so its been so great to learn and fellowship with her. The other day she rode along with me to pick up the boys and have some pictures developed.. we're on the main road from the orphange talking about the ins and outs of adoption (I had a ton of questions, cuz I don't know anything about the process) when all of a sudden a truck pulls up next to us, trying desperately to get our attention. I hesitantly look over, assuming their creepy men, but it was a young mexican couple interested in adoption. I translated (always hilarious), introduced trhem to Linda, gave them little bits of information that we knew and went on our merry way. This is a place of miracles.
By the way, my dad helped me work on my stick-driving skills while he was here. I've learned to start the car a good 5 times but no one has ever taught me to slow down and stop. Since my two mini-lessons with pops I've driven multiple times. Linda got to help me through Chihuahua city (something I swore I wouldn't do until I had practiced at least 3 weeks). I only killed it once in the middle of a major road.

Fellowship:
Lauren and I spent the weekend with at the home of Paloma and Greg. Paloma is from Mexico and met Greg while they both studied at John Brown. They do a ton with the different orphanges... the two seem to have their hands in a little of all the ministries here. They are stinking amazing. Paloma had the two of us, three other girls serving at another orphanage in the city, and a girl that just started a transition home for girls that grew up in the orphange and are transitioning into the real world. It has been an amazing 24 hours. We all have this insane common interest and experience... and we've been able to laugh a bunch as we share ridiculous stories and life-lessons. We're all about the same age and totally blown away by the work of the Lord here. My mind is spinning with ideas and convictions and thoughts about the Lord. What in the world does the Lord want me to do with my life?!

Growth:
I've been learning a lot and having some really sweet times with the Lord. I'm flying through the books (well, one so far) that my parents sent me and so thankful for the new reading material. I'm learning more about suffering and the goodness of God... I'm so thankful for this experience, these people, and the things the Lord is exposing me to. The weeks are flying by... only 7 left, I think. Ah, I am sick-anxious about leaving. I think I'm going to have the girls sleep with me every night, embrace the lice, just to hold on to these moments. I. love. these. girls. Please pray that the Lord would start preparing me for the goodbye.
I pray you're all well. As always, thank you for loving children that some of you have never met. Thank you for loving and supporting us. Thank you for reading our stories and praying. I'm really overwhelmed and thankful right now.
Peace be with you!
Maria Elena

P.S. (as always) Family, since I've been sitting here writing this, Jim Croce and John Denver have played in the background... I'm in the car with you all, singing along and we're on our way to some fancy family vacation... North Carolina or something. :) Miss ya'll and our road trips.

It's Linda again...

2007-10-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Big God, Little Me.

This past week I have been in awe of how BIG my God is. Things that have developed and happened this week were a direct result of things God spun into the divine plan many years ago. I am speechless when I see God's hand in events from recent occurences, but when I can "connect the dots" from 50 years, I fall to my knees in worship and total adoration.
Ramon was able to meet his new dad this week and get re-aquainted with his new mom and sister. Words could never describe this moment except to say that I could feel the hush of angels wings.
Monday, Oct. 22, I have an extremely important meeting regarding a sibling group of 3 girls and I am asking for your prayers. BIG GOD, little me.
My most heart-wrenching moment this week was when an 18 year old girl came to me and asked me if I could find a mom and dad for her. She desperately wanted to be adopted. Her pleading eyes and sincere heart just broke me. So, for all of you who read this, please help me pray for these kids. I know that an "official" adoption is not possible... but maybe an "unofficial" adoption of the heart could work for teens who have graduated from High School and would like to study (work in the US with families). At what age are you too old to be loved and part of a family? Maybe 120 years old, I don't know.
Supplies for the "BEDS for BOYS" project were officially ordered and scheduled to arrive in time for Hart Baptist Church to work with. Twelve people from Hart, Michigan coming down from Oct 26th- Nov. 3rd. Their goal is to build 32 STURDY beds for the new boys casa and 8 homework tables. Also, there are numerous electrical and automotive projects as well. Please pray for this work team to be a blessing and to be blessed.
I love you all,
Linda

A note from Lorena

2007-10-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend Merm and I were able to hang out with some more pretty cool people. We’re constantly being introduced to awesome Godly people in Chihuahua who challenge us, serve us, and encourage us. It’s been good for me to talk about all that’s happened and is happening at Lily, and to hear what’s going on within other ministries in the city. I’ve been reminded of how much I love life at Lily, and frankly, I’m getting a little freaked out about having to leave in a month and a half.

I’m growing more comfortable with the kids, and with comfort comes out more sin. Unfortunately, as my Spanish is getting better, I’m learning how to talk back to the kids. Yeah. It’s not good. My temper is shorter, and when the kids come to me with the same problems and excuses, I’m not giving them a chance to be heard. I just cut them off. And then I feel awful. They really are family, and with family, I think we feel more freedom to use our words in a hurtful way. This week, I’ve tried to be more Christ-like in this area. When the kids get home from school, I’m prayerfully trying to love on them more. I want to give them a big hug and ask them about their day, instead of sitting them down to do homework right away because I assume it won’t get done otherwise. Or at night, when the same girls complain of stomachaches, I want to sit and empathize with them instead of sending them to bed, upset and annoyed with me because I don’t want to listen. But it’s so hard! God continues to love us through His grace, despite the million times we screw up. I don’t understand His love, but I know that I’m called to imitate it through His Spirit.

Speaking of stomachaches, so many kids and staff are sick right now. The climate is changing and as a result, we’re all a little messed up. Each night at bedtime we carry around a couple bottles of medicine and hit every kid that has a cough, and fever, or a headache. A different combination of kids have stayed home from school everyday this week because they’ve been too sick to go. Please pray for health in the house- I’m afraid that it’s never going to go away!

Adoption has been a hot topic lately because there are soooo many cases in the works. We’ve had a few different families come and visit recently who are adopting, and it’s incredible to see these new bonds grow. Linda has been busy ever since she got here- she has her hands full, for sure. On Monday, she’s going on a search for a woman who has children at Lily. Currently, they don’t have the proper status to be adopted, and Linda is hoping to change her mind. I don’t want to puff Linda up, but the woman is on it. Not only is she incredibly persistent with keeping these cases moving, she’s constantly ministering to the staff and kids at the house. She’s been a blessing to me, and I know the kids are thankful for the few weeks she’s able to spend with us. They’re also excited for the group from her church to come- the poster with all the faces is a big hit, Stacy. And it’s still intact. :)

Okay, photos. I got lots of ‘em.

Oh, the kittens. We finally took them to the pound. Well, Merm did. In a bag. You should ask her about it. Funny story.

Lorena, on the left, is one of the girls who will prayerfully be going through the adoption process in the future. How exciting! Side note, Jaqi is totally crossed-eyed looking at her toothbrush. Actually, I bet 20 bucks that isn't hers.

Lorena and Gabue.

The kids work for an hour every afternoon. They love it.

Another Gabue.

Gabue and Christian with Carla Joanna, who is a pretty hard worker. The couple who's adopting she and her brother, who's at another orphanage, are staying with us at the house right now. Pray that the end of the process runs smoothly so that they kids will be able to go home to Tennessee by Christmas.

Jennifer, one of the highschoolers who I've been able to get to know a little better. She's sweet. Always makes sure I get a hug in the morning before she goes to school.

