MISSING IT ALL

Since my return to Canada, one week ago, I have been very busy.

I have started looking at college/university programs.
We celebrated my grandparents 60th anniversary with a large family gathering .
I started working at the grocery store again.
...

While I have kept myself busy with stuff like this, my mind is still in Mexico.
It is a very hard thing to explain.

I miss all of the crazy adventures.
I miss the all of the children.
I miss the staff.
I miss it all!

The little ones brought so much joy into my life.
They kept me going full speed for the past month.
It was so much fun!

I constantly think about my little Yessi.
She is such a beautiful little girl.

Was I wrong to build such a strong relationship with her?
Did I leave when she needed me most?
When will I go back to see her?
Will she accepet me again?
Can I leave her a second time?

I have been asking myself a lot of questions lately.
Most of them I can not answer myself.
I will need to trust that God set this in place for a reason.
Although I do not plan to travel often, I will continue to visit this orphanage.
I would like to make it a regular thing.

So, as I continue with life in Canada, I think about life in Mexico.
Mexico is not where I want to live but, I don't want to lose my relationships there.
I have a lot of things to figure out.

I will continue to listen to God. Follow His ways. Give the glory to Him.

ADIOS AMIGOS

Imagine:

You have spent one month with a group of precious children.
Today is your last day with them.
It is getting dark outside.
You are sitting in a chair surrounded my candles.
"My Redeemer Lives" begins to play in the back ground.
Eleven angels walk out from the house.
They softly dance around you before falling to their knees.
One of the angels begins to wash your feet.
What are you feeling inside?

John 13:1-17

12 When Jesus had finished washing the disciples' feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.

13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.

14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

On Wednesday night, I was over whelmed when I experienced this.
Anna and I were asked to go outside.
We were instructed to sit in the chairs. We were surrounded by candle light.
The founder of the orphanage began reading scripture.
Reading from Romans and Isaiah, she thanked us for bringing the "good news."
She reminded us that we were sent by our Living God!

She stepped back into the dark as "My Redeemer Lives" started to play.
Our attention moved towards the orphanage doors as they opened.
Eleven of the older girls walked towards us in their white gowns.
As the music continued, they danced around us.
One by one, the girls went to their knees.
They began to wash our feet.

By this time I was in tears.
The first girl to walk out was my precious Yessi.
Dressed in white and carrying a candle she appeared as an angel.
For the past month and to this day, she reminds me to LOVE unconditionally.
I am nothing if I don't love like my Heavenly Father loves me.
Yessi was and is so very special to me. I love her.

1 Corinthians 13:2

If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
  

The girl who washed my feet is also very dear to me.

While we had not connected in the same way, there was something special.

I continued to see something great even when our relationship was not great.

Her story, like all of the children, was of hardship and struggle.

She came from a dark past but I could see such a bright future.

I hope that she was able to see God's light shining in Anna and myself.
We wanted to to show God's love and the life you can enjoy in that!

Matthew 25:40

The King will reply,

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
  

When things were slowing down for the night, we had time to talk to the founder.
She began to explain the chosen bible verses and foot washing process.
If there wasn't enough to take in already, I was brought to tears again.
She spoke the truth, as she explained herself.
 *We were reminded that we were God's hands and feet. Sent by God to do His work.
 *Whatever we did to these children, we did to God. Matthew 25:35-36 !!!
 *Our feet were washed by orphans... "THINK ABOUT IT..."
 *We were changing lives. God was at work, NOT us.
 *Do we need to own anything if our Father owns everything?

In those final quiet moments before our departure, I was at peace.
God is doing amazing things in my life.
I went to bed, thinking about everything said earlier that night.
There was a lot on my mind. I wanted to put everything together.

There is nothing I could say to put my experience into words.
  

LOS CAMACHOS

Once again, our time away from home is coming to a end.
We will be leaving Mexico on Thursday.

Today, we had one last outing with the children.
We went to a wonderful water park called Los Camashos.
The water slides were awesome!
I also enjoyed the huge diving platform.
We had an amazing time together.

Once again, I am very sorry.
Sadly, I have had little time to write about my actual experience at the orphanage.
I would like to apologise for the limited information.

Time goes by so quickly when you are immersed in something so great as this.
While there have been struggles this past month, I have seen personal growth in that.
At times, I wanted to give up. At times, I wanted to seek permanent residence here.
I have experienced both extremes.

The relationships that I have made in Mexico are ever lasting.
These people will always be in my heart.

The staff are amazing.
I have a unique appreciation for each person that works with this mission.
The founders have a true heart for what they are doing.
They give God the glory for the amazing work that has been accomplished.
Everyone else on staff plays an essential part in this exciting journey.

The children have stolen my heart.
While they were busy driving me crazy, they managed to change something inside of me.
I connected immediately with the younger children.
It took some time for me to connect to the older ones.
By the end I had great relationships with both the little ones and the older girls.
We had so much fun together!
I am completely amazed at the diversity of each child.
Each child is so special. Their personalities are amazing.
They might come from horrible pasts but they have beautiful futures!

Thursday is going to be very hard.
I have made some very good memories here.

At the same time, I am VERY excited to get home!

Please pray that these children will recognise God`s work in their lives.

THANK YOU!

