SPIFFY NEW UPHOLSTREY

Here is a picture of tutora Mari sitting on our newly reupholstered furniture at San José. We hope to get the livingroom painted soon, too. It will look great when our friends from Texas come to visit in the near future.

Mechanics

Okay, I'm way behind on the updates! But I thought you'd enjoy seeing Edgar and José in action. The two guys have been going three days a week during their summer vacation to a mechanic´s shop. We will see if this is something they want to pursue. It is great for these boys to be able to get out and around some more male influence. Their boss, Nestor, is a really nice guy and the boys are learning about both engines and wiring. Edgar really wants to be truck driver. You REALLY need to know something about auto mechancis here if you´re going to do that!!

Christmas at Sagrada Familia

Well, Padre Ron and Vicki missed it as they were in the US, but we had a great Christmas. We got to open our packages under the tree as well as those sent by friends in the US. We enjoyed a special meal. And, best of all we got to stay up REALLY late and watch TV. Now how cool is that? And a happy New Year to each of you!

Nativity

Thanks to Directora Jackie we have a great Nativity at Sagrada Familia. All the kids were excited and we blessed the figure of the infant Jesus just before Edgar's party. We have a lively assembly of chickens, horses, traditional wisemen, and assorted other farm animals eagerly awaiting the Christ Child. May he be born again in our hearts this year. Feliz Navidad to you each of the twelve days of Christmas!!

Party

The kids recently had a blast at Padre Ron's and Tía Vicki´s. First the Sagrada Familia crew came over and made cookies and played before feasting on hamburgers. Then the San José kids came over for a meal. Both groups enjoyed the giant soap bubble makers provided by Brian and Kimi Shorter of Corinth. Of course Padre Juan Carlos was down in the dirt playing cars with the other little boys and girls! They loved it!

Best Two out of Three....

Here they are! Yasmin and Liz, two new girls for Casa Hogar "San José" just in time for Christmas. We´re thrilled to have these 2 new eight year olds join us. The third one, a boy of 3 yrs., should have come in today. Welcome, kids! That should bring us up to our limit for 2007 with 17 at San José and 9 at Sagrada Familia. Vicki, Martha, Manuel, and Diego will move over to S.F. in February when the Roofdogs arrive from Texas. Yeeehaaaaw!

What´s Next for Edgar...?

That has been the challenging question this last month. A recently discovered birth certificate for Edgar puts him at 17 yrs. old as of Dec. 29, 2006. Legally he can only stay at Casa Hogar for one more year. (We´re investigating options.) We have decided to place Edgar in a "Pronoe" education system where he will attend classes on Sat. only and will have weekdays to apprentice at a trade he is interested in. Right now we are investigating auto mechanics which he and José both like. Maybe a little trial time over the holidays to see if it is truly something Edgar wants to pursue. Padre has assured him that if he isn´t interested, we´ll try something else! Keep Edgar in your prayers, please!

Updating......

Wow! How time flies. Let's see what I can remember. First, we did Simba's shots. He's up to date now until next year. Next, we had the kids over to make cookies, eat, and play at the Robertson's (see http://ronandvickisministry.blogspot.com/) and then we had the BIG EVENT. That was Edgar's "promoción" from Sixth Grade. Quite a blowout. Ron and Vicki went with Edgar and the directora, Jackie, to the evening bash. Music (loud), food (plentiful), and dancing(at first shy) were the order of the event which lasted from 3:30 Sunday afternoon until 9 p.m. Tía Jackie gets the prize for getting the REAL dancing started. Edgar, a bit bashful at first, had a great time.
Also, you´ll notice Estrella in the bright pink dress. She used to one of our kids at Casa Hogar San José. Hasn´t she grown???

Christian Arrives

A new boy arrived today. He will turn 11 in January. Christan has lost both parents and has only an older grandmother who isn't able to care for him. We're glad to have him. As he is a bright boy, we are checking to see if Arelis' teacher who comes to the orphanage can work with him as well.

Maria Perez and Ron discussed some repairs needed and possibly re-upholstering the living room furniture. We'll pray about that. Maria was really excited about that possibility as she wants everything "spiffy" when the Roof Dogs come in Feb.

We'll put a picture of Christian on the blog as soon as we take one!

Simba

Simba at 4 months is the youngest resident at Casa Hogar Sagrada Familia. Coming from a church family yesterday, Simba seems to be adjusting well to his new surroundings. He is nearly full size now. Susana seems the most enchanted with him and even Margot (who doesn't like dogs) was all smiles. Of course, he has made friends with the cook Ana Rosa. Smart dog! Padre took him for shots this morning and will take him back in two weeks for boosters. Welcome to the family, Simba!

Wedding Announcement

Diana, one of the "educadoras" for Casa Hogar San José, got married on the 28th of October. There was much excitement and the wedding was beautiful. One glitch, however, was that the rings didn't arrive so they had to borrow some at the last minute. This week the couple came to church Sunday and Father Ron blessed the rings when he arrived for the service. Full of smiles and excitement, the young couple was fun to watch. Congratulations, Diana and Henry!