Mireya, who's in the charge of the work in the afternoon- she means busniess. She's very responsible and the little ones seem to love her a lot.

Flor in a dumb fight over a stick.

A work group.

Jasmin, on the left, is being adopted along with her 4 siblings. Beti, on the right, has 2 other siblings at Lily. I'm working with her now on learning the alphabet.

One afternoon, I picked up Kachito and Ramon from school in the blue truck, so we were all squished into a tiny space. The trip home turned out to be a great opportunity for a photo shoot. Here are a few highlights. PS- Kachito is a nut.

Thanks for keeping up with us, friends and strangers. Please keep Lily in your prayers.

You just get me tonight and I have a lot of pictures.

2007-10-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

This lil' guy came to visit for the week. I call him "Daddio" but the kids called him "Don Pedro." Hilarious because its the name of a Brandy here. He's gonna hate that I put this picture up cuz I look like such a goober. Sorry, Dad.

Its not like we don't try to get rid of lice. Look at these girls using their spare time for combing and searching.

Leslie, Samuel and Lucia.

kids, kittens and me. These furry little figures are the reason I've been wearing glasses all week. Allergies are dumb.

Me and Flor. I had to capture her in order to take this picture. Thats why I look like a lion.

Tonio and a Granny Smith apple. This kid is dang cute.

Ana with her crazy hair and a kitten.

Andrea puts lime on her carrots. I think she looks like a cartoon character here.

Is there a need for dental work here? Ana Karen says "yes".

I spent a good amount of time with two of the Jazmins (there are three). We put the camera on rapid shot and captured some good ones. I'll spare you the repetition and just give you a few.

The first Jazmin. She loves having her picture taken.

Found this girl on the ground outside and pinned her there til I got her laughing.

Dancing in the laundry room. Their company made this boring task a little more entertaining.

I've been letting the kids drive lately when we get to the long dirt road heading up to the house. In fact, a Tia (Spanish for Aunt.. she's in her 40s) asked to drive the other day. The only difference is that she didn't sit in my lap. Cristian, Rebeca and Jasmin went along with me to run an errand and were rewarded with an opportunity to steer.

Loty and I set this one up calling it an, "artisic shot." We don't take pictures together like we did in the days of old. The kids are cuter.

Graeters icecream is better, but this vegetable fat-based mix wasn't all bad.

Our group shot. We went downtown in hopes of finding some good souvenirs but were horribly unsuccessful. Nonetheless, it ended up being a good time.

Hi friends.
It has been a good little week, folks. Busy, but good. My dad came in last Sunday night which kept me from writing on the blog. Our dear Mexican family pretty much threw the man a party - there were more people in the house than could really fit comfortably and we had some of the best Mexican food I´ve had yet. I met our family´s favorite missionary family and learned a ton about missions in a matter of minutes.
To top it off, the man showed up in Mexico with an abundance of gifts. Lauren and I have some amazing moms.. our families, really, are pretty terrific. My mom overwhelmed me with goodies, warm clothes, and notes. You are an amazing woman, Momma. Thank you for being so considerate though I know you wanted to be here. We've got to get you down here within the year. Seriously.

After dropping my dad off at the airport today, Lauren and I ran into Linda and Ramon at the airport on their way to pick up his adoptive parents (they're coming in for a few days). Linda asked me if I was okay now that my dad was gone. I am. I'm not a big crier in such situations, and because I've slept very little this week (Kareli wakes me up every night now crying... she needs to use the restroom and refuses to go alone. I've learned that I lack compassion at 2 in the morning), my mind just hasn't been alert enough for emotions. It was so great to see my dad and share a bit of this with him. I'm under the impression he had a good time though he spent the majority of his time either in a car or in the back of the property helping (or watching those working) with the construction. At this point I feel like I'm just trying to hold on to all the moments I have left here. Its flying by. I miss my family and friends, but I know I'll be back in the States before I know it. I don't want to miss a moment here.

I have no great spiritual revelations this week. My times with the Lord were kinda dry... I am still really struggling through Isaiah. I think I might skip it and come back to it in a week or so. On the other hand, my dad brought me a good 5 books that are already blessing my mind. Just gotta get this heart of mine pumping like my mind. I hope you all are experiencing the Lord and being refreshed by who He is. I really do.

Okay, see you next week, my friends. Lauren and I are going to a slumber party with some other grils doing the same thing as us at a different orphanage. I'm pumped. We'll do our best to get on here with a little update, though. Thank you for reading, commenting and for caring about us and God's work here in Mexico.
Love ya,
Mary Ellen

A long P.S.-
Creedance Clearwater Revival is in Chihuahua tonight and we can't go due to our curfew. I am 24 and have a curfew.
A few things that have crossed my mind this week:
I keep getting these weekly email updates from my church at home and it makes me miss that place like crazy. Oh, community... and good, live music. The community group I would be meeting with weekly (if not for the distance, of course) sent Lauren and I a package full of treats. We loved it. And we are forever amazed and humbled as the Lord teaches us through them about what genuine, service-oriented, Gospel-centered fellowship looks like. Thanks, guys.
Also, I think its terrible that I have to miss the fall in Kentucky. Stop putting pictures up on facebook, jerks. Someone save me a fall leaf. My allergies may not flare up here like in the past, but I´d rather have fall. I want to pick pumpkins, sit around a campfire with some folks from Crusade, go to a football game and the State Fair, and at some point stop by Jackson´s Orchard and eat a caramel apple while sitting on a haystack. Anyone wanna fly me home for a weekend?
Enough of that. We seriously gotta go. It's curfew time.

A note from Sid... the Daddio of Mary Ellen

2007-10-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

Dad with Ana.. one of his lil' buddies.

These guys were wearing Ford shirts (my dad's empoyer)... we had to take a pic.

If you´re a regular reader of this blog, you know my dad´s been in town this week. He is the first of two special guest appearances. This is what he has to say:

This is different. I love reading what Mary Ellen and Lauren have to say on their blog. I haven’t made any big sacrifice, nor have I done enough work to earn the right to write on this blog. But, the girls were gracious enough to allow me a chance to share a few thoughts.

If you have the right attitude, it’s a lot of fun being here. Mexico is a blend of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world. Every day brings a new first or a new surprise.

The girls have learned so much during their time here. For example, as Lauren was driving us from the airport to the Medina’s (their Mexican family), she explained to me that the red octagonal sign with the word “ALTO” painted on it, the one that looked just like a STOP sign in the U.S., didn’t actually mean STOP. “Nobody stops”, she said. A few days later, Mary Ellen did tell me ALTO can mean STOP if someone or something is coming. Really?

Monday, I asked Mary Ellen if it was ok to turn right on red. She told me you can even go straight on red as long as no one is coming. Now, there’s a time saver.

Wednesday, while I was driving in Aldama, Mary Ellen encouraged me to go the wrong way down a one way street. “There’s no one coming”, she said. She even made fun of me for going one more block just to follow the rules. I’m thinking, I’m your dad. I bought dinner. I don’t deserve this.

Lauren said she had gone down that same street from the same (wrong) direction but she didn’t realize it was a one way street at the time. I think that meant she was taking my side in the “discussion”. Mary Ellen asked me to drive last night because her contact was bothering her and she couldn’t see. I’m not sure that’s a requirement here.