   

LES MISERABLES

After a 19 year sentence, Jean Valjean is released on parole by prison guard Javert. He is offered food and shelter by a Bishop. Touched by the Bishop's love, grace, and generosity, Valjean breaks his parole to start a life of honesty under a new identity. Javert tries his hardest to bring the escaped convict to justice. Throughout the movie, Valjean shows to be a very wonderful man yet Javert tries to bring the escaped convict to justice. There is a huge amount of forgiveness on Valjean's part to live the life that he did.

There is MUCH more to this movie...
Watch it if you want to know the full extent of what happen.



On Friday night, we went to the Cinepolis is Guadalajara.
We had V.I.P. tickets for Les Miserables.
I did not know what to expect when we were presented with this opportunity.
V.I.P. was beyond what I could have imagined.

We had valet parking, reclining chairs, and menus.
When we got to our seats, we got comfortable and looked through the menus.
Within minutes, our waiter was at our side.
We placed our order and had our food in no time at all.
* Popcorn was an option but so was chocolate cake.
What a crazy experience!

It was a really nice time for some of the staff to get out.
We really enjoyed each others company as well as the movie.

Once again, I did something that I never thought that I would be doing.
I am in Mexico, working at an orphanage, and I get to see a V.I.P. movie.
There are so many things to be thankful for right now!
God has given me more than I could have ever asked for.

VALENTINE'S DAY

For breakfast, Anna and I joined a group of lovely women from church.
The ladies were so welcoming and kind to us.
My yogurt and fruit hit the spot!

Shortly after our meal, we went shopping with Don.
Don is a very nice man who is a friend of June's.
He bought us some ice cream and helped us find some souvenirs.

After shopping for a few hours, we went to Don's house for lunch.
He is a wonderful cook!
We had fish and home-made french fries.

We went swimming for a couple hours before our next surprise.
Once again, Don had ice cream for us... Ice cream and cake!
We were so spoilled this Valentine's day!

I think Don really enjoyed our company yesterday.
He was so joyful. He wanted to make it a special day for us.
It was a VERY special day!
THANK YOU DON!

*
In broken English, one of the children reminded me:
"Jesus is the only significant person on Valentine's day and everyday"

MARIPOSA MONARCA

On Saturday, we went to a butterfly reserve.

We spent the WHOLE day away from the orphanage.
At 5 in the morning, we got on the bus.
By 12:30 in the afternoon we were at the reserve!

Before our search to find the butterflies, we had a quick picnic.
After our sandwiches, we started walking.
We walked and walked and walked...

By 4 in the afternoon, we were covered in Monarch Butterflies.
Okay, I exaggerated a little bit.
At one point, I had about 7 butterflies on my head.
That was a lot for me...
It was absolutely amazing!

One butterfly landed on my mouth.
That kind of freaked me out. I was NOT expecting that!

At one point, I had a precious Monarch on my hand.
I examined this little being for a minute before it flew away.
Their bodies are so intricate and precise.
It is amazing how they are capable of flying from Canada to Mexico.
    * Anna, June, and I followed their path down to Mexico!

If you looked deep into the forest, there were millions of butterflies.
You could see high into the trees where the butterflies would gather in bunches.
The branched were filled with these creatures.

In addition to my amazement, the kids had a wondefull time with the "mariposas."
Although they complained about the hiking... They really appreciated the final destination.
We were fully immersed in God's creation. The trees, the mountains, the butterflies...

Another 6 hours on the bus and we were back at the orphanage.
We arrived around 12:30 that night.
Everyone was ready for bed!

Just like these butterflies, God has created us to do wonderful things.
As I watch each child, I see something so beautiful.
I pray that God will guide and protect them on their journeys.


PICTURES!

 

 

 

 

WILD WAVES

****The name of the orphanage translates to THE WAVE****

So far, this trip has been full of wild waves.

Since our arrival, Anna and I have been having a wonderful time.
Although the children push our buttons at times, they are amazing.
I need to keep in mind the struggles that each child has been through.
They might not listen at times but, they are SO special.

At this point, there are 14 girls and 1 boy at the orphanage.
They range in age from 2 - 18 years old.
The orphanage does not usually take boys but have made special accommodations.
This young boy came with his 2 sisters and cousin.
He can cause a great amount of damage yet he is so CUTE!

At the orphanage, Anna and I have various tasks.
Our largest responsibility is to watch over the children.
    *make sure they are doing their chores, having fun, staying safe...
We take them on walks for extra exercise.
Help care for the younger girls.
    *diaper changes, eating, baths, dressing, bed...
In addition to caring for this group, we also teach some English.

Anna and I are fortunate enough to have Tuesdays and Thursdays off.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our outings on these days.
There have been moments of great rest and others of great adventure.
We have been introduced to many great people along the way.

My favourite day off thus far was last Thursday.
We took a 45 minute bus ride to a nice market area on the water.
After looking around, we decided to walk towards home.
We walked for 45 minutes, ending up at June's house.
She was not home so, we walked to her friends house.
He was home so, we visited with him for a while.
When we were about to leave, June appeared.
We had so much fun exploring this small part of Mexico.
    *BONUS - June's friend bought us an ice cream after dinner!

Our time off has been filled with many great adventures.
While I love the children, I also like to explore.
It is a perfect balance between work and time off!
We have been blessed with such a wonderful schedule.

Wave #1 - road trip
Wave #2 - getting to know the children
Wave #3 - learning to put God first during this chaotic experience  
Wave #4 - beach trip (more than one wave there!)
Wave #5 - days off
...