Ana Margoth- 8 yrs. old

Daniela- 5 yrs old

Miguel Angel- 9 yrs. old

Julio César- 3 yrs. old

The Family is Expanding

Yes, we are growing. In the last couple of weeks we have added 4 more kids. Each one with a smile to melt your heart! Their backgrounds are sad. We have a couple who, because of the extreme poverty of the mother and her inability to feed them, care for them, or send them to school, have been declared abandoned and labelled "orphans". A couple of others were removed from a mother involved in gangs. She was severly injured in a knife fight and has not taken much interest in the feeding or fate of her kids. Thus, the court declared her an unfit mother. It is sad that there are so many cases of children left to fend for themselves. Finding food becomes the entire focus of their little lives. Often, even at the incredibly young age of 4,5,or 6, they end up as "domestic help"somewhere (i.e. virtually slaves.)

While the directors and I were meeting today, we had a call from a judge trying to place 4 brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, one was too old for us to accept. At the end of our meeting we prayed for God to provide a loving place for those 4. Saying "no," even when one feels led by the Spirit to set perameters, is very hard to do.

Update

We continue to move forward with our Casas. As you know, we are planning to add 10 children to our homes for next year. We have already begun to add them. First, we added Arelis, an 8 yr. old girl. She is a very warm and loving child with a bright smile. Then we added Miguel Angel, a 9 yr. old boy with a worried, hungry look. His need for love is so apparent. Next, we aded Daniela, a 6 yr. old sister of Miguel Angel. Both Daniela and Miguel Angel have obviously not be well treated in the past. Now we have added another brother/sister combination: Julio Cesar (3) and Ana Margot (8yrs.) Apparently their mother is involved in gangs and was severly injured in a knife incident. The court has deemed her unfit. One of the kids' fathers is dead. The other split some time ago and has not been heard from again. I took gifts from the St. Phillip's team to the kids this afternoon. What fun! I got to sort them out for each kid, label them, and give them to the children. Just me, all by myself! What a blast I had and how excited the kids were at both Casas. The teens discreetly looking to see what I was carrying, but playing it cool. The little ones excitedly looking out the window and Miguel hollering at the top of his lungs to open the door, Tio Ron was waiting! The stuffed animals, soccer balls, hair thingies, games, hats, baseballs, and puzzles were a hit. Daniela wanted to know if I came every day as everyone was so excited. Then Victoria and one of the house mothers were trying to explain to Julio Cesar(3 yrs.) that it was okay to let the other children see what he got. They weren't going to take it away from him. I hope I can get pictures of the new kids on Sunday when I am at Cristo Redentor. Many thanks, St. Phillip's! I've put in a picture of a couple of the team members with our volcano, Misti, in the background. Chao, Padre Ron

"Jesus love me" Blankets

Many thanks to Barbara Gooding and Church of the Ascension, Westminster, MD, for sending these love blankets made by their VBS kids. We have distributed these to kids at San Jose, Sagrada Familia, prision babies, and Abrigo Andino. Some extras will go to the mission post "Santiago Apostol" in a very poor part of town where they will be treasured by the moms for their little ones.

New "Pup" for the Roof Dogs

Yes, we are beginning to add new kids. This is Areli who has been with us about 2 weeks now. Her story is quite sad. Her mom was in a very abusive relationship and was driven to suicide. Areli has no father figure. A caring neighbor took her to the judge as no one stepped forward to care for her. Then we were asked to take her in. She was attending a catholic school and the Mother Superior has decided to send her teacher over once a week to "home school" Areli so she can finish her school year with the same teacher. (Of couse our school year ends in December.) A child with a warm and ready smile for everyone, she was obviously very loved by her mom.

In addition, today we have been asked to received 3 children- an 11 yr. old girl, an 8 yr. old boy, and a 5 yr. old girl. They are brother and sisters being permanently removed from chronic alcoholic parents. It appears that they haven't been attending school with any regularity either. Keep Juliana, Edgar, and Maribel in your prayers. too.

Ana Rosa

Ana Rosa is our cook at Casa Hogar Sagrada Familia. Previously she cooked for us at Casa Hogar San Jose. She is a member of San Lucas Mission and is a fluent Quechua speaker so she has been a great help with evangelism teams traveling to Cabanaconde in the Colca Canyon. We’re planting herbs for her to use in her cooking.

Cooking here can be a challenge. Sometimes the water or electricity is unexpectedly cut off, or the gas runs out during meal preposition. Add to that the occasional appearance of a guest for lunch and you have a recipe for surprises! The kids enjoy her cooking, but, as typical teens anywhere, they have their likes and dislikes. The universal dislike is washing up afterwards. Sound like your home?

Thanks to our supporters we offer 3 glasses of milk a day to all the children EXCEPT Giovanna who DOESN’T like it! ( We sneak it in in desserts, though.) Milk is bought by the pail and delivered to the door. Ana Rosa then brings it to a boil before cooling it down for the fridge. A typical “glass of milk” here is a bit different. It is flavored with cinnamon and cloves. (Arguments among cooks occur over the proper amount of each ingredient!)

We will try out Ana Rosa’s guinea pig recipes when we get the piggies going. We haven’t prepared their area yet, but soon will. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen the two roosters that had, at least until recently, outrun the cooking pot! The kids look happy, though.......