Believe it or not, I actually do feel safe when either is driving. I promise.

I have lots of maestras and maestros (teachers) willing to help me with my pronunciation. I spent about 5 minutes one afternoon with Brisa (Breeze-age 7) teaching me to say maquina. Okay, first she told me I needed to shave and that I should use a maquina to shave with. Repeat after me. Syllable by syllable – ma-keen-ah. She shook her head yes. But as we put the whole thing together, faster and faster, all I ever got was the “no” nod of the head. I can’t get one word right. How much hope is there that I could learn to speak a whole language.

Careli (Maybe 5. Tiny little girl. My sweet shadow.) will talk to me for 10 minutes without me saying anything other than “si”. Then it occurred to me that I had no idea what I was agreeing to. So I learned “no entiendo”. When I say that, she just repeats what I have no chance of understanding or answering. Now, I’ve progressed to “tal vez”, Spanish for maybe. A combination of no, no entiendo, and tal vez may get me through the week without agreeing to buy her a pony or take her to Disneyland.

The Mexican people I’ve come in contact with are so warm and gracious.

You cannot be lonely at Lily. That’s a good thing. Nor, can you be alone here. Whether that’s good or bad depends on you and your point of view.

I feel blessed to have had the chance to be here. It’s been great. The people who work here are truly remarkable people. It’s incredibly humbling. They give so much and ask for so little. They are a hardy bunch overflowing with love. I want to always remember Mama Rosa, Papa Ed, Brenda, Samuel, Hermano, Maria Elena (the Mexican one), Adilene, John, Katie, the cook (abuella) and of course Lorena and my Maria Elena.

Mothers (and Chuck), you would be proud of your daughters. They are special people. This is a tough environment and they are tough people. But, they are gentle and loving. They are durable. They are flexible. They are human. And they are humble enough to know that the work that is done here is much bigger than them. This is a special place requiring lots of special people.

People ask me what the orphanage needs. Here’s my take, so far.
·Educational assistance. Rosa wants to start a school at the orphanage. There are some really bright kids here who are doing very well in school. There are some other older kids who cannot read. The schools don’t want them and they don’t want to be there. They don’t have much of a chance without some help. I think this is an area that needs addressing. It is not as obvious as a faucet that needs replacing. And it will take longer to fix. In my opinion it’s a critical need.
·Dental work. I’m not a dentist but I can see cavities in the kid’s teeth. There is one girl in particular that could use braces. Even though M&L try not to show favoritism, she’s a favorite. If this interests you, contact me. I’m going to pursue organizing a trip to help do some dental work and maybe take up some money for braces.
·Pray for a “next up” couple to take the place of John and Katie (American newly weds (married two months) who are two weeks into a 6 months tour).
·The brakes on one of the vans need work. If you can do the work and teach Samuel and/or Hermano, then they could do it the next time.
·Some single women to fill the void left when Mary Ellen and Lauren return to the U.S.
·A single guy or two for the boy’s dorm.
·Two really good washing machines. They make it work with the machines they have. But, it’s sad. You have to use a hose to put in the water. That means you have to be on standby to turn on the hose for the rinse cycle.
·Money to finish the new boy’s home.
·Money for furniture for the new volunteer workers apartments.
·Money for enhancing/fixing the septic system.
·Ed and Rosa in particular need your prayers. It’s an incredible load they carry.

A note from Linda...

2007-10-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

A photo of Linda and Ana Karen... just thought the fam would want to see her alive and well.

This is the second of our two special guest appearances. Linda is here from Michigan and doing a wonderful work at the orphanage. She and her husband are planning to move down to Lily next year (or as the Lord allows..) to work with the adoption/administrative stuff as well as handy-man activities (I have heard that Gary is quite handy). There are more details to that move, but I´m afraid I´ll say something inaccurate. Anyway, she´s great. I picked her up Thursday night with a couple of the kids from the house and she was . All the older girls stayed up and welcomed her with yells and hugs. Man, if the Lord ever brings us back here, I hope the people here are that pumped to see us. Its obvious how much it means to the kids and staff to have people come... and then come again.

Okay, so this is a note from her:
I have officially become a true member of the orphanage ---christened by a demon-possessed white goat. While talking with Rosa and getting the welcome tour with building updates - I was knocked into the air and landed 5 feet away onto a cement block wall. Apparently that mean old goat has a way of catching his victims off guard. From what I´ve been told - he begins his charge about 20 ft away and WHAMM! Luckily(?) he hit me on my left hip where there is a little extra padding. (actually I could have been hit anywhere and probably survived. That extra chocolate I consume does serve a purpose!)
As I am writing this "note" down a small girl is crying for her "mommy". I don´t know how long she has been away from her or if she´s even seen her. It´s amazing the need everyone has for their mommy. The heartache is to hear the cries of these children for their mommy... perhaps hoping she would come and rescue them. But no one does. I wish their cry could be heard in the States. It says to "be still" in God´s Word. Is it so we could finally hear the cries of the children and give them a forever home?
Love you all,
Linda

*And an extra note to a son:*
Hey Charles - I am here - wish you were too so you could help me figure out how to butcher a goat. :)

from merm

2007-10-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

These pictures were supposed to go up last week along with a terrific story. The story should come tomorrow in video form. For now,m here are the pictures from two weeks ago. The blog will be updated tomorrow (sunday) with two guest appearances.

Kareli´s first day of school. The other kinder-kids were pumped as well.

Driving. This is my new favorite thing about playing mom.

I stumbled across the kids doing army-like drills the other day. The guy leading the pack ended up with about 30 kids following him around.

Wall sittin

Kareli.. the victim of our story. She needs to clean out her fingernails, I know.

Gaby and Maria

Sorry, but that´s all for now. Pictures. are. fun. eh?
love, love, love you guys,
Mary Ellen

Crazy days

2007-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

I think for this week, photos will do. Except for one account that I’m dying to share with you, which would only happen here where nothing is impossible. I think Mary Ellen is going to give the details tomorrow. For reasons you’ll understand later, she remembers a little more than I.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note to self: never give 11 girls the same punishment.

So, several of our girls misbehaved one night this week and we promised to punish them. Their punishment ended up being kitchen duty after lunch yesterday, but here's the thing- these girls are all friends, and so to them, being crammed into one room and given a task wasn't much of an inconvenience. Here're a few photos from the afternoon.

Cristal.

Rebeca.

In the meantime, Cielo was showing off another lost tooth with her twin, Brisa. These girls are as sweet here as they are in person.

Rafa, in his awesome Hawaiian shirt. He and four of his siblings are in the middle of the adoption process with a family from Michigan- I hope and pray for it's completion.

Gosh, it's awful when I can't remember a name. But this guy is new...give me a few more days. He came last week with an older brother and two younger sisters, pictured below. This is a pretty rowdy bunch.

Careli and Jasmin. The poor things look homeless, but I promise we bathe them and brush their hair every day!

Careli.

Jasmin and Careli.

Some of the girls helped me make brownies for Adidlene, a highschooler living in the house who is an amazing help to me. She cares for the girls while Mary Ellen and I take our day off.

Ana and I.

Nancy.

All my little chefs with our "little cakes." The girls were very impressed with the Betty Crocker brownie mix- a new and exciting treat.

Remember Flor? One of our worst behavior problems in the room? Praise the Lord, she's not the same girl. We hardly ever hear a peep out of her at night- I can't believe it. And I think she's even a little kinder to the animals. If you prayed for her, thank you.

Well, here I am again.

2007-09-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

I was planning on telling you about some of the crazy events from the past couple weeks, but I just read Mary Ellen´s entry from last week...and you already know. I´m honestly having a hard time remembering what went on this week.

On Saturday all the kids went to a carnival sponsored by the local child-protective services (I think) with rides and all. Mary Ellen and I stayed back at the house to watch the property so we didn´t get to go, but we heard all kinds of stories when everyone got home. I wish I had video of the kids describing the rides and kids getting sick on the rides. Hilarious. They were so hyper, had their faces painted- it gave me great joy to see that they had such a good time. Also at the carnival a contest was held for all the orphans. Everyone submitted testimonies, three winners were selected (I don´t know the criteria) and were given cash prizes. One of the staff, who has lived at here at Lily for several years and now manages everything in the office, placed in the contest. She´s amazing and I´m thankful that she was blessed in this little way. God has done amazing things in her life and now lives a life of service for Him. So there was the carnival, and...hmm. Not a lot went on. Oh, Mary Ellen and I were in charge of making one thousand oatmeal cookies. You heard me. One thousand. Mama Rosa called from her day off (the day before the carnival- we thought they were for the carnival) and told one of the staff to give us the message. I didn´t believe it. But, we did it. Some of the kids helped us for a while, and it was good to spend time with them, but it took FOREVER. Each batch came out a little differently. My batch tasted more like a biscuit- a little round biscuit. I call it Oat Biscookie. Neither having a recipe nor all of the ingredients proved to be a challenge. But we´re just making memories, right?

The construction is coming along at the job site for the boys home, in fact, I ran out there last week to pay for walls that were being put up. I´m excited and anxious for the project to be completed, but we´re still waiting on someone to do the electrical work. Please pray that God would work it out, or more importantly, that we would have patience with His plan. Also, there are two small apartment-type houses close to being finished in the back of the main property. If you think of it, pray that two Mexican couples would desire to live there long time and work along side Mama and Papa. They are getting older, but their work load isn´t getting any lighter. As always, I´m encouraged and convicted by the way they live. Mama says it all the time, and it´s so true of her day to day living, ´Either I´m going to break it [the behavior, rebellion, of the kids], or it´s going to break me.´ Times that I would let something slide, she puts her foot down. I´ve always known about myself that I lean more on the side of grace, but here I´m challenged to give more truth the kids. They need it.

I won´t retell the story of the two new girls, one quiet and one hyper, in which the quiet girl ended up leaving the orphanage because of a breakdown...read Mary Ellen´s Sept. 23 entry for more. I would, however, like to comment. While Mary Ellen was in the room with the girl and Mama, trying to calm her down, I escaped for a minute. I found a quiet corner to curl into outside the gates of the property, and watched the sun set over the mountains. I saw God´s glory so vividly, and felt so small. God is beautiful and perfect and man is disgusting. Because of the sin of one man, this little girl is literary going crazy. Unable to control her body and emotions. Because of our sin, we have screwed up everything. But praise God for His mercy. That I could sit and gaze at his creation. Please pray for the healing of this girl´s heart, and that she would be ministered to wherever she is now.

I´m confident that the Lord is pushing me to persevere in my relationship with Him and my walk as a believer in an unbelieving world. A friend from home recently encouraged me in the same way- so cool when that happens. From the Message, Romans 13:11 says: ´But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day by day obligations that you lose track of time and doze off, oblivious to God.´ At times, I´m more motivated to study Spanish than to meditate on God´s word. I don´t want to get caught up in the fun and adventure and stress of being here, and forget about who and what is Ultimate in my life.

A challenge that Mary Ellen and I are presented with is figuring out how in the world we´re going to teach ten or twelve kids how to read. We like the idea of teaching them, but when it comes down to it, we don´t know where to start. If you know of any online resources we can pull from, please leave a comment on the blog! I really do want to see success, but I´m stuck.

That´s all for now. Here are a few photos.

Andrea and Jaci- I love them both. Andrea, because she's a goofball, Jaci, because she is always so joyful.

A sign of friendship is when the kids share shoes. They try it with us, but it doens't work.

Jaci

Andrea

Here's some video of the girls. Andrea is perfectly fine, although she may seem otherwise. We were interrupted by a few kids that found a tarantula. I'm never going to get used to those furry critters.

One more of Jaci- she's just soooo adorable. I'm a sucker for the little ones.

This is the site of the future boys' home- I can't remember if we've posted a photo of this already. The small building in the foreground is where the couple (undecided) caring for the boys will live; the building in the background is the boys dorm (one of two, second isn't built), and the framework to the left is the kitchen/dining hall.

Im trying to upload a video of Miriam and I, but I don't think it's going to work. She is still one that is on my heart to know the Lord. Just this week one of the staff boldy shared the gospel with her on a routine drive into Aldama. I praise God for this because my Spanish is so awful and I just can't say what I want to. Please pray for her heart, that she would begin to understand the message.

There is a season, turn, turn, turn.

2007-09-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned in my last blog entry that I went on another field trip. I drove a van-full of fifth graders and their teacher to San Ignacio, a little town that's a 20 minute drive down a DIRT, pot-holey road. Adventure. We looked at someone's giant pet hawk, some other farm animals, and learned how Mexicans grow beans. It was actually quite fun. Here are some pictures along with a few others from the orphanage.

Marcela and I with frijoles.. aka beans. We eat these little guys every day.

This hawk is someone's pet. Not as family-friendly as say.. a dog. But then again classes of fifth graders don't come out to see your family dog.

After they took a class picture, I climbed up this haystack here and smiled for the camera. I have this dumb, dumb, dumb fear of heights, so I wanted them to take a good picture fast. This is the only one I got... and I'm looking down. Gracias por nada.

A fifth-grader had to help me down. I am ridiculous.

The teacher was driving the truck. None of this would fly in the States, but I think its way cooler. Do the parents know about this when they sign the permission slip?

This here is little pig. He's actually kinda cute unlike the fat nasties that live at the orphanage.

Pretty? Kinda. The trash could distract you from the mountains though.

Some of the fifth-graders. If some of them look too old for their grade it's because they are. I hate that some of them are so far behind. The one on the far left should be adopted within the year. In fact, her new parents are visiting right now. Fun.

We carpool and give wet willies.

Cielo has an awesome sense of humor and this refreshing goofiness to her.

Ana Karen. to Team Vito: she has a new game... it's called "dientes." Its played pretty much the same as "ojos" but with teeth. just wait. you'll love it.

Loty and Brisa piggying.

After looking at a thousand pictures, you can now read a thousand words. Or not. I'll never know the difference.

A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to tear down and a time to build up:
I feel like people at home are always worried about me. Have I communicated at some point that I'm suffering? I'm a liar if I did. Really, I am feeling more at peace here than ever before... but my heart is heavy this week. So heavy. My mind has been moving at a rapid speed for days now and I think its time to share a bit of it.
First, I am feeling more helpless than ever in solving the problems of the world. I know, I know. It's silly, but it was a subconcious thought, I promise. I think I am finally realizing that I'm not gonna do it... when I die we will not be living in peace. There will still be orphans and abused children. There will be man-centered churches, car accidents, thieves and liars, men will still abuse women, women will still manipulate men, and there will be thousands that reject and mock God. I am so small and insignificant in comparison to the need.
A family of four moved into the orphanage this week... of course, two young girls to be added to our already crowded room. At this point almost all the beds have two girls in them. I fear it's only a matter of time before Lauren and I are cuddling up in the top bunk. These kids have been hurt. You could come for a week (or 5 months) and see the surface of their hearts and never know all their horrific stories. I'm not gonna candy-coat this, but there are little girls here who have been treated like toys at the hands of men and children who have been tossed around like garbage waste. This is weighing on me heavier this week because of some things I recently learned about the kids. I'm sick over the effects of sin. It can ruin us and shame others. I hate it. Oh, but I love it. If only God would destroy our love for anything but Him. Please pray that God would raise up more people to come and minister to the hearts of these little creations.
I wish I could talk to Amy Carmichael or George Mueller... what did they do with the pain of the thousands of kids they met?

Next, "Sometimes God ordains the Desert:"
The women who are closest to me in my life (namely my old roomies), can testify that the past year or so now has been the driest season in my walk with Christ up to this point. I'd like to say that when I moved here I was over this and passionately on fire for the Lord... but then I'd just be a dry liar. And with that let me say that I'm uncomfortable calling myself a missionary here, because the response from others is kinda silly. Moving to another country should not give us cool points or set us apart in the church. I hope I'm living the same as I would in the States... all those in Christ are to be ministers of the Gospel in the places God has put them. Please don't exalt me or tell me I'm living some sacrificial life. Don't let my location and surroundings fool you. I am as desperate for Christ today as I was three months ago working at a Cafe. It'll be the same in two months when I'm back in the comforts of my hometown. Your affirmation feeds a pride in me that is disgusting, and I can assure you that the children and staff don't see Lauren and I that way. They get paid nothing for the work they do, and in five months they´re not leaving. I say all that as a preface (Sarah Tennant:) ) to a sweet word the Lord gave me this week about myself and one of the reasons He has brought me here.
A lot has been going on lately. This particular lifestyle can busy your mind so easily that you forget to really examine yourself internally... even forget the dryness. Lauren loaned me her mp3 player the other day for the drive to pick up the boys. As usual when this happens, I listened to my favorite communicator of the Gospel, Matt Chandler, of the Village Church (please check him out on iTunes pocasts... so goood... seriously). Well, amidst his series on Ecclesiastes is a precious word he gave on September 3, 2006 (listen to it!), and through this message God broke me to the point of tears. His words resonated with me in every way. He spoke of God's purpose in bringing us to the "desert". He talked about how we lie to God and our community in the faith because we're scared. God brought to mind all the lies I'd been telling Him. Honestly, there are times when I look at these children here and want to curse God. I don't understand. All my theological understanding and studies feel worthless in moments like these. It's like a chasing after the wind. God challenged me in these thoughts and brought me security as He reminded me of the Gospel. As I confessed my frustrations with this season and with sin, God kept speaking to me. Almost audibly... but not at all (that still hasn't happened to me). I started looking around at the literal desert I am living in. Chihuahua is crazy dry, but occasionally there are these crazy downpours of rain. There will be huge puddles covering the dirt roads that the ground can feed on for about a day. And then it's dry again. Oh, how I relate to that. Chandler than reminded me of how God used the relationship between Hosea and his prostitute wife to speak to Israel about their rebellion. I am that wandering wife. I am like Israel.
"I will strip her naked
And expose her as on the day when she was born
I will also make her like a wilderness,
Make her like desert land
And slay her with thirst
...Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Bring her into the wilderness
And speak kindly to her..."
I believe that God has brought me to the desert to strip me and break me only to allure me once again... He reminded me that He IS doing a work in me and I have to be patient through the season. He can use me here, as He can use me in the States, because He is God. He is doing the work in times of strength and in times of weakness. I will wait for Him.
So, I'm sitting in a little cubby between the library and a storage room and I am crying over the sweetness of God amidst all my seasons of life. I'm looking out at the desert and God is saying to me, "I brought you out to the desert to speak to you tenderly." He brought me to a literal desert to show me my spiritual desert. And then, I see our goats. You've seen the video with the mean goat, right? Nearly everyone who has visited has goat story. Well, they're walking in front of me and I'm battling whether to remain in this stillness or whether I should run to avoid the angry goat. I decided to go into the storage room and wait for the goats to pass. I was standing there, heart racing but praying because God was speaking to me! I was looking out this little peep hole as the goats passed by. Apparently the mean goat saw me sneak away... because he followed me. I looked up in the doorway and he stood there. eyeing me. no doubt trying to decide where on my body he would cause the most pain. So I did what any logical human being would do. I picked up a huge wooden board and threatened the guy saying, "Seriously. If you come any closer I'll hit you. I will, I'll hit you!" I sounded like a fool but it worked. The goat left me. My battle with the animal was over and my intimate moment with God was officially interrupted. But God is good. He renewed in me a desire to pursue Him in and out of this season.

The point is, God had me look at the desert I see every day with new eyes, and He spoke to me about my future with Him. While I am still a sinner, Christ has died for me.
In summary: I laughed really hard this week with some of the little girls, intimidated a goat with my threats, and was refreshed by the word of the Lord.

If you read this whole entry, I'll give you 5 points. Yep, 5 whole points.
May the Spirit of God bring you times of refreshing and tighten your grip only on Him. And may the peace of Christ be with you all.
Later dudes.
Mary Ellen

PS- Jay, I'll give your message to the girls. Mer and Paul- Dang, I love you. Thank you for reading and for loving us. South Carolina is one blessed state.
Daddio, can't wait to see you... less than 7 days now. Momma, wish you could come. Linda, let's all go out to dinner one night after you get here. Team Vito, the Lilies of the Valley are pumped. Andrea, I am thankful for the internet because we talked today. Love you. Sarah Tennant, I'm dying to talk to you for some crazy reason. I'll call you soon cuz its driving me crazy. Jen Doty, how the heck are you?

Dance, ladies.

2007-09-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

These girls love to dance. That's why we're friends. Sorry the video is so short... it´s all I had time to put up. I love that you can hear Cielo and Karen singing in the background.

A few videos...

2007-09-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the video from last week that I promised. Lauren handles the chicken feathers like a pro.

After Lauren and I picked up the kindergartners the other day we stopped by a little store and picked up some gum with juice inside for all of them. Brenda, the new hyperactive girl, is the one blowing bubbles in the screen. The video is kinda boring but you get to see more of the kids.

This is a little late...

2007-09-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here´s a few photos for starters.
On Friday I got a couple of the girls to bake with me. We made cookies (Kat! the Devils Food recipe!) for the kids who couldn't go to graduation and a chocolate chip cake for the graduate, Brenda. It's a rule (only occasionally enforced) that we have to wear hairnets. Awesome.

Our chocolate chip cake.. modified due to a lack of ingredients and only goofy-shaped pans. I had three options: a car, Mickey Mouse, or this "butterfly".

Brenda graduated college last Friday. Lauren and I were both emotional over the things this amazing young woman has overcome. She is a friend... and those of you who know me well know by this picture that it is completely appropriate for this goofball to befriend me.

feetsies

It's been an insane week or so. Want proof?
Last Friday- One of the little girls, Nancy, tried to "run away" as a reaction to her well-deserved punishment. She didn't want to have to clean up trash for two weeks so the girl left the property all afternoon and into the night. We were panicked. After sending a search party out for her, she came home terrified and shaken up. We fed her donuts and put her to bed with Lauren. What in the world.
Tuesday- Got three new kids (two girls) and my first Mexican/80's rockstar haircut.
About the two girls: one walked in full of energy and amazed by her new surroundings. She wanted to touch everything around her and immediately asked if we would paint her fingernails... I did (and then painted another 30 nails!). If you asked her to say the same sentence three times, she would say something different every time because her mind is always moving. The other girl-- totally quiet and shy. We thought the hyper, stealing one was going to be our problem. I won´t go into details, but the quiet one ended up having a meltdown later that evening that lasted hours and only ended after Mama´ gave her a sleeping pill. I´ve never seen anything more terrifying or heart-breaking. She was looking under sheets and beds for her mother. She wasn´t there... so Lauren and I cried with her.
Wednesday- I led devotions the next day. Lauren and I will be doing this every Wednesday from now on. Prayerfully, one day we´ll be able to do it in Spanish.

There´s been more since then (but I slipped into this lil´ internet cafe just for a few minutes to finish this entry). In fact, I just got back from the most insane ¨field trip¨ I´ve ever been on. I´ll post pictures this weekend... maybe.
My dad will be here in a matter of days now, and I can´t wait to share this experience with someone I love. Linda and the Michigan group will be here after that.. and then Team Vito? The next couple months are gonna be busy times. ...and then I´ll be done here. Wow.

I had two dreams the past week that lead me to believe that I am subconsciously (sp?) missing home. First, I dreamt I was playing with my nephew for hours. I can´t remember anything about it but that I woke up feeling like I´d been with him. I miss that little booger. The other? Well, I can´t remember... but it was home. My other home. I guess this is home for now. But I praise God that I love the girls more than ever and I am mostly comfortable here. I´m growing and stretching and getting way freaked out about December. What will I do then? Lauren and I both had terrible stomach aches on Sunday evening after being asked about next year.... neither of us really know what to do. All you readers could pray for us about this. I just want whatever I do to be worshipful and for Christ to be seen. Call me ¨Captain Vague¨.

I´m signing off.
Peace,
Maria Elena

Viva Mexico

2007-09-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

(I started this earlier in the day, by the way.)
It’s pouring down rain in Chihuahua at 2:15pm and I’m so thankful, although I’d like for it to stop before we get back on the road. The blue truck doesn’t love rain. Hates it, actually. I love the rain because the air is cooler, and I pretend that the breeze is air conditioning. Merm and I are sitting in a coffee shop during our time off, which is now Saturday and Sunday. It was nice to be at the house yesterday because we were able to sleep in and spend time with the kids in the morning since they didn’t have school. Last night we had the opportunity to be apart of festivities for Mexico’s Independence Day- dinner at Shalom, our church, and then to Grito, a huge celebration in downtown Chihuahua that takes place in cities all over Mexico. We missed the famous “Viva Mexico! Viva!” that the kids were so excited about this week, but got to see the fireworks and listen to a Mariachi band among a huge crowd of Mexicans who sang along to every song. Today I’m sleepy, but thankful to be here, where I can sit and think and just be…without any little people in sight. Ahhh. But I do miss them.

Before I continue, here’s a little bit of Grito. Viva Mexico!

The staff girls that we're so thankful for- it's neat to see the Lord working in their lives as they live out their faith at Lily. (They have such patience with our Spanish...most of the time. Haha.)

Noema and Maria Elena

Maria Elena and Brenda

We had our first encounter with a real Chihuahua. How exciting.

Locas.

Mama and Papa have been incredibly burdened for the staff and kids recently. They labor diligently for their children, and when prayers aren’t answered and habits don’t change, it’s hard for them to give up. They truly, truly desire change and it’s so obvious when I see them in the morning. There are many mornings that they wake up at 2 or 3am, praying for specific situations because the Lord has given them heavy burdens. Today I prayed that I could gain an ounce of passion that they have for things of the Lord. The past few weeks I’ve been convicted of my laziness, in whatever form it may take- spending time in prayer and the word, having intentional conversations with the staff and kids, being an encouragement to those around me... 1 Thessalonians has been a warning to me about this:

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness that, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thess 5:4-9)

Plans here changed constantly, and the Lord may be using these situations to remind me that I’m not promised a thing. It’s only by his mercy and grace that I’m here, experiencing His creation and serving His people. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve thought or spoken out loud, “I’m an idiot.” I’m constantly making mistakes, but by His grace, I’m still here- prayerfully learning and growing in my faith.

We need to head back to the orphanage, so I can’t share more. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Lily and are interested in what God is doing. Mary Ellen has shared with me that several people are interested in supporting the orphanage financially or with specific gifts and talents. I’m thankful for your desire and will pray that if it’s God’s will, plans will work out for you to be able to bless the kids and staff here.

Please pray for Ed and Rosa, that they would know this in their hearts and have peace:

“So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who
causes the growth.” (1 Cor. 2:7)

In Him,
Lauren

We always leave too late.

2007-09-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

I had to put this up because Kat hates the sound I was making when we took this one. I'm sure the dog-owner was disturbed.

One of the gals from church... the other Maria Elena was supposed to be in this with me too.

This is some of the band that played at the Grito festivities. Independence Day 2007! woot, woot!

This is our abuela with one day's lunch. Someone donated a bunch of chickens a few weeks back. They're gone now. I'll add a video or two from this event next weekend.

I call this one "Chicken in a bucket and painted toenails"... One of the staff girls gave me toenail polish and I was thrilled.

Me and Ana. This lil' one is really special to me.

Carlina and Miriam the night before they left.

This is Ramón and Cristian playing in the floor. Cristian left with his sisters (above) to go back to their family. I hope this is a good thing. When the social services here picked them up they brought two new kids. It is strange to see kids come and go as they do.

This here is a tarantula. The picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, but we´ve found a few lately, so I thought it would be appropriate to put up. I am not a fan.

I am eating one of best sandwiches ever right now. Surprisingly, two of my favorite foods here are the sandwich and the hamburger. Different from the States and so good. I´m all about the avocado- it´s brilliant, Mexico! So, the last two weeks have been insane. A lot has happened, and as usual I am short on the time needed to tell you everything. You probably don't want or need to know all the dirty details anyway. Since my last discouraged note, the Lord has lifted me greatly. In fact, just two Sundays ago Lauren and I missed church because we had to take a girl to the hospital because she said a boy put a bean in her ear. A bean. My dad said moms are supposed to check on those kinds of things. Who knew!? I got thrown into this motherhood thing, and frankly, I have no recolection of my mom looking in or cleaning my ears. Sorry, Mom, if it went unnoticed.
Well because of the extra time, Lauren and I ended up praying together for some affirmation of God´s approval and purpose in bringing us to Mexico, for greater understanding and effectiveness in communication in Spanish, and for favor with the our new giant Mexican family. I couldn´t beleive I was only here to drive a car and pass out toothbrushes. Within the next 24 hours the Lord responded to everything we prayed for. One of the girls shared her story with us (a very disturbing and heart wrenching story) and I was able to share with her what God had done in my Life and go through Scripture and share the Gospel with her. WHAT?! Since then another girl, seven years old, shared her story of abuse and abandonment with me. I am amazed how the Lord enables me to understand the language particularly well at these times. Plus, yesterday Lauren and I spent the majority of the morning with three girls and were able to talk about purity and the Gospel with them. It may not have been the most convincing and poetic talk ever, but I think we communicated something true. Because a lot of these children have been exposed to sexuality in abusive and/or impure scenarios, many of them struggle with things adults I know would not even think of. It breaks my heart. I am praying that God would erase their memories of these things and give them a passion to look different from their culture. These are really the first times we´ve been able to minister more directly to the hearts of the girls. I´ve missed this.

I have a confession. Like an idiot I was driving the giant blue van, the same one I drive all the time, down a little dirt road outside the school the other day. I was asked to drive a group of 12 third-graders and their teacher on a field trip. Well, as I attempted to move through a small space between a random car and our huge bus, I totally scraped the side of the van. I mean.... totally. The best is that all the kids were outside the school (about 60 of ours) and they were all ready to make fun of me and reinact the whole thing. Little boogers. This is one among a few careless things I´ve done this week. Today, as I spent time with the Lord, I was confessing to the Lord my frustration with myself. I want to be different and I´m annoyed at this rate of sanctification. It´s easy for people to read about or job here and think more highly of us than you should. My whole life I´ve struggled with follow through (thanks to the dear Merideth Davis I know this cuz she called me out big time in college!) and it is nothing short of a miracle that the Lord would ever use me. This annoys me often as I want to find sufficiency in myself. I keep looking, but it´s not there. Well, after confessing this to the Lord, I was reading Tozer´s, The Divine Conquest (again! I need more books!) and was super convicted to see the Lord working in my presence.
Let Tozer explain... ¨We habitually stand in our now and look back by faith to see the past filled with God. We look forward and see Him inhabiting our future: but our now is uninhabited except for ourselves. Thus we are guilty of a kind of pro tem atheism which leaves us alone in the universe while, for the time, God is not. We talk of Him much and loudly, but we secretly think of Him as being absent... And we are lonely with an ancient and cosmic loneliness.¨

Mama Rosa really encounters God. She sees Him in the past, present, and the future. I have been convicted through her life to examine what I have been thinking about the Lord. I am missing something big. Still, I am grateful that amidst this weekness the grace of God is stirring in my heart and working in the lives of others. He is teaching Lauren and I so much. Now I´ve written too much and stayed too late. Pray for a supernatural energy for us tomorrow. I love you all and am overwhelmed by the support and interest you´ve shown in this little home of ours. May God be praised for the miracles He is doing here.

Peace,
Mary Ellen

P.S. I got lice again. So dumb. So gross. I only wear ponytails so it doesn't make a bit of sense.
P.P.S. My dad is coming to visit really soon and I am thrilled.

Merm's not a blog hog

2007-09-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. Here I am, finally. Merm isn’t a blog hog. Now the air is cleared, Mary Ellen. Our days off have been pretty busy, and the internet isn’t the greatest on my little laptop, so I haven’t had a ton of time to sit and think and write. Lots of thoughts have come and gone these past few weeks, and thinking clearly at this hour just isn’t going to happen. But I feel extremely distant from all of you, so let me give you a little bit of my life, struggles, and joys at Lily.

Over one month has come to pass, and it feels like I’m just now settling in. Mary Ellen and I finally have a dresser for our things (no more living out of a suitcase!) and we have keys to our room. The honeymoon stage of living in a foreign country is long gone, and now I’m really living here (well, for three more months). Three times a days there are dishes for over 100 people to be washed, the dining floor swept and mopped, and lots of children to be tended to. My sin is becoming more apparent, as I am constantly faced with opportunities to serve in joy or with a complaining heart. My faith is most tested at night when Mary Ellen and I are putting the girls to bed. Part of me wants to be so sweet to them, but when there are ten girls surrounding me, all complaining of their usual problems- imaginary stomachaches and headaches, no bed to sleep in, arguments with other girls, stolen toothbrushes and tennis shoes- I just want to run away. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit in these wearisome moments, who reminds me of where I am and who these girls are. I know that the Lord has called me to love these orphaned children of God for this brief stint in which Lily of the Valley is my home. My desire is to respond in love no matter what, and prayfully, I’m on that path. Many nights, I go to bed tired and frustrated, but the Lord is changing my attitude. Slowly, and only by God’s grace.

One of our worst behavioral problems comes from a girl named Flor who’s only 5 or 6 years old. She rarely ever listens, and can turn from playful to bad-tempered instantaneously. Almost every night, she throws a fit over something, and my immediate desire is to ignore her. I want to leave her without discipline, and without and hug and a kiss. Mary Ellen and I consistently punish her in the form of time outs, which hasn’t made any impact on her behavior. Without knowing the language, it’s almost impossible for me to address her heart- to tell her that she is disobedient because she’s a sinner. For now, all I can do is put her in the corner until she stops crying, sometimes up to 20 minutes, explain why she’s being punished, and then carry her to her bed because she’s literally worn herself out. One night last week, she wasn’t being disobedient, but was just upset because no one would share a bed with her. In my impatience, I wanted to set her down in an empty bed and walk away. But instead, I knelt down beside her bed and sang the first song that came to mind, Jesus Loves Me. As I sang, I prayed that the Lord would reveal her sin and her need for a savior. Since then, she’s been punished several times, and I imagine that this next week will be similar. Through her, I’m being disciplined and challenged, as well. I know that she needs consistency in her life, part of it being that when she disobeys, she must face consequences. Please pray for her heart!

Here are a few photos of Flor…she has a hilarious personality, so when she’s not throwing a tantrum, she’s great to be around. We laugh a lot together. I’ve gotta get some video of her dancing- this girl’s got moves.

We took the kids swimming the weekend before school started, and Flor “found” (in Mary Ellen’s purse) a pair of glasses that belonged to a guy here with a team from Texas. She kept saying, “I’m an American” in a silly voice.

Flor loves dogs. Loves them. We have several at the house, and her favorite thing to do is see how much she can test them. She has all kinds of scratches to prove it.

This week I looked at Matthew 18:9 and from this scripture, I’ve thought so much about material things and the gospel. For these kids, of course, it’s important that they don’t go hungry, are clean, and given an opportunity to receive an education. But Matthew 18:9 says “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.” If these kids are given all they need physically, but don’t know Christ, what do they have? The Lord has greatly blessed the orphanage with physical needs, and I pray that all of these things are from the Lord. But I want more for them! My prayer is that through our daily devotionals, and just living life with them, they will see that the Father, through Christ, has rescued them from their sin if they choose to accept this truth. I’ve been wrestling with this scripture in terms of my own life, as I’ve examine my heart and the idols I cling to. Life here isn’t comfortable, but I’m so busy that I rarely think of it. I hope that once I’m back home, I won’t hold so tightly to my comforts. Please pray that the children will see God’s love for them in the food they eat, the clothes the wear, the staff who constantly serve them, and Mama and Papa, who give so sacrificially. But also, and even more brilliantly, that they see Christ’s love for them. And that they see a need for a savior.

Good news. There’s hope for learning the language. My attitude towards studying is never consistent- I’m either pumped or feeling totally defeated and don’t crack open my book all day. But tonight Sofia, our Mexican mom, gave me inspiration. She’s actually an English teacher here in Chihuahua and is willing to help us a little each weekend. She said we’re in an ideal situation to learn because we live with over 100 Spanish speaking people and have to use it all the time. I realize that but sometimes I feel so hopeless. The past few weeks I’ve been discouraged with my forgetfulness and have myself convinced that I’m never going to learn. This has also affected other areas of my responsibilities, specifically running errands. Getting lost isn’t an option because I don’t have a cell phone and sound like a four-year-old when asking a stranger for directions. The Lord is teaching me patience- in learning the language and learning the city.

Alright, I’ve got to get up four hours and Merm is already sound asleep like a little baby. I better get going. More next week, I hope.

A few more photos...

Antonio, showing off his muscles.

He's got a softer side, too. These moments are so precious.

Sisters.

More sisters. Two seconds after this was taken, Ana and Gabey got in a huge fight. That's what sisters are for.

Ana and I.

Our baby animals.

Look, Kat!

The goat boys. Christian is second from the left. See? He's fine.

PS- How are you? Please do tell.

Sin tiempo...

2007-09-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

One picture. Hanging out with Brisa and Karla.

There's much to say, but we had a big storm today and were unable to use the internet. God has answered some great prayers and I am amazed by His workings. I'm feeling very encouraged this weekend. I'd love to share more.... but that will have to wait until next week. I hope you enjoy the videos. We have more we want to put up... that, too, will have to wait until next week.
Buenas Noches,
Maria Elena

Precious Sarah Tennant, I started to write you back but was unable to finish. You'll get an update next week. Thanks for your precious email. I loved hearing from the Tennant pair.
Manda and Kat, we still need to talk. Dang weddings. Next weekend? We spent $5 on a phone card today in hopes of calling you, but it lasted 6 minutes- long enough to say hi to Sadie and Shy. WRITE US and tell us when you'll be together!
Mom, I'm pretty sure I'm lice-free now. Yipee!

Okay, that's all.

2007-09-08T08:27:00.001-07:00

This is a message to Team Vito... I know you´re considering coming back. Hopefully the girls plea will encourage it.
PS- they instigated this. :)

2007-09-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

This is precious little Flor and Gustavo. I´ve mentioned before that FLor makes the best faces. Well, now you can see. She´d let me do this all day if I wanted. I´m just blowing in her face (something I would find so annoying, no doubt). You´ll see Gustavo at the end. He is unable to walk correctly due to a birth defect but runs and plays with the other kids like nothing is wrong. He, too, makes great faces.

2007-09-07T22:56:00.001-07:00

Meet our pick-up truck. This is our glamorous weekend transportation. Notice we´re not super scrubby- we made this video outside the Middleton´s house last weekend before any major contact with the Mexico heat. Kit-Kat... I wore the necklace, though I admit that it´s probably only the second or third time. :) You can totally borrow it in December.

2007-09-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

All the elementary kids take one of the orphanage buses to school every morning, and I like to go along every once in a while to spend some time with them. Here they are-super loud and hyper.

2007-09-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, the animals. One afternoon I took Ramon, who is wheelchair-bound, to see the animals and found lots of boys who like to observe/taunt them. I accidentally captured on video (at the very end) an unfortunate incident: one of the goats head-butted the heck out of little Christian, pushing him face first into the ground. I felt sorry for the kid, but every time I watch this video, I can't help but laugh. The thing is, he'd already been head-butted once early in the day. That's what you get for messing with the goats, but the poor thing looked so sweet and innocent beforehand. In case you're wondering, he wasn't hurt. And the next day, the same goat came after me. He got me. Barely.

Are you kiddin' me? Mary Ellen again?!

2007-09-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Job last week and am on my way through Ecclesiastes. I'm hoping to read the second half of the Old Testament while I am here and at the same time study/memorize (maybe?) 1 Peter. I say this only so you understand the context of my thoughts right now... I read first about a man who endured more tragedy than I will ever know (I am confident only because he started out with more material possessions than I will see in my lifetime) and then turn to a man who is able to endulge in every physical or material thing available. Though I've just begun Ecclesiastes they both seem to speak with the same humility toward God - recognizing His control and greatness while seeing the brevity of their lives and their helplessness before Him. Job says after being called out by the Lord, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (42:2) Then, Solomon says, "I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him." (Ecc 3:14) These lessons are appearing in my own life right now.

It has been a thought-provoking break, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to breathe here at the Middleton's house. God has taught me so much about hospitality through both this family and our dear Mexican family. Momma Middleton has so ministered to my heart (and I think Lauren would say the same about this Middleton pair) as we've been able to talk through some of our more recent struggles. What a blessing they've been. Still, our day off is always a little frustrating in that we have so much we want to do and find ourselves lacking the time and energy to do it all. In fact, we are once again writing on the blog an hour before we are to head back to the orphanage. So ridiculous. I want two days off... but I'm just getting greedy.
I mentioned that I've been a little more emotional this week. Well, I think I've hit the peak of culture shock. And it is shocking. My rose-colored glasses have lost their color and I'm seeing things at the orphanage with this awful dirty tint. I'm praying God would come and clean up my lenses so I can finally see clearly and a correct perspective. For as long as I've known Christ, God has given me this itch to work in tough places. I'm starting to believe it has something to do with with the fact that I am so hard-headed. To be sanctified I may just need to suffer a little more. I keep saying to everyone I talk to, "I know I am where I am supposed to be," but to be honest, my little bitty reading audience, I don't really like it right now. Two ways my personality is geared is to lead and to communicate... both of these things have been stripped from me. Sheesh, this is hard to work through. Our conversations with Lang and the Middletons this weekend have encouraged me to be more intentional in the ways I study Spanish and with the girls I spend my time with. It seems obvious, but it is amazing what a busy schedule will do to your common knowledge.

There is so much I could write about. Whatcha wanna know about? Stories about the kids? ..my complete confusion and occasional fears about the future? ..my anger toward sin, specifically the mistreatment of children? ..my concern for the preaching of the Gospel and the disciplship of these kids? ..the people I'm missing most these days? ...How about what music I'm listening to these days or what made me laugh this week? I'll take requests.
Please just let me know you read this. There's something kinda awkward about feeling like you're writing to the air.

I love you all and am trying to be faithful in prayer for you as well. I praise God for the ways He shows Himself through His Church. Thank you to my community group for being a consistent example of compassion and service.

God is moving, my friends.
Peace,
Maria Elena

In Classic Mexico Fashion...

2007-08-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting at the Middleton's house in Chihuahua(this is the couple that first introduced me to Lily of the Valley)! In classic Mexico fashion, everything that I thought was going to happen was changed at the last minute. Rather than sending Brenda and I to Tijuana today, they're sending Samuel on Monday. It is for the best though. Lauren and I will update before we leave tomorrow, but I just wanted everyone to know. :)
Peace out,
Mary Ellen